“He picks his tools up and strikes the living crap out of himself with them. There was blood flying everywhere”: How a street musician who played with Frank Zappa inspired one of grunge’s greatest songs

Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell performing onstage and Artis The Spoonman posing for a photograph.

Soundgarden were one of the pioneers of what became the grunge scene. They made their recorded debut with three tracks on Deep Six, a 1986 compilation record by local punk label C/Z Records. Their first proper single, Hunted Down, was released the following year on Sub Pop, the label that would be central to the movement’s later success.

Yet despite being one of the first bands from the Seattle scene to score a major label deal, Soundgarden trailed many of their peers when it came to a mainstream breakthrough – Alice In Chains, Nirvana and Pearl Jam all scored crossover hits and platinum albums before they did.