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This past Saturday (June 14) \u2013 and per The New York Times<\/a><\/em> \u2013 numerous \u201cNo Kings<\/a>\u201d demonstrations and marches erupted across the United States to protest Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s military\/birthday parade. Many people took to social media to voice their objections, too, including legendary rock\/metal band Soundgarden<\/a> (who shared a statement related to the \u201cNo Kings\u201d movement alongside their own \u201cNon-State Actor\u201d flag).<\/p>\n Yesterday, Soundgarden posted a series of four images to Instagram. In order, they are: the American flag; a customized \u201cNon-State Actor\u201d B&W variation of the flag; the \u201cNo Kings\u201d emblem; and the \u201cKing Animal\u201d logo from their 2012 studio LP of the same name<\/a>.<\/p>\n Their corresponding statement reads:<\/p>\n Hey friends, fans, family and freaks! Today is Flag Day; here\u2019s our flag! Check out this badder-asser visualizer\/video for \u201cNon-State Actor<\/a>\u201d by Soundgarden\u2019s art director, Josh Graham. It\u2019s in our bio!<\/p>\n \u201cNon-State Actor\u201d appears on Soundgarden\u2019s 7th studio album, King Animal<\/em>. It\u2019s a Ben [Shepherd]<\/a> crafted musical piece. Kim [Thayil]<\/a> wrote the lyrics with Chris [Cornell]<\/a> modifying them words for his singing.<\/p>\n On our U.S.A. flag the stars represent our 50 states. On our Non-State Actor flag the stars have been replaced with the King Animal icon\/skate logo. … get it?… Non-Skate Actor!<\/p>\n Let your freak flag fly during today\u2019s precious birthday parade! Better yet, let\u2019s celebrate the men and women who serve under the flag to support and defend the constitution, not the heavy machinery, not the hardware, not a birthday boy and not a king. U.S.A.!<\/p>\n XOSG!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n You can see their post below:<\/p>\n READ MORE: 5 Grunge Albums Every Vinyl Collector Should Own (And How to Buy Them)<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Soundgarden\u2019s Instagram post has received dozens of responses over the last day, and predictably, they\u2019re quite mixed.<\/p>\n Naturally, many people share Soundgarden\u2019s feelings. For instance, one person replied, \u201cLove Soundgarden! No kings, we’re a democracy,\u201d just as another expressed: \u201cThank you for your music and your voice during this pivotal moment in history. Soundgarden has always been for the free thinkers and rock n roll rebels on the right side of history!\u201d<\/p>\n In contrast, several commenters have chastised the band for their specific views or<\/em> for getting political in general. In particular, someone answered, \u201cGod bless the USA and President Trump ,happy birthday Army, and happy Flag day.\u201d Later, two other users wrote (respectively): \u201cChris Cornell wouldn\u2019t approve of this looting riots\u201d and \u201cJust play music no one cares about your political opinions. Hate when bands do this shit.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s even a Reddit thread<\/a> about Soundgarden\u2019s post (with a majority of positive responses). \u201cOf course Soundgarden is on the right side of history,\u201d \u201cGawd I fucking love these guys!\u201d and \u201cChris Cornell has always been pretty clear about his support for stealing bread from the mouths of decadence\u201d are just some of encouraging replies.<\/p>\n One person even conceded: \u201cOk, so the overall message is great and consistent with the band\u2019s values but holy hell they need to invest in a better social media manager. Such a weird tone and bad grammar.\u201d The official No Kings website<\/a> explains the motivations and goals behind the movement as follows:<\/p>\n As ICE raids escalate and Trump doubles down on authoritarian tactics\u2014including politicizing the military\u2014we\u2019re meeting the moment with action. The road ahead isn\u2019t just about one protest or one day. It\u2019s about building a movement powerful enough to win against authoritarian forces dead set on destroying our democracy.<\/p>\n We\u2019re inspired by the 3.5% principle: it only takes 3.5% of the population engaging in sustained, strategic protest against authoritarianism to achieve significant political change. Everything we do from here on out is grounded in three core commitments: staying in the fight, taking concrete action today, and investing in the long-term.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The website\/movement is also steered by the following sentiment: \u201cThey\u2019ve defied our courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights, and slashed our services. The corruption has gone too. far. No thrones. No crowns. No kings.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n As for why June 14, 2025 was chosen for the rallies, it\u2019s both Donald Trump\u2019s 79th birthday and<\/em> the 250th anniversary of the United States Army. As such, and via BBC News<\/a>, the protests were in defiance of \u201ca rare military parade hosted by Trump in Washington DC, and came after days of protests in Los\u00a0Angeles\u00a0and elsewhere over his immigration policies.\u201d<\/p>\n As reported by The New York Times<\/em><\/a>, the nationwide protests saw people \u201cfill[ing] plazas, streets and parks across the country . . . mounting a mass mobilization that called for protecting American democracy from a president whom many opponents accused of overreaching the powers of his office.\u201d<\/p>\n The publication continues:<\/p>\n The demonstrations set off in waves as the day progressed, in small towns and major cities, including New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles, the heart of a surging protest movement against President Trump. Some 2,000 events, organized under the slogan No Kings, were planned across all 50 states, animated by the Trump administration\u2019s immigration crackdown, federal spending cuts and Mr. Trump\u2019s military parade in Washington. . . . Many events nationwide drew large crowds with demonstrators striking patriotic themes, waving American flags or reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n You can read more about what transpired via Newsweek<\/a><\/em> and NBC News<\/a> (among other outlets), and you can see photos from yesterday’s events via The Atlantic<\/a><\/em> and the Associated Press<\/a>.<\/p>\n Last week, Loudwire included Soundgarden\u2019s monumental third studio record<\/a> \u2013 1991\u2019s Badmotorfinger<\/em> \u2013 in our list of 5 Grunge Albums Every Vinyl Collector Should Own (And How to Buy Them)<\/a>. \u201cPut this one on when you\u2019re looking for something a little tougher, but still moody,\u201d we wrote.<\/p>\n Back in May, the Live Semi-Finals of NBC\u2019s The Voice<\/em> saw standout contestant<\/a> (and divisive performer) Lucia Flores-Wisemen<\/a> do a stripped-down and orchestral rendition<\/a> of what’s arguably Soundgarden\u2019s signature song: \u201cBlack Hole Sun<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think whatever you want to do with your voice, the opportunities are endless,\u201d country-pop artist and The Voice<\/em> coach Kelsea Ballerini<\/a> said after the performance. “I\u2019m a fan. You’re a star. You don’t need me to tell you that. I’m excited to see what’s next.”<\/p>\n Not every grunge band came from Seattle. Some even didn’t come from the U.S. Check out the ‘Big 4’ of non-U.S. grunge bands.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Chad Childers, Loudwire<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWhat Soundgarden Said<\/h3>\n
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Fan Reactions<\/h3>\n
More About \u201cNo Kings\u201d Movement + Protests<\/h3>\n
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More About Soundgarden <\/strong><\/h3>\n
The Big 4 of Non-U.S. Grunge Bands<\/h2>\n