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‘For the final night of Britain’s Reading Festival on Aug. 28, the promoters have something unusual lined up to entertain the 80,000-plus rock fans who congregate there annually. On the alternative stage there will be a screening of Nirvana’s legendary performance at Reading in 1992, when Cobain and his bandmates triumphantly headlined a bill of grunge and alternative rock groups they’d personally selected. In an interview earlier this summer, festival booker Tania Harrison declared, “It was such a legendary performance that so many people haven’t seen … one of those seminal moments that changed everything, which is what Reading’s all about.” …
‘One of the primary aims of my book Retromania is to defamiliarize an attitude that has gradually, insidiously installed itself as normal. To do so requires memory exercises and techniques of retro-speculation: in this case, asking yourself whether the promoters of Woodstock, or the first Lollapalooza in 1991, would have lowered a giant screen onstage and projected footage of a gig from two decades earlier? The answer is no: They were too busy confidently making history to bother with referring back to it. …
‘What I’m suggesting is that an undercurrent to grunge retrospection is the music media’s and record industry’s own nostalgia for the heyday of the rock monoculture. It was already crumbling in the early ’90s, thanks to rap (the rebel music of black youth, obviously, but a lot of white kids had defected to hip-hop, too) and to the emergence of rave and electronic dance culture (in America destined always to be a minority subculture, but in Europe the dominant form of ’90s pop). Grunge was the last blast of rock as a force at once central in popular culture yet also running counter to mainstream show biz values. …
‘If grunge was a last blast, the aftershocks carried on deep into the ’90s. Spin and MTV both tried to repeat the grunge effect (an underground sound going overground, overnight) with electronica. By the time nu-metal hit at the turn of the millennium, MTV had shrewdly shed the M in its name and moved decisively toward round-the-clock reality. The heavily edited and contrived quasi-vérité version of young life offered by these programs eclipsed the gritty authenticity that grunge had represented. …
‘Cobain, arguably the last rebel-rocker-as-star, had owed his rise to the centralizing power of the old media; now in his death, he was entangled with the emerging new media disorder. The old media and entertainment channels (what I think of as the analog system) constructed the mainstream while simultaneously creating the possibility of that mainstream being breached and reinvigorated by forces “outside.” In grunge’s case, that meant the flannel-wearing, slacker-minded alt-rock underground that had developed during the ’80s, fostered by a network of independent labels. This curious process of inversion—the underground becoming the overground—was how the analog system had worked repeatedly in the past. (’50s rock’n’roll came initially from the regional independent labels.) And with Nirvana and their fellow travelers, that’s how it worked one last time. …
‘One thing we can definitively say is that the screening of the classic Nirvana gig is an anti-event, a black hole in history. That hour in which young and old alike gawp at a world-shaking performance from 1992, is dead time: the time of repetition and simulation. Another, harsher way of putting it: The dead man on that screen is more alive than the people watching him.’ — Simon Reynolds, Slate
The Melvins
Tad
The Mono Men
Alice in Chains
Mudhoney
Love Battery
My Sister’s Machine
Skin Yard
Blood Circus
Nirvana
The Fluid
Screaming Trees
The U-Men
Hammerbox
Temple of the Dog
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‘By 1988, Seattle’s Grunge Rock scene started to happen. Even though they had left Washington, The Melvins had left their mark as the first Grunge band. Every Seattle band of the late ’80s owes a little something to the Melvins – a band that slowed down the tempo and played sludgy riffs. In 1990, Kurt Cobain and I were driving back from Los Angeles to Washington. We took the opportunity to stop by San Francisco and see our pals in the Melvins, and mentioned that we were without a drummer. Scream were playing in North Beach and we all went to the show. Buzz said we had to see their excellent drummer. Scream played a great set and we met the band. Buzz introduced us to their drummer, David Grohl. The Melvins have always stayed true to their vision of rock. It’s sophisticated metal but there was a lot of schooling in Punk. And it shows. They can really get out there, but there’s a complex method to the madness.’ — Krist Novoselic
‘Hung Bunny/Roman Bird Dog’ (live, ’92)
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‘Tad was among the first bands to be signed to Sub Pop Records and was possibly the first pioneer of what was to be later called grunge rock. In 1987, Doyle had released the “Daisy/Ritual Device” single on Sub Pop, produced by seminal Seattle producer Jack Endino, for which Doyle wrote and performed all music. Tad’s debut album God’s Balls appeared in early 1989 and was also produced by Endino. In March 1990 the band released the Salt Lick EP, recorded by Steve Albini. The single “Wood Goblins” was released in the same year, but was apparently banned by MTV. After a European tour with Nirvana, Tad returned to Seattle and recorded their second album 8-Way Santa (1991), named after a type of blotter acid. Produced by Butch Vig, the album was far more pop-oriented than its predecessors. A lawsuit was filed due to the cover (which was a found picture of a man fondling a woman’s breast). The couple in the photograph, one of whom had since become a born-again Christian and remarried, took exception and sued.’ — The Obelisk
‘Giant KIller’ (live, ’91)
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‘The Mono Men‘s sound contained elements of grunge, but they filtered these through a mimicry of 1960s Washington proto-punk, garage rock bands such as The Sonics. Based in Bellingham Washington, the band came together in late 1987. They played shows in Europe, Mexico, Japan, Canada, and the United States. Their numerous albums and EPs albums all received generally positive reviews. The band split in 1998, although in 2006, the Mono Men reunited to play a series of concerts called the “Spanish Attack.” Guitarist Dave Crider runs the record label Estrus Records, and he and drummer Aaron Roeder are currently members of the band Watt.’ — The Sara Monster
‘Wrecker/Testify’ (live, early ’90s)
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‘Alice in Chains rose to international fame as part of the grunge movement of the early 1990s, along with other Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden. The band was one of the most successful music acts of the 1990s, selling over 35 million albums worldwide, and over 14 million in the US alone. Although never officially disbanding, Alice in Chains was plagued by extended inactivity from 1996 onwards due to substance abuse, which resulted in in the 2002 death of Layne Staley, and the 2011 death of former bassist Mike Starr (who left the band in 1993). Alice in Chains is noted for the unique vocal harmonies of Staley and Jerry Cantrell, which included overlapping passages, and dual lead vocals. Alyssa Burrows said the band’s distinctive sound “came from Staley’s vocal style and his lyrics dealing with personal struggles and addiction”. Staley’s songs were often considered “dark”, with themes such as drug abuse, depression, and suicide.’ — Blabbermouth.net
‘Man in the Box’ (live, ’91)
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‘Mudhoney‘s early releases on Sub Pop; the “Touch Me I’m Sick” single and the Superfuzz Bigmuff EP were influential in the Seattle music scene, and helped inspire the dirty, high-distortion sound that would characterize grunge. Word of the band’s rep in Europe quickly crossed the pond, and Mudhoney were the new heroes of underground rock by the time their first full-length album, simply called Mudhoney, came out in late 1989. Mudhoney were notable for their mixing of heavy blues rock and punk rock. Although they have found little commercial success during their long career, which has yielded ten studio albums, they nonetheless inspired many grunge and alternative rock musicians, such as Kurt Cobain of Nirvana.’ — allmusic
‘Hate the Police’ (live, ’93)
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‘Along with Screaming Trees, Love Battery fell into the more psychedelic wing of Seattle grunge, adding a liberal dose of Beatlesque pop to the requisite hunks of mind-bending guitar fuzz. Formed in 1989, the band took its name from a Buzzcocks song, and originally included singer Ron Nine (born Ron Rudzitis, ex-Room Nine), guitarist Kevin Whitworth (ex-Crisis Party), bassist Jim Tillman (formerly of grunge forebears the U-Men), and Mudhoney drummer Dan Peters. Peters left in short order and was replaced by onetime Skin Yard drummer Jason Finn. In 1990, the band released its six-song debut EP, Between the Eyes, on Sub Pop. They tightened up their focus and approach for their first full-length, Dayglo, which was issued in 1992 to highly positive reviews. After a prolonged period of inactivity the band played their first show in 4 years on June 23, 2006 at Neumo’s in Seattle, WA.’ — eskimo.com
‘Fuzz Factory’
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‘Seattle rockers My Sister’s Machine first appeared in early ’90s, riding the wave of grunge into the mainstream and a record deal despite their relatively short existence. Vocalist Nick Pollock had played the guitar in Alice in Chains in the ’80s, and remained in the close-knit Seattle metal scene that included those two bands as well as Gruntruck and Screaming Trees. The band also consisted of guitarist Owen Wright, bassist Chris Ivanovich, and drummer Chris Gohde. After two unheralded albums, they called in quits in 1994. Pollock would go on to form Tanks of Zen in the late ’90s.’ — metal-archives.com
‘I Hate You’
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‘Skin Yard was started in January 1985 by Daniel House (bass), and Jack Endino (guitar). We were joined by Matthew Cameron (drums) who had previously played with Daniel and Tom (“Nerm”) Herring in an instrumental power trio called Feedback. Matt came up with our name, which oddly enough means absolutely nothing, but was weird enough for none of us to object. We found our singer Ben McMillan in April ’85, and played our first show in June of ’85 opening for the U-Men. Skin Yard made five albums and toured the US and Europe, finally ceasing all activities in Summer 1992. A “posthumous” 6th album was released in 2002, consisting entirely of long-unavailable singles, rarities and other stuff that had never been on CD. The group never gained a mainstream audience, but were an influence on our contemporaries – most notably Soundgarden, Screaming Trees, The Melvins, and Green River – alongside whom we are considered the early pioneers of the sound that would later be called grunge.’ — Endocino.com
‘Slow Runner’ (live, ’89)
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‘In 1989 Sub Pop released Blood Circus‘ first and only album, a five-track EP called Primal Rock Therapy which, despite being now recognised as a milestone record of that time and place, was at the time panned by the critics and ignored by the public. This contributed to the split of the band in 1989 after a North American tour with the French band Les Thugs. Both bands played in San Francisco in June 1989. They briefly reformed in 1992, when Sub Pop re-released Primal Rock Therapy on CD with five additional unreleased tracks. The band also briefly appeared in the 1996 film Hype!, a documentary about the rise of the Seattle scene.’ — Wiki
‘Calling for Lisa’ (live, partial, early ’90s)
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‘In early 1994, Nirvana embarked on a European tour. In Rome, on the morning of March 4, Cobain’s wife, Courtney Love, found Cobain unconscious in their hotel room and he was rushed to the hospital. A doctor from the hospital told a press conference that Cobain had reacted to a combination of prescription Rohypnol and alcohol. The rest of the tour was canceled, including a planned leg in the UK. In the ensuing weeks, Cobain’s heroin addiction resurfaced. An intervention was organized, and Cobain was convinced to admit himself into drug rehabilitation. After less than a week in rehabilitation, Cobain climbed over the wall of the facility and took a plane back to Seattle. A week later, on Friday, April 8, 1994, Cobain was found dead of a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head at his Seattle home.’ — John Rocco
‘Curmudgeon/Oh the Guilt’ (live, ’91)
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‘After early 1980s Denver punk band Frantix broke, up bassist Matt Bischoff, drummer Garrett Shavlik and guitarist James Clower began playing as Madhouse. On July 5, with new band members Rick Kulwicki (guitar) and John Robinson (vocals), they played their first gig at the German House (Denver Turnverein) as The Fluid, which was the only name all five members could agree upon. In 1986 the Fluid released their first album, Punch N Judy on Rayon Records. The album was also licensed to and released by the German label Glitterhouse. They toured for the next two years in support of the album. In 1988, they released the album Clear Black Paper on Sub Pop. They were the first non-Seattle band to sign to the record label. Their guitarist, Rick Kulwicki, died on February 15, 2011, at the age of 49.’ — SubPop
‘One Eye Out’ (live, ’93)
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‘Where many of their Seattle-based contemporaries dealt in reconstructed Black Sabbath and Stooges riffs, Screaming Trees fused ’60s psychedelia and garage rock with ’70s hard rock and ’80s punk. Over the course of their career, their more abrasive punk roots eventually gave way to a hard-edged, rootsy psychedelia that drew from rock and folk equally. After releasing several albums on indie labels like SST and Sub Pop, Screaming Trees moved to Epic Records in 1989. Though they were one of the first Seattle bands to sign with a major label, the group never attained the popularity of fellow Northwestern bands (and friends) like Nirvana and Soundgarden, largely due to their erratic work schedule. Throughout their career, the Trees were notorious for drinking and fighting, which caused them to break up briefly at several points in their existence.’ — nietcompatible.com
‘Dime Western’ (live, early ’90s)
_____________
‘The U-Men were a Seattle-based post-punk, proto-grunge band active in the early to late 1980s. They toured extensively across America and even had a song by the Butthole Surfers named in their honor. Largely through word of mouth, rumor, showmanship and the occasional alcohol inspired dust up, the U-Men quickly acquired a dedicated cult following and well-deserved reputation for mayhem, both on and off the stage. Perhaps their most legendary antic was when Bigley set the front of the Seattle Center Mural Amphitheater stage on fire during a Bumbershoot festival performance, and the band played on. Tom Price moved on to form Gas Huffer, and also play in supergroup The Monkeywrench, while John Bigley and Charlie Ryan would co-found The Crows. Their musically “dirty” sound was a forerunner for the later grunge bands to come out of Seattle.’ — Amphetamine Reptile Records
‘Dig a Hole’ (live, ’89)
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‘Hammerbox formed around 1989 in Seattle and released their first LP, Hammerbox on independent label C/Z Records. This album earned them the opportunity to sign to a major label, A&M; Records, with whom they released their second album. However, despite the band’s appearance at rock festival Endfest in Bremerton, Washington to support their album, it did not sell well and the band was dropped by the label. James Atkins left the band in early 1994, and the rest of the members followed suit shortly thereafter. Carrie Akre formed Goodness, while Harris Thurmond went on to form Anodyne (later renamed Marfa Lights) with That Petrol Emotion singer Steve Mack. Thurmond formed Orbiter in 2000, and later Kingsley in 2003.’ — Wikipedia
‘Hole’
______________
‘Temple of the Dog was formed in Seattle, Washington in 1990. It was conceived by vocalist Chris Cornell of Soundgarden as a tribute to his friend, the late Andrew Wood, lead singer of Malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone, who had died of a heroin overdose the year before. The line-up included Stone Gossard on rhythm guitar, Jeff Ament on bass guitar (both ex-members of Mother Love Bone), Mike McCready on lead guitar, Matt Cameron on drums and Eddie Vedder providing lead and backing vocals. The band released its only album, the self-titled Temple of the Dog, in April 1991 through A&M; Records. Although earning praise from music critics at the time of its release, the album was not widely recognized until 1992, when Vedder, Ament, Gossard and McCready had their commercial breakthrough with Pearl Jam.’ — Blabbermouth.net
‘Say Hello 2 Heaven’ (live, ’90)
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p.s. Hey. For those of you who are interested, my limited edition chapbook ‘French Hole, being 15 outtakes from The Marbled Swarm‘ will go on sale tomorrow at 6 pm Paris time. There’ll be a post tomorrow introducing and sampling the book that will also direct you to where you can buy it, if you want. ** Alfonso, Hey, man. Always really nice to see you. Well, as I understand it, Mokhorev spends a lot of time with his subjects. If you look at a larger spectrum of his work, you see that he continued to photograph a number of the kids over a period of years. So, I think they trusted him. I’m doing okay. How are you? What are you up to? ** Tomkendall, Thanks, Tom. You’re a pal. Having a book published is pretty stressful, as you’ll see when your turns start coming, and it’s easy to get bent out of shape, and this is first time I’ve had a novel come out while I’m doing the blog/p.s. in its current form, and I guess my moods and worries get spilled into here, and I’m going to try to regulate myself better about that. Yes, I got the email/post/ pictures, and it’s just wonderful. I’ll get back to you soon with the launch date. Thank you so much, man! ** Slatted Light, Hi, David! Awesome to see you! And thank you for the pep talk. I’ll find some way to settle about all this. I’m just not totally there yet. The PW review, like the LJ review earlier, is just a nothing with a negative tilt. It didn’t bother me, except for its possible part in an emerging pattern. Perhaps you’re right about ‘TMS’ being kind of anti-critic. The problem is that I have been unusually excited about the critical response. I’ve been thinking that I wrote a novel that, more than any other novel I’ve written, necessitates an engagement in the processes and style and seriousness of my work. I had an idea that it would be more difficult for the novel to get the kinds of reviews my books usually get, i.e. here’s another Cooper book full of sex and violence that is different in this particular way and is probably only of interest to his ‘cult’ of readers. But that’s the response that, explicitly or implicitly, ‘TMS’ has been getting so far, most troublingly by far to me in the case of the Cohen review, where he, using an authoritative and superior tone, does a total misreading of the novel’s intentions then declares it to be a ‘personal, honest’ confession by me to my ‘fans’ that my work has a stronger relationship to avant-garde knock offs like ‘Story of O’ than to the originals that he thinks the novel is rummaging through, the only real difference between ‘TMS’ and my earlier books being that its my ‘most unreadable’. Given that it’s the only lengthy review of the novel to this point and that I respect Cohen’s fiction, it’s more disappointing to me now than it hopefully will be later. Anyway, I think the best thing to do is stop worrying aloud about all of this. I’m thrown off-kilter, and I’m going to try to dwell silently in my thoughts about this for a while as best I can. All that said, thank you, David. What you said is very wise and helpful. ** David Ehrenstein, Aw, thank you, David motherfucking Ehrenstein! That is a very ‘her’ move on Weld’s part, true, but it’s a shame. Oh, listen, sir, if you want to do a Tuesday Weld Day for here, you know I’ll jump and down with many happy skyward fist pumps. ** Allesfliesst, Well, you know, money is tight, especially these days, and having me come along would be kind of a luxury item, ‘cos I don’t need to be technically. I understand the situation, but sometimes I decide to try to fight a little bit to get dragged along. Very, very interesting about your plan in Stockholm. I’ve never been to Stockholm, which is why I’m pushing to get there. So I don’t know what’s going on there. I’ll ask Gisele. She’ll have ideas, I suspect. ** Kyler, Oh, yes, if anyone should be able to predict the blog’s future, it’s you. But don’t do it, or don’t tell me at least. I don’t want to know where this is going. Yeah, no need for a dawn awakening. Once this place launches, it only gets better as the comments accumulate. Really wonderful to get to read your and Chris’ talk about Sarah Kane. Thank you for making here its home. ** Pilgarlic, Hey. Oh, I never told you I loved your bottle piece, did I? I don’t think so. I did. It was great! Your writing and thinking was just marvelous. A short piece by you, interesting. I like what seabirds do most of the time. ** 5strings, That is one kooky, pretty guitar right there, Thanks! I’ve had completist urges and acted on them re: music a bunch. Now I’m just a Robert Pollard completist, and that’s such an overfull-time quest that I don’t have the time/money to collect anybody else. That ‘Fargo’ snow globe was sweet until it got murky. No idea why the water turned brown. Can smog and cigarette smoke get inside snow globes because that would explain it? I think there are Anger soundtracks or bootlegs anyway. I have a few in LA, I think. Thanks for the pillows-related stuff. Pillows are the Mother Theresas of all the things made out of fabric. ** Sypha, Hey. Ha ha, yeah, so far your dream was just a dream. That B&N; part sounds like it could happen, though. The mom part … well, I don’t know your mom, but it sounds unlikely. Short action/fight sounds good to me. In movies, at least, they always seem to go on forever and ever like the blow job parts of porn movies, ha ha. ** Joakim Almroth, Hey! You came back, cool! Oh, I somehow didn’t make the leap to realizing those photographs are yours. They’re terrific. The new ‘Dino’ one is gorgeous. Assuming you’ll keep adding new ones, I look forward to that. So, do you exhibit your work in galleries or art spaces or anything? You should, obviously, unless you’re not into that form of public roll out. I didn’t know Eli was back in Stockholm, but, yeah, I guess he would be by now. He’s such a great guy and artist. No, I haven’t seen ‘Dance of the Vampires’. I’ve read about it, or about live productions of it as a theater piece, or I thought it was theater piece, but maybe not. I’m curious. Jim Steinman’s songs are kind of a guilty pleasure for me. So, how was it? And if you see this before you see Eli, give him my love. Thanks for the kind words about my stuff. It’s great to be able to get to know your work. Great day to you. ** Killer Luka, Yeah, right? Glad you liked them with an exclamation mark finis no less. Actually, my novel is kind of Nutcracker-ish in a weird way. Why aren’t critics talking about that, ha ha? Thanks, my pal. ** Hyrule Dungeon, ‘TMS’ will probably start getting out and about in a month, I’d guess. No, man, I think your attitude about writing and reading rules, totally. ** Sublethal, Oh, aren’t you nice. I tried listening to Black Flag’s ‘Rise Above’ first thing this morning, and it kind of worked. ** Steevee, I’m so sorry to hear that, man. I hope it’s one of those moods that gather and disperse quickly. ** Chris Goode, Hey, Chris! Oh, great, I’m really glad you liked the Mokhorev pix. The Will McBride thing, sure. Wow, Krivon, I haven’t thought of him in ages, probably for the obvious reasons, ha ha. Thanks for the good words, man. Gosh, yeah, I’d love to do the interview if you still want to. I don’t know, however or whenever you would like. Dreamy idea to do it person, but, yeah, I suspect we’re stuck where we are by work and lack of funding nonsense. Anyway, yeah, I would be honored, sir. Damn, that workshop you’re doing sounds fantastic. It itself and the mode you’re employing too. Major respect to you re: that. Your play in the Bush context sounds quite fascinating. I don’t think you’ve mentioned that project to me before, no. Quite an assignment or thematic there. Grown-ups suck. Imagine what it’s like for me being the same age as those people if not old enough to be their uncles. I guess your actors couldn’t perform the last scene in pig-Latin? Horrible idea, I know, but well intentioned. I hope those censorious fuckers fuck the hell off. ** Sailor, Hi, Sailor! Good to see you! Ha ha, yeah, that PW review was a piffle, but, Jesus, it sucks how sensitive one can be about things. And I always forget the way puritanical people react to fiction like it’s just gussied up true crime. Weird. Anyway, how are you? What’s going on? Are busy getting ready for the big move? ** Little foal, Such a beautiful response to the photos, D. Thank you. That was wonderful. I’m really, really glad to hear things are cool with your friend and that you’ve found a deep understanding and that commonality. Lifelong relationships of all kinds have been built on so much less. If I was really rich, I’d buy a gigantic mansion somewhere and fill it full of young artists who are into being subs, and they could make art all the time, and I would use my master status to say, I order you to work harder on your art, and they would do it ‘cos I’m their theoretical master, and everybody would win ideally. Hope your day was awesome, D. ** _Black_Acrylic, I wouldn’t have known you’d had a few if you hadn’t said so. You were clear as a bell, and awfully nice, too. ** Mvc, Hey! Welcome! I’m a big fan and visitor of Montevideo, of course, so it’s an honor to have you here, thank you! I had somehow never heard of Carlos Robledo Puch until you mentioned him. I checked the link, and, yes, very interesting, and, yes, he is, uh, visually interesting as well. Best serial killer haircut ever, for one thing. That was really nice of you. Please feel free to come back anytime, and lots of respect to you. ** Haitch, Hello, you’re new. Oh, wait, and you’re a friend of Ben’s. Nice to meet you. And you’re right about Mokhorev. Hang out here anytime, please. It would be a pleasure. ** Chris Cochrane, I got the CD. It looks fantastic! I will find things in LA, sure. Oh, and Gisele is asking Stephen who the Wire guy is. I guess he’s the one who knows. More soon. ** Chilly Jay Chill, Hi, Jeff! So great to talk to you! It was really fantastic! From what I’ve seen, this is the most interesting of Mokhorev’s work, although he’s done a series of photos on the street that are quite interesting as well. Some of them were in one of the post’s video slideshows. The Cassavettes screening should be interesting. I can see that going either way, actually, response-wise. ** ‘Matt’, Hi, man. Wow, thanks for the ‘best of’ people’s kind words thing. That was really nice. Yeah, I’m getting over myself, I think. Weird shit, having something that’s very important to you go public. We all know what that’s like. Yukio Suzuki’s work looks very interesting. I’ll investigate further. I didn’t even mind the music. ‘Hanging on the Telephone’ is a weirdly hard song to sing. Or I tried to sing it once with a friend’s band with the idea that I would join them onstage and sing it with them as an encore, and my singing voice isn’t so bad, but I could not nail that sucker at all. Anyway, thanks, Matt. ** Squeaky, Hi, D. Thanks for being here from LA. You hung out with Joel, awesome. Well, yes, perhaps I will make a little inquiry about the beloved’s identity because I still haven’t figured it out. I have a bunch of polaroids that I shot of you on that very visit to that very LA pad of mine. Keep enjoying the last 24 or thereabouts hours, man. I’m sure you will. ** Bill, Hi, Bill. Glad you liked them. Yep, ‘French Hole’ is on the cusp. ** Eli Jürgen, Hi, Eli. Oh, the AC thing, uh … ‘The Sluts’ is set on the internet and mostly in and around an escort website, and all this stuff happens, but one of the threads involves an online group devoted to imagining perverse scenarios involving Aaron and Nick Carter. Yeah, AC kind of went really downhill kind of really fast at a certain point kind of right after ‘Aaron’s Party’, poor guy. Didn’t he end up on rehab reality show(s) in the US? I’m not sure about that. That ’97 clip is wild. Anyway, awesome, ‘cos I want to read your essay bad. So, thanks! I’d be way into making it a blog post, if that idea amuses you at some point. I want to see you new paintings too. So much to look forward to! ** Inthemostpeculiarway, Hey. Glad you liked the photos! Okay, yeah, I really hope Eyebrows becomes or remains exactly what you want him to be. He’d be crazy not to, from my perspective. No, I’ll probably know about the downsizing thing in the next day or two. But Gisele told me she’s going to fight for my show to be exactly what I want, so that’ll help. That poker/’ANoES’ guy sounds interesting. That combination of interests is interesting in and of itself. Oh, but that cigarette pack knocking thing was weird. And, okay, he did start to seem weirder as your report on him continued. Still, all in all, a curious fella. I think the only people who hate Anna Wintour are the people trying to get her to put them in the magazine. Ever since ‘The September Issue’, I think she’s kind of seen as a god or something. I sort of see her as a god. My Tuesday: Tried to fight back my ‘TMS’ reviews-related funk. I.e., cranked some GbV, looked at porn, went on a walk, etc. It kind of worked, I guess. Talked on the phone to d.l. Chilly Jay Chill about his novel, which I finished reading recently and which is really fantastic, as you and everyone will see once he gets it published. Talked to Gisele on the phone about the festival stuff a couple of times. Checked to see when ‘Drive’ opens here ‘cos I’m excited to see it, and it opens next week, cool. Worked on blog stuff, emails, etc. Kiddiepunk called me in the afternoon and said ‘French Hole’ was back from the printer, so I went over to his and Oscar’s room, and, yeah, it looks fantastic as does his zine that is part of the super limited edition version. I signed the super limited edition version and hung out with them for a bit. I bought cigarettes, and the guy at the Tabac place gave me a free lighter I guess because I always buy my cigs there and because he was in a great mood for some reason. I wandered around a bit ‘cos it was super nice out. Came back here, did some more work/ emailing, and Yury came back from work, and we ordered some stuff online that we need (Nissim shampoo, which you have to order from the States, and Melatonin, which you have to order from the UK, and some supplement he likes that you have to order from Russia). And then time ticked inevitably towards sleepiness with me aboard. That’s it. How was Wednesday? ** David, Hey. Very nice riff there. ** Frank Jaffe, Hey Frank! Glad you like the new cover. It’s kind of more nervous or something. I like it too. Thanks! 6 pm tomorrow Paris time: there’s your hint. That Open House is today? If so, I hope it’s packed. Hey, take photos and put ’em up on Facebook? Good idea, right? I think so. ** Misanthrope, The lengths are unimaginable, just the way I like them. The PW review is nothing, yeah, but it’s an annoying nothing. The description was super neutral. Weird review. But … whatever, that’s my new attitude in progress. What-fucking-ever. Anyway, you should read the novel before you defend it. Heck, you might go all wtf?! on my ass. You never know. You never fucking know. That’s my new attitude in progress. ** Okay. The other day I thought, hm, Grunge, I haven’t thought about Grunge in a while, and then I poked around on the internet and, lo and behold, a post appeared as if by very labor intensive magic, and now I ask you to harken back to the days when Rawk had a lot of people’s ears. See you tomorrow.
Now available in North America 
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Hm, yeah, grunge. I've been thinking a lot about grunge lately, and punk, because for some reason those two genres attracted me the most – outside, of course, drum and bass, deep house, leftfield and assorted electronica.
Sucks to be grunge, of course, just like it sucked to be punk. What a demonstration of angst either one was, and not a normal demonstration, either – not, say, everyone hates me, I wish you all were dead, but rather, fuck you, if you hate me then I should probably stick around and see if I can piss you off some more.
I keep wondering what happened to the grunge-cum-punk that I was, and at what point I started giving a shit about the clothes I wore or what people thought about me, and at what point… acceptance, spat with venom… became the by-word.
Ugh, I feel like I've been put through the wringer lately, and no mistake. So I've been listening to more Clash, and meaning to get more grunge. Janie Jones, a song about doing shit you hate because you need money; that says it all.
There's a big hype around Nevermind's 20th anniversary, and I keep thinking, twenty years? Has it really been twenty years since I was recording the MTV music awards and recording the songs off there because I couldn't afford those albums? Twenty years since we'd take a boom box to a place out in the country and smoke, get high and drink and listen to Nevermind, Ten, Badmotorfinger, Inhaler, and whatever else we had?
It really has. It feels so distant, and you know what, I really very much like that kid more than I like myself right now. He didn't give a fuck. He didn't have to. He was grunge. He was punk. Whatever I eventually turned into, that's someone who's able to relate but can't ever relate to that anymore, I don't know where this came from, but something tells me that the kid was right, but I'm not. The kid would pitch a brick through a window and be done, he'd won. I keep pitching things at people, the things adults are supposed to do, but I never seem to win anymore.
Who the fuck wants to be an accountant, or a project manager, or work for some cunt in a suit. Fuck, who wants to dress up like a monkey for work every day and do that shit for no reason except to line the pockets of others. I could probably cope with law, like my girlfriend does. She gets real satisfaction. I Can't Get No…
Oh, I'm sorry Dennis. 🙂 How have you been?
Ou sont les grunge bands d'antan?
Drive has been getting tons of attention all over the damend place as a supposedly "stylish" thriller but I really didn't like it. Refren is Quentin Tarantino thinking he's Jean-Pierre Melville. Add to that it's tota misunderstanding of Ryan Gosling. He's not Lee Marvin, and treating him as if he were doesn't make him so.
Gosling has a new film with (and by) Clooney coming up: The Ides of march
Saw Moneyball last night. An "inside Baseball" flick (yuck! who gives a shit?) starring Brad Pitt — who alas hits the wall here. He's exceptionally talented and The Babe of the Century, but he can't turn shit into Chateaubriand.
Alas far more people will see it than will ever see The Tree of Life.
My friend Warren Smith (whoI went to the screening with) said "He'll get an Oscar nomoination for this — maybe even the Oscar itself." I said "You may be right but he deserves it for The Tree of Life."
Hi Dennis, I deleted this comment from yesterday because it touches on a subject that’s painful for me, but I’ll reinsert it with this explanation. Sarah was my client before she was my friend, in the days we all hung out at Caffé Sha Sha in New York. (BTW, I think Sarah would have loved today’s Grunge!) The first time I met her in the garden there, she defiantly said, “Prove it to me.” So I said something downright nasty about her, I thought, and she wanted a reading right away, surprising me a lot. We became fast friends after that. A few times I’ve heard insensitive comments like, “Did you predict Sarah’s suicide?” But the fact is, Sarah warned me about it a lot and I tried to convince her otherwise. But she was determined to do it and there was nothing I could say. Believe me, I tried. So it had nothing to do with psychic predictions. She simply did not want to be here.
Now yesterday’s comment:
Chris, are you sure that was a real erection? Maybe it was in that production, but at the Royal Court, the flacid cock that Grace "acquired" looked totally real to me from the front row of the dress circle. It was astoundingly real looking (and big). I've got so many little anecdotes to tell about Sarah, and don't want to hog all the space here, but we haven't mentioned James MacDonald, the amazing director of the Royal Court Production. I told James this story at Sarah's memorial. Sarah was my client as well as friend, and I read her cards on who should direct Cleansed: herself, a guy named Vince, or James. I'll never forget that I got the 7 of Wands for James directing, which I call Artistic Fire. I told her to go with James and she did. James seemed to appreciate this story, but I'm not sure if he was just being polite, as you Brits are so good at doing.
you should develop a habit of changing actor's lines from performance to performance, insisting it's a must because theater is so much more alive this way blahblah. (i'm a strategy expert for other people, only in my own case it never works haha.) — our trip to paris might be just in time for the marche au chocolats, but there's no info yet on the exact date. maybe there's a reason why they keep it secret until the last moment (to get more visitors come to paris in october?). the friend we'll visit has an 8 or 9yo son and we've been thinking about what we could do together that he'd like. disneyland is one obvious option but chocolate would mean happiness for everybody. — hm, i'm not straight enough to be into grunge maybe. or not gay enough to be into its straightness. bad for me i guess.
Thanks for saying that, Dennis. Ah, grunge, being that I love guitar-based rock, it was a wonderful time, no doubt. Wasn't it odd when alternative went mainstream ? What would you call it, then ?
Wow, "Rise Above" was the song we screamed at my one and only Black Flag show, from back in the day. They played an indoor skateboard park in Savannah. Myself and my two buddies were the oldest people there and everybody thought we were cops. I've never been so glared-at in my entire life ! That's okay, we thought the bassist, Kira, was a dude. I remember Henry Rollins being short, and having long hair. His eyes would still bore thru you. No, they didn't play our request.
Seabirds might be my favorite birds. They exist in what appears to be a distant vacuum, until you break out something to eat. Then, they display lots of guile and smarts.
Dennis check your e-mail.
hey D. no camera, therefore no "before-after" shots of big brother's house. I'm kind of obsessed w/ the basement…huge, creepy, gigantic old furnace, a trap door for ?, all sorts of weird things and doors that even my brother has never checked out…sort of cool.
went to the flaming lips last night…horrible venue for it (evidently the opera house for Portland)…so no dancing or smoking or…well I found a place to dance. The crowd was super sedate, probably because of the lack of space…but whatevs.
My ears are totally fucked this morning…oh well. I kind of want to be home already…but that was to be expected. Okay. I'm off to paint the unpaintable vastness that is the sea captain's folly.
love you
I liked Nirvana a lot, but the significance of it all escaped me, because I'd long since stopped listening to mainstream radio, so I didn't know what bland moribund rock scene they were injecting underground punk realness into. I remember seeing that Rolling Stone Nirvana cover, "The Year Punk Broke" and the documentary of the same name, which was mostly about Sonic Youth, who I never thought of as punk, they were talking about post-punk bands a long time ago, around 1979-80, and now they say punk has broken, what do any of these terms mean, it must be whatever you want them to mean, for whatever narrative you're pushing. I remember seeing that cover and thinking, wait, I thought punk broke in 1977, wait, what does "broke" mean in this context? It belatedly dawned on me that culture watchers considered Nirvana a Big Moment and thinking, oh dear, Mr. Cobain is not going to handle this well. When he died I thought, this is the climax of a big cultural narrative, but however much I try I cannot enlarge it in my mind, it remains a bummer of a story about a slightly messed up, slightly sad, slight little junkie who was also very photogenic and wouldn't he and River Phoenix, who'd died a few months prior and whose death affected me much more, have made an adorable couple. Now that's a narrative I can sink my teeth into, to imagine Kurt hanging out with River instead of that dweeb Michael Stipe, sure they'd get strung out together, to use dated drug slang, but there'd be the most adorable spooning, those wild blond boys, but imagine them wearing each other's clothes, or doing drag, even better. Then the headline would've been The Year Homosexuality Broke, which would've been even more baffling, but at least it would've driven Edmund White into permanent, welcome silence. Well, nothing can, clearly, but I like to think that might've.
Dennis,
LOL of all the kooky guitars out there that's gotta be one of the kookiest.
It looks communist and it has the horn for the Russian-boy inspired boner.
We'll have to get together and trade tapes someday 😉
Yeah, there are some highly prolific artists out there.
I really miss my Droors boxed-set.
Oh hey, speaking of prolific artists – I will be ordering some DC's related materials this weekend.
Super exited, living on great-grandpa's hidden 40's lit right now.
My boyfriend co-curated a show of snow-globes years ago.
Snow-globes are a much harder sell than a Cornell Box.
Yeah, like the yellowed Alpine White and Silverburst Les Pauls.
I watched some of his stuff at work the other day.
Didn't care for Scorpio Rising, too like Joe Strummer or something.
I like his more surreal stuff.
Rabbit In The Moon? Is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.
Lucifer Rising, with the Jimmy Page correlations was totally mythic growing-up.
Skivs and pillows, that's all it takes.
I'm a full-on fabrics hater.
I'd dress everyone in the scratchiest wool if I had my way.
Speaking of fabrics–flannel, did you see the latest Teasing Tuesday?
I was water-birthed so to speak with regards of Grunge.
I was probably doing the Ed Lover dance thinking Rikki Rackman was my daddy when Nirvana broke-through.
"Ain't nothing but a nevermind."
That concert they did with Sonic Youth, The Year Punk Broke was cool, one the two VHS videos I owned then, that one and a Flea instructional video with River as interviewer.
I never put Nirvana at the center of it.
I guess the rocker in me went more for Chains and Pearl Jam sounding stuff.
I just recently re-discovered the Meat Puppets, wow!
My first album was Kiss Destroyer and I think I gave up on music at Poison's Flesh and Blood.
The Grunge, post-Grunge, post-Punk, post-post-pop Punk era was so voluble.
I was really lucky to have MTV – Alternative Nation, 120-Minutes, Yo, Amp, etc.
There's a few dusty gems hiding on those B-sides.
Punk can do some crazy shit!
I don't know some of the bands you've posted today, this gallery certainly rocks!
Gimme LSD and flannel roos anyday.
"Are you like, in a band?"
Pansy Division!
Mono Men are from my home town – I see the guitarist/Estrus label head walking his Pugs and trying out leather chairs at the department store…
Grunge was weird, I was in high-school and it was all about conflicting feelings about what was okay to like – having everything become mainstream and touted by jocks, secretly loving Nirvana but feeling weird about it, etc.
Latest FaBlog: Barack Obama vs. Viola Spolin
Just read that R.E.M have called it a day and broken up. I'm kinda sad about that. They've really put out some awesome music in their time. It's funny because over the weekend I finally picked up their most recent album Collapse Into Now and have been spinning it the last couple of days thinking how good it was. They've left behind a ton of good records. I've seen them play some amazing live shows too. If I had a glass I'd raise it to them.
Great gig today, Dennis. I like Simon Reynolds. I really need to get round to reading Retromania properly.
I think you already know how much I love MELVINS so it's good to see them hear. They're just so consistently powerful. Like this slab of dense complicated but totally matte metal, never glossy. If that makes any sense, haha. I doubt it. Whenever I've seen them live there's always been this cool feeling in the air – this expectation that's like, well everyone, the crowd, the Melvins, everyone knows this is going to be awesome. It's been a while since I last saw them live but just the other day I got tickets to see them play in Birmingham on November the 1st. So looking forward to it.
And shit, Dennis LOOK!!!: You've probably already read this but …
hey dennis,
what is "grunge"? Yeah your post yesterday re: Mokhorev – i had seen a lot of those images here and there on the net with no credit so i didn't know who did them until now, thanks to you. drove me crazy. now i am a bit less driven crazy.
TMS is nutcracker-ish, eh? In both senses of the word, I would imagine. How complex, you cupcake of doom. Maybe you should have Nicholas Sparks write an introduction or something. God I love his work. Really makes you think….you know?
Hey Dennis,
Great post today. Grunge is quite important in the Montevideo rock scene. Probably the best band right now (Buenos Muchachos) was clearly grunge influenced at the begining of their career and at the same time they developed and create they own style that only can be related to themselves and the special mood of my city.
BTW, you said are a big fan and visitor of Montevideo? That`s a surprise. Most of the time I have to explain to foreigners that Montevideo is in Uruguay and Uruguay is un South America. I mean, we are not a very known country unless you are a soccer (football) fan and sometimes very specific people who have studied the life of Lautréamont known about the city. And sometimes the fact that Montevideo it has the word "video" in it captures the attention of foreigns (i think that`s why some 2000`s indie bands around the world decided to name their band with the name of the city).
Anyway, if you come back to Montevideo, please let me know, I can show some interesting places, buildings and strange tales of around here if you are interested.
(sorry if my english is not perfect)
@BVC–I really like the Uruguyan actor Daniel Hendler. A film he directed played the "Latin Beat" festival at Lincoln Center last month. I missed it, but I think it's going to be released in the U.S.
An E-mail from the actor I contacted yesterday wound up in my spam filter! I'm so glad I checked it. Fuck! Anyway, he sounds interested and wants to read the script and see SQUAWK.
I see. I really like the idea of spending time with the people/communities you are taking pictures of. there's this photographer I really like named Boogie who does that a lot, do you know his work? You might find it a bit sensationalist, especially when the subjects are drug addicts or gangsters but it's nonetheless a good punch in the stomach which, well, always works for me.
I'm back in Milan. I'm moving into a new apartment with a friend of mine and her dog. She also asked me to perform for a festival in November so we are working on that too. School starts in ten days and it's going to be my last year. I spent a couple of days with ricci/forte last week and helped them out a bit with some performances they were having. They said IMITATIONOFDEATH is going to be their next big project but haven't specified if I will be included (lol). I love them. It's all good, I guess. I little extra cash would probably help but I'm finally busy again. August was way too relaxing and it's not a good time to be left alone with my own thoughts.
I'm looking forward to read your new novel, of course. I was wondering if it's getting published in Italy? Maybe it's too early to say… I have no idea how that works.
x
Great 'French Hole' is coming! The purchasing slot thing sounds like fun. I'll give it a go for sure.
Have to read 'Retromania'. I guess grunge was always already retro, or authentically retro, getting huge alongside the original retromania of reissued late 60s/early 70s stuff. Maybe in 20 years Reading will lower a screen of the legendary 2011 video performance. Not sure if that was what Kurt had in mind as a Leonard Cohen afterworld.
Of course I came back!
Unfortunately we cancelled horror night round 2. We were both exhausted by the end of the day, so we're saving "Dance of the Vampires" for some other time. I forwarded love from you. Eli was happy and said you guys must talk soon. He's hanging out here for a while, but is moving to Berlin soon.
Super happy that you enjoy my stuff. Also, thanks for the encouraging words! This is the first time I put my stuff out there myself. I'm very curious to see what people make of it – I like the idea of art spaces. Hopefully someday.
That's a lot of Grunge! Sweet. Here's some great post-punk to calm the nerves that you may like,
http://phoenixhairpins.blogspot.com/2011/05/sardine-v-i-hate-you-12.html
X
Dennis – fantastic day. Some of my favorite bands are featured today.
Did you read about this? Pretty cool find, if you ask me. Decomposing human fingers
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Great grunge post, long live the revival! Wow that's great about the Nirvana screening at Reading Festival. I went there a couple of times when I was at school, I mostly remember tents sinking in mud and piles of portable toilets on fire. It was like Smiley Town from that South Park episode where all the parents are arrested so the kids take over.
Ah Dennis, I was supposed to move a couple of days ago but the mad Polish van driver stood me up. Fingers crossed for this weekend. I'll soon be cast back into the chaos and wonder why I was so anxious to leave my (relatively) stable existance here. Chaos is always inspiring though.
I've been sketching out a story based on this news story about a British 17yr old boy who turned up in Berlin the other day, having been living wild in the woods for 5 years. It's a really amazing story, other d.ls should take a look if they haven't read about it! Weird photo of him though, it looks like it's been doctored.
Glad you're in better spirits, dwelling in the early 90s must have helped some! S xx
hey hey. that would be cool to turn the essay into a blog post! a lot of it is my research of justin's early youtube days and it's a real pictorial essay.
i got a few paintings here from earlier this year:http://thelilwarrior.blogspot.com/2011/07/new-paintings.html – that chanel boys one is probably my best painting ever i think. it was in a show too which was cool. also doing another show with someone from school, she's doing the onsite work and i'm doing the online work. made a pdf ebook collage thing called deep drill. it's from when i was stoned and deleted my documents folder and had to get it back with a recovery progam, but i also recovered 20 folders of thousands of images each, just stuff my computer has looked at – so that is the basis for the book. i'm printing and binding it too. in fact, shit i need to call the bindery before it's too late.
anyyway, that goes online oct 3, so i'll send ya the link!
just bought tickets to the john waters talk in auckland, so stoked!!
also grunge haha, i first heard about grunge when i was a kid and walking around with my shoes untied cos i thought it was cool…my aunt sighed and shook her head and goes 'is that the grunge look, is it?' and after that i was all yeeeeaahh im grunnngggeee.
I was a teenage grunge fan. A 14-year-old me had a ticket to see Nirvana's Manchester gig in 94, but when Kurt OD'd I returned it for a refund, thinking the rescheduled gig would never happen. And it didn't, of course. Nirvana still mean a lot to me, and I see them as the last rock band to ever mean anything at all. These days it's more about marketing and deluxe 20th anniversary collector's editions.
I got The Wire today, and there's a great interview with Chris & Cosey in there. They are due to complete the unfinished Throbbing Gristle cover of Nico's Desertshore, which is of course fantastic news.
Thanks. I agree, I love how it came out – all around. Melvins.
Dennis I can't wait to read your new work. Still in Tokyo and all in one day had a typhoon and an earthquake. kind of fun!
And I don't like the word "Grunge." I don't know why, it doesn't sound too rock n' roll to me. No glamour! But Kurt had that "It" quality. A natural born star.
I kind of missed the whole Nirvana/grunge scene when I was in high school in the early-to-mid 1990's: I didn't care much about music then, when I did listen to music it was just the 70's prog rock stuff my parents were into. A year or two I started looking into bands like Nirvana and Alice in Chains, and I liked what I heard. But when it comes to alt music from the 1990's, I'm more of an industrial rock guy I guess.
I'm thinking about the cute " Jewish, not Jew" lad from Utah who gave me a lift from the Rt.1 WaWa at 3:45 AM. David is my name, he said. And hustle was his game. In five mins. I knew he was up for legitimate naked art modelling YAY had a strong coke connexion PROBLEMATIC and ended up almost in a taangled clinch b4 he sped away. sigh autumn season of mists and mellow fuckfulness.
ps those were David's words in inverted commas, in response to a clumsy attempt at establishing my Friend of ALL SEMITES BONA FIDES. sometimes I need to keep my BIGMOUTH fuckin shut.
My longtime heteroflexible soul twin copied a few CDs for me. Listening to DRUGS THEADS fear de musique, superior to the panafrican hoopla of Remain in Sight or whatever its called. Also have DONOVan's Mellow Yellow / A G ift from a Flower ( no he aint no gayboi)to a Garden aka MARY PLEASZZZE , WINWOODclapton LIVE MOTHERS W/ FLO and EDDIE Live Fillmore 1971, Zappa Great Wazoo, FIRESIGN FUCKIN THEATRE a relic of my piss elegant queer highschool daze Nick Danger ? @ 2 Places at Once ( Marx / Lennon cover)
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Perfect Gig! I love this music so very, very much. It really did show up (in my very early 20s) when it seemed like most of the rest of rock and roll was dead. I understood it and I felt like it understood me. No matter how provocative Mr. Reynolds' quote is, it can't touch how provocative the best of these bands were.
I always had a thing for Alice in Chains. I don't really know why, other than Staley's voice. I also thought Staley was gorgeous, and obviously Cobain too. My friends thought I was nuts…
Dennis: Day 8 on the cold here. Wow, this, like, sucks. I feel like I need to have my lungs and whatever vacuumed. Hey, you've mentioned melatonin a couple times recently. Do you get those weirdo dreams from it? They're really vivid, and kinda gross, but not scary. I know I'm not the only one who gets those from that stuff.
Njr
Dennis, Where's Pearl Jam? They were always my favorite of the grunge bands. (Stop rolling your eyes! Hehe)
Ha, you sound like my mom. Who, by the way, is the most negative person on the earth. If I get a book published and get some bad reviews, she'll pick them out as the ones that are spot on and be like, "They're probably right." In other words, Big D, not a good attitude to have.
Oh, man, I don't need to read TMS to know a bad review when I see one. Bad as in poorly, shoddily, hastily written, not bad as in negative towards TMS, mind you. Like, I haven't read Tao's books, but I could clearly see the shittiness of Cohen's self-serving, personal-attack review.
But let's see, you've been doing this shit for over 40 years now and what, you can't write all of a sudden? Or how about this -and I'm being totally objective here and not in any way biased or kiss-assy- I've read all your books and each has been stronger than the one before; why would I expect this one to be any different?
No, no, no, we can tell by the tenor of these reviews so far what's up. And it's not book reviewing. So far, I've just seen a lot of laziness, very poor writing, and what looks like axes to grind.
What disturbs me, though, is that in the two I've read -PW and LJ- is this lack of taking your work seriously. It's insulting and frankly, it pisses me off, not just as a friend but also as a devoted reader of your work. Seriously, I suspect some degree of homophobia. Even if I didn't know you at all, I'd be telling people you're one of the best in the world at what you do (as I do with McCarthy), and there's something just amiss with the way your work is treated.
And that's not even half of what I have to say about it, but I'll let it drop. Besides, you know who loves you: the tens of thousands who'll be eating up TMS in November. 😀
Never really got too big into grunge (I was a toddler in its heyday) but I really dig the Melvins. Saw them live a few months ago in a tiny place in San Luis Obispo and it was a rockin show. They all signed my ticket and were super friendly!
Great blast D.
Having grown up on classic rock and punk grunge hit me just where I needed it. Was gonna give a mini-history of my life with grunge but i'm exhausted. Cheers tho!
One of my strangest memories from
the 90's was trying to fit hair-clasps in my short fade-cut in front of a mirror at my Russian friend's house before a show.
The first pic of Cobain is purely
hallucinatory in itself. The modified-Jaguar speaks of Shoegazer and biting loudness. Fender's do not typically
come equipped with humbuckers.
I have Cobains diaries, in his set-lists, sketches, and designs, you can see the genius at work.
Novaselic being very tall was one of the few bassists, who could probably play an Explorer bass with ease and style.
Grohl's long-arms and deep seatedness, who would have thought he would go on to create The Foo Fighters.
There have been two great movies made of this story that I know of, Kurt and Courtney with it's tragic conspiracies and Van Sant's loosely-based and powerful Last Days.
Nirvana was the real deal. They sold out, they died. So the story goes.
Even in the mid to late 90's we had no idea what was going to happen.
Talent was everywhere albeit circumscribed and often lazy.
I remember when it was all over there was one kid left on stage with a brand new theramin.
It was over.
As a good friend once said,
"Who gives a fuck?"
Dennis, you were very busy during this time.
What do you think was going on?
Very sad news about REM.
The last album I heard from them was Reveal in about 2003.
It sounded like hope and flight.
Automatic For The People was mysterious and inspiring.
I used to listen to Murmur on the long car rides home from university.
Out Of Time was very soothing and lonely.
Monster is one of my Top Ten favorite albums.
Bill had a kind of jazz feel.
The warm tones of Mike's P-Bass were driving.
Peter's guitar taught me about Rock & Roll.
Michael told me it was ok to be me.
If I forget everything.
slatted light, Sure, I’ll get that to you tomorrow.
Dennis, Did you see my email? No rush. Leaving Saturday morning for Japan. Back in October.
Man, for every band that makes it big, a ton of others dont.
I played Gears of Wars 3 today, I can now say that I've killed some bad guys in Gears of war. What a comically testosterone driven universe.
nice day. reminds me of my highschool self which is strange times to reflect on. have always wondered what living in seattle in the late 80's early 90's would have been like.
The book i'm reading is called "The brain that changes itself". Each chapter focuses on one scientists and his achievements and then the other work that spins off on it. It's got some very Oprah moment in the advancement that's made but it's not written in an Oprah way. There's also some interesting learning disorders that neuro-plasticity has been able to alleviate.
The one i found most interesting was an inability to relate things to each other, including relating one self to time and space in which the self is occupying. It means the brain hears each word individually but cant make meaning of the sentence as a whole. The woman in the book was able to teach herself through a series of exercises to overcome it and has since developed an educational facility that works with children with similiar learning difficulties.
It made me think of an interest, although perhaps gimmicky, approach to writing a story with a character with this trait or a character who finds themselves coming down with this condition.
look forward to seeing the day and reading some of the excerpts. intigued as to 'the marbled swarm' pattern of speech.
scott
Hi Dennis
nirvana and pixes are on constant repeat for my morning travels. in utero mostly. just popping by to say hi not up to much bar work so no fun : ) gonna have to do a sneaky thing to make sure i grab an ltd FH and float off the floor around 5ish.
catch you on the flip side and rawk on!