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Rod Jackson reveals that Chris Cornell auditioned for Slash’s Snakepit

Chris Cornell and Slash

Classic Rock

Rod Jackson reveals that Chris Cornell auditioned for Slash’s Snakepit

Rod Jackson, Slash’s Snakepit vocalist revealed that Chris Cornell was one of the many singers that auditioned for the guitarist band at the time.

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Read what he said:

“So Johnny [Griparic, who played bass on the Snakepit’s second and final album, 2000’s ‘Ain’t Life Grand’] and I had played together, and in passing he said: ‘Hey Rod, how would you like to come down and demo some songs for Snakepit?’

See beautiful theatrical version of Chris Cornell’s “The Promise” video

“I’m thinking Slash, Snakepit, putting two and two together, I said, ‘Sure.’ I went down there and they’d tried out like 300 singers. Chris Cornell was one, God bless.”

About the audition process he said:

“You’re in Slash’s world, it’s a big thing, brother. I realized that when I got there, they gave me this cassette, back then you gave each other cassettes.

“I went home, listened to the songs, got in the corner. I remember saying to myself, ‘Hey man, ain’t no one-two swing, you better knock this son of a bitch right the fuck out on the first swing. You better bust ass on it!’

“I think they went through a lot of singers, so I knew if I didn’t bust this out, man they were going to pass me up. I knew this was real.

“That was a lot of work. It was a lot of work, I disappeared when I got in that band. I learned a lot from those guys, I became a student.

Hear Slash's isolated guitar track on Welcome To The Jungle

“They had already done it and been there. I went to one of the best colleges in the world, it was the University of Slash. You learn good things, and you learn bad things.”

I'm a Brazilian journalist who always loved Classic Rock and Heavy Metal music. That passion inspired me to create Rock and Roll Garage over 6 years ago. Music has always been a part of my life, helping me through tough times and being a support to celebrate the good ones. When I became a journalist, I knew I wanted to write about my passions. After graduating in journalism from the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, I pursued a postgraduate degree in digital communication at the same institution. The studies and experience in the field helped me improve the website and always bring the best of classic rock to the world! MTB: 0021377/MG

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