At a modest break room inside the Tacoma steel mill, which was converted into a film set, it was dimly lit, with a portable TV placed on a folding table. The crew were gathered with coffees and folding chairs, clustered around Chris Cornell, who was sitting on a beat up couch. The time was 4:58 AM. Morning fog still hung outside.
Before the broadcast, 4:58 AM.
Joseph Kennedy Sr. stood to the side in a neat three-piece suit, holding a cup of black coffee while James sat casually on a nearby stool, legs dangling, and arms crossed. Kind of cute to look at since he's just 11 years old.
Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau, dressed in long wool and being silent as usual, leaned against the far wall, watching the shadows.
Chris Cornell, wrapped in a denim jacket over a sweaty undershirt, still breathes heavily from a dawn rehearsal. He wiped his neck with a towel and stared at the muted television.
He said, "Still not sure what this is. You dragged me outta sleep just to watch cartoons?"
James smiled, "Not cartoons, Chris. You."
Chris Cornell blinked, looked over Joseph Kennedy Sr. questioning what James meant.
Joseph Kennedy Sr. smiled too and said, "At precisely 5:00 AM, one of your songs will air on national television. MTV launched it today. We're slipping in while everyone's still waking up."
Chris Cornell stood up straighter from his seated position. "You serious!? Like... real TV!? All over!?"
James laughed at Chris Cornell's reaction, "Every city with a cable feed that carries MTV. We mailed the Betamax tape ourselves. Took some convincing, though."
The lighting tech crew sipped from his thermos and joined in, "Better not be that rehearsal take where the mic fell over."
James smirked at that remark so he replied, "It's Circle of Power. Full cut. From the Ozzy show, Detroit, Cleveland, and that dive bar set with the strobe light."
Chris Cornell's eyes flickered, he went from dozing off to fully awake.
He said, "I didn't think I looked right for TV... felt too raw."
Joseph Kennedy Sr. smiled and said, "That's why you're perfect."
///////////////////////////////////NEXT SCENE///////////////////////////////////
The MTV broadcast began at exactly 5 in the morning.
The TV volume was turned up. A quick MTV station ID ran, then a sharp cut. The screen faded into gritty concert footage, layered in flickering monochrome and red-tinged shadows.
"CIRCLE OF POWER" began to play.
Chris Cornell froze.
On the TV screen, Chris Cornell's voice echoed, "The day will finally come in and open the door…"
Chris Cornell roared the opening line as the footage cuts between a high-angle stage shot and a sweating mosh pit.
Chris Cornell whispered, "Jesus… that's me."
The screen showed him in mid-roar, guitarists were swinging, the strobes flaring, and crowd fists rose.
He watched as his younger self ripped through verses, his voice surged with rage, his hair flew, surrounded by blinding stage lights and raw camera cuts.
Again, Chris Cornell's voice echoed through the music video, "All those assholes, they burn on their knees…!"
Another crew member reacted, "That Cleveland crowd was wild! You remember that boot that flew into the drum kit?"
Chris Cornell laughed remembering the same scene he just saw from the TV, "I didn't think it would look this real! This is heavy!"
As the bridge hit, it showed sped-up mosh shots and then a long freeze-frame on Chris Cornell's silhouetted scream, he quietly murmured, "…it actually looks like I belong there."
///////////////////////////////////NEXT SCENE///////////////////////////////////
After the music video ended, the screen faded out. The room stayed silent for three beats. Then, a scattered applause rang within the room.
James, as one of the clapping members, smiled, "Congratulations, Chris. You're on national television. Before most people your age are even outta bed."
Chris Cornell was still looking at the television that was muted while another band's music video was playing. He was still processing the whole thing so he only said "I thought I'd be embarrassed. I… I'm not."
He stood up slowly, walked toward the TV, still in awe.
Chris Cornell added a joke, "That didn't look like a kid just starting out."
Joseph Kennedy Sr. smiled and replied "Because it wasn't. That was a star in motion."
The first crew member also added "Hey, MTV's gonna need more of that. We better get a reel ready for "Beyond the Wheel" and the two other songs next!"
Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau finally spoke but in a low voice, still rich in tone, "The medium has found its voice. And so has he."
Chris Cornell turned, half-laughing at his always seriously weird director.
He joked "I didn't even brush my damn hair in that show."
James laughed, "That's what made it honest."
Chris Cornell sat back down, his eyes glowed. He has never looked prouder at himself than the current, he continued to just feel dazed, and then grinning while the weight of the moment settled in.
The room warmed with chatter. Someone passed him a cup of coffee. MTV was still playing, but none of them were watching, because Chris Cornell had just stepped into America's living rooms right at that moment.
And everyone here knew, the circle of power had begun turning!