Why SPOONMAN (SOUNDGARDEN) Is So MISUNDERSTOOD

[@rnrtruestories]

The story of Johnny Cash covering Soundgarden kzbin.info/www/bejne/gIS5m2R3Yrp6eck

[@216trixie]

I was visiting Santa Cruz in the early nineties for the day when I came across him on the street with his bag full of spoons and knives and forks. He was talkin and preaching and speaking poetry and playing himself. I went and grabbed my guitar and jammed with him for a couple of hours. When he was all done he was talking to someone about how he had been in the studio with this band called Soundgarden. A month later I heard on the radio the DJ announce hey this is the new song by Soundgarden Spoonman! I listened to it and I'm like what the hell there's dude! I even have one of his poems that he gave me.

[@pamelahinchee8012]

That's a Great Memory! I bet you Cherish it just as I do mine. Take a look at my comment. You must be close to my age. I just turned 60. Stay Cool and be Safe out there Man.

[@216trixie]

@@pamelahinchee8012 great story Pamela! Yes I'm 62. I grew up in California, I wish I was a little farther up North during that time. But it was fun in central California also. I have been making a couple weeklong trips up to Portland to help a friend with his album. Band name is SWIL, they've been playing up in your area for a few years. Take care!

[@silverglove2012]

Frame the poem

[@AubreyShelton-rr7yy]

Awesome!!!💕💕💕

[@216trixie]

@@AubreyShelton-rr7yy Hi! Yes it's a cool memory.

[@pamelahinchee8012]

I remember seeing him play under the Monorail. There used to be all kinds of street musicians down at the end of Pikes Place where it opens up to the park. I am so Blessed that I was there in Seattle during the whole Music Scene blowing up. I also worked within the Music Industry and attended many a showcase during the signing frenzy. I can remember seeing Soundgarden in small clubs with very few in attendance. Alice in Chains at The Vogue, Nirvana opening for Tad in 1989. I still have the Ticket Stub. All the Parties and Crazy Shows. At 60, I cherish these memories. I was a part of it, I was in the Audience as well as having interactions with Record Industry/Label people and I was very in touch with what was going on. I believed in all the Bands doing their thing. Sometimes, we would get a car together and drive down to Portland even, just to support a Band. I remember a really cool club called The Satyricon right off Burnside downtown. We'd have a blast! It was about a 3 hr drive from Seattle. I really miss those Free Days of my Early 20s.

[@IvanLendl87]

Very cool story 👍

[@pamelahinchee8012]

@@IvanLendl87 Thanks. They were cool times.

[@DustySoul257]

Hi, Pam! - Miro

[@pamelahinchee8012]

@@DustySoul257 Is that you Sweetheart? Where are you?

[@DustySoul257]

@@pamelahinchee8012 I'm still kickin' it in Seattle.

[@mariposaswallowtail4410]

Artis lives here in Port Townsend, luv that guy, his talents are many

[@GoingGoneGalt]

I was blessed to get to hang out with Artis quite a bit in the mid to late 90's while I was living in Port Townsend. He drove a well-loved and artified blue volvo, and always had a unique perspective to offer on just about everything. Wherever you are, Artis, I wish you the best life has to offer.

[@PatTheBatmanFan]

My band recorded a song with Artis called “Spoon Fed”. He played on his brand new electric spoon setup. We also played a live gig with him. Sweet guy.

[@brimstonehypotension]

Artis is my great grandpa and i see him every few months, he’s so sweet and a very wise man.

[@AubreyShelton-rr7yy]

I hope he's taken well care of by his family

[@danielstokes6934]

😂

[@JackBeasleyMedia]

I happened to be traveling to Seattle not long after the song and video came out and I saw him performing on the street near the market. I thought, "damn, he's a real person!"

[@daisywrabbit]

I often saw Artis at the Saturday Market in Eugene Oregon ✨🥄🥄✨🤘

[@ethanbrooks264]

Anything with CC/Soundgarden and I’m going to love it. Great video.

[@bangslamwham88]

Perfect story for a Tuesday. Superunknown is an album for Tuedays.

[@keithmichael112]

"get those damn spoons out of my face" - Butthead

[@Lydianon]

I miss the 90's. I moved to WA state from CA in the 80's. I love WA. My roommate and I booked shows at clubs and all-age shows in the early to mid 90's. The music scene was the only thing that kept me going, I was strung out then too. Now pretty much everyone I've ever cared about is dead. It really sucks to outlive all your friends. If it wasn't for methadone I'd be gone too.

[@leodivine]

Great Channel - I can't actually find a good KZbin video on the Green Day/Blink-182 Pop Disaster Tour Feud - I always thought it was such a great story

[@aretnap3653]

*ALIVE...* *In The SuperUnKnown!*

[@elinovak3770]

This is definitely "a story" to talk about, thanks for sharing.

[@Krrrimmi]

THANK U for this video. This my fave Soundgarden song & video was way back in my highschool days of 1994. There's no internet back then Wondering who's that artist playing spoons. Until now. 🤘😎

[@hailmaryrecordings8255]

I went to a Seattle Symphony tribute to Frank Zappa in 1995, and in attendance that night was every famous musician from Seattle & the spoonman.

[@PatTheBatmanFan]

Artis did some recording with Zappa. He told me the story. He was basically recording in a hole Zappa had made in his basement.

[@matt_b...]

3:00 "Pike's Place market" ... Pike Place.

[@perceivedvelocity9914]

I saw Artis perform live a couple of times in the 90's. It was amazing what he could do with those spoons. I love street musicians and busking in general. If there was a hall of fame for this kind of thing Artis deserves to be in it.

[@derekwilhelm1555]

Cool story but he should have gotten some kind of royaltys if the song was inspired by him

[@smsnc20]

I met that guy at Kenny Powers party. It was a blast. He had 6 grills burning at all times, tiki torches, 3 whole pigs. Shit loads of macaroni and cheeses, baked potatoes. It was wild

[@Stephen_Eee]

It's good to know there's a person made of spoons out there doing the good work.

[@ShieldYoung]

Save me All my friends are Brown and Red

[@mikerodrigues2906]

Love this channel

[@FURTHER_ADO]

Wait a minute, those are the lyrics to the song. How clever.

[@ShieldYoung]

@@FURTHER_ADO haha Actually I'm also an Indian the brown one

[@FURTHER_ADO]

@@ShieldYoung ha, I once dated a ginger. She's the red one

[@johnstucker683]

All my friends are in my head

[@BillyReplies]

Can't tell you how many times I danced and marched around to this song on full blast as a kid. Heck, that's gonna be the first thing I do when I get home from work today. 🤣🤣🤣

[@incubustimelord5947]

My favorite song of Soundgarden was Hands All Over. It was one of their early songs but it still sounds like their best work to me. Chris Cornell's voice was so much raw power in that song. Rest In Peace Chris.

[@pamelahinchee8012]

It is one of my favorites as well. "And, I Love Her...." I have it written down to be played at my funeral.

[@decondeke4039]

This is from Artis who asked that this be posted here... Well, …🤷‍♂ If you’re a grounded friend, maybe you’ll read this before you view the vid below. I’m in a funk over this. D’ya mind if I vent? I just got a mental glimpse of you smirking, rolling your eyes and thinking; “Jeez Artis, here you go again. L8r, I’m just gonna watch the vid.” I feel, at the moment it’s the story of my life. I feel perpetually mocked, if for some strange reason you’d like to know the truth/ [my] truth. I want to tell [my] story and get paid to publish it. Many people have made so much more funds off the Spoonman of me than me it’s crazy. Fuck.

[@BillyAu]

🥄✌️😎👍🥄

[@user-hk8yp7cw1v]

What a legendary song holy shit 🌞

[@visisydandthevoid]

Would have been nice if they paid him some royalties for his performance on the song

[@benjamins94]

I get that it would be nice but hardly even do guest musicians without writing credits get royalties. That's like saying session musicians should get royalties. They get paid for their playing like a regular job.

[@TrillKump]

You know Artis is gonna come by to see this soon. He's among my old time pals from Scio, Oregon area. I bet he noticed I left facebook. Hi Artis! It's mat :D *waves*

[@charlieryan1736]

Thanks for another interesting story

[@groovefretboard]

I posted a tribute spoonman riff comparing my groove Pulloff to standard with my fretboard mod. The track was released as a single on 2/14/94. I’d like to hear the original version from the Singles movie. The history of a song is so important as these types of iconic songs didn’t create themselves. It was a chance event often or person or place that inspired them. I would want hear the Zappa collab if I can find it. His spoon skills are next level.

[@pamelahinchee8012]

I'd Love to hear the Zappa collaboration as well. Here I go! The search is on! Peace...

[@henrikharbin5521]

What I loved about Soundgarden was that they were still hard rock for the most part. Hard rock still held on :)

[@Batman12810]

Outshined is still one of the hardest riffs ever!

[@pamelahinchee8012]

@@Batman12810 And Beyond the Wheel was one of Chris's vocal masterpieces.

[@r.edward5701]

Metal

[@joeymorvant161]

​@@Batman12810 My favorite track by them.

[@WolfWould]

Spork Bloke. The UK version.

[@joeymorvant161]

Cool!

[@MrPhatbasslines]

Would've be cool if he got some royalties off the spoon solo

[@twenty3electronics]

Artis played the spoons on the track, so he would receive a performance royalty, if everything is above board. Not all royalties are paid for songwriting.

[@wendygizmorazzmatazz8899]

I met Artis a few times because he played at the renaissance festival in Dallas years ago, and then he came back to visit behind the scenes in 2010 or 11.

[@electricsuitbatman]

Can't believe that Cornel would screw him like that. Must be more to the story.

[@Peasant_in_a_tree]

🤘Room a thousand years wide 🤘

[@ammishaddaiisrael5436]

Artis wasn't able to post a comment here for some reason, but on his Facebook account he asked for people to copy/paste his comment and post it here for him. So from Artis himself: I feel, at the moment it’s the story of my life. I feel perpetually mocked, if for some strange reason you’d like to know the truth/ [my] truth. I want to tell [my] story and get paid to publish it. Many people have made so much more funds off the Spoonman of me than me it’s crazy. Fuck.

[@hgpurple]

From Artis himself: I feel, at the moment it’s the story of my life. I feel perpetually mocked, if for some strange reason you’d like to know the truth/ [my] truth. I want to tell [my] story and get paid to publish it. Many people have made so much more funds off the Spoonman of me than me it’s crazy. Fuck.

[@pamelaannhathaway6683]

Oops! I should have checked the comments before reposting 😬🫢

[@philfrank5601]

There isn't much to complain about. If you don't use the business, the business will use you. Spoonman will live on long after we're all long gone. Either way, Artis left a bigger mark than most people reading this comment, something to think about.

[@danielstokes6934]

U get disability and food stamps and free health care, quit yer bitchin!

[@TempoDrift1480]

If I never had to hear Kurt Cobains name again I would be a happy person.

[@barbaraa.taylor9488]

Love super unknown one of the greatest albums of all time 💀👊😎🤘🤟

[@jaredflood7580]

All my friends are Indians.. All my friends are brown and red

[@bigpunchee]

Too bad they never included the song on the actual Singles Soundtrack

[@suikogarden]

They did include it in a deluxe edition of the album back in 2017, just a day after Chris died.

[@YoungMasterpiece]

From Mr. Artis Spoonman: ''Well, …🤷‍♂ If you’re a grounded friend, maybe you’ll read this before you view the vid above. I’m in a funk over this. D’ya mind if I vent? I just got a mental glimpse of you smirking, rolling your eyes and thinking; “Jeez Artis, here you go again. L8r, I’m just gonna watch the vid.” I feel, at the moment it’s the story of my life. I feel perpetually mocked, if for some strange reason you’d like to know the truth/ [my] truth. I want to tell [my] story and get paid to publish it. Many people have made so much more funds off the Spoonman of me than me it’s crazy. Fuck.

[@pamelaannhathaway6683]

🙏 oops, I wonder how many of us shared this for him!

[@davidguerra2966]

Please do a vid about the band MAE

[@benjamins94]

Just a spoonful

[@BillyAu]

🥄 man ..save..us..🥄✌️😎👍

[@gilgosseyn6602]

Then you have Anton Artis aka Stinkum... coincidence? I think not...

[@CharCharTV]

Man as a kid I had the meaning of this song all wrong lol I always thought "SpoonMan" was a song about drugs

[@danielstokes6934]

It is. Kinda like how the Beatles said Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is not about LSD. Some things are best left unsaid for various reasons

[@TheMbeagan]

Wait!? Seattle has a drug problem!! Since when?!

[@johnwinnard5589]

Spoon man was cooler than Fork Dork.

[@CappyLarou]

they paid the man nothing in royalties? this is making me dislike Chris Cornell which makes me sad.

[@perceivedvelocity9914]

Everybody is looking for a reason to be angry nowadays. Artist was paid for his time and was honored to be recognized by the band. Artist has no issues with it. You do not need to be offended for him.

[@CappyLarou]

@@perceivedvelocity9914 wow, you probably sided with Marvel and DC when the creators had to fight for what was owed. whether he wants it or not, it's his and they are scum for not only not giving him royalties, but not even giving him credit on the writing and sheer impact his work had on that song and the money it made for that band. pretty sure they could afford it and the band should go back and correct some part of this.

[@Xeroforte]

@@larryb4598 Sure, kid. Go listen to your lame Godsmack BS and leave the good music to us real rock fans. Toodaloo, princess.

[@christopheranderson2576]

I remember the Spoon Man from when I was a little kid. He was friends with my aunt and we would see him at Seattle Center frequently. This was in the mid-70's. I remember him showing my cousins and I how to play the spoons. I could never do it correctly.

[@forcetheedges]

I always used to try to play the Spoonman main riff on guitar, but it never sounded right. It's a very odd riff, odd phrasing, but so catchy nonetheless.

[@ryankibler7973]

Really? I feel like it's one of the simplest Soundgarden riffs. One of the few I can play.

[@allenintheamericas]

Artis Spoonman- “I want to tell [my] story and get paid to publish it. Many people have made so much more funds off the Spoonman of me than me it’s crazy. Fuck.

[@FdUpNews]

Chris was one of my favorite singers but I didn't like most of his songs including Spoonman.

[@joeymorvant161]

Unusual.

[@fungi42o0]

It actually occurred to me that this song may be about heroin

[@DustySoul257]

You're WAY off, buddy.

[@danielstokes6934]

It is, it'd ruin it if they came out and said "Yes, spoonman is about heroin". That'd be lame and it'd be criticized for that, saying it's not about heroin makes it all the more mystical and creative and funny. You can do more than make music with spoons. The loving spoonful, another great band.

[@ralphishere5756]

🥄🥄🥄

[@j.s.matlock1456]

I knew Artis for several years during the time he was a performer at a local renaissance festival (mid eighties). He often played with friends of mine who were also performers at the same festival. I heard it said that after busking all day, he would only keep the money from tips that he needed to live on, and he would just give away the excess.

[@pamelaannhathaway6683]

Decent ..

[@AubreyShelton-rr7yy]

Since Soundgarden really appreciated this giy and his art..why mot throw him some cash Jesus.. especially if hes living off of giv assistance..idk..thats just me i guess

[@jasonhewitt9542]

Seen Artis at the North Country Fair which at the time was in Joussard, Alberta. Must have been 2001 - 03 somewhere During a songwriter workshop he was on the panel. When his turn came up he decided to recite a poem from memory, one that he had written. Halfway through he forgot the poem lol We all forgave him. I remember thinking how random it was to have him at that festival, Spoonman was the first Soundgarden song I had ever heard.

[@joeymorvant161]

I love Soundgarden, but editing out the word "drugs"? Really. I mean, don't get me wrong, I am fully against drugs, but it's just a word.

[@christianjackson9360]

I've always hated SOUNDGARDEN, especially as he sounded just like Michael Jackson. LAME!!

[@Xeroforte]

Are you deaf?

[@joeymorvant161]

Fine. You're lame, commenting on a band you can't stand. Chris Cornell had an AMAZING voice! He was referred to as "The Robert Plant of Generation X". High praise, indeed. Michael Jackson is a great singer, also.

[@mariposaswallowtail4410]

I'm fascinated by story but dude I can't listen to your voice, nothing's a question not everything

[@rnrtruestories]

Don’t listen then. start your own channel

[@scott9594]

Sigh.. there’s ALWAYS one….

[@pharaohflame315]

Bye Karen.

[@mariposaswallowtail4410]

@@rnrtruestories artis is a personal friend and I really was trying to listen

[@OverTheTop85]

Love The Channel and the stories covered on it. However grunge ruined rock! Nirvana is one of the most overrated bands of all time! Grunge is and will always be the worst genre of Rock! Up there with the THE bands started by another overrated band The White Stripes!

[@joeymorvant161]

Grunge did not ruin rock, as it is a form of rock. Nirvana are not overrated, nor are The White Stripes. Grunge is not the worst genre of rock.