posted
Smells like Teen Spirit was certainly our anthem in high school. If not the greatest or our favorite ... it was a rallying cry for me and the alterna crew ... which consisted of my and my friends ... in a highly conservative and just plain backwater town.
Our head banging took the highschool by storm.
It was the most ... idk ... different song at the time that made it to middle america. Pearl Jam was still kinda twangy like country, Metallica was kinda 80s rock but .... both and many others of the time accessible by adjacent genres.
Smells Like Teen Spirit was ... something outrageous. yeah, Kurt mumbled but ... that was the appeal ... what the hell was he saying ... and even when you could hear the words .. it made no sense ... or begged for interpretation. And it was crazy loud to make Neil Young proud.
As all great rock music should be ... it was a fuck all. and it said it while being incredibly commercially successful.
From: Ninja Land | Registered: Nov 2004
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by He Who Wanders: But I think they also offered an alternative to the "bloody and unbowed" defiance of the other bands, perhaps an alternative that kids (and young adults) who aren't aggressive or who don't identify with an aggressive image could more readily accept. When I hear "Teen Spirit," I feel like forgetting my problems, at least temporarily, and head banging (not that I do that while driving!). GNR and Metallica are too "serious" for my taste.
quote:Originally posted by Power Boy: Smells like Teen Spirit was certainly our anthem in high school. If not the greatest or our favorite ... it was a rallying cry for me and the alterna crew ... which consisted of my and my friends ... in a highly conservative and just plain backwater town.
Our head banging took the highschool by storm.
Thanks to you guys, I feel I have a better understanding of the song's appeal.
We each have different life experiences, and they color our responses to different kinds of music.
I've never been to Middle America. In my teenage experiences in the Southeast in the early 90s, grunge (including Nirvana) was the province of beer monsters who considered metal too effeminate, while the hipper-than-thou crowd was into hip-hop.
My way of rebelling was to seek out anything with something resembling a melody, thus I gravitated toward what had been considered alternative by the generation previous to mine. When Garbage came along in the mid-90s, with their mix of dance beats and loud guitars topped with refreshingly understated feminine vocals, I felt I had finally found a sound to call my own.
posted
It is certainly true that our life experiences (including generational and geographical factors) influence how we perceive a song.
As I mentioned before, I was nearly 30 when Nirvana hit. I was starting to come to terms with the fact that I had "outgrown" much of popular music. From 1979-90, I had listened to "American Top 40" every week, but I gave it up because there were so few songs I cared about.
(And yes, I know a lot of good music never comes anywhere near the Top 40, but I loved following the charts and monitoring music trends. For several years, doing so made me feel "connected" in the same sense that following politics or sports helps certain people feel connected to a larger community.)
During the year or two previous to Nirvana, popular rock-oriented hits included the likes of "Epic" by Faith No More, "To Be With You" by Mr. Big, "Are You Gonna Go My Way" by Lennie Kravitz, and "Under the Bridge" by Red Hot Chili Peppers--all good songs but somewhat predictable. Every time I heard them, I couldn't shake the feeling they were meant for a younger audience, one that hadn't "heard it all".
"Teen Spirit," strangely enough, seemed timeless even though it was adopted as an anthem by the younger generation. It had the raw energy and stripped down anarchy of punk but enough pop sensibility and whimsy to keep it from being taken too seriously. It may be a bit of a stretch, but I think Cobain in his own way brought much needed fun back to rock 'n' roll in the same way The Beatles had in 1963-64.
Like The Beatles, Cobain didn't look like a rock star was supposed to look like at the time. He didn't sing like a rock star was supposed to, and he didn't write songs that fit into prevailing trends. He was able to go beyond formula and tap into something more universal, something that crossed the generational divide.
"Teen Spirit" still sounds fresh to me, twenty years after its release. I can't say the same for most other songs from the late '80s and early '90s.
-------------------- The Semi-Great Gildersleeve - writing, super-heroes, and this 'n' that
From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
That video was crazy too, does it even show their faces ...
quote:Originally posted by He Who Wanders: It may be a bit of a stretch, but I think Cobain in his own way brought much needed fun back to rock 'n' roll in the same way The Beatles had in 1963-64.
I think so too, Beck and a score of others either followed suit or came out promptly after ...
my friends and I had no end of fun with Beck's lyrics.
Weezer!
even Green Day!
From: Ninja Land | Registered: Nov 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Although, I think Courtney Love and Hole wipe the floor with all of them ... heh heh
evidenced by her being STILL IN THE GAME!
... such a 'trainwreck' (being sarcastic ... I think its at least part for show) but somehow she still manages to be touring while everyone else is ... irrelevant.
From: Ninja Land | Registered: Nov 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
I have no memories of Beck, Weezer, or even Hole, and I know only a couple of Green Day songs. Truly, it was after Nirvana that I pretty much checked out of following music.
It's ironic to think of Nirvana as a demarcation point. I couldn't (and still can't) call myself a fan. I own no Nirvana records. But they were, in hindsight, the last group I paid much attention to, whether I wanted to or not.
It's not that subsequent music was bad, but I had other things on my mind. Music no longer held the position of primary interest it once had (and that's why most of my musical references on this board are so dated! ).
-------------------- The Semi-Great Gildersleeve - writing, super-heroes, and this 'n' that
From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Fanfic Lady: In my teenage experiences in the Southeast in the early 90s, grunge (including Nirvana) was the province of beer monsters who considered metal too effeminate, while the hipper-than-thou crowd was into hip-hop.
Kurt often said he despaired when he'd look into the crowd and see the kind of people who used to beat him up in high school in the front row at his concerts. It was frustrating to him because that's not who he wanted to make music for.
(Chris Cornell echoed the sentiment around the same time).
From: Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Fanfic Lady: In my teenage experiences in the Southeast in the early 90s, grunge (including Nirvana) was the province of beer monsters who considered metal too effeminate, while the hipper-than-thou crowd was into hip-hop.
Kurt often said he despaired when he'd look into the crowd and see the kind of people who used to beat him up in high school in the front row at his concerts. It was frustrating to him because that's not who he wanted to make music for.
(Chris Cornell echoed the sentiment around the same time).
That's too bad, but it comes with the territory.
They could have responded like John Lydon or Julian Cope, and made music that deliberately drove away those people.
cleome46
or you can do the confusion 'til your head falls off
posted
quote:Originally posted by Dave Hackett:
quote:Originally posted by Fanfic Lady: In my teenage experiences in the Southeast in the early 90s, grunge (including Nirvana) was the province of beer monsters who considered metal too effeminate, while the hipper-than-thou crowd was into hip-hop.
Kurt often said he despaired when he'd look into the crowd and see the kind of people who used to beat him up in high school in the front row at his concerts. It was frustrating to him because that's not who he wanted to make music for.
(Chris Cornell echoed the sentiment around the same time).
I'm torn between sympathizing with his plight and thinking that if the kids who hated me in school felt suddenly compelled to shell out big bucks for my work (because some professional tastemaker told them to) I'd be laughing all the way to the bank.
-------------------- Hey, Kids! My "Cranky and Kitschy" collage art is now viewable on flickr. Drop by and tell me that I sent you.
From: Vanity, OR | Registered: Dec 2008
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Fanfic Lady: In my teenage experiences in the Southeast in the early 90s, grunge (including Nirvana) was the province of beer monsters who considered metal too effeminate, while the hipper-than-thou crowd was into hip-hop.
Kurt often said he despaired when he'd look into the crowd and see the kind of people who used to beat him up in high school in the front row at his concerts. It was frustrating to him because that's not who he wanted to make music for.
(Chris Cornell echoed the sentiment around the same time).
I'm torn between sympathizing with his plight and thinking that if the kids who hated me in school felt suddenly compelled to shell out big bucks for my work (because some professional tastemaker told them to) I'd be laughing all the way to the bank.
Indeed. It's hard to sympathize with someone who sells millions of records and sells out venues and who "despairs" of having any audience at all.
-------------------- The Semi-Great Gildersleeve - writing, super-heroes, and this 'n' that
From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
Hyperpath: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic | Subscribe To Topic
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
).
