30 years ago I left Columbia Missouri, and my touring R&B band Sly, Slick, and Wicked. Moved to Seattle to play rock and climb mountains.
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Nirvana and the grunge thing was great, but I hate how the industry suddenly declared any rock prior to 1990 to be "classic rock" thus dividing listeners into two camps.
I think the listeners divided themselves.
I don't listen to grunge/punk/rap/metal. No time or desire to fill my ears with the rage of others.
I just flashed on this, and looked it up...maybe they didn't matter to you, maybe they meant everything to you, maybe you hated them because they 'ruined everything' (whatever everything might have been for you), maybe you weren't even born yet; as for me, I was a little beyond the intended demographic, but I liked them. They didn't exactly catch me by surprise as I had heard plenty of similar, forerunner stuff in the previous few years, but was amazed that something so raw was on mainstream rock radio. My only gripe was the over-saturation.
What am I going on about? 30 years ago this month, Nirvana entered a studio with Butch Vig to start recording Nevermind, and while there wasn't exactly one pivotal moment like 2/9/64, the following October was definitely a before/after period. I don't think anything like that would happen again.
It was headed there anyway. It was no different from when The Beatles came along, and then suddenly all the Brylcreemed Frankies and Bobbies, Spectoroid Girl Groups, and Surf Music, let alone Elvis, was declared passe'(and relegated to "oldies" status). The domination of British artists in the American charts in 1964 was overwhelming, only Motown(then on their ascendency)stood their ground. But just like the Grunge tsunami, just like any trend, there was plenty of crap as well as a bunch of just not that great stuff. Whatever Nirvana was or wasn't, and I'm sure they didn't plan on it, their huge embracement signaled a regime change, a new generational zeitgeist.I was coming home after being overseas for almost a year. The radio stations were oddly all different. My bass was in storage at the time.
Nirvana and the grunge thing was great, but I hate how the industry suddenly declared any rock prior to 1990 to be "classic rock" thus dividing listeners into two camps.
I raised a family as a machinist too (ID, OD, Centerless, surface grinder with some thread grinding thrown in). Started cleaning floors in a machine shop when I was 15 then moved to grinding when I turned 18 in 1973. Machining was different then. Not much CNC stuff. Eventually moved all the way up thru management then retired. I still miss making things but now I make things out of wood. Building a green house right now. Cheers!I was 21, living in Colorado, going to trade school to be a machinist, working nights for $5/hr, living 2 paychecks behind and had no clue I was even struggling to survive!
I remember exactly where I was when Nirvana hit the airwaves, I liked it but found Alice in Chains was more my style which eventually led me to Tool and so on...
Today still a machinist, living in Alaska, far from the days of struggling, 2 weeks away from being an empty nester, musical tastes are all over the place, playing bass with friends, life is good...
I raised a family as a machinist too (ID, OD, Centerless, surface grinder with some thread grinding thrown in). Started cleaning floors in a machine shop when I was 15 then moved to grinding when I turned 18 in 1973. Machining was different then. Not much CNC stuff. Eventually moved all the way up thru management then retired. I still miss making things but now I make things out of wood. Building a green house right now. Cheers!
Boston and Bad Company were tired, old news bands by the end of the 80's. 20-year olds in that time period wanting to hear the Allmans? I don't think so. Neil actually embraced grunge, and it was great that he took noisemeisters Sonic Youth(a band influential on Nirvana, and helped them get signed to DGC/Geffen)tour with him to piss off the old hippies. He was the original flannel guy anyway(well, maybe Fogerty). How about that Arc album?Sure, some bands put out opportunities for trenage boys to vent. But they also CELEBRATED things. Just having a good time. Just being alive. Just getn wild! Fun! Grunge never celebrated a damn thing. It was depressing. It was angry. It was messy. Sure, I'm fine with "raw". But lighten up a little! And (in my region) it never translated well for cover bands. Neil Young and the Allmans had a bit of a comeback at that time. You could get away with playing their stuff. The occasional STP song went over well. But nobody wanted to have a beer over grunge music. Nobody wanted to crowd up to the stage or fill tue dance floor to grunge. They wanted to stand back with their untucked plaid flannel shirts (each if them expressing their individuality.... only exactly like everyone else) and their hands in their pockets looking too "cool" to let loose and have fun. DJs took over here because live music was painted into a box. You couldn't play Boston or Bad Company because that stuff was "selling out". You couldn't play grunge because nobody wanted to party to it. And, after all, partying is why people go to bars.
It was awful to watch unfold. Club owners banged their heads against the wall trying to keep live music going. Bit nobody had an appetite for LOCAL and/or cover bands.
This was me on the bass exactly 30 years ago.
Yeah I should call him and see how he's doing.LOL everyone in the world knows Cardel.

