Artis the Spoonman

The Real Spoonman

"Artis the Spoonman" is a real musician and street performer. Born in 1948, he became known for creating surprisingly complex percussion by striking spoons against his hands, legs, body and other spoons.

He performed around Seattle, including at Pike Place Market, and had been playing professionally long before Soundgarden made him famous nationally.

He also performed with musicians including Frank Zappa, Aerosmith and Phish.

How His Name Became a Soundgarden Song

Around the making of Cameron Crowe's 1992 Seattle movie Singles, Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament created a list of fake song titles for the fictional band Citizen Dick.

One of those titles was "Spoonman," inspired by Artis.

Chris Cornell saw Ament's list and decided to actually write songs corresponding to some of those imaginary titles. One was "Spoonman."

Cornell initially recorded it as an acoustic piece, and part of that early version can be heard in Singles.

So Cornell didn't simply see Artis performing one day and decide to write a song about him.

Artis inspired Jeff Ament's title, and that title prompted Cornell to write the song.

Then Cornell Brought the Real Spoonman Into It

The connection became much more direct afterward.

Artis recalled that he opened for Soundgarden in 1992. Soundgarden's manager, Susan Silver, told him that Cornell was writing a song called "Spoonman" and asked whether he would like to play on it.

Artis agreed.

About a year and a half later, Soundgarden contacted him and brought him into the studio.

Those unusual metallic percussion sounds heard in the middle of "Spoonman" really are Artis playing his spoons.

He also became the central performer in Soundgarden's famous "Spoonman" music video.

What Chris Cornell Said the Song Was Really About

People sometimes assumed "Spoonman" referred to heroin because of the association between spoons and drug use.

Cornell specifically said that wasn't what the song meant. In a 2007 interview, when asked whether it was about heroin, Cornell explained that the song was about Artis the Spoonman.

Cornell was fascinated by the difference between who Artis actually was and how strangers perceived him.

Because Artis was an unconventional street musician, people might see him and assume he was unsuccessful or somehow beneath them socially.

Cornell saw a gifted artist instead.

That idea became one of the important themes behind the song: outsiders, judgment and the way society categorizes people.

Cornell said he could identify more easily with somebody like Artis than with the people standing around judging him.

Artis Became Important to Cornell

Their relationship didn't end after the record.

Years later Cornell spoke warmly about Artis. He remembered watching him command the attention of audiences whether he was performing for seven people or 10,000 people.

Cornell said Artis had actually changed his life and had helped inspire Cornell's later one-man acoustic performances.

Artis felt similarly about Cornell.

After Cornell's death in 2017, he said Cornell had always treated him with respect and described him as one of the pivotal people in his career.

So yes - the Spoonman was real. His name was Artis, his spoon playing is genuinely heard on Soundgarden's recording, and he is the man appearing in the music video.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the story is that "Spoonman" ultimately became a song about looking beyond someone's appearance or social status and recognizing the artist and human being underneath.