Do you know grunge? Debora Ferrara Design for the fashion system Politecnico di Milano x index what is grunge history of grunge generation X Kurt Cobain the king of fashion fashion trends xdo you know what are you wearing? rather be dead than cool rath be dead than cool rather be dead than cool rather be deadwhat thanis grunge? cool rather be dead than cool rather be dead than cool rather be dead than cool rath be dead than cool sound- garden nirvana alice in Grunge is a word that became synonymous with the Seattle sound. It’s a word that was used to describe a number chains of different “alternative” bands from the region in 1980s, and then also into the 1990s with bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Mudhoney and Screaming Trees. The first noted instance of referring to a Seattle band as “grunge,” was in a 1981 letter by Mark Arm, according to Clark Humphrey in his account of the Seattle music scene, Loser. pearl jam Bruce Pavitt later claimed to have popularized the term as a musical label in 1987, when he wrote some promotional copy for Green River, describing the band as “ultra-loose grunge that destroyed the morals of a generation”. In the late 80s, “grunge” did actually define a sound – high levels of distortion, feedback, fuzz effects, a fusion of punk and metal influences. Many of these bands were on either the C/Z or Sub Pop record labels. Jack Endino, the so-called “Godfather of Grunge” recorded Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Green River, Nirvana and Blood Circus between 1984 and 1989. But, by 1990, “grunge,” as a synonym for loud, heavy music, had peaked. 1991 Bands like Green River, the U-Men, Cat Butt, Feast and Blood Circus had broken up; Mudhoney and Soundgarden were veering into a new sound, and the scene was full of bands that didn’t fit the original label, like the Fastbacks, Young Fresh Fellows, Posies, Walkabouts and Beat Happening. Even Nirvana, now liberated from the more restrictive sound requirements of Sub Pop, wanted to go into a poppier direction. Their more commercial approach was apparent in their breakthrough album, 1991’s Nevermind. The 80s version of grunge, with long-haired musicians wailing away in front of tiny crowds at squalid clubs like the Central Tavern or Squid Row, was dead. In 1991, Nirvana’s Nevermind album, Pearl Jam’s Ten, and Soundgarden’s Badmotorfinger were all released, and the following year, Alice in Chains released their landmark album, Dirt. With four huge alternative stars all hailing from the same region, the music media wanted a label to describe this new Seattle sound. Despite the music sounding significantly different from each other, the “big four” Seattle bands were all labelled as grunge. Any other bands from Seattle at the time, were lumped into the category as well. Alright, I’m ready now, ready now I ain’t gonna, I ain’t gonna stop right now, no Alright, I’ll take it on, take it on me Take it on me, ooh baby All I ever ask, ever ask is Do you wanna, do you wanna see my fire Tonight, and take it with, take it with me Take it with me, hm baby? What if I left and it made no sense And you tell your friends and they hold your hands? Baby, nevermind, nevermind Nevermind, nevermind nirvana - nevermind rather be dead than cool rath be dead than cool rather be dead than cool rather be deadhistory than of grunge cool rather be dead than cool rather be dead than cool rather be dead than cool rath be dead than cool melvins Doing it say I’m meat Which one stole my time Didn’t you say you’d watch it? Didn’t I? Evil stripped in me Three more stripped in time. Didn’t you say you’ve gotmelvins-revolve it? Watch me...Ah! It all started with the Melvins. Forming in 1983 in Washington State, the band, as well as its generational peers, spent their time listening to the likes of KISS, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and AC/DC. The city of Seattle at that time was just shedding its hippie image while holding onto the hippie values of counterculture and non conformity. The Melvins were the first step in mixing metal and punk. In 1984, Green River and Soundgarden formed, followed by the Screaming Trees in 1985. The year 1986 brought the founding of Sub Pop Records and saw Seattle-based record label C/Z Records’ first release, Deep Six. This compilation, credited as the first distribution of grunge, included the Melvins, Green River, Soundgarden, Malfunkshun, Skin Yard, and The U-Men. The following year saw the forming of Alicve in Chains. Between 1988 and 1990, the tight-knit group of Seattle bands did a lot of member-trading and band transforming. Green River split into two groups: the members who wanted to stay “underground” formed Mudhoney, while those who wanted to become famous rock group formed Mother Love Bone. Representing another shift in those values of non-conformity. Soundgarden signed in 1988 with a mainstream label, A&M Records, to the dismay of many of their fans. At the start of the new decade, Mother Love Bone was set to become the rock stars they wanted to be when Wood unexpetedly died of a heroin overdose. Wood’s roommate, Chris Cornell of Soundgarden, wrote a tribute to his late friend. A few songs played with the surviving Mother Love Bone members turned into an entire album, Temple of the Dog. When Cornell decided that one of the songs would be better as a duet, he invited a backup vocalist, Eddie Vedder, to join him for the singing of “Hunger Strike”. chris cornell In the same year, Eddie Vedder joined the remaining Mother Love Bone members in eddie vedder “Society, you’re a crazy breed.” eddie vedder creating a new band, first named Mookie Blaylock, and then renamed Pearl Jam. Still, in 1990, Nirvana had yet to find a full- time drummer. Eventually, they were introduced to Dave Grohl through-coming full-circle-their friends, the Melvins. And so all the staple grunge bands of the ‘90s were made possible and grew through immense collaboration and perseverance. Before any of these bands really left Seattle, they would describe themselves in self- deprecasting ways, mostly as jokes, calling their bands dirt, scum and grunge. In 1991, when Nirvana reached number one on the Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart, with Pearl Jam following closely behind, “grunge” turned from a joketo an actual descriptor of the rock music subgenre characterized by guitar distortion, feedback and heartfelt, anguished lyrics. That same year, Mudhoney and the Screaming Trees entered into indie success. Soundgarden didn’t catch up with the commercial success of Nirvana and Pearl Jam until 1994. rather be dead than cool rath be dead than cool rather be dead than cool rather be deadgeneration than x cool rather be dead than cool rather be dead than cool rather be dead than cool rath be dead than cool it-girlkate moss drew barrymore winona ryder A label attributed to people born during the 1960s and Messy hair, careless makeup, flannel shirts and 1970s. Members of Generation X are often described vintage items are stapless of the grunge wardrobe. as cynical or disaffected, though this reputation Floral dresses paired with combat boots was the obviously does not apply to all people born during uniform of Riot Grrrls. Shirts with slogands and band this era. Many were beginning to see the effects of t-shirts images were paired with torn jeans. capitalism and didn’t support it. They refused to believe Grunge fashion was developed by Generation X and in societal classes and were annoyed by the idea of is a reflection of their frustration with the side effects of human value being defined by money and property. the eighties economical upswing. They didn’t approve of ”serving the machine” aka The grunge lifestyle is about individuality. It is filled career-oriented lifestyle. with people who want to be known for their words and People belonging to this group disdain of conformity work instead of adhering to what is expected of them. shows itself through grunge fashion. Through their style they express this philosophy. They Neil Young (who is known as the Godfather of Grunge), avoid spending too much time on grooming and favor Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins and Soundgarden had looks that break the molds of society. They mix new gained huge commercial success and their style was pieces with retro or vintage styles and avoid chasing influencing fashion. People who dressed in grunge commercial trends in an attempt to remove themselves were seen as the ultimate rebels of their generation. from the pitfalls of capitalism. rather be dead than cool rath be dead than cool rather be dead than cool rather be deadkurt than cobain cool rather be dead than cool rather be dead than cool rather be dead than cool rath be dead than cool “I don't care what you think unless it is about me.” "I am not gay, although I wish I were, just to piss xoff homophobes." “Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you.” “I d rather be hated for who I am than loved for who I am not “ Kurt Cobain was born in 1967, in Aberdeen, Washington. Kurt and his family lived in Hoquiam for the first few months of his life then later moved back to Aberdeen, where he had a happy childhood until his parents divorced.