Grunge Part 2 | 50
History of the 90s
Kathy Kenzora
4.7 • 610 Ratings
🗓️ 23 June 2021
⏱️ 40 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
From the moment grunge music went mainstream in the fall of 1991 the clock was ticking down toward its tragic end just a few years later.
But in the meantime, the huge success of Seattle bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam and SoundGarden led to a frenzy by record labels to sign other grunge type bands.
And as the Seattle area was picked dry of talent the search for half-way decent bands wearing flannel and playing detuned guitars expanded beyond the Pacific Northwest.
At the same time, the bands that pioneered the movement were struggling with mainstream fame and were trying desperately to distance themselves from commercial success.
On this episode of History of the 90s, host Kathy Kenzora takes a look back at the final days of grunge with the help of Alan Cross, host of the Curiouscast podcast, The Ongoing History of New Music.
Contact:
Twitter: @1990shistory
Facebook: @1990shistory
Instagram: @that90spodcast
Email: 90s@curiouscast.ca
Blog: www.historyofthe90sblog.ca
Guest:
Alan Cross, host of The Ongoing History of New Music
www.ajournalofmusicalthings.com
Twitter: @alancross
For more about the life and death of Kurt Cobain listen to the Ongoing History of New Music’s episode on the 25th anniversary of his passing. Available anywhere you stream audio and here: https://omny.fm/shows/ongoing-history-of-new-music/kurt-cobain-25-years-later
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey there, it's Kathy. I just wanted to let you know that you can listen to History of the 90s |
| 0:04.7 | early and ad-free on Amazon music included with Prime. |
| 0:10.0 | When Nirvana took the stage to perform on MTV Unplugged in November 1993, |
| 0:16.4 | they were the biggest band in the world. But they sure didn't look it. |
| 0:23.9 | Chris Nova Sellech used a big borrowed bass. |
| 0:28.1 | Dave Grohl was wearing a weird-looking turtleneck and his hair was in a ponytail. |
| 0:35.7 | And Kurt Cobain had on a natty cardigan and his hair was greasy because he hadn't washed it in a week. |
| 0:45.1 | When they sat down and started to play, it was pure magic, raw and personal, a totally intimate and unexpected experience, |
| 0:48.9 | captured on film in its entirety in a single take. |
| 0:55.1 | And yet, if you watch the performance closely, you'll see that, like the vintage sweater worn by the band singer, Nirvana was beginning to fray. |
| 1:00.2 | Kirk Cobain was uncomfortable in his own skin and frustrated. |
| 1:04.3 | He repeatedly spins around on his chair and glars at drummer Dave Grohl, telling him |
| 1:09.2 | not to play on one song, |
| 1:12.8 | another time telling him to shut up. |
| 1:17.8 | If you listen to his words and the songs Cobain picked to sing that night, |
| 1:22.5 | you might actually be able to recognize the signs that the end was near. |
| 1:27.4 | I'm Kathy Kinsora, and this is History of the 90s, a podcast about a decade that changed the world. |
| 1:30.8 | On this episode, we continue our look at the rise and fall of grunge. |
| 1:38.2 | Maybe you've heard the expression, the moment you're born, you start dying. |
| 1:42.6 | Well, the same applies to grunge. We may not have known it, but the moment gr're born, you start dying. Well, the same applies to Grunge. |
| 1:45.1 | We may not have known it, |
| 1:46.7 | but the moment Grunge made it |
... |
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