30 Years Anniversary of Kurt Cobain’s Death

[Uncle Rico]

It’s been 30 years since Kurt Cobain killed himself.  While Seattle sound and grunge continued on for a few more years, this seminal movement is often viewed as the end of the height of said movement.

I recently rewatched Hype!, the 1996 documentary about the rise of grunge.  Towards the end, a member of the Screaming Trees says something along the lines of, “as long as there are angsty teens, we’ll always have punk”.

I thought about this.  It’s my belief we haven’t had a real musical revolution, at least in rock, since grunge.  I’ll defer to those more knowledgeable but I believe hip hop of the early 00’s could be an exception.

Do you agree?  If so, why do you think music has simply homogenized and we haven’t had any new unique sounds become a pop culture phenomena?  Or am I wrong and music has had some truly revolutionary moments since then?

[Jay Bee]

Explosion / mainstreaming of hiphop in early 2000s yes.

Smells Like Teen Spirit came on Sirius as I was driving last night. Saw (91) as the date and thought, “f*ck, can’t believe it’s been that long”.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

I don’t think it’s homogenized. I think it’s splintered. With Spotify, etc. music has become highly selective. There’s new stuff that comes out all the time , but you don’t hear it because you are listening to stuff you like.

[tower912]

Two things.   He was lying when he swore he didn't have a gun.

Recently, my son got together with friends and performed 'smells like teen spirit' for a high school talent show.   If I had performed a song that old when I was in high school, it would have had to be Sinatra, as Bill Haley, Elvis, etc hadn't happened yet.   He crushed it, but man, I am old.

[swoopem]

The EDM craze since 2010 or so got really big. There’s probably more kids becoming DJ’s than actual musicians these days. It’s much easier to press a button than play the guitar

[Uncle Rico]

I don’t think it’s homogenized. I think it’s splintered. With Spotify, etc. music has become highly selective. There’s new stuff that comes out all the time , but you don’t hear it because you are listening to stuff you like.

I listen to more stuff than I ever have in my life and discovered stuff I ignored or mocked years ago.  But that’s a personal anecdote.

I think you’re right in general about Spotify and hearing stuff you like.  That’s part of why I wonder if another musical revolution is possible.

Another aspect I think of is, today’s society is so interconnected unlike previous generations, there is a real world escapism that wasn’t possible 30 years ago.  You listen to PNW bands discuss why they made music and so much of it is boredom and disillusion with where they were at.  Just fascinates me

[Pakuni]

I'd also throw in the mainstreaming of country music.
Pre-Garth Brooks, country was still pretty regional and mostly a curiosity or source of derision outside the South and rural areas.
Now multiple country acts sell out stadiums in Chicago, New York, Boston and LA.

[Jay Bee]

Just a quick water ferry ride across from Seattle was the birthplace of Pickleball. Much more important than grunge.

Streaming/sharing greatly changed things. From the early to late 90s, as a hiphop radio DJ I was able to break a lot of new music to listeners. Even into the early 2000s this was true to a large degree… but nowadays there is sh-t attainable from your grandmas basement that any gimp can grab. Good & bad, I suppose.

[JWags85]

The EDM craze since 2010 or so got really big. There’s probably more kids becoming DJ’s than actual musicians these days. It’s much easier to press a button than play the guitar

People calling EDM artists "DJs" give people the wrong perception.  The truly top artists and producers in the EDM scene are all insane musicians and composers, most who were in bands of all sorts growing up and play multiple instruments extremely well.

I totally understand that EDM isn't for everyone and some of it is very reductive, but people making it out to be low effort/low skill cause of what they see at a festival performance (where artists are restricted by many factors in their live performances) is silly.  Composing 30 different pieces of a song and layering/pitching/mastering them is just as hard, arguably much harder, as playing a guitar.

[Jay Bee]

^^^ ok, raver boi

[Jockey]

I listen to more stuff than I ever have in my life and discovered stuff I ignored or mocked years ago.  But that’s a personal anecdote.

Absolutely the same for me. I grew up playing guitar and guitar rock was what I listened to. Now I have re-discovered so much of what I would immediately change the dial on when I was young. Especially R&B and Blues from the '60s-'80's.

And that doesn't take into account the incredible volume of great, new music on Spotify, Amazon, etc. using the similar artist feature.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

First chance I've had to reply to this thread.

I can't believe it's been 30 years since this pivotal moment in music history.  I distinctly remember the day and it just really seems so much more recent than that.  Arriving back to my apartment after playing in a hockey game and watching Kurt Loder report on the details on MTV.  I was shocked and shaken.  (More later why.)

I graduated Marquette May 1991 and then Nirvana Nevermind dropped September 1991.  Grunge and the Manchester UK Alt Rock early 90's invasion became the soundtrack to my post-Marquette life.  How perfectly timed.  I now spend a lot time channel surfing on Sirius XM and music in 1990 and 1991 was just a continuation of 80's on the 8 music.  That all changed with Nirvana.  I'm mentioned in the past that my father passed away at the young age of 46 while I was a Marquette Sophomore.  All I knew I had to make sure I graduated on time because finances would be difficult for my mom as my brother would be joining me as a fellow Marquette student in August.  I somehow managed to get through college (still unsure how?) and graduate and return home to Connecticut jobless like most students graduating in 1991.  Unsure of what to do next, with no guidance from my father who got me interested in engineering in the first place, my brother back at MU for Junior year, my close friends headed back to school also and I was home with just my mom, no engineering job and life was wallowing through.  Then I heard something in this new band that rocked and something in their tone or message that allowed me to vent life's frustrations and make sense of the world.  I was even more thankful with the stream of other Seattle bands as well as Chicago and LA kicking off the grunge and alt rock era.  Radio airplay changed overnight.  I eventually found an engineering job, and saved money to move into a New Haven downtown apartment with some high school friends.  Nirvana's music helped me through the uncertain.  And then the breaking music news.  By the way my dad's date of death was April 5, 1989.

I agree with Uncle Rico that there hasn’t had a real musical revolution since. 
There's been plenty of fads or growth and massaging of existing styles.

I agree with Fluff that splintered is a good description.  There are so many sources to find what you like now and can listen there, where in the past it depended on you buying the CD, cassette or album to hear on demand otherwise you were waiting for a radio airplay.  The radio would stick with something and no one had a choice (except to change to a different station).

Yes, I recognize that country music is extremely popular the last decade/decade and a half (I am still not a fan), but it only got that way by becoming more Pop-ish as a whole and not by changing pop music.  A basically unchanged Tracey Chapman song from the 80's became a popular 2023 country song.  That's all you need to know. 

As mentioned, techno dance type music has had a long run in the 2000's and is a little different every few years depending on the hot DJ whether David Guetta, Timbaland, Pit Bull or Chainsmokers or whoever.  Plenty of good music in there, but not revolutionary.  My younger daughter is into K-Pop which is kind of an off shoot. 

I guess it would have to take some miracle of something appearing on Tik Tok that every younger person gets into and then explodes from there.

I do try to listen to some newer music.  I like 21 Pilots and Bastille, two bands my daughters were into and I found I enjoy their music.  They are both good live too.

[lawdog77]

Many of the "grunge" albums were my go-to's during Law School 91-94. Was definitely a way to disconnect from the perceived stresses of law school. Here's Rolling Stones Top 50:
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/50-greatest-grunge-albums-798851/soundgarden-badmotorfinger-1991-798866/

[Jables1604]

Saw Nirvana at the old New York Coliseum in the Fall of 1993. The Breeders opened. Went on a whim at the last minutes with some law school buddies.

Was blown away at how big of a sound the three of them created.

Less than 6 months later Cobain was dead. Coincidentally, I was at a Crowded House/Sheryl Crow show the night he passed at Roseland Ballroom. I recall it being similar to my parents’ “where were you when Kennedy was killed” scenario. I can remember the specific time and place (and reaction).

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Saw Nirvana at the old New York Coliseum in the Fall of 1993. The Breeders opened. Went on a whim at the last minutes with some law school buddies.

Was blown away at how big of a sound the three of them created.

Less than 6 months later Cobain was dead. Coincidentally, I was at a Crowded House/Sheryl Crow show the night he passed at Roseland Ballroom. I recall it being similar to my parents’ “where were you when Kennedy was killed” scenario. I can remember the specific time and place (and reaction).

Did you tell yourself don't dream it's over?

[Lennys Tap]

I listen to more stuff than I ever have in my life and discovered stuff I ignored or mocked years ago.

Interesting. Next year you’ll be listening to Rocket and hanging on every word.

[Uncle Rico]

Interesting. Next year you’ll be listening to Rocket and hanging on every word.

I hope I don’t get a brain tumor

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

And I have to add I missed out going with my cousin on what has become a legendary show locally here in New Haven.

Nirvana played at this long closed place in New Haven called, The Moon, in September 1991 about 2 weeks before the release of Nevermind. Supposedly the band was doing shots with the boisterous crowd and Kurt banged his head on a wood beam on the ceiling almost knocking himself out.

[Lennys Tap]

I hope I don’t get a brain tumor

If you discover it next year you probably already have it.

[lawdog77]

And I have to add I missed out going with my cousin on what has become a legendary show locally here in New Haven.

Nirvana played at this long closed place in New Haven called, The Moon, in September 1991 about 2 weeks before the release of Nevermind. Supposedly the band was doing shots with the boisterous crowd and Kurt banged his head on a wood beam on the ceiling almost knocking himself out.

I completely forgot about this:
SEP 29, 1989   
BMU GRILL
Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, United States   Bleach Rescheduled USA Tour Cancelled - Nirvana did not make it to the show, since Kurt was having stomach problems.

[BrewCity83]

I saw Nirvana on that last tour, October 1993 at the Milwaukee Auditorium.  A really good show but the acoustics in there were pretty crappy.  And the house was half empty.

[Uncle Rico]

If you discover it next year you probably already have it.

If I start listening to Rocket, I’ll go to the doctor immediately.  Or start taking ivermectin.  One or the other

[Pakuni]

I completely forgot about this:
SEP 29, 1989   
BMU GRILL
Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, United States   Bleach Rescheduled USA Tour Cancelled - Nirvana did not make it to the show, since Kurt was having stomach problems.

Whoever was in charge of booking bands for the Union in the late 80s/early 90s knew what they were doing.
Saw bands like the Smashing Pumpkins, Soul Asylum, Goo Goo Dolls and (almost) Nirvana before they broke big. And, if I recall correctly, Pearl Jam was booked for the Union just before they broke big, and the show was moved to the theater to accommodate them and the crowds.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Whoever was in charge of booking bands for the Union in the late 80s/early 90s knew what they were doing.
Saw bands like the Smashing Pumpkins, Soul Asylum, Goo Goo Dolls and (almost) Nirvana before they broke big. And, if I recall correctly, Pearl Jam was booked for the Union just before they broke big, and the show was moved to the theater to accommodate them and the crowds.

My brother attended that Pearl Jam show.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

They also had some band on the quad in front Lalumiere around that time. I want to say it was the Cult but that were too big for that right?