Nirvana biography captures the heyday of the grunge era

"Nirvana" the book is a lot like Nirvana the band: fascinating, troubling, with long stretches of darkness and tedium, and flashes of brilliance that make it all worthwhile.

"Nirvana: the Biography" (DaCapo, $19.95), published today — the 13th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's suicide — is an inside account by Everett True, the British rock journalist who performed with Nirvana onstage many times, introduced Cobain to future bride Courtney Love and is "Uncle Everett" to Frances Bean Cobain, their daughter, now 14.

True formerly took credit for coining the word "grunge" to describe the explosion of punk-rock that came out of the Northwest in the late 1980s and early '90s, but he admits in the book that Lester Bangs, the late rock critic, should get credit for applying it to punk. True confesses to first using the word as a writer for New Musical Express, or NME, the British rock weekly for which he wrote under the name The Legend! (his real name is Jerry Thackray; he adopted his current nom de plume when he went from NME to its rival, Melody Maker). Still, the book's cover touts True as "the man who invented grunge." True first came to Seattle in 1989, shortly after joining Melody Maker. SubPop, the local record label that was the first home to grunge, paid for the trip. And, while journalistically questionable at best, and outright unethical at worst, it was a wise investment, eventually making SubPop's owners millionaires.

But True was more interested in Olympia than Seattle, and the overarching theme of the book is that laidback Olympia was the true source of grunge. It all started to go wrong, according to True, when grunge — essentially Northwest because of its wild, crazy edge, going back to the Sonics, the Wailers and the Kingsmen in the '50s, and its heavy beat — migrated to the big city of Seattle.

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Hole Biography

Throughout Hole's career, vocalist/guitarist Courtney Love's notorious public image has overshadowed her band's music. In their original incarnation, Hole was one of the noisiest, most abrasive alternative bands performing in the early '90s. By the time of their second album, 1994's Live Through This, the band had smoothed out many of their rougher edges, also adding more melodies and hooks to their songwriting. Through both versions of Hole, Love's combative, assaultive persona permeated the group's music and lyrics, giving the band a tense, unpredictable edge even at their quietest moments. Love formed Hole in Los Angeles in 1989, recruiting guitarist Eric Erlandson through a newspaper ad. Love had played with numerous bands before Hole, including early versions of both Babes in Toyland and Faith No More. Erlandson and Love eventually drafted bassist Jill Emery and drummer Caroline Rue into the band, recording their first album with producer Kim Gordon, the bassist for Sonic Youth. The violent and uncompromising Pretty on the Inside, Hole's debut record, was released on Caroline Records in 1991 to numerous positive reviews, especially in the British weekly music press.

In early 1992, Courtney Love married Kurt Cobain, the lead singer/songwriter of Nirvana. For a couple of months, the couple was the king and queen of the new rock world; soon, that world came crashing in. Cobain became addicted to heroin and the couple fought to keep custody of their baby after a piece in Vanity Fair accused Love of shooting heroin while pregnant, charges which she vehemently denied at the time; she would later admit that she had taken small quantities of the drug. By 1993, their private world had settled down somewhat, with Cobain and Love recording new albums with their respective bands.

Halfway through 1993, Love reassembled Hole with Erlandson, adding bassist Kristen M. Pfaff and drummer Patty Schemel. Hole was set to release their first major-label album, the more pop-oriented Live Through This, on DGC Records in April of 1994. Advance word on the album was overwhelmingly positive, with many critics calling it one of the best records of the year. Four days before the album was released, Kurt Cobain's body was discovered in the couple's Seattle home; he had died of a self-inflicted shotgun wound three days before.

Two months after Cobain's death, Kristen M. Pfaff was found dead of a heroin overdose in a Seattle apartment, with rumors swirling that Love (understandably distraught over the recent tragedies) was abusing the drug as well. Two months later, Hole began touring again, with bassist Melissa Auf Der Maur taking Pfaff's place. "Doll Parts" was released as a single late in 1994, climbing into the Top 60 by the beginning of 1995. Live Through This topped many critics' polls at the end of the year, including Rolling Stone and the Village Voice. Shortly thereafter, Hole toured with the fifth Lollapalooza tour, staying on the road for the remainder of the year.

Despite all the hardships, the album became the group's commercial breakthrough, spawning several MTV/radio hits and being certified platinum early the following year. The band went on an extended hiatus afterwards, during which time many assumed the band had broken up when it appeared that Love was focusing more on her burgeoning acting career (Feeling Minnesota, The People vs. Larry Flynt) than music. To satisfy their fans' demand for new music, two rarities collections were issued -- the 1995 EP Ask for It and the 1997 import My Body, the Hand Grenade.

After numerous delays, the band finally regrouped to work on a follow-up to Live Through This, with longtime friend Billy Corgan signed on to be a musical consultant. The album was finally issued in September of 1998 to favorable reviews, but Schemel left the band (for reasons unknown) around the same time. Former drummer for New York City alt-rockers Shift, Samantha Maloney, filled the vacant slot as the group embarked on their first substantial tour in two years. By the tour's completion, Auf Der Maur had left to join the Smashing Pumpkins, while Maloney eventually served as a stand-in drummer for Mötley Crüe. Even though Skin was certified platinum shortly after its release, Love was unhappy with the way the album was handled by her record company and felt stifled by her contract, eventually bringing a lawsuit against the Universal Music Group trying to terminate her contract (she still owes five more albums under her current agreement), so she can release music via the Internet.

The future of Hole became even more uncertain in early 2001, when Love announced plans to launch a new outfit, called Bastard. Signing with Epitaph, the band consisted of Love, former Veruca Salt guitarist Louise Post, former Rockit Girl bassist Gina Crosley, and to the delight of longtime Hole fans, Schemel is back on drums. In typical Love style, this lineup eventually dissolved into only her and Schemel and the group essentially broke up before it even began. Despite the lack of any substancial project, Love finally announced the end of Hole in May of 2002. Unlike her often bitter press situations, she claimed that the situation was friendly and she would still remain friends with the previous members of the band. Love released her first solo album, America's Sweetheart, in 2004. The following year she began working on new songs, despite battling an alleged eating disorder and a stay in rehab after violating her probation by using drugs. Working with artists including producer Linda Perry, Billy Corgan and guitarist Micko Larkin, formerly of Larrikin Love, the album Nobody's Daughter began to take shape over 2006 and 2007. In mid-2009, Love announced that Nobody's Daughter would in fact be a Hole album. She began promoting the album in earnest in early 2010, performing shows in Europe and the U.S. -- including gigs at the South by Southwest Festival and on The Late Show with David Letterman -- before its release. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Greg Prato, Rovi

Nirvana exhibit to open in Seattle

Popular alternative rock band Nirvana are set to be the subject of a major museum exhibition in their native Seattle.

The exhibition titled "Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses" will open to the public next spring at Seattle`s Experience Music Project and will feature memorabilia and artefacts conjuring up the spirit of the legendary grunge trio - Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl, reports contactmusic.com.

"I`m really excited for Nirvana to be a touchstone for this exhibition... It`s great that there will soon be a collection that celebrates that contribution to music and culture," said Noveselic.

The exhibit will be accompanied by a new book on the band titled "Taking Punk to the Masses: From Nowhere to Nevermind", which will include rare and unseen photographs and artwork.

The “Death” of Grunge

It’s hard to say if grunge really died or if it just evolved into something else. But if it did die, it happened on April 8th, 1994.

The success of grunge was taking its toll on all involved, and one of those most obviously affected by it was Kurt Cobain. Cobain, who had suffered from an undiagnosed stomach ailment for many years, began to self medicate with heroin in the late 80s to ease the pain. It didn’t take long for his use to become a problem; He would pass out during photo shoots and started to become less reliable at shows. After his marriage to Courtney Love and the realization that he would become a father, Cobain tried to get clean. It was during this time that Cobain looked worse than ever, having gone through withdrawls in addition to his stomach ailment. The mainstream press had a field day covering Cobain and Love, with stories about how their daughter Frances Bean was born addicted to heroin (she wasn’t) and Cobain’s drug problems (some of which were valid).

In late 1994, Love staged an intervention for Cobain with friends and recording associates. They convinced Cobain to go to rehab, which he did for a short while in Los Angles before escaping back to Seattle.

In late March of 1994, Cobain was hospitalized for a heroin overdose, and rumors were that he was dead. He had actually survived, but for bandmate Dave Grohl, it was an emotional and confusing time:

“So they called and said he’d passed in Rome, and I fucking freaked out. I just lost my mind and started wailing. As disconnected as our relationship had become, you just can’t imagine real tragedy in your life. Twenty minutes later someone called me and said, “Actually, no, he’s not dead, he’s awake.” How weird. That could have been the happiest moment of my life. When he came home, I talked to him on the phone. We tried to avoid the subject — we were talking about buying minibikes or something, and I told him, “Look, man, I was really scared.” He said, “I know. I’m really sorry. It was just an accident.” I was trying to reach out to him and tell him that I really cared about him, but it wasn’t enough. The time leading up to his death was really strange. He disappeared. He just seemed like he wanted to get away. He bailed. I honestly did not think he was going to kill himself. I just thought he was on someone’s floor in Olympia, listening to albums. Or something.”- (Rolling Stone, July 14th, 2005)

The conditions of Cobain’s death remain a bit of a mystery. What is known is that Cobain had gotten back on heroin and was very depressed. He was found dead by an electrician in his home on April 8th, 1994. The cause of death was ruled to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

News of Cobain’s death spread like wildfire. MTV ran 24 hour coverage of what was happening in Seattle following the news. Cable news channels like CNN carried the story. Conservative commentators like Rush Limbaugh covered the story and chastised the grunge music. Cobain’s face even appeared on the cover of Newsweek.

Pearl Jam, who were on tour at the time, dedicated a show on April 8th to Cobain, with Vedder saying “Sometimes, whether you like it or not, people elevate you. It’s really easy to fall. I don’t think any of us would be here if it weren’t for Kurt Cobain.”

A memorial service for Cobain was held at the in downtown Seattle on April 10th, where about 10,000 people attended.

Cobain’s death marked the end of an era, and that was the era of grunge.

Grunge Grunge Grunge !!!

After Kurt Cobain’s death, the grunge began to fade out of the mainstream. Many bands broke up or went back to just playing shows in the Seattle area. Other bands evolved into something else as time went on.

Without a doubt, Pearl Jam has remained the biggest band to come out of the Seattle grunge scene that is still playing today. Many other grunge musicians have moved on to other things, like Chris Cornell of Soundgarden, who joined the supergroup Audioslave. Dave Grohl went on to start his own band Foo Fighters in addition to working with several other bands like Queens of the Stone Age and Nine Inch Nails. Even Alice in Chains is touring again, though without Layne Staley, who died of a drug overdose on April 5th 2002 (coincidentally, the same day that Kurt Cobain died eight years later).

The lasting impression of grunge on today’s music is immeasurable. But what we do know is that it has definitely influenced a lot of people.

And it’s almost come full circle: Mark Arm, formerly of Mudhoney, may be getting back together with his bandmates for a new Green River tour.

The Rise of the Underground

In the late 80s, grunge acts were starting to get some recognition outside of the Puget Sound area. Some of the big bands at this time included Soundgarden, Mother Love Bone, Nirvana and Screaming Trees. It was in this time that the grunge sound that was to become mainstream was forged. Soundgarden, for example, had broken away from the high-pitched metal wail and went into a darker mode, one that would come to be on the album Badmotorfinger in 1991. Mother Love Bone could have been the big band to break grunge into the mainstream if not for lead singer Andrew Wood’s untimely heroin overdose and death on March 19th, 1990. Mother Love Bone’s Apple, released after Wood’s death, would prove to be formidable record, though due to Wood’s demise, its impact wasn’t felt far from Seattle. (The tribute to Wood, Temple of the Dog, would later become a spuergroup-esque release featuring Chris Cornell, Eddie Vedder and guitarist Mike McCready.) Although it did reach former Chicagoan Eddie Vedder, who would join former Mother Love Bone members Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard in Pearl Jam.

The true grunge explosion happened September 24th, 1991. Nirvana released the now landmark grunge album Nevermind, and became an overnight national success. Fueled by the hit single “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Nirvana became the biggest band in America, knocking Michael Jackson out of the #1 spot on the Billboard Charts. With them, several other bands were also picked up. Pearl Jam released their first record Ten shortly before Nevermind, though record sales were sluggish until after Nirvana’s success. The same was true for Alice in Chains’ album Facelift, which was released in 1990 (followed by the Sap EP in 1992). Alice in Chains wasn’t like Nirvana or Pearl Jam, and their vocalist, Layne Staley, drove the songs with a unique voice that has, in recent years, become imitated. The other driving force in the band was guitarist Jerry Canterell

Bands like Soundgarden and Screaming Trees were getting recognized also. The Screaming Trees album Sweet Oblivion brought out a side of grunge with instrumentation similar to Mother Love bone but with vocals more like Kurt Cobain. Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanagan’s distinctive vocals really drive the album, and the raspy voice gives the songs a certain authority.

But with the musical success came some negatives. Once the mainstream media started reporting on this “grunge” phenomena, the markets of the world needed to know how to sell grunge. Part of this was in conjunction with a question asked by several media outlets of the early 90s: “What is today’s generation?” The new early 20s population didn’t have an identity that the market could latch onto. The big question was, “What do they want?” And the answer they got was “Nirvana.” But not specifically Nirvana the band, but the look and sound that came with grunge, which many people connected with Nirvana. The result is what Entertainment Weekly called the biggest “kind of exploitation of a subculture since the media discovered hippies in the ’60s.” The marketing for young people to grunge was overwhelming. Clothing designers in New York started making “The Grunge Look” and stores like Macy’s had flannel shirt sections. Grunge was being exploited to sell everything from clothes to cars to insurance. A dynamic shift had taken place. Film maker Cameron Crowe, who had set his latest film, “Singles,” in Seattle, went from pleading to producers to let the film be set there to being asked, “Is Nirvana in the movie?” (Nirvana was not, but the members of Pearl Jam were).

Pearl Jam released their Second album, Vs., in 1993. Vs. is considered by many fans to be the best Pearl Jam album released. While not a commercially successful as Ten, Vs. was a stripped down, more energetic album with more guitar distortion and more anger. The album was clearly less produced, which gave it a more natural feel than Ten.

Pearl Jam,TIME

As Pearl Jam got more popular, however, there came associations to the band from magazines like Time. Vedder was picture on the cover of Time (but declined to be interviewed) with the headline “All the Rage: Angry Young Rockers Like PEARL JAM Give Voice to the Passions and Fears of a Generation.” Eddie Vedder, was unhappy and responded:

“I think this is a whole bunch of crap. To look at it is very strange. It looks like one of those things you get at Magic Mountain for $10 or whatever where they impose your image on the cover of a magazine…This is my parents’ magazine, if I had parents…We’re on the cover as entertainment. Am I paranoid by thinking that we’re just a decoy? Do you know we’re declaring war on Haiti?” – (Loser,1995)

Certainly Pearl Jam was getting a lot of press. In fact, it would be less than a year before Pearl Jam would visit the White House and visit President Clinton to discuss one of the biggest events in grunge.

Video Links:

Stardog Champion – Mother Love Bone

Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana

Rusted Cage – Soundgarden

Hunger Strike – Temple of the Dog

Jeremy – Pearl Jam

I Nearly Lost You – Screaming Trees

Man in the Box – Alice in Chains

The Early Years

The term grunge was first used to describe music in 1981 by Mark Arm to describe his band Mr. Epp and the Calculations. Arm would also go on to be in several influential bands, including Green River and Mudhoney.

So it was out of the environment of rainy Seattle that grunge was born. And reborn, as it happens. In fact, grunge is one musical genre that is so inbred that it’s hard to distinguish who came up with what and when. Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard alone was involved in nine different bands between 1982 and 1994. The genre changed about as much as the bands and their line-ups did. As a result, the music scene was very much like a big dysfunctional family, one that could be described as the Partridge Family on downers. Still, it was a family that put together some great music.

As a genre, grunge is a mix of punk and metal, with a definite mix of early 60s rock in there too. It’s no secret that many bands were influenced by artists like Neil Young, and were big fans of Rust Never Sleeps. The lyric “it’s better to burn out than to fade away” is one embrace and/or questioned by several grunge musicians.

It makes sense to start talking about grunge by talking about Green River. Green River was a band that included several people that would go on to be very popular during the grunge explosion of the early 90s. These were, primarily, Jeff Ament, Mark Arm and Stone Gossard. Ament and Gossard would go on to play in Mother Love Bone and Pearl Jam (among others) and Arm would later front the band Mudhoney. Green River’s sound came from a mix of dark rock with a punk feel. With some influence from metal bands, early Green River releases like 1985′s Come On Down represent this very well. And for much of the grunge scene at that point, this was the standard. Early Soundgarden sounded much more like Led Zeppelin than it did Superunknown.

The first big break for grunge artists was the Deep Six compilation. The compilation featured Green River, Soundgarden, The Melvins, Malfunkshun (featuring Andrew Wood, who would later front the band Mother Love Bone), Skinyard and The U-Men. It was released in March of 1986 and became the “grunge” album of the time. And while the compilation probably doesn’t sound like the grunge we think of, but it was definitely the basis (The Melvins, for example, sound more like just punk rock than grunge).

Another significant album was the first Nirvana album Bleach, which received very little attention outside of the Seattle area.