The Life and Death of Grunge

Get ready for a doozy of an entry, readers. This week, I’m going to tackle an entire genre of music: grunge (the genre part is questionable). So let’s take a close look at the ‘90s phenomenon we all know and (possibly) love.

Where Did Grunge Come From?

Grunge (or the Seattle sound) emerged in--you guessed it--Seattle in the mid-‘80s. The term was first used in 1981 by Green River vocalist Mark Arm in a letter he wrote to Seattle zine Desperate Times. Mark was “criticizing” his first band, Mr. Epp and the Calculations, calling them “Pure grunge! Pure noise! Pure shit!”

But Mark admitted that he had snagged the term from Australia, and didn’t use it as the official name of the genre. It was Sub Pop founder Bruce Pavitt who actually popularized the term by dubbing the bands on his label as “grunge.”

Grunge as a genre was a result of Seattle’s isolated music scene. It evolved from the punk scene, inspired by bands like The Fartz, The U-Men and the Fastbacks. Bands outside the Pacific Northwest (Sonic Youth, Pixies, Dinosaur Jr.) also influenced the grunge scene, along with Black Flag’s change of pace on 1984’s My War.

How Would You Describe Grunge?

This genre definitely has a specific sound. It’s kind of a mix of hardcore punk, heavy metal and the general “alternative” sound.

Grunge is typically characterized by sludgy guitars, fuzz pedals, a ton of distortion and growly, almost incomprehensible vocals. It shares more in common with punk than anything else. The only differences between punk and grunge are tuning and tempo. And like punk, grunge puts on this air of not giving a fuck about melodies while still having discernable melodies.

Most grunge songs address some form of alienation or apathy. There isn’t much rebellion behind tunes like “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Black Hole Sun.” But of course there’s some humor behind all that lethargy. Soundgarden’s “Big Dumb Sex” satirizes hair metal (fairly accurately, too).

Jon Wiederhorn of Guitar World once wrote, “So what exactly is grunge? Picture a supergroup made up of Creedence Clearwater Revival, Black Sabbath and The Stooges, and you’re pretty close.” And you know what? That’s a pretty accurate statement.

So Who’s Grunge Again?

Some of the first bands labeled as grunge were Green River, Soundgarden, Melvins, Malfunkshun and Skin Yard. Notice that Nirvana is nowhere in that lineup because they came after the establishment of the genre.

At first, the term “grunge” only applied to bands from the Seattle area, including Alice In Chains, Mudhoney, Screaming Trees, Pearl Jam and yes, Nirvana. As the Seattle sound began to creep out of the Pacific Northwest, similar-sounding bands (not necessarily copycats) fell under the same label, including Babes in Toyland and Stone Temple Pilots.

People like to argue over which bands are really grunge and which bands are “posers.” (Do people still use the term “poser,” or is that just a middle school thing?) Though I believe it’s just plain silly to be so concerned over a certain band’s genre, it’s my understanding that only bands that came out during a specific time frame (and a specific area, to a certain extent) can be classified as grunge.

As a serious ‘90s scholar (can I put that on my résumé?), I would put the official grunge reign between 1984 and 1994. It all started with Green River and Soundgarden, and officially ended with Kurt Cobain’s suicide in 1994.

Anything after 1994 is post-grunge, a more radio-friendly version of its gnarly predecessor. Post-grunge bands include Bush, Collective Soul, Foo Fighters and Creed (all of which I enjoy, so sue me).

Is Grunge Dead?

Yes. Yes, it is.

Grunge as a music genre has been dead since 1994 and I will fight anyone who disagrees with me. Though I don’t really like to make it seem as if Kurt Cobain was the only guy in the scene who mattered, his death definitely marked the end of an era. Sure, other Seattle bands went on to release more albums (Pearl Jam has had a pretty lucrative career), but grunge was done for.

So what happened?

Well, the alternative music scene of the ‘90s was exploding with a variety of bands hitting it big. As grunge’s popularity began to wane, it was usurped by post-grunge, Britpop and pop-punk. Everything suddenly became more radio-friendly and much less angsty. Britpop bands brought back keyboards, post-grunge bands asserted some masculinity and pop-punk bands picked up where The Ramones left off. Nobody was jamming to songs like “I Hate Myself and I Want to Die” anymore.

Blur frontman Damon Albarn commented on grunge’s decline in a 1993 interview, saying, “If punk was about getting rid of hippies, then I’m getting rid of grunge.” And a year later, it was all over.

Another contributing factor to this genre’s demise is its quick and ruthless commoditization. By the time Nirvana found its way into the mainstream, Kurt’s hobo-chic style was already being sold to Generation X. When the dress code becomes more important than the music, you’ve got a problem on your hands.

MTV also had a hand in destroying the scene. The rise of music videos meant the rise of exposure, and ultimately the rise of an entire culture based on television. MTV sold a product, and that product was alternative culture. (If you’re interested in a more in-depth analysis of MTV in the ‘90s, take a peek at this entry.)

☯✞ Follow for more Soft Grunge ✞☯

Nowadays, grunge is kind of a punch line. Even I tend to joke about feeling “grunge” on a daily basis. And with the rise of Internet culture and the burgeoning market of ‘90s nostalgia, we’ve strayed so far from the original meaning behind the term. There’s even this weird subculture lurking on Tumblr that labels itself as “soft grunge.” (Spoiler: it has nothing in common with ‘90s grunge and it’s kind of hilarious.)

Grunge was a fad that ended at an appropriate time, as most fads tend to do. You don’t have to like it, but you have to admit it had a huge impact on popular culture. So don’t cry because it ended, dear readers. Smile because it happened. And maybe cry a little because Kurt Cobain died 20 years ago this month.

-- Sam Boyer, reporting from the ‘90s

Soundgarden

Sound Familiar?

“Black Hole Sun,” “Spoonman,” “Burden in My Hand”

Who Are They?

One of the “Big Four” grunge acts of the early ‘90s. (Has anyone coined the term “Big Four Grunge Acts?" If not, I’m claiming it. Intellectual property!)

Think all the way back to 1991. The terrible fad of ‘80s glam metal had been crushed by an army of angsty, disheveled kids from Seattle. Flannel and unwashed hair replaced spandex and the noxious fumes of too much hairspray. Leading the movement were the Big Four Grunge Acts©: Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden.

This epic tale usually describes grunge just kind of appearing out of thin air, citing Nirvana as the band that started it all. You know how it goes: “Then ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ came out and everything just changed, man.” Actually, man, Soundgarden had already formed long before Kurt Cobain even thought of the name Nirvana.

Chris Cornell and the former bassist of Hiro Yamamoto formed a little band called The Shemps in the early ‘80s, which later evolved into Soundgarden. The original lineup featured Chris on drums and vocals, Hiro on bass, and Kim Thayil on guitar. Scott Sundquist rescued Chris from the difficulty of pulling double duty, but bowed out after playing a few gigs. Matt Cameron (formerly of Skin Yard) replaced him, and that’s when people first started to take notice.

Soundgarden signed to Sub Pop in 1987, released a couple of E.P.s, switched to SST Records for their debut album Ultramega OK (which earned them a Grammy nod for Best Metal Performance), then made the biggest underground band faux pas by signing to major label A&M Records. They were basically excommunicated from the Seattle scene, and even Hiro Yamamoto ditched them. One album and two bassists later, Soundgarden settled into an established lineup (now with Ben Shepherd on bass) and stormed into the ‘90s with 1991’s Badmotorfinger.

Although Badmotorfinger was overshadowed by Nirvana’s Nevermind, Chris and the boys found mainstream success a few years later with 1994’s Superunknown. Their most popular single “Black Hole Sun” helped the album to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart and earned the band an MTV Video Music Award, plus two Grammys.

The slightly less heavy Down on the Upside didn’t see as much success as Superunknown, and Soundgarden officially decided to call it quits in 1997.

Where Are They Now?

Back together and gaining momentum.

After the breakup, the foursome went their separate ways. Chris released a solo album in 1999 (as most front men like to do when their original bands dissolve). In 2001, he teamed up with then-former members of Rage Against the Machine Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, and Brad Wilk to form the delightful supergroup Audioslave (yours truly saw them live twice!). Audioslave released three albums until they disbanded in 2007. Chris released two more solo albums, his most recent being the Timbaland-produced Scream.

Kim joined forces with punk royalty Jello Biafra (formerly of Dead Kennedys), former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic, and drummer Gina Mainwal for one show as The No W.T.O. Combo in 1999. He later contributed to projects by Steve Fisk, Dave Grohl, and the band Sunn O))).

Matt worked briefly with Smashing Pumpkins on their album Adore, then became Pearl Jam’s permanent drummer in 1998, recording four albums with them.

Ben turned his attention back to his side project Hater, originally started in 1993 when he was still with Soundgarden.

On January 1, 2010, Chris alluded to a Soundgarden reunion on his Twitter, writing, “The 12-year break is over and school is back in session. Sign up now. Knights of the Soundtable ride again!” Only Chris Cornell can make a medieval reference and not sound like a geek.

The band played their first show since 1997 at the Showbox at the Market in Seattle on April 16, and after months of rumors, it was announced that they would appear at Lollapalooza in August. I can tell you from first-hand experience that the Lolla performance was AMAZING.

But Why Soundgarden?

“Black Rain,” a previously unreleased track and the band’s first single since 1997, was included on the compilation album Telephantasm: A Retrospective. Their first live album, Live on I5, will be released on March 22 (same day as Green Day’s live album, strangely. There’s a random plug for you). Oh, and there’s new material floating around, just in time for their first album in 15 years. But no big deal.

(Random thought: Does this video remind anyone else of Dethklok?)

What Does Sam Think?

First things first: Soundgarden really shouldn’t be considered a grunge band. Technically, the only real grunge band out of the Big Four was Nirvana. Soundgarden is more of a metal band, but not in the typical sense. There are grunge undertones, but the sound isn’t totally embraced. It’s…quasi-metal. Yeah, I just made up a genre. Sue me.

Genre speculation aside, this band’s talent needs to be recognized. Don’t compare them to Pearl Jam or Nirvana (I broke that rule, but that was for introductory purposes). Soundgarden sounds like nothing else. Listen to Superunknown in its entirety, and maybe skip over “Black Hole Sun” because we’ve all heard it so many times (that doesn’t mean it’s not a great song, though). One of the best Soundgarden songs is “4^th of July,” simply because it’s dark, brooding, and just sounds like it comes from the depths of Hell.

But honestly, the best album has to be Badmotorfinger. It’s pure, feral, filthy music made of liquid gold and primal screams. I’m just gonna come out and say it: Chris Cornell has the voice of an angel. Seriously. Nuns cry when he opens his mouth. Put on “Jesus Christ Pose” and try to stop the hairs on the back of your neck from standing up.

Okay, I’m done gushing.

Anyway, words can’t express how excited I am about new Soundgarden material. The guys are taking it slow, which is actually a great idea. Chris told Spin that they’re “putting the music first.” In his own words: “We don’t have a schedule…The process of writing, recording, and being creative together is the most important thing, not meeting a deadline.” Aw, band love. Why can’t all bands do that? Actually, I take that back. I’m a pretty impatient fan. But I’ll wait just for Soundgarden.

Now enjoy some faces that will haunt your dreams.

--Sam Boyer, reporting from the ‘90s.