I Love Grunge – Book Excerpt

By Greg Prato

Throughout rock history, there have been specific times when a multitude of bands have sprung up in a specific location, helping to change the course of popular music. A case in point is San Francisco in the late 60’s, New York City in the mid 70’s and certainly Seattle in the early 90’s.

I published the book in 2009 Grunge Is Dead: The Oral History of Seattle Rock Music, which draws quotes from over 100 interviews with members of grunge’s “Big 4” (Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and Alice in Chains) as well as people who witnessed first-hand what was happening on the ground. However, some quotations had to be deleted. Now the strongest remaining quotes make up the book I ♡ GRUNGE: OUTTAKES “GRUNGE IS DEAD”.which serves as the perfect reference reading Grungy is dead.

Below are excerpts from a chapter of the book that focuses on when the North West region became a focal point in the early 1990’s – in the wake of classic Alice In Chains releases [Facelift]nirvana [Nevermind]sound garden [Badmotorfinger]and Pearl Jam [Ten].

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STEVE TURNER [Mudhoney guitarist]: We really didn’t know what other people were up to. However, we knew that Nirvana was preparing for a new record. We heard that and thought it was great. Soundgarden was already doing pretty well – they were on a slow path. They were marketed as a “hard rock band” – sort of from the other side. So, at that point, they were doing pretty well anyway. I didn’t feel any great energy in the air or anything like that. We were quite self-absorbed in our world. We were still pretty busy. Nothing really until Nirvana started climbing the charts.

SHAWN SMITH [Brad/Satchel singer/pianist]: Alice in Chains put their record out first judging by the people here. There was a sense of “inevitability”. I remember an A&R person telling me, “I don’t know anything about Alice in Chains – I don’t think they have any ‘songs’.” The old guard didn’t always understand what was happening. I got it. You could just feel it. I’d heard Teen Spirit before and I was like, “This son of a bitch is going through the roof.” This record is going to sell a million records.” I don’t think other people necessarily thought that.

Pearl Jam caused a stir. They did Temple of the Dog, so Pearl Jam would explode. When people from Bellevue — Bellevue is a Seattle suburb — come to the shows, it’s all over. It’s spreading. From the start, Pearl Jam was huge in Seattle. I was working in a club at the time. “Teen Spirit” – the single just blew up. For the first week it came out, it seemed like it was about to explode. Everything has changed, like “Bam!” Temple of the Dog built it, Soundgarden built it, Alice in Chains built it. When then Ten And No matter came out, it just exploded.

KIM THAYIL [Soundgarden guitarist]: Obviously, Nirvana was quick, Alice in Chains was quick…but then again, Alice in Chains didn’t have an indie career. Her first record was released on a major label. I don’t think they did any “van tours” – I think they went straight on the bus and visited a major label support. Still, they had their pressure. We thought “We can handle it” – for many reasons. It didn’t grow as fast as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, or Alice in Chains.

We weren’t pushed into that bright light, and we didn’t suddenly have all that burden thrown on our shoulders. And we were a bit older – we’d been around longer, we’d done three albums before, we’d been on three different labels and done a number of tours in Europe and the US. So we were a bit more experienced and experienced – we definitely paid more than the other bands. Our band had been growing slowly but steadily, and continued to grow at that pace—until super unknown.

PETE DRUG [singer/songwriter]: The cliché is the Greyhound bus with the Hollywood sign of all wannabes who wanted to be rich and famous… instead of buying a ticket to Hollywood, they bought a ticket to Seattle.

PETER BAGGE [Illustrator (Hate comic series)]: I wasn’t too impressed with what turned into the whole “grunge scene”. It didn’t seem new or innovative at all to me – both the sound and the look of the bands reminded me of the clothes and music I wore when I was in high school in the early 70’s.

Also, the way the bands dressed seemed anti-style – which is probably why, but it struck me as awfully lazy. For example, if you go on stage and people look at you, then at least do something effort – instead of looking like all the other Tom, Dick and Harry walking the streets. Or more specifically, walking through the forest and chopping down trees!

Riki Rachtman [Host of MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball]: Thing is, people have told me before, “Well, grunge killed glam metal.” And I hate it when they say that. Because you know what? I listen to rock ‘n’ roll. It doesn’t matter if I listen to Black Sabbath or Black Flag – it is all Rock ‘n’ roll as far as I’m concerned.

All of a sudden these bands came along with the tuned down guitars and this chunky sound. When Alice in Chains, Soundgarden and everyone else hit it, it just seemed to me like it was just a different sound. But everyone wants to say, “Grunge sucks.” It was funny when all these bands were trying to look and sound the same, but it was just another form of rock ‘n’ roll.

I wasn’t the type to judge everything negatively. I’ve always loved Nirvana, I’ve always loved Alice in Chains. I think Chris Cornell is one of the greatest singers. But they didn’t kill heavy metal. I think, Soundgarden is Black Sabbath, as far as I’m concerned. It is the same. But it came, and it hit hard.

The thing is, it was just a couple of bands, and they happened to be from Seattle. But everyone had to do a “Seattle scene,” and when something’s hot, every stupid idiot who works in the record business wants to find the next Nirvana, the next Alice in Chains. And if these bands can’t, then suddenly they have to change to be the “next thing”.

I mean, I’ll never forget it – I’ve worn flannel shirts and Pendleton shirts since I was a kid. I have always. I still do And suddenly I read, “Riki Rachtman has gone ‘grunge’ — he’s got his flannel shirt on.” I’m like, “You’re an idiot. I ride my motorcycle – I wear flannel shirts because they’re warm.” Suddenly a flannel shirt meant something that wasn’t just a shirt. It was stupid.

MIKE INEZ [Alice in Chains bassist]: There’s just a lot of pressure put on you when there’s so much money at stake and you’re weighed down. “What happened? I’m just that guy who likes to drink beer and play the bass.” Just the amount of gigs they would book for us, the pressure of these hit records, these huge recording budgets – a lot of pressure to put on some young people.

JACK ENDINO [Producer/engineer, Skin Yard singer/guitarist]: It became this cultural movement. It was really just a collection of bands that shared a certain aesthetic. And in hindsight, it’s more of a specific subset of rock associated with a specific time and place.

STEVE MANNING [Sub Pop Records publicist]: Before that we were so far off the map – that’s what makes it cool. People just did everything. There were definitely good bands – there have always been good bands here – but for me it just lost a lot of its luster. I didn’t want to go to a show and be with a bunch of liaisons — and it was.

I think that has changed again. I think the scene is thriving a lot more and people are making a lot more diverse genres of music than ever before. But you cannot replace your experiences from that time in your life. For me, I was a bit older than most people – I was in my 20s when all this happened – and you can’t experience that again. It happens to you once, no matter what you do. It just never felt the same to me again – and it never will feel the same again.