In the Room with Nirvana and Soundgarden: The Krist Novoselic, Kim Thayil and Jack Endino Interview 

I can see Krist being the guy that goes up to a kid wearing a Nirvana shirt and saying "hey man, nice shirt" and then just walk away.

Rick, you're singlehandedly creating an archive that will be gold in future years. You've managed to get musicians who are famously difficult with interviewers to feel comfortable and open up. I mean Sting? Maynard? Kim Thayil? All we can do is thank you for what you're doing.

0:00 The early years 16:50 Soundgarden gets signed 21:54 Nirvana’s songwriting process 32:49 Soundgarden’s songwriting process 47:52 Dave Grohl joins Nirvana 58:14 Soundgarden on tour 1:03:44 Smells Like Teen Spirit I 1:16:36 Black Hole Sun 1:25:41 Smells Like Teen Spirit II 1:28:09 Superunknown 1:34:30 Third Secret

I've always felt like Krist doesn't really understand how great of a musician he is. Such a clever, groovy, iconoc bassist! He elevated any song Nirvana wrote.

I like how Krist and Kim will be like: "Was that in '88 or '89?" and Jack Endino is like: "It was Christmas Eve of 1988, we recorded from noon until six. It was snowy. You were wearing tan chinos and deck shoes. We had to stop once because you broke a bass string. There was a stray cat hanging around outside and Kurt gave it the last of his tuna fish sandwich"...

Krist Novoselic?!?! I thought Maynard was huge, in reality it was, but I don’t ever see Krist Novoselic doing interviews. Congrats Rick, you’re doing incredible things and have become an amazing interviewer.

"He's a TV addict." I like how Krist talks about Kurt in the present tense.

That close up on Krist saying "it shouldn't had happen". Damn. This interview will stay forever in my collection. Thank you Rick.

Everytime Kris mentions Kurt in any interview his face lights up then suddenly turns solemn. You can see that Kurt truly is his brother. He was the guy that Kurt gave a demo to form Nirvana with after the Fecal Matter stint. His bass playing live is what made Nirvana sound so fucking tremendous along with Dave's drumming. RIP Kurt and Chris

Hey, MTV, this is the kind of content a true “music television” channel should have. Rick, thank you so very much. Fantastic interview.

I like how Krist is the same after all of these years. He’s visibly aged but yeah he comes across as the same fun loving member of Nirvana that I remember seeing in all the earlier band interviews. Truly a golden soul!

Krist giving Kim a comforting slap on the back at the start of Black Hole Sun. You can feel the pain swimming just under the surface when these guys hear their friends singing and reaching out from the past.

This is absolutely legendary. Rick, you are now a legend too!

Krist's offhand comment about checking pawn shops for left handed guitars for years after Nirvana ended really hit hard.

Rick you're rescuing the rock scene. As a 26-year-old guy and a Grunge lover, I greeeatly appreciate your work on this

I remember seeing an interview with Krist a long time ago after Nirvana ended (RIP Kurt) where he commented on how so many young fans would approach him and thank him. When he would ask them “Why are you thanking me?” their responses were universal: “Because Nirvana saved my life”. In 1991, mine was a life on the brink. I was in a total free fall and was going to end up either dead or in prison. And then Nirvana came along. This rock band is the only reason why I have my life and freedom today. Thank you Kurt and Krist.

Wow, Kim seems like he’s such a sincere and genuine human being.

These two guys were part of maybe the two most important bands of the 90s and look at them! Humble and talking about music from their souls. This is gold.

Jack Endino has such a phenomenal speaking voice. I could listen to that guy read the phone book.

It's so cool listening to this and hearing him mention Hiro. I actually work, or worked with Hiro, he recently retired from our lab where he was our Chief Inorganics Chemist. Absolutely cool, friendly and wonderful guy. His last day was last Halloween and we all dressed up as 90s rock stars. Awesome interview.

I absolutely love Krist, he seems so real and genuine and whenever he talks about Kurt it seems to cut to his heart. I don't think he was ever the same after Kurt died. They were so incredibly close from High School on and it's so sad he lost his best friend to something Krist could never help Kurt with, he was lost way to early, his life was just starting.

“Chris [Cornell] wanted to try singing.” That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in a long time 🤣 What a treat - thanx Rick! 👍

Krist is very humble. Nirvana bass lines are very interesting and creative. I was very impressed when I tried to learn several Nirvana songs. I think he deserves a bass deep dive by Rick ☀️

Jack Endino is a fucking national treasure. His contributions to heavy music would fill a phone book. And he seems like the chillest, most egoless individual. AND he’s wearing a Ptolemaic Terrascope tee-shirt which is just the biggest nerd-flex in history.

For many years whenever i watch interviews with Krist talking about Kurt and Nirvana he usually always looked so sad and depressed (obviously) but this is the first time I’ve seen him happy. Especially when you would play those songs for him. You can just see him light up and that makes me so happy to see

No one will read this, but I'm just dropping in to say how excellent this interview/chat session was. Super interesting and and everyone seemed SO relaxed and into it, unlike so many other interviews. Major kudos to Rick, Kim, Krist and Jack.

Many Seattle musicians were customers of ours back then. Cornell, Novoselic, Abbruzzese, Matt Cameron and others. One common trait in every Seattle band was putting the music first. They were all stunned by their success. So many great people and bands playing every night back then. 👏🏻👏🏻

I think this is the most I’ve ever heard Kim Thayil talk. For 35 years he’s been this enigmatic wizard.

People don’t realize how much of an impact Kim had on the 90’s “grundge” scene. Drop D was a hugeee reason it was so special. Kim is such a vast ocean of history. Wonderful guy, and amazing musician.

It's so weird to think that Chris Cornell just started off as "hey the drummer wants to try to sing some songs" and turns out to be one of the greatest rock vocalists of all time...

I was never a Nirvana fan, but I was a huge Soundgarden fan. After this interview, I will honestly go back and give Nirvana another listen with a much different perspective. Kim fawning over Nirvana is enough to make me open up my mind...30 years later.

I think this interview has a lot of hints as to why Kris doesn't do interviews very often. The way he talks about the period after Nevermind and checking pawn shops for left handed guitars really shows how personal all that was to him. That being said, I really loved Kris' reaction to listening to the songs and the way he was moving to them. You can definitely see his quirky somewhat playful personality that you would always see from him in live performances. He truly enjoyed the music they made. I really enjoyed Kim's and Jack's parts of this interview as well, but it was great to get some insight into Kris Novoselic's mind and to see his reaction to the music.

Only 10mins in, but I know where my next hour and a half will be spent. How epic is this? What continues to amaze me is how relaxed and candid EVERYONE you interview is. You’ve shown your chops and earned the trust my brother, and the payoff is incredible. Thank you, Rick.

When Krist said "Should never happened" talking about what Kurt dealt at the time, it was a punch in the gut.

I love how Krist Novoselic looks like the neighbour you would borrow a lawnmower from. Much respect for that man.

Gen X-er here. This was really touching in many spots. It nearly brought me to tears. I remember being young and competitive like these guys were back then, but I've grown along with them, and the love they have for each other and for their bandmates that have regrettably passed is so palpable. I'd give each of them a hug and a pat on the back and a beer if I could. They helped bring so much to so many, and bore so much of the pain we couldn't see that came along with it . They took the huge swings and hit them way out of the park. Love you guys!

Watch any interview of Krist over the years and try to find him acting differently... You won't, the man just seems a genuine down to earth guy. After all these years he's the same guy. What a man!

Krist is so right when he says these songs had a profound impact on us for the rest of our lives, I don't think there's been 1 single day where I haven't thought about Kurt or have a nirvana song in my head, even if it's only a few seconds a day. It's really amazing

I don’t know anyone of these people personally but God, Rick makes it easy to feel like we could belong in that interview. Thank you.

I lived in Seattle in the '80s and was around some of these guys and the music scene back then. What struck me about this interview is that the way they talk around one another now is the way they always talked. It was a community of folks that then is subsequently identified by others as a "scene," but it's really just a local community network of artists (there were painters, photographers and many others that were also part of all this). Seattle has changed drastically in recent times - a gentrified sheen hangs over the air, like all the large cities - but these people are still there, still doing as they always did.

Krist loves his friends - every time a name is mentioned his face shows his emotion - Andy Wood, Chris Cornell, Kurt Cobain - at every mention of their names, you can see his reflection on each friend. This interview was a human and spiritual experience - one of your best ever Rick! Great work!

My ONLY complaint is that this interview was not 4 hours long. Literally got misty eyed listening to these guys go so in depth on songs that shaped my youth. You are a fucking LEGEND RICK! Thank you for these 🤘🏽🔥🙏🏼

It was so funny seeing Rick's face as Kim talks about how they almost kept possibly the greatest rock singer of all time behind the drums. Also, was there no end to the talents of Chris Cornell?

OK, there is absolutely no reason why there shouldn’t be like five more hours to this presentation. I could listen to these guys talk and tell stories stories for days and days. Absolute gold.

I found this interview quite moving as a massive Soundgarden fan particularly and a teenager of the 90s. Rick has a perfect interviewing style which disarms his guests. They trust him. They know he's a good faith actor and has great knowledge and appreciation of music in general. It was humbling to hear two legends talking about their bands and origins like you might hear one of your mates chatting about their band back in the day. The main difference is their two bands became Soundgarden and Nirvana. Both Krist and Kim have now both lost their lead singer and good friend to suicide. You could sense their shared history and I'd say the loss of both Chris and Kurt has gilded their friendship even more. The moment when Krist patted Kim on the back when the opening chords of Black Hole Sun came on was just beautiful. Their mutual respect and love was really clear. Rick thank you for doing what you are doing. These legends clearly respect you as does everyone on this channel. 👏

Rick Beato is heading into next level. Music press take note…

As a die hard Grunge loving 90's girl now at 53 I miss how freaking fantastic Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Mother Love Bone, which became Pearl Jam, and so many others it was a magical time. The 80s were decade of synthesizers and hair bands. When I first heard, "Smells Like Teen Spirit," in college it was like nothing I had ever heard before. They were the Jimi Hendrix of Gen X. God, I adore all these musicians and how they changed music forever. I would love any new collaboration. I introduce 90s music to my students at university they are always blown away that such music exists. Hugs to you all. Thank you for your contributions to music and to a whole generation that needed our own voice!!!

Oh my gosh, where do I start. Guy on the left recorded some of the biggest bands ever before they were famous, and all those bands rewrote music history and changed music for ever. The guy in the middle was in a band whose singer was probably one of the greatest singers of all time. The guy on the right was in nirvana, the band who took over the world and changed music forever. Amazing seeing these guys together, what a great interview. Thank you.

Man, Krist looks like the sweetest grandpa. Yet he carries with him the wildest stories and history itself! Amazing guys. Thank you do much for these interviews, Rick!

I love how the interview opens up about 25 minutes in. The initial awkwardness drops away and it's as close as we'll ever get to riffing about old times with legends at the pub. You handled it really well and coaxed everyone out of their shell. This must have been such a blast to do. I'm so pleased for you - and thank you!

I could listen to these guys for hundreds of hours. That scene where Krist is patting Kim on the back for Black Hole Sun... I really teared up. I love them.

My dad, 80 years old now, whenever I visit him shows me music videos and interviews on youtube from artists of his age, Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, Giorgio Gaber, and he is always moved and crying. And I am thinking: "Old age makes men sentimental" And now, here I am, watching this interview with tears in my eyes. Fuck!

I'm gonna cry. Soundgarden and Nirvana were basically my two favorite bands from when I was a teenager. I have so many memories attached to their songs. Songs are containers for our memories and a lot of memories are getting opened up for me right now.

Love how Rick doesn’t constantly barge in on the interesting conversations these guys have and just lets them talk, unlike a lot of other interviewers.

You knocked this one way out of the park Rick. Never ever would I have imagined to experience so much insight from these fine individuals in this single sit down session. Absolutely smashing! Cheers to you Rick.

Watching Kim nod his head to Dive like it's the first time he heard it...guy is a total legend, man

Seeing the pain in Krist's eyes really hit me hard. You can tell how much he's struggling with the mix of emotions from that time.

I have to point out how sound pleasant is to hear Jack speaking. The timbre of his voice and clean pronunciation is just delightful. I am not an English native speaker, but I can appreciate the music of his speech, if it makes sense what I am trying to say.

Soundgarden’s music timing always intrigued me and made them stand apart from other Grunge era bands. After hearing that Cornell was a drummer who loved odd time signatures, it makes sense why they would write such complex songs. The rhythm section wrote the songs. Great and insightful interview, Rick. That was great when they start playing Black Hole Sun, Kim looked like he was about to cry upon hearing his old dead friend, then Krist gives him a back slap and rub like he was telling him that only he knew how he felt and he was okay. Heavy.

You interviewed Krist???? wha, and Kim was in the room too.....and Jack Endino??? Dude, you smashed that interview!! Fascinating!!

Watching Krist and Kim when Rick played their songs was truly a glimpse into how close those bands were, you can see it in their eyes the joy and the pain those songs bring to them.

By far the best interview I’ve ever seen with Krist and talking about the overall scene! Rick knew the right questions to ask and when to shut up - well done, sir! (it’s about time Krist gets his time to shine with no mention of Dave)

0:40:01 Oh man... the look on Kim's face listening to Chris singing. You can see the pain. In that moment Chris is alive and eternal, for all of us... and yet it is bittersweet because we know he's not here. R.I.P. Chris Cornell, no one sings like you anymore. ❤️

The interview I always dreamed of.... The moment when Krist puts his hand on Kim's shoulder when they begin to talk about Black Hole Sun showing respect ... Goosebumps! Thank you Rick!!!!

Man seeing these guys is letting me realize how old I am. I’m 50 and really loved the grunge and Seattle bands, back then and still do!

Always loved Krist’s playing, definitely one of the greatest rock bassists of the 90s and is one of my absolute favourites

People like Jack are unsung heros... we praise "rock stars" be it's people like him who really made this happen. Thank you for the peak behind the curtain and giving real heroes their do.

This is gold. PURE GOLD. This is the type of conversation that I dreamed of hearing back in the mid-90's. What an amazing time to be alive. Thank you Rick.

I am from small town of Ukraine and I've heard Nirvana first time when I was 15 in 1997.. No internet, no CD, it was on cassette "Nevermind". Then had to find all I could by Nirvana..Bleach, MTV Unplugged and so on..Musicaly for me it was like breath of fresh air and inspired me to play guitar, figuring out Nirvana riffs by ear, which I still do) Thank you, Rick, for the interview!

Krist literally seems like he's wearing an incredibly good old man costume. His voice and mannerisms are so young

Nirvana and Soundgarden have and will always be two of my favourite bands, so to see this video and hear them discuss things that I've never heard them talk about before was truly awesome.

This interview was informative and fascinating. This is the first time I've ever seen a modern day Krist be the funny goofball he was during the Nirvana days. Typically he's painted as a guy who is still morose over the death of Kurt and is very serious, but here he kept cracking me up with his little remarks here and there. I'm sure he still feels that way about Kurt, but I got to see a part of him that I've been told was long gone.

Rockin the APC hat! Perfect tie in to the previous interview. You're really killing it lately Rick!!!! That Maynard interview might have been the most divulgent I've ever seen him. He must respect you! 😂

this is an anthropological and cultural treasure. Amazing insights into a series of events and the genesis of a few songs that changed the face of music. If only Kurt and Chris could have been here for this conversation too...but somehow, while watching this...it feels as though they are still with us. Maybe a reminder that they'll never be gone. I am grateful for Jack, Kim and Krist's candor and willingness to retread ground that must still be surrounded by HEAVY feelings. Absolute living legends

Beyond Kurt and Dave's undeniable talents, it's my belief that Krist is the unsung hero of Nirvana’s sound and memorable stage presence.

Rick, when you played Smells Like Teen Spirit it looked like Krist and Kim were going to cry. I teared up! 🥲 Amazing group of people, amazing interview. You’ve outdone yourself! Thank you! 🙏💕💕💕💕

I don't think I've ever commented on a video before, but I can't thank you enough for doing what you do, Rick. As someone who played music for years and then gave up because I just wasn't as good as I wanted to be, your videos and your online courses rekindled my desire to learn more, play more, and admire the greats that came before. Through your videos, you've helped me fall back in love with music as a hobby and as an art to appreciate. Your courses have simultaneously made me more confident as a player. You've inspired a new generation of musicians, which is great. But on a personal level, you've also helped inspire and encourage a generation of 30yr olds who gave up years ago to plug back into the scene. Thank you for what you do.

I could listen to Jack Endino for hours, the man is a walking encyclopedia! I know he's more famous for being a producer, but I think it's time for Skin Yard to get some love as well. They were amazing, great varied catalogue and Ben McMillan was another one of the great singers.

Krist is so intelligent. love his sense of humor. sometimes he says things that are so dry, it’s easy to miss it in the moment.

This video was longer than most Hollywood movies, and was 1000x more entertaining. Thank you for this! Gonna go back into my corner and feel ancient now 😁.

I love how Krist just takes over the interview when he feels like it. In a good way.

Krist has always been insanely funny to me. This really took me back to being a teen and being obsessed with grunge and digging through all the interviews that I could find online. This is a real treat, Rick.

As a drummer of a teenage rockband, trying to get signed, the comment, "Kurt scrubbed toilets to record that demo" hit home. The love musicians have for their art is priceless. That's dedication. Listening to this interview and reminiscing 40 years later as a fan I'm so appreciative to have them tell their stories.

Rick's channel is literally music television and I love it. I would die to see Rick interview them Radiohead boys.

Maaan the one-string guitar story told by Kim about Black hole sun's intro just gave me chills... It's incredible how things were actually done to think that it was because they couldn't play guitar with slide hahaha man it just makes it even greater. Complete genius events

As a 24 year old musician who grew up on grunge this is absolutely insaneee!!!! Thank you so much Rick for your hard work.

I graduated HS in ‘90. Nirvana, Soundgarden, AIC, Pearl Jam were the soundtrack of my youth. As a music fan we were blessed. When I look at the influence they had on me it’s immeasurable. I felt the loss when Kurt, Layne, and Chris passed. Terrific interview, these guys are just so genuine.

The respect that you have for these bands and artists have made yourself a safe place for them to talk about their experiences. They don’t really have a platform like MTV used to be. It’s so wonderful! I’m so enthralled and happy. That may sound juvenile but that’s how it feels. Thank you and thank the wonderful artists who have came on your channel to talk about their experience

I TOTALLY feel everything Kim Thayil is saying as a guitarist myself and the man is aging AMAZINGLY! He is a HUGE part of the ENTIRE sound movement and deeply impacted me with his guitar style! These stories are FANTASTIC!!! MISTY EYED FOR SURE before it was over.

This interview almost brought tears to my eyes , Im 30 somenthing and this guys are like the Beatles or Led Zeppelin to my generation , to see them sitted in a room talking about all this amazing details it's just sooo cool, thanx so much Rick for this interview.

I've watched hundreds of rock and music documentaries histories and interviews and stories if not thousands..this is one of my favorites I've ever seen .. hearing these stories right from the guys along w the producers experience parallel to it is a very dynamic aspect of this that really tells a larger story of a bigger picture.. absolutely fantastic work my friend 👊i grew up watching all of them and idolize both bands to this day...bands so great they changed the culture along with the music 🎶

Krist and Kim seem to be amazingly well adjusted human beings. Just great guys.

Everyone there (Rick obviously included) is a legend. Seriously, isn't incredible that we are fortunate enough to see something as cool as this?

As a huge huge Nirvana (and Soundgarden) fan I can't tell you how massively enjoyable this was to watch. Having Jack Endino there also is great also. For us grunge history nerds this is brilliant. Well done Rick.

When Rick put on `Smells Like Teen Spirit' at first the "spirit' in the room was rather joyous and maybe mixed with nostalgia, then you can see and feel it that there is so much mixed emotions from ALL of that history and loss and the absence of the man behind that mic. and the other old friend (Cornell) as well. It was rather somber and yet almost a necessary ice breaker of sorts to touch on that yet move on to all the great memories as well. I have no doubt that this conversation was therapeutic to everyone there. This was also WAY better than any documentary or film in capturing that period when all these young guys were doing all this locally as a community with none of that LA or NY celebrity drama crap. I never really thought about that aspect before but it's true. These people really were like a massive extended family or village of musicians that were making the music they wanted to for themselves despite whatever the industry was looking for at the time. Even though I am from the area and their generation I wasn't really culturally aware of the local music scene at the time. So I didn't really discover these guys until the rest of the world did. I regret that. It would be wonderful to have memories of this scene from up close and personal in the moment before it all exploded into the mainstream. Well, at least I got to be alive during this period in history to experience all this from the `70s to now. I am very blessed.

1:17:00 - I don't know if I'm reading too much between the lines here, but that little gesture of support from Krist to Kim was lovely to see.

Krist carried a big part of that interview. He kept things rolling like a sports caster calling a play-by-play ballgame.

You can tell that Rick is genuinely excited that his heroes are in the room with him. I love it

I feel that Kim went under the radar of what people consider the great guitar legends. Just came here to say thank you for the music. You're one of my greats. 🤘

Looking at Krist, most people think he would be an insurance executive, not a founding member of one of the greatest grunge bands in history