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The boards have been buzzing lately with
discussions related to the tenth anniversary of Kurt Cobain's passing.
After ingesting the statements made by the Oklahoma Rock faithful and the
massive press blitz, the deflation had to come.
Not to be contrarian or revisionist by any length, but Nirvana was neither
"antistars" nor were they any kind of guiding light for any of the bands
that went on to define first-wave mainstream alternative. To paraphrase
Guy Picciotto and Ian MacKaye, Nirvana changed the conversation in 1991
from being about ideas and music to being about money and deals.
At the time of Nirvana's breakthrough,
Seattle was
already crawling with A&R men. Pearl Jam was either signed or in the final
stages of signing thanks to the earlier near-success of Mother Love Bone,
Mudhoney was being courted away from Sub Pop, and "fake grunge" bands like
Alice In Chains were already in the offing. If it hadn't been "Smells Like
Teen Spirit," it probably would have been "Alive."
Meanwhile, across the pond, Radiohead's groundwork was being laid by a
different scene. Blur, Oasis, and Pulp (among others) had led the charge
for a UK-centric rock scene, resulting in the signing of some good (Supergrass),
some bad (Menswear), and at least one great: Oxford's own Radiohead, a
band whose only debt to Nirvana was in the creation of their albatross,
"Creep." Pablo Honey was only successful stateside because of that
single, but other songs (notably "Anyone Can Play Guitar") performed well
in their home country, paving the way for their massive worldwide
breakthrough, The Bends. While not nearly the smash in the
US,
Radiohead's sophomore effort was a monster throughout
Europe,
providing a firm bedrock on which to build their end of the century
triumphs on.
Back in the
US,
the "alternative nation" had been building successfully for years. Jane's
Addiction were in existence and signed prior to Nirvana, which means there
is good evidence that Lollapalooza would have existed nonetheless. The
Pixies, as well, were at the zenith of their career, culminating in a
supporting slot on U2's Zoo TV tour. Matador records, too, was already in
place and would soon release highly influential albums by Pavement, Guided
by Voices, Liz Phair, and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Superchunk and its
homebase, Merge Records, had been functional for a few years already.
Fugazi had already spent a decade working for the hardcore faithful. Uncle
Tupelo had been laying the groundwork for the alt-country movement for
nearly four years. Smashing Pumpkins had been on Caroline Records and were
touring constantly, building word of mouth and strong indie sales.
What, then, of the bands that Nirvana did open doors for? Bush,
Sliverchair, and the ilk proved to be faddish knockoffs who have since
receded from view. The only result of the complete erasure of Nirvana's
influence that would be much of a loss would be the loss of Ben Kweller,
who first gained exposure with his teen Nirvana clone, Radish. However,
based on Kweller's skills as a tunesmith and industry connections via
family friends, it's doubtful he would have remained an unknown. If
anything, the lack of Radish-era controversy would possibly have helped
Sha Sha, his solo debut, reach greater success.
Cobain wrote some good songs, and his passing was a loss, as is every
death. However, It's foolish to make Nirvana a cultural force on par with
Duke Ellington, The Clash, "Rock Around the Clock," Run-DMC, The Beatles,
Sonic Youth, Public Enemy, or Bruce Springsteen. Enjoy their music for
what it is, but don't kid yourself. If your ears needed saving, you did it
for yourself and sought out bands that were what you needed. |
