early 90's generation
 

I was and am a big fan of the early 90’s seattle scene that was going on.

The music spoke about me and to me, like nothing else before or since.

Did anyone else kinda get the feeling that whole music movement was speaking about a sort of lost generation. A generation that was lost, was disillusioned, angry, upset, abused. These were kids who were left alone by their parents, and some didn’t even have “parents” so to speak.

Immortality speaks about a person who is at a crossroads: cannot stop the thought of running in the dark, coming up a which way sign all good truants must decide.

Like it or not, eddie vedder and Kurt Cobain became spokesmen of a generation, writing songs about sexual abuse, racism, death, suicide, and feeling completely lost.

I got the sense that it was like the 1960’s, there was millions of kids who identified with Nirvana and pearl Jam, and were disaffected youth, who were abused by parents and not listened to at all. The song runaway train by Soul Asylum kinda sums this up. That people started running away.

Anyone have any data on this, during the early 90’s did kids who identified with these bands start running away and rebelling? Were millions of kids listening to Nirvana and Pearl Jam, and saying hell yeah, I need to escape!

Did the music reflect reality in the sense that Jeremy did, that there were tons of kids who were neglected by parents, and made fun of by fellow students?

Was there is fact a movement much like the hippies, of kids who were trying to leave their homes and get away?

And if this is true, if this music was somehow so ahead of its time, to talk about kids like this, or if the music was merely a product of its time and reflected how kids felt, what happened to all those kids?

Did they stay on the run? Marry? Have kids?

We all know the story of how hippies turned into yuppies and sold out and all that, became what they hated. Can the same be said for the generation that lived in the 90’s?

For sell out, refer to the entire career of Pearl Jam.


I was around seeing all those bands at the time, and I am much the same as I was then. Then again, I live in an arrested state of adolescence.
I did buy a house and get married, but I married the same girl I was seeing all those bands with back then.

i can agree with alot of that. every new band tries to sound like nirvana and/or pearl jam... and they don't even do a good job.

as far as the last question goes, i don't really know. i was only a little kid while all of that went down

I have yet to hear a band rip-off Nirvana or Pearl Jam. You all suck.

I guess that Last Days band did rip them off.

so you all dont see it the same way as as I do?

You dont feel like the music in the early 90's was for and about a specific group of people, young people.

I mean, look at the lyrics to jeremy. Thats about a kid who is abused and shoots himself.

What happened 7 years later, dozens of white males were saying they were abused by fellow students and killed their fellow students at school.

As far as Pearl Jam goes, why call them a sellout, at the height of their fame, they refused to do interviews, make videos, and even took on Ticketmaster.

Sonic youth obviously has respect for them. Or they wouldnt tour together.

Pearl Jam didnt sell out, they dont make music for Sony or for corporations or for MTV, they do what the hell they want.

Pearl Jam played SNL. They suck. They release tons of stuff themselves and don't let other companies film them for one reason. MONEY.

You are ignorant.

I never felt part of any "movement" in the slightest.
It's pretty hard to build a movement around apathy in any case.

wow, this is kinda interesting to me. Cause I did feel a part of a movement,

After Kurt died 5,000 people went to the space needle and had a vigil.

They burned their flannel and stuff.

Seems to me maybe some of those people felt part of a movement or a generation of lost souls.

kurt cobain used to prank call eddie vedder.:D. i don't have a problem with them though. i love nirvana, and pearl jam is cool from the 4 or 5 tunes i've heard

well if your going to see Sonic youth over the summer, you'll hear a ton of pearl jam.

I think its all in your head man. Just because bands wrote songs about social matters, and it got popular, doesnt mean there was a 'movement'. A movment actually changes things.

I think you were just high.

Being that attached to music is sickening. I listen to music 85% of the time I am awake and wouldn't be that terribly bummed if someone died. I'd probably be sad for a day or so but a vigil for someone who killed himself is weird. Especially because they wouldn't have had one if he wasn't in Nirvana.

I guess it's true that I related to a lot of that music because I felt kind of different and out of place, but mainly I love a lot of that music because it rocks me baby and makes me feel GOOD!

I saw Nirvana in a small club, I saw Soundgarden play to an audience of 50, plus a bunch of others. They were great shows, but they were simply good bands from the time they were in. Most of them (the ones that continued on) went on to make horrible, watered down crap, and most of it sounds super dated to me now. To try and extrapolate it into a "movement" is a bit of a stretch to me. Pearl Jam were ALWAYS super mainstream sounding and they were ALWAYS boring. A Movement? Not in my sphere.

sure Pearl jam arent some indie band but neither are Sonic Youth. They released a DVD, and of course the new record Rather Ripped, that will be on a major label right?

Well, Sonic Youth labored in the underground for a decade before breaking into majors, and chose to break new ground in rock, rather than recycling weak classic rock with a warbling baritone, but we don't have to split hairs....

(seriously, I don't mean to come off all harsh on you, really)

right, i mean, Pearl Jam kept making album like Ten or Vs, right?

I mean, they have released 8 albums and all have the same songs, eh?

I dont think you listen to pearl jam.

They released an album called no code, their is no anthemic rockers like Alive or Even Flow. Their single from that is called who you are. Its almost sounds like Theorou wrote the lyrics. This isnt some huge hit.

I think Pearl Jam could easily have continued doing videos, making millions doing interviews or whatever.

They didnt.

Eddie Vedder said he sabotaged his own career, and said it proudly. I dont know too many sell outs who would make a record just to sabotage their own career. I mean, they lost millions of fans by not touring while battling with ticketmaster.

Indeed Sonic Youth are amazing, as a guitarist they inspire me, because I know I can create something amazing, I dont have to follow normal chord progressions, I can do crazy things on the guitar. I respect that.

To me, battling ticketmaster was a lost cause. That they went through with it makes me admire them more. I mean, could a band of hippies from Seattle really win against a multibilliondollar company?

I think pearl Jam went about things in their own way. Instead of making more songs that the public wanted, they did songs they wanted to.

The SNL appearance was odd, yet they played antiwar songs.

Pearl Jam has always been about doing what you want. Same with Sonic Youth.

Again, all you Pearl jam haters may not want to go see Sonic Youth live, my guess is both bands may even play songs together.

Good thing I wasn't going to see SY with Pearl Jam.

Sell-outs or not. They made music I did not enjoy or connect with.

Why do people have such a hard time accepting that everyone isn't going to like what you listen to, and just move on with it?

Another long and pointless post that tries to convince other people they are wrong for not listening to whatever band. Lame.

Yeah, I don't waste long posts. I get right to the point about a band sucking.

Try removing your head from your ass before you listen to Pearl Jam and then say it is good.

Actually, his posts are long for no reason. Relax the 'enter' key for a second.

Totally. You can clump sentences together in what is called a 'paragraph'.

My parents we're in their 20s in the 90s. They turned into their own parents. Madness, divorce, etc.

i don't really think there was a movement at all. i was in high school from '89 to '93, so i guess i'd fall into that generation. i grew up in white, middle-class suburbia/small town, which i would say classifies many of this "disillusioned" generation. i listened to sonic youth, mudhoney, dinosaur jr. nirvana had a lot more effect on the radio than it did on me or my personal life. i wasn't a fan of pearl jam but realize now that they have some pretty good tunes.

most music that falls under any subcategory of rock has a hint of rebellion of some sorts. in the '80s there were plenty of metal songs that dealt with parents who won't let kids rock (we're not gonna take it; parental guidance - judas priest), another brick in the wall by pink floyd has those elements, and even people as lame as dj jazzy jeff had "parents just don't understand." i think the '90s music just went about it in a more self-absorbed and depressing way, which is a little more destructive than the way rock music went about things (i.e. kids distracted themselves by having fun rather than wallowing in their own sorrow.) there's a chapter in chuck klosterman's book fargo rock city on his theory on why the music changed having to do with sociopolitical reasons, but i don't think in the '80s and '90s teenagers were really into politics the way i imagine they are today (and i say "imagine" because i'm more into politics now so i can't imagine kids aren't upset about what's going on, but i don't know enough teenagers to know whether that's just my theory or not.)

anyway, i guess that's a long way of saying no. i don't really know anyone who ran away or let things depress them to that point. the school shooting crowd was more late '90s post grunge, and marilyn manson is usually cited as a cause for that type of behavior more often (or at all) than nirvana or pearl jam. not dissing your theory - i'm sure there are people who felt part of a lost generation, but i have a feeling every generation has a few of those.

"guns don't kill people, pearl jam does."

i was about 11-12 years old during the first years of the '90s and i listened to nirvana, alice in chains, soundgarden, pearl jam, etc... but also to mc hammer and guns n' roses. :p

i like music

No one cares.

hayden ---- pearl jam don't allow others to viedo them etc, bootleg concerts etc, because they want to be in control of their image and their sound, imagine artists wanting to control their own outcome how tragic and sellout like they are. i don't buy into any of these sell out bullshit arguments, it is all a load of crap. like laila i like music, i like music that i think is good. i don't care if they are on a major label or are completely self sufficient, if i like the music i will buy it.

and also the whole seattle scene whatever it happen(ed) to be was not a new thing. all of that style of music was happening in australia in the late 70s all the way through the 80s. http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/music_...s/s1389374.htm

this doco is definately worth a listen if people want to know what was happening in places elsewhere before seattle...

Have control of their image and sound and rip you off for it.

They did when they played with Pearl Jam in 2000...well Lee and Steve did because Thurston and Kim left when her mom was in that car accident or whatever. Lee busted out Genetic and they played a great version of Parting Ways which I assume you can find on Soulseek or something. I got it off Napster back then.

But seriously people are going to get a little defensive if you blatantly bash a band that they love. It's cool if you don't like a band but.....whatever. I love you guys. Party at my place?

If by ripped off you mean, that i feel ripped off and am not willing to pay for their music and concerts. NO. and if you mean that the albums here in aus are generally au$25 when everything else is au$30. NO. i don't feel ripped off at all, in fact i am quite happy to give my money to pearl jam. $25 is a small price to pay for years of listening pleasure, sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

when is the party krastian

i was only in 1st grade during the grunge movement

don't believe the hype, you are a lucky one

I'm thinking Friday night. I'll probably order the kegs tonight or tomorrow morning.

I don't get it. Any of it. None of it makes sense to me.

Although I will say, putting a space between every sentence makes it a lot easier to read.

Don't you think?

Gives it that bullet point feeling.

Which is a lovely feeling.

Anyway, I don't think teenage angst is a new thing to some stoners from America.

I think it makes a lot of money everywhere in the world.

C'mon, we were all teenagers once.

We know what a load of self-indulged nonsenses they are.

(No offence to any teenagers reading, you understand.)

But I think you start getting old when you start getting nostalgic for 'scenes' that were probably contrived to sell records.

But Pearl Jam and Nirvana mean absolutely nothing to me.

Nothing.

Less than nothing, they're just some whining Americans.

Kurt was an OK lyricist.

But it's all about the Fall for me.

Wow.

This experiment in spaces between words has been fun.

I'm glad you've all been here to experience this with me.

Thus ends this post.

I still remeber my friend giving me a tape of Nirvana's ''Bleach'' in the summer of 89.I thought it was crap apart from ''About a girl''.Gosh,those were the days!New Christs,Crime and City solution,Loop,Spacemen 3 and the first time i had heard the Pixies' ''Tame''.

didn't Billy Corgan write 1979 about that generation of teenagers, the kids that were comming to their shows at the time, most of them were born in 1979. and they looked like they were having a really great childhood/adolesance, which i guess he didn't.

even if there was a genuine movement, it died the moment kurt loder announced cobain's suicide..

grunge was great for the little while it lasted, and i feel lucky to be around and involved at the time..

ps--> i don't *miss* those days.. i prefer to remember them, not try to relive them over again..
(hint hint)