Hiro Yamamoto on Soundgarden, Forging New Paths, and the Circles of Power (Bonus)

The Cobain 50

In this special bonus episode, we break format away from Kurt Cobain and Nirvana and look at the legacy of Soundgarden from the lens of founding member and original bassist Hiro Yamamoto.

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In this special bonus episode, we break format away from Kurt Cobain and Nirvana and look at the legacy of Soundgarden from the lens of founding member and original bassist Hiro Yamamoto. This year marks the 40th anniversary of Soundgarden’s formation — starting with Yamamoto and Chris Cornell in Yamamoto’s basement. While Yamamoto was there from the beginning, he left the band of his own accord just as they were about to have mainstream success. He went on to perform with bands like Truly and Stereo Donkey and was inducted into the Asian Hall of Fame in 2022. In conversation with Dusty Henry, Yamamoto looks back on those early days with the band, representation in Seattle’s 80s punk scene, and the lessons he’s taken from a life in (and out of) music.

Hosts: Dusty Henry and Martin Douglas
Audio producers: Dusty Henry, Emily Fox, and Roddy Nikpour
Podcast manager: Isabel Khalili
Editorial director: Larry Mizell Jr.Support the podcast: kexp.org/cobain

More From The Cobain 50

On our penultimate episode — and the final album on Kurt Cobain’s list — Martin Douglas dives into Yip/Jump Music by Daniel Johnston.

Janice Headley chats with frontman and co-founder Jad Fair for this in-depth look at the Half Japanese album We Are They Who Ache with Amorous Love.

Dusty Henry digs deep into the two Butthole Surfers albums from Kurt’s list – Pee Pee The Sailor and Locust Abortion Technician.