Nevermind

The Music Issue

I knew something was wrong even when I wrote I was 16 when Nevermind was released. I was 17, 1991.. Both Blood Sugar Sex Magik and Nevermind the same year. But I was 18 by the time it really hit me, but it doesn’t matter.. it was just that age, when music was the same crap, churned out pop that is whatever we have right now. Nothing particularly original. The most exciting thing was jangly Brit Pop, Guns and Roses with their sexist racist lyrics that even at that age made me uncomfortable, some commercial “rap,” (Vanilla Ice and Tone Loc) boy bands, and if we wanted to hear “rock” or “punk” it would be listening to what came before, Sex Pistols, Butt Hole Surfer, Dead Kenndys, Violent Femmes, Iggy Pop, and AC/DC, and if it was “new” it would dear lord, Bon Jovi, Poison and his compatriots. Plastic, Plastic Stars. (Although I have to say, I still love the Soup Dragons, and EMF).

And then this “Acid House” thing came one night at Scotties, brought back from the UK by Cakeo and Jim, and I was like, “Whatever this is. This is IT.” and then followed by “Nirvana,” just taking over.

If you weren’t there to remember it, it’s hard to describe how everything changed.

When “You know you are right,” came out. I heard on BBC, someone going, “What’s so special about this song? Sounds like pretty much like all the rock music on the radio now?” and whoever was on the other side went in a frustrated voice, “Yes, but Nirvana was YEAR ZERO. Everything that came after was informed by that.” (And the whole Seattle sound).

I just remember fondling the Chilly Pepper’s album cover (they are the quintessential LA band tho), trying to make out the tattoos. Screaming “Here we are now, Entertain us,” to Kurt. Waiting to hear Joel Lai play the “Whistle Song,” every weekend because you couldn’t get hold of that music on your own. He bought it pre-internet, by mail order or some trip abroad.

It was just a different aesthetic, a different feeling, I just knew something was happening out there in the big wide world, outside my suburban city home, nested in the mid-levels.

It’s like what you know to be true today, didn’t exist 14 years ago. Hadn’t even entered most of our minds. It was there somewhere, coz they existed long before I heard them. But it wasn’t HERE, like it is now, everywhere. 303s? Turntables? DJs? Grrl Bands? Alternative? Blah. No way.

And I just realized oh, Nevermind is a nod to Never Mind the Bollocks. A bit late coming, but I finally got there.