Hi. I worked with these bands in the early 90's. My roommate in 1993-4 worked for Sub Pop, as did most of my friends, and I did some contract work for them on a few bands. These were basically my work-friends. So I consider myself well-informed.
Here are some things I'd like to say.
1. There's no such thing as "grunge." Just isn't. It was a word popularized by Vanity Fair, and is about as useful as saying "rap music." Please let me know if you'd like for me to clarify how Soundgarden did not like Nirvana's music, but loved Mudhoney, who didn't mind Pearl Jam, but the guys in Nirvana couldn't stand Pearl Jam and ....blah, blah, blah.
2. People who imagine they 'knew' Kurt Cobain from interviews and other media sources simply make fools of themselves. He was fairly nice, and bitchy, just like - wait for it - just about every other front man of a band I ever worked with, a very small number of oh, several thousand. However, he was a fantastic songwriter, and his terribly sad childhood came out in the music, which (as mentioned above) spoke to a lot of people. The people who crap on that remind me an awful lot of white people who labeled Howlin' Wolf "race music" as they 'got down' to Pat Boone.
3. If you are of a historical bent, you might find it interesting to look at the Billboard charts prior to Nevermind, and after. Michael Jackson > Nirvana > Smashing Pumpkins. I love MJ, but I'm puzzled that people on a guitar forum might be anything but profoundly grateful to people who chased Ace of Base away in favor of loud, distorted guitars.
4. Better still, the lurid money grab of Hookers n' Blow, Inc. (also known as the music industry) financed so much good rock music during those years. It's hard to imagine in the current environment, but even small labels could feasibly sell four- and five-figure #'s of releases of obscure bands like Don Caballero back then.
5. It's very easy for folks in hindsight to view concerns about "selling out" with self-righteous sanctimony, but believe it or not, some people did concern themselves with that. I won't accuse those folks of being deeply experience in the ways of the world, but most of the projected cynicism is actually that of the projector. I should know - I fucked myself over by 'avoiding selling out' several times, only to wish in hindsight that I had sold, and sold, and sold. Oops.
Ultimately, early 90's rock was a welcome blast of vigor that shoved aside tepid "R&B," as well as obliterating hair metal (thank God). So much of the music was so good, and I am profoundly grateful I got to have a front row seat. Lucky, lucky me.
I can tell you that I remember everything - everything - about hearing this for the first time in 1988. God bless them.
