Hype! (1996) Movie Script
[Sea gulls calling]
lions gate entertainment
lions gate entertainment
[Birds singing]
[Chain saw buzzing]
[Chain saw buzzing]
[Tree crashes]
[Radio being tuned]
Announcer: it is,
for better or worse...
The birthplace
of grunge.
Second announcer:
seattle-Based bands...
Have topped the rock charts
for the past few years.
Nirvana, Pearl Jam,
and Soundgarden
Have sold millions
of records.
Announcer: independent releases
to a major label debut--
[Static]
A musical movement
centered around seattle,
And a sound and style
that became known as grunge.
A month before that album
came out, they were--
[Static]
The basis
of the generation...
[Stammering]
a--X society.
Woman: part of
the grunge movement,
As I understand it,
is the fact
That these kids have
the ability to say
Anything they
want to say,
Express anything
they want to express,
Any anger, any pain,
Any anguish,
any torment,
And they feel
a kinship, a oneness,
That this young man has
been through tragedy...
That this young man has
been through tragedy...
[Guitar music begins]
Man: thanks a lot. This is
gonna be the last song.
Man: thanks a lot. This is
gonna be the last song.
Dd
enough of your doctrines
your manifestos
i'm a simple man
and I speak
with simple words
talk about inclusion,
not exclusion
talk about inclusion,
not exclusion
i sing my song
across these rivers
and valleys
mountains, seas
fields and oceans
fields and oceans
i am a teacher
you're a teacher, too
i am a pencil pusher
i am a ditch digger
i am a loser
oh
oh
let's start a riot
walk in the night air
walk in the night air
Remember those
big bubbles that used to
Float through
the middle of town?
[Laughter]
yeah!
These big--Like,
bubbles, man.
They still do.
Yeah. You see them
once in a while.
They've got this big pit
out in the bay
That's like, all--
Like, this weird shit
That they--Comes out
of the process,
And--And the way--
The bubbles, they're,
like, this big,
And they would
float around,
And they're bad,
toxic things.
[Laughs] so, the way
to get rid of it
Is they got these
big water sprinklers,
And they just, like,
run sprinklers over it--
A bubble still gets
out once in a while.
They're huge.
They're like--
The bubble of death.
I went to bothell high school,
Which is, uh,
a suburban hell hole.
Um...
There's a sign
as you enter town.
It says, "welcome to bothell,
for a day or a lifetime."
[Chuckling]
and someone...
Someone--I wish
i had've done it--
But someone erased
the b-O-T at one time,
So it was, "welcome to hell
for a day or a lifetime."
The northwest is where
"flying saucers"--
The term "flying saucers"
was coined.
The northwest is, uh...
wherelouie, louieis from.
The northwest is where--
It's the serial killer
capital of the world.
We have more unsolved
serial killings up here
Than any other place
in the united states.
I mean, the manson family
used to vacation up this way.
This place is weird.
Lot of occult stuff.
All this stuff is a factor
In what happened
in the music.
[Guitar music begins]
[Guitar music begins]
Man: I mean,
when the weather is crappy,
You don't want
to go outside.
You know, you basically
feel like staying in the house.
And, uh...
It's a very logical thing
To want to go down
into your basement
And, you know, make noise
to take out your frustrations,
Because you can't go outside
And do anything when it's
raining all the time.
don't get off the bus
'cause there ain't
nothing for you here
in my hometown
Man: is seattle
a nice place to live?
It's the best place
to live.
And i've traveled
all over the place,
And I honestly wouldn't live
anywhere else.
It has all the amenities
of a big city.
But...
You know, there's nothing
you're missing out on
By being in seattle
as opposed to another city.
And it's pretty, you know?
There's hills and mountains
and trees and water.
Art chantry: so all these
people come here,
And then there's
all this publicity,
Andnorthern exposure,
andtwin peaks.
And everybody wants
to come up here,
And live the good
yuppie lifestyle,
But all that time,
there's all these people...
That are underneath
that were here first,
And are just starving,
and they're all crazy.
I mean, it's like one of
those end-Of-The-World places.
You can't go no further
and still be in the u.S.
[Guitar music begins]
[Guitar music begins]
oh yeah
oh yeah
since 14 years ago
i saw you out my door
can't you see me
in that, so
oh, baby,
it's one night, so
and I watch outside
and I see you there
and I wonder where
and I take a stare
i say, I watch outside
watch outside
i watch outside
watch outside, yeah
watch outside, yeah
i watch outside
i see you there
i wonder where
i take a stare
i say I watch outside
watch outside
i watch outside
watch outside
i watch outside,
i see you ride
i watch outside
and I see you ride
i watch outside,
i want outside
i watch outside,
i take a ride
i watch outside
In 1980...
i think bands
Stopped coming
to seattle.
Bands never used
to come here,
'Cause they'd go as far
as san francisco
And then not come
all the way up to seattle
Because it wasn't worth it
to play one show.
There were 2,
maybe 2 1/2 clubs
Where you could play
If you were playing
your own music.
Carla: some people used
to rent halls,
Just put their whole show
on themselves.
Take tickets, run up,
do the music,
And at the end, pick up
the broom and clean it up.
let me call you about it
let me call you about it
woke up this morning
Well, seattle was
really lame.
You know, specifically
in the early eighties,
I mean, seattle was like
a million second cities.
It had a fake talking heads,
It had a fake pere ubu,
It had a fake killing joke,
It had all the fake ramones
you could shake a stick at.
You know,
and people from bellevue
Singing with
english accents.
Woman: there was this big,
uh, poodle metal scene--
Bands with, uh,
big, fancy guitars,
And, uh, just tons and tons
of hairspray, eyeliner.
See, all the extra-Sleazy
punk rockers
Used to hang out
on first avenue.
There's a donut shop
right there
Which is right next to
the showbox,
Which is right there--
It's a comedy club now.
And that was, like, the big,
uh, punk rock venue.
Art chantry:
opening night,
The very first punk club
in seattle.
This is probably worth...
you know, 3, 400 bucks.
[Guitar music begins]
[Guitar music begins]
solid
solid
action
Nobody was too worried
about success,
Because we knew we were
living in seattle.
You know, it wasn't l.A.
Nobody was gonna come
and sign us.
We played a show,
some small club...
The audience
consisted of...
Members of the other
dozen or so bands
That were playing similar
bills and similar clubs.
[Guitar music begins]
say goodnight
then take a bitedd
Ddthen dig it a hole
take a light
then take a bite
then dig it a hole
Jack endino:the bands
that stuck it out
Did it because they really,
really, really enjoyed
Playing their music.
And that was really the only
positive reinforcement
That anybody got.
We really started playing
music 'cause it's fun,
Which probably
most people say, but...
With us, it's true.
[Laughter]
Yeah, everybody else
is lying.
Everybody else
is lying.
[Guitar music begins]
[Guitar music begins]
after all the trouble
has come and gone
D
it was here for so long d
now i've got
this sinking feeling
Dd
everyone seems to be leaving
oh, whoadd
i can't believe how lonel
y it is here on k street
there's no one like me
here on k street
how lonely it is
here on k street today
today
today, today
I've never been in any other
spot in the country
Where so many people
play, you know?
You know, there's tons
of shitty bands,
But there's, like,
tons of great bands, too.
The most interesting
music around here
Is--Is definitely
coming from places
Where--Where people are just
playing in the garage,
They're playing
to themselves.
They're playing
to their friends.
Across the street lives--
These guys are in a band
called sister psychic.
And then there's another
band who practices there,
And they're all friends,
And then her fault,
my little brother's band,
And--And--They're
all friends.
They go to the show.
It's just friends playing music.
oh, and I can't believe d
how lonely it is
here on k street
there's no one like me
here on k street
how lonely it is
here on k street today
today
today, today
today
today
today, today
Charles peterson: we were
all so fucking bored
Out of our heads,
that it was get drunk,
Fall down, and,
uh...you know,
Throw your body around.
And all the bands that
came through seattle
At that time--
Scratch acid and big black--
Said that seattle had
the most exciting,
Potent scene
going on in the u.S.
They all loved to play here
because everyone
Would just, like, go nuts
and drink themselves
Into a frenzy and throw
themselves onstage,
And it was very flattering
for these bands, you know,
Whereas you go to los angeles
and new york,
And people stood there
and went, "hmm...
I don't know,
he missed a note there."
[Hard guitar music playing]
[Hard guitar music playing]
Best bands in seattle
were, like, malfunkshun...
The u-Men...
who else?
Skin yard, my eye,
feast,
64 spiders,
bundle of hiss.
Nobody ever remembers
psycho pop, man.
We could make
a long list
If we wanna talk about
all tom's bands.
We were
a good band, man!
Jack endino: we had a band
called the farts.
Charles peterson:
red dress...blackouts...
Steve fisk: the blackouts
were an excellent band.
You know,
three swimmers, beakers,
Little bears in bangkok...
Max band...
quack quack quack...
Nobody knows these names.
This is ancient history.
One generation out
from a band is--Is every band
That shared a member
directly with that band.
For instance, you know, uh...
Stone gossard was
in green river,
And then he went
to mother love bone.
That's one generation out.
So, for instance,
you could take, like,
An early band
like the blunt objects
And it asks you how many
generations--
Let's go 4 generations out.
Um...
So, you sort of have
these 3 columns,
The mainstream, heavy metal,
hard rock thing
That, you know, mother love
bone and Pearl Jam have done.
Then there's the fastbacks,
the posies, and, uh...
The young fresh fellows,
which were probably
The first band to really
make it out of seattle
All by themselves,
without moving out of town.
And they were just, you know,
sort of a pop sound.
And then, the third branch
is noise/grunge rock.
That was closely related
to green river and mudhoney
And the thrown-Ups whole
sort of sub-Pop,
You know, grunge sound.
And it's pretty incestuous,
But you keep bumping into
the same old people.
Charles peterson:
green river...
This was the genesis
right here.
Steve and mark
from mudhoney.
And stone and jeff
from Pearl Jam
And alex, who is now
studying to be a lawyer.
Art chantry: room nine
became love battery,
Bundle of hiss became tad,
pure joy became flop,
Skin yard, among other
things, became, uh...
Uh, grunt truck.
Jesse bernstein, who's dead.
Watch, folks.
Hundreds of dollars.
Don was in, uh,
butt sweat.
And, uh, they played
at one skate contest.
You were, too, tom.
Don't lie.
And, uh, heh heh heh.
And he was also in
the kings of rock.
So was jim tillman
from, uh...
Ex--Uh, love battery.
What? Jim tillman
wasn't in butt sweat.
He played rhythm guitar.
Did he?
Yep.
Ha ha ha!
Remember, friends,
this is only a movie.
You're free to leave
the theater at any time.
[Guitar music begins]
[Guitar music begins]
well, I got batter
oh, you just aone
oh, you just aone
a beginner
let's go like a sun
let's go like a sun
heat up the syrup
whoo
this is gonna be fun
this is gonna be fun
these hotcakes
flapping like a gun
flapping like a gun
talkin' 'bout
them hotcakes
you know what I mean
talkin' 'bout
them hotcakes
talkin' 'bout
them hotcakes
knocking back
them hotcakes
i don't think
they leave
D
talkin' 'bout them hotcakes d
give me some more of them
, give me some more of them
give me some more
of them hotcakesdd
give me some more of them
, give me some more of them
give me some more
of them hotcakes
give me some more of them,
give me some more of them
give me some more
hotcakes right now
Someone said to me once
that there was
The aesthetic of dumb
about the seattle music scene--
That the music wasn't stupid,
but it was dumb.
You know, mudhoney
is not stupid,
But they're
a little bit dumb.
My mom has
always told me
That I am not
a loser.
So, the whole
loser thing...
I never believed in,
'cause...
Clearly,
i am not a loser.
Mark, I think your
mom has told you
The same thing.
We're not losers.
I guess it's really easy
To think of yourself
as a loser,
'Cause then you don't care
if people like you or not.
You know? That's
sort of the idea.
And then you can do
whatever you want.
And then you can do
whatever you want.
And it's funny.
We were the guy
in high school
Who people
used to beat up.
And we couldn't even talk
to the pretty girl.
I mean, we couldn't--
We're nerds, god damn it!
Well, I think ever since
spinal tap came out,
I mean, they were, like,
pointing the finger at...
Bloated, overly commercialized,
diluted bands,
And, uh, we just looked
at ourselves and said,
"We don't have to point at
somebody else. We can..."
you be the cat,
i'll be the mouse
you be the cat,
and i'll be the mouse
you be the cat, see?
I'll be the mouse
invite me over
to your mousetrap house
it's a mousetrap
it's a mousetrap
you be the cat
i'll be the mouse
you be the cat
and i'll be the mouse
invite me over
to your mousetrap house
running in and out
of your steel catch
yeah, that's what
it's all about
to you, to you
to you, to you
mousetrapdd
a mousetrap
a mousetrap
mousetrap
a mouse
trap
trap
aah
mousetrap
mousetrap
[Guitar feedback]
[Guitar feedback]
Man: when you've been
through periods
Where you've had
keyboard players
With 50,000 pounds worth
of kit onstage,
82 keyboards
and 95 samplers, you know,
Uh...
After a while,
you just go, "hang on.
"This is like eating
too much food at one sitting.
"There's too much sound.
It's too many colors.
"It's--It's all got
poncey and posey.
"Um...let's go
and see some bands
Where they
just bash it out."
eat my dump
tell me if you love me
eat my dump
help me
smell my pie
Some bands get onstage,
and they're basically...
Entertainers. They have--
You know, they have a shtick.
They are giving you a show.
Some bands get up there
and they rock.
And you can tell the difference.
That's why seattle bands
tend to be
A little bit inconsistent
live, I think,
Is because most of them
aren't really up there
To be entertainers.
They're up there to rock out.
And their best shows are when
they're having the most fun,
Not when they necessarily
have their act down,
Because maybe
they don't have an act.
If it's connecting with
the audience right,
I get chills.
I mean, I can just--
I finish a song,
and it feels right,
And I can just tell it's
gonna start going fine.
Man, I get chills.
And they're rockin',
and fuck yeah, let's go.
you're putting on me
and dealing with society
dd
the forces are close
they're over the line
i got a freaky feeling
in my soul
nerve going
out of control
nowhere to turn,
nowhere to hide
i got a train driving
through my head
D
fever burning in my bed d
my telephone rings
somebody dead
on the line
i say 54/40 or fight
54/40 or fight
D
54, 54, 54/40 or fight d
all right
all right
let's go
let's go
D
you're watching it drop d
Ddhad it to here
D
they're taking him home d
gotta get away
gotta get away
had it to here
gotta get away
gotta get away
There's a million people
out there that could do
What i'm doing--
As far as producing,
Recording,
anything like that,
A lot better
than i'm doing,
Have better equipment.
But still, it's, like,
The only way you get
good at anything
Is to be doing it
all the time.
So, this is a lifetime
chore for me.
Basically, it's just
to have complete control
Over everything.
To be able to do it
the way you wanna do it.
Have it come out
the right way,
And to not really...
Have anybody that can tell
you what the hell to do,
Where you can play, how you
can look, how you can dress.
What songs to record,
which ones not to.
Man: it keeps it
on a personal level.
It keeps it where
rock and roll-Type things
Really should be.
It's very much
just happening...
Right there. It's not
happening in somebody's...
Big offices or in somebody's
big bank accounts or anything.
It's...
It's really exciting for
the people that are doing it.
[Guitar music begins]
some say,
"dude, just forget her
"in a world of your own d
d
"you let it make
every day pathetic
you're in need of a cure."
She is one
you'll survive a vegetable
the meat's diseased
and she said so
i won't try
to persuade you anymore
i won't try
to persuade you anymore
a long time ago
when I lost my way
hey
hey
Man: popllama was
a big influence.
Conrad can do it,
sub pop can do it.
We wanted to do our own
record--Well, hell.
If these guys can do it,
We've seen these guys so drunk
they can't stand up.
You know?
They can't drive a car,
So--And they can do this,
so we can do that.
Calvin johnson: that's just
a given, I think,
With people here.
They don't sit around
Going, "oh, nothing
ever happens here.
Nothing ever goes on here."
You know,
By the time the kid's
out of high school,
He's already been in a band,
put out a couple fanzines,
You know,
recorded a few records.
Started a label,
did a radio show.
And that was the whole lesson we
learned when we moved up here.
Like, you just do it. Heh.
We moved up here
And we saw other bands,
you know, no different than us.
Just putting out records.
All you really need
to do that
Is some magnetic tape
and a microphone.
And--And that's really
all you need,
And then,
you know, maybe--
Just maybe--
Some bad reverb.
And they smell good.
Records just smell good.
There's nothing like
cracking that cellophane
And pulling that record out.
It just smells great.
Ddow
Ddow
ooh
Man: when deep six
first came out,
It was chronicling
something
That was suddenly
going on, I guess.
It was by a fluke
of providence.
Kind of a, uh--
The initial document of...
What later turned in
to be a pretty big scene.
I think we all became aware
That there was a certain
regional sound developing.
And nobody had
a name for it.
[Playing punk guitar]
[Playing punk guitar]
That's punk rock, and...
One day, they just sort of
started going, um...
[Playing grunge guitar]
[Playing grunge guitar]
And that was grunge.
And that was grunge.
The most noisy...
Most absurd...
Heaviest thing
that was going.
Heaviest thing
that was going.
Jack endino: yeah,
we know this is heavy rock,
And heavy rock is kinda stupid,
but it's fun anyways.
It's when you had a band like
the melvins doing kiss covers.
It was all in fun.
It was, like,
"We know this is that this
is the cheesiest thing
We could possibly do.
We gotta do it."
It's just ridiculousness,
complete ridiculousness.
What can we get away
with next, you know?
looking for one
like you were
holding like so long ago
dd
like a hotel
like a fish store
my world war tissue
wah
wah
Bands like green river,
basically.
They were, sort of,
the definitive grunge band.
It was a euphemism
for, just, extremes--
Extremes of anything.
And a lot of people say that
it's a throwback to metal.
Heavy metal is part of it.
It was one influence.
Punk rock was one influence.
Basically, anything loud,
And crushing and extreme
was an influence.
We'd all been in bands
that were more controlled,
And...more dynamic,
you know, and...
You know--More--Better--
Better bands, actually.
And we just--Well,
our whole thing was
We just wanted to get away
from all structure
And just be chaotic,
and not worry about that.
It was a kind of
joyful release.
It's taken rock
right back to its basics,
Which is go out there
and make a hell of a noise.
And make sure you play music
your parents don't like.
[Guitar music begins]
[Guitar music begins]
wait
i can't wait
life's too short for all
the pennies that wait
D
selling your time,
put down a lot of new ways d
calling for lisa
calling for lisa
calling for lisa
calling for lisa
calling for lisa
First thing, actually,
Was when we were doing
the first Soundgarden single,
And we were doing a song
callednothing to say,
Which was just...
At the time, just seemed
amazingly heavy.
I thought this--
You know, these guys
Can't possibly be really
playing this song.
It sounds like...you know,
this sounds insane.
It sounds way too good
for 8-Track,
And it sounds way too good
for a, you know,
Crappy little seattle band.
someone said
my words are
out of balance
nothing to say
you got nothing to say
Jack endino: bruce pavitt
originally had the name sub pop,
When he was living
in olympia, I think.
He had a sort of
cassette fanzine network,
Where he put out these
little compilation cassettes
Of local bands.
He was interested
In making it
a vinyl magazine.
The bands he was
interested in
At the time
were green river and us.
And john, also,
was a huge fan of ours.
He wanted
to make a record--
Start a record label,
So we kind of talked
about working together
To put out a record.
Up to that time, everyone
played it really safe.
All the small labels--
"We'll put out a single
"Every 3 months,
and, you know,
"We'll sell
1,000 copies of it,
And that's cool,
because i've got my day job."
And jon and bruce
were having none of that.
They said, "we don't want
to work day jobs.
"We don't want our bands
to work day jobs.
"We want them out there
on the road.
"We want them
in the big magazines.
"We want their records
everywhere.
"It is punk rock,
but we don't care.
We want to make it
bigger than punk rock,"
And that's why
these 2 gentlemen
Are the kings of the scene,
as you might say.
There was a real...
Indie ethic
in the eighties
That you weren't
supposed to be proud
Of having
hit records,
Or being
a hit machine.
And jon and i,
as fans of, you know,
The history
of pop music
In this, uh,
this country,
Really admired
labels like motown
And their
hit factory...
Mentality.
Yeah.
They definitely picked
a certain kind of band
For their label,
which makes everybody think
That that's the only thing
that was going on in seattle.
Um, they--
By default, I ended up
engineering all of them,
And they had charles doing
all of the photography,
So there was definitely
a package and an image
And a sound.
Jonathan poneman:
i think every community
Has their pools of talent.
It's just a matter
of being able to take on
The responsibility
of marketing.
You know, i'm a failed
pop musician myself, so...
You know, I kind of decided
Well, i'm going to play in
crummy band after crummy band.
I may as well rep
some of these bands
Who might have a chance
at doing something.
Basically, he said,
"hey, you sing about dogs,
"You sing about being sick.
You got a shtick,
it'll take you to the top."
And he basically gave us,
like, 5 chords,
But he said, "don't use more
than 3 within one song."
[Playing alternative music]
[Playing alternative music]
i feel bad
i feel bad
yeah, i've felt worse
yeah, i've felt worse
i'm a creep
yeah
yeah
i'm a jerk
oh
oh
touch me, i'm sick
touch me, i'm sick
i won't live long
i won't live long
and i'm full of rot
and i'm full of rot
want to give you, girl
everything I got
oh
oh
touch me, i'm sick
touch me, i'm sick
touch me, i'm sick
touch me, i'm sick
When sub pop finally
got their act together,
And they started
somehow getting
This underground
hype-Thing going--
Which started very small--
They flew an english
journalist into seattle.
They took him to see
a mudhoney show,
And gave him some singles
and had him meet everybody,
And he went back
and wrote a big article
In one of
the english music papers,
And that sort of started
this big frenzy in england.
It just seemed like it was
a worthwhile business move.
Yeah. And fortunately,
Everett was
a brilliant enough guy
That he could piece
together a story
That essentially sold
the world on seattle.
love me, i'm rich
love me, i'm rich
come on, baby
now, come with me
if you don't come
if you don't come
if you don't come
you'll die alone
you'll die alone
Sub pop--
The hype machine.
And we went along with it.
It seemed pretty funny
at the time.
They didn't really
hype their bands.
They hyped their label,
Which is
a much different thing,
A much--A much more
original thing.
Jack endino: it gave
a record this desirability,
This, perhaps,
fictional desirability,
But nonetheless,
it made the collectors
Try and get a hold
of these things,
And made people talk
about them.
So, a lot of people
talked about sub pop
And how cool
their records were,
And how cool the packaging,
and the bands were cool,
And--"Oh, you can't get
the record.
It's worth
a lot of money already."
People started looking
for the seattle sound
The same way that d.C.,
and boston, new york,
And l.A.,
and all those places
Had this crazy
little identity
All of their own.
Seattle started getting
its own identity,
And sub pop decided
to exploit that.
And sub pop decided
to exploit that.
we're all right
yeah, all right
so, you're looking
for something super
aren't we all?
yeah, all right
never knowing
if it hit you
right between the eyes
yeah, all right
gonna lift you up
gonna bring you down
gonna let you
oh, gonna slide
your heart
gonna let you follow
your own dream
it'll turn
your head around
for the first time
in your life
you might find that
for the second time
in a year
i don't mind
for the last time
i think it's time
to fly
i think it's time
to fly
freedom's right
between the eyes
Daniel house: suddenly,
there were 3 times
As many people
that had been here all along.
Going out, seeing bands,
and supporting those bands,
And allowing the scene
to be far more viable.
What you actually see
happening in seattle
Is this kind of explosion
of sub-Culture.
I think it's a very
important thing
And a very healthy thing
to have happen anywhere,
Uh, particularly
in a place like seattle.
It's so conservative
and so reserved.
To have something like this
happen here has been
Nothing short of, like,
a major electrical shock.
Everything was suddenly
just buzzing with activity.
I mean, singles
were being put out,
Uh, there was no point
earlier in history
That you could have
a magazine devote
An entire
record reviews section
Just to local
record reviews.
Um, people from underground
fanzines across the country
Were already starting
to snipe about seattle
And how much hype
it was receiving.
When things started
to become spotlighted,
More venues opened up,
And more opportunities opened up
for people to play,
But there was never a lack
of great musical talent,
And it was always
really diverse.
And there was always
An unspoken sense
of community about it.
An unspoken sense
of community about it.
i'm so happy
it's sunny outside
i'm so happy
it's snowing today
i'm so...oh
i'm so happy
the world's gonna explode
They won't let us in
because we're not 18.
And age doesn't have
anything to do with music!
burn the house down
burn the house down
ooh
ooh-Ooh-Ooh
ooh-Ooh
[Song fades]
[Song fades]
The seattle music scene
right now is really vital.
I mean, it is so alive.
It is--It's better
than london in the 1960s.
It's better than new york
in the seventies. I mean...
Margaret, I was
in london in the 1960s.
I was in london
in the 1960s.
It was awful!
If you say
the word "scene,"
Everybody rolls their eyes
and laughs at you.
It's, "scene. Ha ha!"
You know, "there's no scene!"
So, a lot of people thought
that it has reached its peak,
And by next year,
we were all gonna go back
To doing
what we were doing.
And we were all
gonna go back
To our little
small town utopia.
And about 1990,
we all sort of went,
"Oh, good. It's over."
"Oh, good. It's over."
[Music begins]
[Music begins]
come out and play
make up the rules
i'm not another child
as well
Dd
it's not enough to raise you
it's not enough to save you d
d
hello, hello,
hello, how low
hello, hello,
hello, how low
hello, hello,
hello, how low
hello, hello, hello
well, i'm lyin'
and i'm famous
here we are now,
entertain us
i feel stupid
and i'm waitin'
here we are now,
entertain us
yeah
hey
Jack Endino: Nirvana kind of
came out of left field.
Uh, namely aberdeen,
which is a town
Sort of out in
the middle of nowhere.
And, uh, you know,
we just got a phone call
At the studio one day
from this guy, you know, kurt.
He said he was a friend
of the melvins,
And he wanted to come up
and just record some songs.
And I said ok.
A friend of the melvins,
a friend of mine. Come on up.
I didn't know
who the hell he was,
And nobody else did,
either.
He just came up, blew out
10 songs in 5 hours.
We recorded and mixed them
in one afternoon.
And, uh, blew me away.
I thought, "oh, my god.
This is amazing."
I said, "guys, can I please
keep a copy of this for myself
Before you go back
to aberdeen?"
That was the tape
i gave to jonathan.
That was the tape
i gave to jonathan.
This is my penultimate
grunge photo.
Kurt cobain
spinning on his back.
Everyone asks, "how in the hell
is he doing that?"
I don't know.
i'm a negative creep
i'm a negative creep
i'm a negative creep,
and i'm stoned
i'm a negative creep,
i'm a negative creep
i'm a negative creep
At that point, I think
Soundgarden had put out
Their first
major label record.
It was doing ok.
I think screaming trees
Had put out their first
major label record.
I think it was doing ok.
Alice in chains had put out
Their first major label record.
It was doing ok.
But, Nirvana was kind of
the little brother.
You know, the runt of
the litter, so to speak.
And I remember jonathan
telling me in 1990--
He said, "this band
is going to be huge."
He said it exactly
like that.
He said, "jack, this band
is going to be huge."
[Music begins]
[Music begins]
The record came out
in fall--September.
The video came--
I remember the first
time I saw the video.
I thought,
"this is so cool,
"But there's no way
mtv will play this.
There's just no way."
And then when
that started going,
It reached millions
of kids instantly.
Ben would go off and call up
people back home in seattle.
He'd come back and say--
You know, the latest
sales figures.
He'd go,"nevermind
has done 300,000."
He'd go,"nevermind
has done 300,000."
"Nevermind
has done 400,000."
"Nevermind just went gold."
with the lights out
it's less dangerous
here we are now,
entertain us
i feel stupid
and contagious
here we are now,
entertain us
a mulatto
a denial
a denial
a denial
a denial
It was an old,
uh, brain song
Called
money changes everything.
Called
money changes everything.
I think we adapted that to
Nirvana changes everything.
ow
ow
ow
ow
dust rise
right over my time
empty
fossil
of the new scene
i feel so alone
gonna end up
a big ol' pile
of them bones
of them bones
yeah
yeah
[Playing alternative music]
[Playing alternative music]
That's probably why
you create in the first place.
Because of the freedom.
I mean, whatever you want--
You can lay
whatever you want on tape.
But again,
commerce is involved.
And as soon as it starts
going through those channels...
Those money-Making channels,
Everything changes.
When these bands started
to get popular,
All of a sudden,
Everyone wanted to find
the next Nirvana.
Everyone wanted to sign
the next Pearl Jam.
All of a sudden,
Bands who'd never played
live before, practically,
Were getting
huge advances.
Man: the labels
started bidding for bands--
To get bands signed,
So that they can then
sell them to a major--
The bands get all worked up
And basically break verbal
contracts you make with them,
Because, well,
you don't have a contract.
I mean, whenI first started,
i didn't need contracts.
I didn't think I did.
You know, they were
"here's my friends,"
But someone throws
500,000 in their face,
And they're like, "huh?
We didn't have a contract."
If the major labels are like
a big, dumb baby huey,
You know, that--
"Oh! What's going on
in athens?"
And waddle over
to athens
And you sit down
in athens,
And you start buying
lunches,
And you crush
3 bands by accident.
You know? Wow!
The party's in athens.
And then you kind of
look over your shoulder.
You go,
"oh! Minneapolis!"
And baby huey gets up
And goes and sits
on minneapolis
And kills 3 bands
by accident,
And buys
a bunch of lunches,
And, you know, kind of
plays that party out.
So, the idea that
they were moving and...
You know, sort of
dedicated clumps.
Seattle was just, like,
part of that process.
say good-Bye
to your friends and family d
d
welcome to the menagerie
dd
funny how they forget
to tell you
this is all
you will ever be
this is all
you will ever be, now
this is all
you will ever be
this is all
you will ever be, now
this is all
you will ever be
this is all
you will ever be
The effect of this whole thing
of, like, hyping a label,
Or hyping a sound,
or hyping a place,
Is it starts to take
a lot of the attention
Away from the individual artists
that are making music.
Everyone doesn't
sound the same.
Everyone
isn't grunge.
Everyone doesn't
have long hair.
You know, um...
They made a big mistake.
They didn't go further
And find more of the bands
that were already here,
And had been here
Even before the bands
that were exploited were.
That's what makes me
feel guilty
Of the success of our band.
Because it should've been,
Uh, spread out to--
To the success of, like,
a number of bands here.
Woman: they focus on
this one scene,
Or one type of music,
When, really, that's
pretty inaccurate,
'Cause there's all kinds
of bands here, you know.
There's, like, weird,
funky jazz bands,
And weird, you know,
hip-Hop bands,
Or punk rock bands,
Or metal bands,
or whatever.
It's like there's
a whole bunch of stuff.
Surf bands and cowpoke bands.
There's a shitload
Of different bands here.
There always has been.
Chris eckman: in europe,
they just started
To put stickers on things
that just said "seattle."
That's all
the stickers said.
It's like, the stamp--
You know,
it's like the u.S.D.A.
It's, like, seattle--
Stamp it.
It's, like, seattle--
Stamp it.
yeah
yeah
low beat
Great band.
I like best.
low beat
low beat
low beat
[No singing]
[No singing]
get down now
get down now
hey
hey
low beat
low beat
low beat, whoo
I hate category
of grunge.
Grunge categorize--Oh.
I only like live,
loud music.
I don't need grunge.
I don't need grunge.
how many times
have you said i'm sorry
to only trash me
within the day
i think "god,
will I ever escape this?"
now my body just burns
beware of
what I threw you
baggage like fire
just to thrill you
like I might turn
and sniff you
slippery near the edge
slippery near the edge
Steve fisk: Nirvana happening
or Pearl Jam happening,
In some way seems like
kind of a--
Some kind of, like,
weird natural occurrence
That got rolling in 1979.
Like, it's that energy.
Whatever that energy started as,
Ultimately, you know,
landed with what we got now.
It's not like
it's punk rock paying off.
It's more like you push
the pimple hard enough
And it pops
up someplace else.
But then it becomes
homogenized, manipulated,
And marketed, and it's not
intense anymore.
So, there's a constant
cycle of rebellion.
I think punk's going
to be there forever, man.
As long as there's kids
that like it.
Yeah. Kids are the most
important part of punk.
They want
to get wild. Yeah.
Steve fisk:
there'll be no shortage
Of disaffected american youth
over the next 50 years.
Probably even more.
Some great rock 'n' roll
coming down the line.
slip through you,
yeah
There's over 1,000 bands
in seattle right now.
And I think a lot of that
is people moving here.
Bands moving here
in hopes of becoming famous.
Because of all the hype and
all the attention on seattle,
People know that
if they do something here,
They're going get recognized
to some extent.
It won't be totally overlooked,
even if it's bad.
In fact, there were
musicians who moved
To california in the early
eighties from seattle,
To try and get signed,
who started moving back.
To try and get signed,
who started moving back.
Man: there's got
to be at least 1,000,
If not more than that,
in seattle.
So, I came with an idea
To package boxed sets
of northwest bands.
So, what I try and do, is I try
and find ways to exploit--
And I like the word
"exploit"--
Exploit through propaganda
and television
The northwest music community
as a whole.
Volume 3 is probably
my favorite set.
It's got some of
the most well-Known bands.
You've got your hammerbox,
and your hungry crocodiles,
And pond, sara debell,
peace, love, and guitars.
Just got--I mean, it's got
so many great bands in it,
That if you want
to know anything about
The northwest music--
There's my card--
You want to know anything
about the northwest music scene,
This is a great place to start
because all the cards
Have the contact information
of the band on the back.
And also, if you take
these cards,
Turn them face down,
put them together,
It's a jigsaw puzzle
of a traffic jam on i-5.
i say
fuck
i say fuck and you say yeah d
d
i say fuck and you say yeah d
d
D
i say fuck and you say yeah d
Dd
i say fuck and you say yeah
D
i say fuck and you say yeah d
i say fuck
yeah
i say let's and you say go
i say let's
and you say let's go, man
i say let's
and you say go, whoo
i say let's
and you say go, whoo
i say let's
go
go
oh, yeah
Today, I was
in a music shop,
And saw some people.
It was like,
"You moved from l.A.
Probably yesterday."
Like, I feel sorry for
the up-And-Coming bands.
They can't even
get gigs.
It takes them a year
sometimes to get a gig.
We were together 3 weeks
when we played a show.
You see a ton of bands?
The trees weigh
more than a ton.
We're a ton of band.
Ha ha ha!
So, fuck 'em!
We got bands all over
this place here.
We got a band in here--
Inflatable soul.
Manotypical.
Rap band in this room.
[Drums playing]
Hear a lone drummer
practicing in here.
Hip-Hop beat.
Hip-Hop beat.
Industrial nonsense
comes out of that flat.
It's all hallways
and doorways.
Have bands in the rafters.
Bands to the left.
Bands to the right.
Kim thayil:
it'd be like being a kid
And setting up
a lemonade stand.
And having a really
successful lemonade stand.
All of a sudden, 10 of them
open up right next to you.
In your yard,
on your block,
All competing for
the same lemonade nickel.
Only they're--
They're obviously selling
lower quality lemonade.
They're obviously selling
lower quality lemonade.
[Playing alternative music]
[Playing alternative music]
aah
Right now, seattle is
quarter until 6:00,
On christmas eve
in a shopping mall,
And the mall closes at 6:00.
When it's too crazy,
And it's loaded
with sub-Moronic idiots,
Prancing around,
Buying anything they can
get their hands on.
Buying anything they can
get their hands on.
By universal acclaim,
The nation's media
have declared seattle
The coolest place
in the known universe.
Announcer: the music of seattle
is as progressive as the people.
Listen to Pearl Jam,
Soundgarden, Nirvana.
Where else can you get
the seattle sound? Best buy.
Second announcer: once there
was this grunge singer,
Who did all the things
grunge singers would do.
you get on a carpet
couldn't help it
dd
i'm drinking
from the toilet
it's just a habit
i swear that smell
you smell
is not from me
Announcer: it's loud music
with heavy vocals.
Reporter: is it mutant
rock and roll?
Have we ever used
chainsaws and axes?
Have we ever used
chainsaws and axes?
Are they contributing
anything to the world
They're taking so much from?
They're taking so much from?
Mudhoney's sort of watching
the market right now.
Alex trebek:
in october 1993...
Alex trebek:
in october 1993...
Jeremy?
Who is Pearl Jam?
Pop music for 400.
Who is Pearl Jam?
Pop music for 400.
Does this look like
we're unhappy or cynical?
Ok, our next guests
are a seattle band.
This right here is
their newest album.
Playin' the posies.
"Weird al" yankovic.
Pearl jam!
Beavis: hey, butt-Head,
where's seattle?
Seattle...
seattle...
Seattle?
Thanks, phone dude.
Seattle?
Thanks, phone dude.
I think now's the time
that I should be announcing
My candidacy
for mayor of seattle.
The whole thing
was just out of control,
And press people were
visiting our office
At the rate
of 2 or 3 a week.
It seemed like
very few of them had
Even the most remote clue
Of what was really
going on in seattle.
Glossy print ad
with a fancy red car
In the background,
And they're saying
something about grunge.
You think people are gonna
go out and buy this car?
They're gonna look at
this ad and go, "fuck you."
When you're close
to something,
You feel you know
the truth about it.
And whenpeople magazine
is writing about it,
You know that they're not
gonna have the truth.
They have a very
distorted view of it.
And you realize that that's
what the entire world sees,
And that's what the entire
world thinks about.
And they're wrong.
And they're wrong.
Charles peterson:
this is a photo of seaweed
Being interviewed by mtv.
A band that at the time
really weren't doing anything,
And here's mtv with
camera crews in their face.
And you know,
they laughed about it.
They thought
it was ridiculous.
And everyone thought
it was a bit ridiculous.
Maybe there's, like,
a bunch of photographers,
And they want to put you
with this other person
From another band
that you don't even know,
And they want you to put
your arm around them and smile.
And they want to talk about
all this mundane crap,
And then that's when
istart to feel cynical.
"You play in a band,
don't you?"
"Yeah. Yeah,
i play in a band."
"Pearl jam, right?"
"No."
"Aren't you the drummer
from Pearl Jam?"
"No. I'm not the drummer
from Pearl Jam."
"Alice in chains?"
"No. No."
"Well, what's the name of
the band you play in?"
"Soundgarden."
Then you get
the shrug, like...
They didn't say anything
about the music.
They talked about
what we wore
And whether or not
the girl in the band before
Shaved her armpits or not.
The newest thing I heard
Was that we're really
bad at interviews.
Ha ha ha ha!
Where could they
possibly get that?
just to wake up tells me,
hell, I must be brave
it hits me like a drug
shot into my vein
but it's not as delightful,
delightful of a pain
immobilizing me
almost makes me think
i'm dead
i need a second skin
something to hold me tough
can't do it on my own
sometimes I need
just a little more help
i want that chance to give
every drop that's left in me
i need a second skin
something I cannot
break free of
something I cannot
break free of
well, I just tell myself,
girl, just let it breathe
it's a calmness
i'm always searching for
but the dirt,
it gets so heavy
it falls above my head
seeping
from under my feet
it just keeps on
getting deeper
i need a second skin
something to hold me tough
can't do it on my own
sometimes I need
just a little more help
i've got that chance to give
every drop that's left in me
i need a second skin
something I cannot
break free of
You just didn't
want to answer
Any more stupid
questions.
They were all the same.
What's seattle like?
What are the bands like?
Do you know this band?
Do you know that band?
Everyone had it.
We put a moratorium
at one point
On people calling and asking
for the "seattle story."
There was nothing to do
Except just start poking
fun at the entire thing.
And so,
instead of saying,
"No, I really don't know
that person,"
It would turn into,
"oh, sure,
"Every monday morning,
We eat banana splits
at breakfast time."
"Shooby-Doo used to be
my roommate."
Or, you know,
"i'll tell you,
"He has a horrible
case of the squirts
After he has
indian food."
And, like,
you just start making up
Every single lie you can
And then try to--
The goal is to just get
Crazy rumors circulating
all the time.
There's a big element
of put-On
Involved with
all seattle music.
I mean, kurt cobain's
goofy name-Spellings,
A lot of sub pop's world
domination kind of attitude.
I mean, the whole thing's
ridiculous.
75% of what bruce
and john say is a lie.
But it's served
them well. Ha ha ha!
Bruce: it's essentially been
one big prank.
We've always pretended
we were something we weren't.
Now that we're huge
and have a lot of money,
We're trying to pretend
that we're small and indie
And have street cred.
That's one
of the great things
About a lot
of the bands here.
You know, great humor.
You know?
You know, great humor.
You know?
So, i'm obviously
not from here.
Art chantry:
one of my favorite hoaxes
Was the lexicon of grunge.
Thenew york times
called sub pop records
And talked to a woman there
Who just started
making up words.
They were trying to find out
what the inside secret dope was,
What was the hip language.
And I was, like,
"Uh, why don't you
just give me a word,
And i'll give you
the grunge slang for it."
Chantry: she just started
making stuff up.
A lot of it was
the kind of stuff
That she used for herself
just for laughs.
And next thing you know,
It's on the cover
of thenew york times.
And everybody around here is
just giggling and snortin'.
If they're lame enough
to try to scrutinize
This totally
stupid thing,
Why not fuck with them?
Why not fuck with them?
i try to speak my mind
why'd you leave me
D
i could've taken you so far d
walked out the way
been across
this fuckin' world
to find my brewster
put my love
into the rig
so I could forget her
hello
it's me again, baby
hello, houston
As you can see,
I am basically
A trend-Setter
in the fashion scene.
Androlling stone
called,
And they were doing
a fashion spread
On what the indies
are wearing.
I had to tell them
that I didn't think
They'd be
interested in me,
But that we had a fella
here, scott mccaughey
From the young fresh
fellows, who probably
Was just what
they were looking for.
So, they came,
And they interviewed
scott briefly.
And then they got out
this pile of clothes
And made him, like,
take off his converse
And put on their
tennis shoes.
And take off
his flannel shirt,
Wear their
flannel shirt,
And then put, you know,
in the caption below,
"Flannel shirt, $85."
"Flannel shirt, $85."
Megan jasper: who didn't
get a flannel shirt
For christmas
from their relatives?
And you tie it
around your waist,
And you run off
and do a stage dive.
All across america.
But up here, because
it's logger territory,
All these goonballs just
wear flannel anyways,
And then that's what became
the stereotype here.
And then that's what became
the stereotype here.
You go around, you know,
to cities everywhere,
And you see some real...
Stereotypical grungies,
you know,
With the Pearl Jam shirt
And, you know,
with the stocking cap,
And, you know,
The really neat long johns
with the shorts,
And you just say,
"i spit on you!"
[Muzak version ofsmells like
teen spiritplaying]
[Muzak version ofsmells like
teen spiritplaying]
Mannequins in stores
With, like, long johns
and shorts for, like, $300.
It's like we dress--
We got 'em fooled.
We wear long johns up here
because it's fucking cold.
When seventh avenue decided
that grungewear
Was something
they'd put on the runways,
And that they thought it would
be an absolute knock-Over,
Yes, that any of my clients
Would be
in their fashion shows
And be in
their fashion layouts,
And whenvanity fair
dida spread
With people like joan rivers
wearing grungewear,
That was the only moment
for me, so far,
That came close
to unbearable.
It was our thing.
Then, all of a sudden,
It belonged to people
who you never thought
You were sharing
your music with.
Mainstream periodicals
and fashion magazines.
And you start realizing
There's a whole lot
of people out there
Making money
by selling the idea
Of this seattle scene
or grunge or whatever.
It's so profitable.
It's so profitable.
And they'll just keep taking
and taking and taking,
And they just don't know
how to restrain themselves.
You know, they're frothing
at the mouth over this.
And the bands aren't.
I mean, the bands aren't
really in it for dough.
I mean, they just aren't.
That would--If they were,
That would--That would
tip over the music.
Like, already
it's obvious that you see
The seattle scene has become
a marketed commodity.
But that's what
makes pop culture
So significant to...
All the little consumers
out there.
They have no interest
in history or economics
Or science or art.
They're kind of interested
more in gossip,
The nature of celebrity,
And that's not at all
encouraging to find out
That...
You participate
in that society.
One way or the other.
i wonder why I do
the things I do
one plus one has always
meant more than two
happy,
and then content
change the channel
and now i'm bent
on leaving you
yeah
on leaving you
on leaving you, you
yeah
on leaving you,
you, yeah
yeah yeah yeah
yeah yeah yeah
The bands get all big,
And then everybody
starts to like 'em.
And then they just
become so overplayed
And kind of sold-Out,
and I just--
I get out of them.
That really
pisses me off.
Why?
Well,
i liked them first.
When you hear a song
that's a great song
Played a million times,
you never want to hear it again.
Played a million times,
you never want to hear it again.
If I hear that song
one more time...
If I see that guy's face
one more time...
I'm gonna fuckin'
find out his address
And kill that motherfucker.
And kill that motherfucker.
I don't blame them.
I've said it myself.
There definitely is the idea
that success is bad,
And that's part
of the rebellion.
That's part of the rebellion
against the eighties,
You know,
our peers, and our parents.
That we didn't really want
to become successful
Because with that comes
the trappings of responsibility.
It seemed for a while
that, like, celebrity
Was not really what you
wanted once you got it.
And yet you look at any
of these people
That are now complaining
about being too much
In the spotlight
Or always, you know,
scrutinized by everyone.
[Laughs]
what did you expect?
I think a lot of people
whine about it,
But secretly theykind of
are excited about it, too.
I don't think that
people ever can imagine
What is gonna go along
with being popular.
I don't think--No matter
what somebody tells you
It's gonna be like,
I think
it's a lot different
Once you get there.
I think so, too. Maybe
we should try to find out.
[Laughs]
painted blue
across my eyes
and tie the linen on
and i'm on my way
and i'm on my way
Dd
looking for the paradigm
so I can pass it off
is it on my side?
is it on my side?
is it to the sky?
is it to the sky?
is it to the sky?
is it to the sky?
shadow
shadow
D
painted blue across my eyes d
and tie the linen on
and i'm on my way
on my way
Dd
looking for the paradigm
so I can pass it off
is it on my side?
on my side
is it to the sky?
to the sky
looking to the sky
and down
searching for a ground
D
with my good eye closed d
I kind of figured
you play guitar
Or drums,
whatever, sing,
Make a record,
play a show.
If people like
your record,
They like your show.
I couldn't really
anticipate it becoming
Interviews and videos
and photo sessions.
Sort of in the forefront
of our minds,
We knew that
these were things
That went along
with the job.
But you never really
can anticipate it
Until you're there.
It's like, fuck,
I can do without
the fame stuff
And just, you know,
give me the money.
And just, you know,
give me the money.
is it to the sky?
to the sky
to the sky
to the sky
to the sky
oh
oh
Jack endino: you have
a favorite band, right?
And you think, why isn't
this band enormous?
You know, the world
is just not a very--
You know, it's just
an unjust place.
And then you have a band
that you know is amazing
And, suddenly,
everybody else in the world
Knows that they're amazing
and wants to get at them,
And write about them
and, you know,
You start wondering if success
is really a good thing,
Because it sort of
makes people psycho.
Eddie vedder:
it's nothing to strive for.
It's actually like--
This kind of success
Or trying to fulfill
this kind of hype.
It can destroy everything.
It can destroy what's real,
which is, like, music to you.
Or what's real,
which is your life.
You know?
It can destroy it.
You know,
it can make it, uh,
A commodity.
At--At--At whose cost?
At yours.
At your life and,
you know, your music.
At your life and,
you know, your music.
Th-They'll, you know...
Th-They'll, you know...
Take it all
away from you.
And--And you're supposed
to be happy about it
Because you're successful.
Because you're successful.
now, you kissed me once,
and you kissed me twice
with your messed up
slobbering lips
D
with dribble in my brow d
D
i wait until you turned d
and I wiped it
on my pant leg
and I wiped it
on my pant leg
oh, now i'll sign this paper
for everyone to see
now i'm up here singin'
for everyone to hear
now i'll sign this paper
for everyone to see
now i'm up here singin'
for everyone to hear
you
especially you
it's all for you
it's because of you
it's because of you
my lungs are filled
with smoke
my lungs are filled
with smoke
eyes light and hazy
from too many tears
red and glossy
from too many beers
and my stomach shapes
into one big knot
my stomach shapes
into one big knot
Elizabeth davis:
when you're in a band
And it progresses from
being in the basement
And learning
how to play,
And then you go on to
more and more steps,
And that's a natural
progression of a band.
And you can see that.
That's a good thing.
It's all fine.
But then, you get
to this point where
You're looking backwards
and you're, like,
"Well, maybe it was
better back then."
Jack endino: well,
imagine you're a band.
You're making music
for fun,
Because you like
writing your own songs,
You like playing
your own songs.
You like playing
to your friends
And having them clap and,
you know, having a good time,
And getting up
and jumping around a stage,
And, you know,
crashing into people.
And, um, suddenly,
every publication
And all the media in the world
wants to get at you.
Suddenly, people everywhere
you go recognize you.
They want
your autograph.
Suddenly, your life
as a private individual
Is over with.
And that's probably
A pretty heavy thing
to deal with.
What it looks like is,
wow, if you want to be
Really successful,
do heroin.
But, what I see is,
i saw people
Who were making
really good music
Suddenly have, like,
This overwhelming
need for money.
Susan silver: it's just
fucking heartbreaking
To see how disillusioned
people get,
To where they--
That escape
is so sought after.
Jack endino: I think
the first hint of it
Was when andy wood died.
When you started thinking,
this is really sad
Because this guy had
a great future in front of him.
He was a really wonderful guy.
Funniest guy. The only--
The only rock 'n' roll
stand-Up comic in seattle
Was andy wood.
And, uh, we thought,
Man, you know, they haven't
even become stars yet
And already he's a casualty.
And already he's a casualty.
There's kurt
on new year's day, '93.
Um, this was the shoot
For the cover
ofthe advocate.
And, uh, I really liked
this photo of kurt.
We were just--
We were just talking
And I was just
picking the camera up
Occasionally and--
And photographing him.
It's rare to see a picture
where he's emoting
Or doing something
with his hands
Other than
in his pocket.
And I really
like this one.
And I really
like this one.
the river rise...
Symbolically, perhaps,
it represented
The death of something.
I mean, I know when--
I was--It affected me
in such a way
That I was seriously
tempted to give up everything
And go be a farmer
or something.
It was just--It was
so disillusioning to me.
It was--It was hard.
I didn't take it well.
'cause I could fall
like a tear
nothing else I can do
nothing else I can do
but i'm not alone
nothing's beside me
all I see is
the others blinded
but I could fall
as if I was young
ooh, with a lifetime
to think of you
ooh, with a lifetime
to think of you
Eddie vedder:
if all this influence
That this part
of the country has
In this musical scene has--
If it doesn't
do anything with it,
That would be the tragedy.
If it doesn't do
something with it,
Like make some kind
of change
Or make some kind
of difference,
This group of people
who feels this certain way,
This group of people who,
like, thinks these things
That the underdogs
we've all met
And lived with think--
If they finally
get to the forefront
And nothing comes of it,
That--That would be
the tragedy.
That--That would be
the tragedy.
Eddie vedder:
restless soul
enjoy your youth
enjoy your youth
like muhammad
hits the truth
hits the truth
i can't escape
from the common rule
i can't escape
from the common rule
if you hate something
don't you do it, too?
don't you do it, too?
this is not for you
this is not for you
this is not for you
oh, never was for you
you
you
Art chantry:
to actually be this close
To a pop culture explosion
has been really fascinating.
I mean, all of a sudden,
you can understand
What happened in
san francisco in '66 and '67.
You can understand
what happened in england
During the punk thing.
And--And during
the mersey beat era.
And the subsequent stuff
that happened in london.
I mean, all of a sudden,
you can see
How ridiculous
the whole goddamn thing is.
I mean, it's utterly absurd.
I mean... [metal scraping]
Susie tennant: it's so funny
that they call it
"The seattle scene"
Because it all grew
out of the region.
Everybody doing what they loved
because they love it.
And it doesn't matter
if they're from bellingham,
Portland, olympia.
You had people
who were in bands
Because they want
to be in bands,
Who started record labels
Because they liked
their friends' bands
And they wanted
to put out a record.
Fanzines because no one
was covering
The kind of music
that they heard.
And all this was allowed to grow
without any other force
Coming in
and disturbing that.
Coming in
and disturbing that.
Eddie vedder:
all that's sacred
comes from youth
comes from youth
dedication
naive and true
naive and true
Ddwith no power
nothing to do
nothing to do
i still remember
Ddwhy don't you?
don't you?
this is not for you
this is not for you
this is not for you
this is not for you
this is not for you
this is not for you
oh, never was for you
fuck you,
this is not for you
oh, never was for you
yeah
yeah
Charles peterson: I didn't
think i'd be making a living
At doing this.
I mean, I had no idea
that these bands
Were going to become so--
So popular, so famous.
I would have taken a lot
more photographs of them
If I had known.
[Laughs]
Our first u.S. Tour was
a total failure, you know?
We didn't make
more than 90 bucks
At any show
in the whole u.S.
It's like, they hated us
everywhere we went.
But we're doing basically
the same thing
We were doing in '85,
and now people like us.
I don't know why!
Let me put things
in perspective for you.
5 years ago,
This is a sleepy little
coastal fishing village.
Now, could we have
the camera pan out
To the skyline, here?
This kind of
economic development
Is directly related
to what john and I
Have done
to promote seattle.
Nils bernstein:
that's what's become
Of the great punk
rock party house
Of the mid-Eighties.
[Laughs]
it's so harsh.
It used to be this
tiny little shack,
Like, set way back
in these terrible,
Like, big weeds
in the middle of
This--These
beautiful homes.
And now--Look, it is
a beautiful home.
[Laughs]
I would love to,
In about 20 years
from now,
Be playing in, like,
some kind of, like,
Super-Loungey
soul band
With a horn section
Or something
like that.
We'll probably
all be playing
In r&b bands
in pioneer square.
Probably the same r&b band
onpioneer square.
Dd
[imitating blues singer]
l'il sister, don't you--
Wow! What did I do right
in a past life or whatever
That I get to do this
with my 3 really good friends?
I get to be in a band and
make music with these people.
It's a really
incredible experience.
We just play music
when we--When we can
And do shows and record
when we have songs.
And every now and then
we find out
Seattle got really famous.
And we didn't.
And that's not too bad.
That's ok.
And that's not too bad.
That's ok.
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
it's another
fine year end
oh, yeah
at the top of
my own top 10
oh, yeah
let's smash
the year again
oh, yeah
i get so sick of you
and all you're
trying to be
i can't deny
your uselessness
but what'd you
ever do to me?
but what'd you
ever do to me?
so, if you're standing
in our dark corner
and try to dig us up
you'll find
we're history
and if you're standing
in our dark corner
don't forget to bring along
your top 10 list
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
it's another
fine year end
oh, yeah
at the top of
my own top 10
oh, yeah
let's smash
the year again
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
let's paint
a nice back-Drop
Ddoh, yeah
where the music
never stops
oh, yeah
i'll be the oyster
for your pearl
oh, yeah
dark corner
of the world
oh, yeah
it's another
fine year end
oh, yeah
at the top of
my own top 10
oh, yeah
let's smash
the year again
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
Captioned made possible by
lions gate entertainment
Captioned by the national
Captioned by the national
What was the question?
What was the question?
lions gate entertainment
lions gate entertainment
[Birds singing]
[Chain saw buzzing]
[Chain saw buzzing]
[Tree crashes]
[Radio being tuned]
Announcer: it is,
for better or worse...
The birthplace
of grunge.
Second announcer:
seattle-Based bands...
Have topped the rock charts
for the past few years.
Nirvana, Pearl Jam,
and Soundgarden
Have sold millions
of records.
Announcer: independent releases
to a major label debut--
[Static]
A musical movement
centered around seattle,
And a sound and style
that became known as grunge.
A month before that album
came out, they were--
[Static]
The basis
of the generation...
[Stammering]
a--X society.
Woman: part of
the grunge movement,
As I understand it,
is the fact
That these kids have
the ability to say
Anything they
want to say,
Express anything
they want to express,
Any anger, any pain,
Any anguish,
any torment,
And they feel
a kinship, a oneness,
That this young man has
been through tragedy...
That this young man has
been through tragedy...
[Guitar music begins]
Man: thanks a lot. This is
gonna be the last song.
Man: thanks a lot. This is
gonna be the last song.
Dd
enough of your doctrines
your manifestos
i'm a simple man
and I speak
with simple words
talk about inclusion,
not exclusion
talk about inclusion,
not exclusion
i sing my song
across these rivers
and valleys
mountains, seas
fields and oceans
fields and oceans
i am a teacher
you're a teacher, too
i am a pencil pusher
i am a ditch digger
i am a loser
oh
oh
let's start a riot
walk in the night air
walk in the night air
Remember those
big bubbles that used to
Float through
the middle of town?
[Laughter]
yeah!
These big--Like,
bubbles, man.
They still do.
Yeah. You see them
once in a while.
They've got this big pit
out in the bay
That's like, all--
Like, this weird shit
That they--Comes out
of the process,
And--And the way--
The bubbles, they're,
like, this big,
And they would
float around,
And they're bad,
toxic things.
[Laughs] so, the way
to get rid of it
Is they got these
big water sprinklers,
And they just, like,
run sprinklers over it--
A bubble still gets
out once in a while.
They're huge.
They're like--
The bubble of death.
I went to bothell high school,
Which is, uh,
a suburban hell hole.
Um...
There's a sign
as you enter town.
It says, "welcome to bothell,
for a day or a lifetime."
[Chuckling]
and someone...
Someone--I wish
i had've done it--
But someone erased
the b-O-T at one time,
So it was, "welcome to hell
for a day or a lifetime."
The northwest is where
"flying saucers"--
The term "flying saucers"
was coined.
The northwest is, uh...
wherelouie, louieis from.
The northwest is where--
It's the serial killer
capital of the world.
We have more unsolved
serial killings up here
Than any other place
in the united states.
I mean, the manson family
used to vacation up this way.
This place is weird.
Lot of occult stuff.
All this stuff is a factor
In what happened
in the music.
[Guitar music begins]
[Guitar music begins]
Man: I mean,
when the weather is crappy,
You don't want
to go outside.
You know, you basically
feel like staying in the house.
And, uh...
It's a very logical thing
To want to go down
into your basement
And, you know, make noise
to take out your frustrations,
Because you can't go outside
And do anything when it's
raining all the time.
don't get off the bus
'cause there ain't
nothing for you here
in my hometown
Man: is seattle
a nice place to live?
It's the best place
to live.
And i've traveled
all over the place,
And I honestly wouldn't live
anywhere else.
It has all the amenities
of a big city.
But...
You know, there's nothing
you're missing out on
By being in seattle
as opposed to another city.
And it's pretty, you know?
There's hills and mountains
and trees and water.
Art chantry: so all these
people come here,
And then there's
all this publicity,
Andnorthern exposure,
andtwin peaks.
And everybody wants
to come up here,
And live the good
yuppie lifestyle,
But all that time,
there's all these people...
That are underneath
that were here first,
And are just starving,
and they're all crazy.
I mean, it's like one of
those end-Of-The-World places.
You can't go no further
and still be in the u.S.
[Guitar music begins]
[Guitar music begins]
oh yeah
oh yeah
since 14 years ago
i saw you out my door
can't you see me
in that, so
oh, baby,
it's one night, so
and I watch outside
and I see you there
and I wonder where
and I take a stare
i say, I watch outside
watch outside
i watch outside
watch outside, yeah
watch outside, yeah
i watch outside
i see you there
i wonder where
i take a stare
i say I watch outside
watch outside
i watch outside
watch outside
i watch outside,
i see you ride
i watch outside
and I see you ride
i watch outside,
i want outside
i watch outside,
i take a ride
i watch outside
In 1980...
i think bands
Stopped coming
to seattle.
Bands never used
to come here,
'Cause they'd go as far
as san francisco
And then not come
all the way up to seattle
Because it wasn't worth it
to play one show.
There were 2,
maybe 2 1/2 clubs
Where you could play
If you were playing
your own music.
Carla: some people used
to rent halls,
Just put their whole show
on themselves.
Take tickets, run up,
do the music,
And at the end, pick up
the broom and clean it up.
let me call you about it
let me call you about it
woke up this morning
Well, seattle was
really lame.
You know, specifically
in the early eighties,
I mean, seattle was like
a million second cities.
It had a fake talking heads,
It had a fake pere ubu,
It had a fake killing joke,
It had all the fake ramones
you could shake a stick at.
You know,
and people from bellevue
Singing with
english accents.
Woman: there was this big,
uh, poodle metal scene--
Bands with, uh,
big, fancy guitars,
And, uh, just tons and tons
of hairspray, eyeliner.
See, all the extra-Sleazy
punk rockers
Used to hang out
on first avenue.
There's a donut shop
right there
Which is right next to
the showbox,
Which is right there--
It's a comedy club now.
And that was, like, the big,
uh, punk rock venue.
Art chantry:
opening night,
The very first punk club
in seattle.
This is probably worth...
you know, 3, 400 bucks.
[Guitar music begins]
[Guitar music begins]
solid
solid
action
Nobody was too worried
about success,
Because we knew we were
living in seattle.
You know, it wasn't l.A.
Nobody was gonna come
and sign us.
We played a show,
some small club...
The audience
consisted of...
Members of the other
dozen or so bands
That were playing similar
bills and similar clubs.
[Guitar music begins]
say goodnight
then take a bitedd
Ddthen dig it a hole
take a light
then take a bite
then dig it a hole
Jack endino:the bands
that stuck it out
Did it because they really,
really, really enjoyed
Playing their music.
And that was really the only
positive reinforcement
That anybody got.
We really started playing
music 'cause it's fun,
Which probably
most people say, but...
With us, it's true.
[Laughter]
Yeah, everybody else
is lying.
Everybody else
is lying.
[Guitar music begins]
[Guitar music begins]
after all the trouble
has come and gone
D
it was here for so long d
now i've got
this sinking feeling
Dd
everyone seems to be leaving
oh, whoadd
i can't believe how lonel
y it is here on k street
there's no one like me
here on k street
how lonely it is
here on k street today
today
today, today
I've never been in any other
spot in the country
Where so many people
play, you know?
You know, there's tons
of shitty bands,
But there's, like,
tons of great bands, too.
The most interesting
music around here
Is--Is definitely
coming from places
Where--Where people are just
playing in the garage,
They're playing
to themselves.
They're playing
to their friends.
Across the street lives--
These guys are in a band
called sister psychic.
And then there's another
band who practices there,
And they're all friends,
And then her fault,
my little brother's band,
And--And--They're
all friends.
They go to the show.
It's just friends playing music.
oh, and I can't believe d
how lonely it is
here on k street
there's no one like me
here on k street
how lonely it is
here on k street today
today
today, today
today
today
today, today
Charles peterson: we were
all so fucking bored
Out of our heads,
that it was get drunk,
Fall down, and,
uh...you know,
Throw your body around.
And all the bands that
came through seattle
At that time--
Scratch acid and big black--
Said that seattle had
the most exciting,
Potent scene
going on in the u.S.
They all loved to play here
because everyone
Would just, like, go nuts
and drink themselves
Into a frenzy and throw
themselves onstage,
And it was very flattering
for these bands, you know,
Whereas you go to los angeles
and new york,
And people stood there
and went, "hmm...
I don't know,
he missed a note there."
[Hard guitar music playing]
[Hard guitar music playing]
Best bands in seattle
were, like, malfunkshun...
The u-Men...
who else?
Skin yard, my eye,
feast,
64 spiders,
bundle of hiss.
Nobody ever remembers
psycho pop, man.
We could make
a long list
If we wanna talk about
all tom's bands.
We were
a good band, man!
Jack endino: we had a band
called the farts.
Charles peterson:
red dress...blackouts...
Steve fisk: the blackouts
were an excellent band.
You know,
three swimmers, beakers,
Little bears in bangkok...
Max band...
quack quack quack...
Nobody knows these names.
This is ancient history.
One generation out
from a band is--Is every band
That shared a member
directly with that band.
For instance, you know, uh...
Stone gossard was
in green river,
And then he went
to mother love bone.
That's one generation out.
So, for instance,
you could take, like,
An early band
like the blunt objects
And it asks you how many
generations--
Let's go 4 generations out.
Um...
So, you sort of have
these 3 columns,
The mainstream, heavy metal,
hard rock thing
That, you know, mother love
bone and Pearl Jam have done.
Then there's the fastbacks,
the posies, and, uh...
The young fresh fellows,
which were probably
The first band to really
make it out of seattle
All by themselves,
without moving out of town.
And they were just, you know,
sort of a pop sound.
And then, the third branch
is noise/grunge rock.
That was closely related
to green river and mudhoney
And the thrown-Ups whole
sort of sub-Pop,
You know, grunge sound.
And it's pretty incestuous,
But you keep bumping into
the same old people.
Charles peterson:
green river...
This was the genesis
right here.
Steve and mark
from mudhoney.
And stone and jeff
from Pearl Jam
And alex, who is now
studying to be a lawyer.
Art chantry: room nine
became love battery,
Bundle of hiss became tad,
pure joy became flop,
Skin yard, among other
things, became, uh...
Uh, grunt truck.
Jesse bernstein, who's dead.
Watch, folks.
Hundreds of dollars.
Don was in, uh,
butt sweat.
And, uh, they played
at one skate contest.
You were, too, tom.
Don't lie.
And, uh, heh heh heh.
And he was also in
the kings of rock.
So was jim tillman
from, uh...
Ex--Uh, love battery.
What? Jim tillman
wasn't in butt sweat.
He played rhythm guitar.
Did he?
Yep.
Ha ha ha!
Remember, friends,
this is only a movie.
You're free to leave
the theater at any time.
[Guitar music begins]
[Guitar music begins]
well, I got batter
oh, you just aone
oh, you just aone
a beginner
let's go like a sun
let's go like a sun
heat up the syrup
whoo
this is gonna be fun
this is gonna be fun
these hotcakes
flapping like a gun
flapping like a gun
talkin' 'bout
them hotcakes
you know what I mean
talkin' 'bout
them hotcakes
talkin' 'bout
them hotcakes
knocking back
them hotcakes
i don't think
they leave
D
talkin' 'bout them hotcakes d
give me some more of them
, give me some more of them
give me some more
of them hotcakesdd
give me some more of them
, give me some more of them
give me some more
of them hotcakes
give me some more of them,
give me some more of them
give me some more
hotcakes right now
Someone said to me once
that there was
The aesthetic of dumb
about the seattle music scene--
That the music wasn't stupid,
but it was dumb.
You know, mudhoney
is not stupid,
But they're
a little bit dumb.
My mom has
always told me
That I am not
a loser.
So, the whole
loser thing...
I never believed in,
'cause...
Clearly,
i am not a loser.
Mark, I think your
mom has told you
The same thing.
We're not losers.
I guess it's really easy
To think of yourself
as a loser,
'Cause then you don't care
if people like you or not.
You know? That's
sort of the idea.
And then you can do
whatever you want.
And then you can do
whatever you want.
And it's funny.
We were the guy
in high school
Who people
used to beat up.
And we couldn't even talk
to the pretty girl.
I mean, we couldn't--
We're nerds, god damn it!
Well, I think ever since
spinal tap came out,
I mean, they were, like,
pointing the finger at...
Bloated, overly commercialized,
diluted bands,
And, uh, we just looked
at ourselves and said,
"We don't have to point at
somebody else. We can..."
you be the cat,
i'll be the mouse
you be the cat,
and i'll be the mouse
you be the cat, see?
I'll be the mouse
invite me over
to your mousetrap house
it's a mousetrap
it's a mousetrap
you be the cat
i'll be the mouse
you be the cat
and i'll be the mouse
invite me over
to your mousetrap house
running in and out
of your steel catch
yeah, that's what
it's all about
to you, to you
to you, to you
mousetrapdd
a mousetrap
a mousetrap
mousetrap
a mouse
trap
trap
aah
mousetrap
mousetrap
[Guitar feedback]
[Guitar feedback]
Man: when you've been
through periods
Where you've had
keyboard players
With 50,000 pounds worth
of kit onstage,
82 keyboards
and 95 samplers, you know,
Uh...
After a while,
you just go, "hang on.
"This is like eating
too much food at one sitting.
"There's too much sound.
It's too many colors.
"It's--It's all got
poncey and posey.
"Um...let's go
and see some bands
Where they
just bash it out."
eat my dump
tell me if you love me
eat my dump
help me
smell my pie
Some bands get onstage,
and they're basically...
Entertainers. They have--
You know, they have a shtick.
They are giving you a show.
Some bands get up there
and they rock.
And you can tell the difference.
That's why seattle bands
tend to be
A little bit inconsistent
live, I think,
Is because most of them
aren't really up there
To be entertainers.
They're up there to rock out.
And their best shows are when
they're having the most fun,
Not when they necessarily
have their act down,
Because maybe
they don't have an act.
If it's connecting with
the audience right,
I get chills.
I mean, I can just--
I finish a song,
and it feels right,
And I can just tell it's
gonna start going fine.
Man, I get chills.
And they're rockin',
and fuck yeah, let's go.
you're putting on me
and dealing with society
dd
the forces are close
they're over the line
i got a freaky feeling
in my soul
nerve going
out of control
nowhere to turn,
nowhere to hide
i got a train driving
through my head
D
fever burning in my bed d
my telephone rings
somebody dead
on the line
i say 54/40 or fight
54/40 or fight
D
54, 54, 54/40 or fight d
all right
all right
let's go
let's go
D
you're watching it drop d
Ddhad it to here
D
they're taking him home d
gotta get away
gotta get away
had it to here
gotta get away
gotta get away
There's a million people
out there that could do
What i'm doing--
As far as producing,
Recording,
anything like that,
A lot better
than i'm doing,
Have better equipment.
But still, it's, like,
The only way you get
good at anything
Is to be doing it
all the time.
So, this is a lifetime
chore for me.
Basically, it's just
to have complete control
Over everything.
To be able to do it
the way you wanna do it.
Have it come out
the right way,
And to not really...
Have anybody that can tell
you what the hell to do,
Where you can play, how you
can look, how you can dress.
What songs to record,
which ones not to.
Man: it keeps it
on a personal level.
It keeps it where
rock and roll-Type things
Really should be.
It's very much
just happening...
Right there. It's not
happening in somebody's...
Big offices or in somebody's
big bank accounts or anything.
It's...
It's really exciting for
the people that are doing it.
[Guitar music begins]
some say,
"dude, just forget her
"in a world of your own d
d
"you let it make
every day pathetic
you're in need of a cure."
She is one
you'll survive a vegetable
the meat's diseased
and she said so
i won't try
to persuade you anymore
i won't try
to persuade you anymore
a long time ago
when I lost my way
hey
hey
Man: popllama was
a big influence.
Conrad can do it,
sub pop can do it.
We wanted to do our own
record--Well, hell.
If these guys can do it,
We've seen these guys so drunk
they can't stand up.
You know?
They can't drive a car,
So--And they can do this,
so we can do that.
Calvin johnson: that's just
a given, I think,
With people here.
They don't sit around
Going, "oh, nothing
ever happens here.
Nothing ever goes on here."
You know,
By the time the kid's
out of high school,
He's already been in a band,
put out a couple fanzines,
You know,
recorded a few records.
Started a label,
did a radio show.
And that was the whole lesson we
learned when we moved up here.
Like, you just do it. Heh.
We moved up here
And we saw other bands,
you know, no different than us.
Just putting out records.
All you really need
to do that
Is some magnetic tape
and a microphone.
And--And that's really
all you need,
And then,
you know, maybe--
Just maybe--
Some bad reverb.
And they smell good.
Records just smell good.
There's nothing like
cracking that cellophane
And pulling that record out.
It just smells great.
Ddow
Ddow
ooh
Man: when deep six
first came out,
It was chronicling
something
That was suddenly
going on, I guess.
It was by a fluke
of providence.
Kind of a, uh--
The initial document of...
What later turned in
to be a pretty big scene.
I think we all became aware
That there was a certain
regional sound developing.
And nobody had
a name for it.
[Playing punk guitar]
[Playing punk guitar]
That's punk rock, and...
One day, they just sort of
started going, um...
[Playing grunge guitar]
[Playing grunge guitar]
And that was grunge.
And that was grunge.
The most noisy...
Most absurd...
Heaviest thing
that was going.
Heaviest thing
that was going.
Jack endino: yeah,
we know this is heavy rock,
And heavy rock is kinda stupid,
but it's fun anyways.
It's when you had a band like
the melvins doing kiss covers.
It was all in fun.
It was, like,
"We know this is that this
is the cheesiest thing
We could possibly do.
We gotta do it."
It's just ridiculousness,
complete ridiculousness.
What can we get away
with next, you know?
looking for one
like you were
holding like so long ago
dd
like a hotel
like a fish store
my world war tissue
wah
wah
Bands like green river,
basically.
They were, sort of,
the definitive grunge band.
It was a euphemism
for, just, extremes--
Extremes of anything.
And a lot of people say that
it's a throwback to metal.
Heavy metal is part of it.
It was one influence.
Punk rock was one influence.
Basically, anything loud,
And crushing and extreme
was an influence.
We'd all been in bands
that were more controlled,
And...more dynamic,
you know, and...
You know--More--Better--
Better bands, actually.
And we just--Well,
our whole thing was
We just wanted to get away
from all structure
And just be chaotic,
and not worry about that.
It was a kind of
joyful release.
It's taken rock
right back to its basics,
Which is go out there
and make a hell of a noise.
And make sure you play music
your parents don't like.
[Guitar music begins]
[Guitar music begins]
wait
i can't wait
life's too short for all
the pennies that wait
D
selling your time,
put down a lot of new ways d
calling for lisa
calling for lisa
calling for lisa
calling for lisa
calling for lisa
First thing, actually,
Was when we were doing
the first Soundgarden single,
And we were doing a song
callednothing to say,
Which was just...
At the time, just seemed
amazingly heavy.
I thought this--
You know, these guys
Can't possibly be really
playing this song.
It sounds like...you know,
this sounds insane.
It sounds way too good
for 8-Track,
And it sounds way too good
for a, you know,
Crappy little seattle band.
someone said
my words are
out of balance
nothing to say
you got nothing to say
Jack endino: bruce pavitt
originally had the name sub pop,
When he was living
in olympia, I think.
He had a sort of
cassette fanzine network,
Where he put out these
little compilation cassettes
Of local bands.
He was interested
In making it
a vinyl magazine.
The bands he was
interested in
At the time
were green river and us.
And john, also,
was a huge fan of ours.
He wanted
to make a record--
Start a record label,
So we kind of talked
about working together
To put out a record.
Up to that time, everyone
played it really safe.
All the small labels--
"We'll put out a single
"Every 3 months,
and, you know,
"We'll sell
1,000 copies of it,
And that's cool,
because i've got my day job."
And jon and bruce
were having none of that.
They said, "we don't want
to work day jobs.
"We don't want our bands
to work day jobs.
"We want them out there
on the road.
"We want them
in the big magazines.
"We want their records
everywhere.
"It is punk rock,
but we don't care.
We want to make it
bigger than punk rock,"
And that's why
these 2 gentlemen
Are the kings of the scene,
as you might say.
There was a real...
Indie ethic
in the eighties
That you weren't
supposed to be proud
Of having
hit records,
Or being
a hit machine.
And jon and i,
as fans of, you know,
The history
of pop music
In this, uh,
this country,
Really admired
labels like motown
And their
hit factory...
Mentality.
Yeah.
They definitely picked
a certain kind of band
For their label,
which makes everybody think
That that's the only thing
that was going on in seattle.
Um, they--
By default, I ended up
engineering all of them,
And they had charles doing
all of the photography,
So there was definitely
a package and an image
And a sound.
Jonathan poneman:
i think every community
Has their pools of talent.
It's just a matter
of being able to take on
The responsibility
of marketing.
You know, i'm a failed
pop musician myself, so...
You know, I kind of decided
Well, i'm going to play in
crummy band after crummy band.
I may as well rep
some of these bands
Who might have a chance
at doing something.
Basically, he said,
"hey, you sing about dogs,
"You sing about being sick.
You got a shtick,
it'll take you to the top."
And he basically gave us,
like, 5 chords,
But he said, "don't use more
than 3 within one song."
[Playing alternative music]
[Playing alternative music]
i feel bad
i feel bad
yeah, i've felt worse
yeah, i've felt worse
i'm a creep
yeah
yeah
i'm a jerk
oh
oh
touch me, i'm sick
touch me, i'm sick
i won't live long
i won't live long
and i'm full of rot
and i'm full of rot
want to give you, girl
everything I got
oh
oh
touch me, i'm sick
touch me, i'm sick
touch me, i'm sick
touch me, i'm sick
When sub pop finally
got their act together,
And they started
somehow getting
This underground
hype-Thing going--
Which started very small--
They flew an english
journalist into seattle.
They took him to see
a mudhoney show,
And gave him some singles
and had him meet everybody,
And he went back
and wrote a big article
In one of
the english music papers,
And that sort of started
this big frenzy in england.
It just seemed like it was
a worthwhile business move.
Yeah. And fortunately,
Everett was
a brilliant enough guy
That he could piece
together a story
That essentially sold
the world on seattle.
love me, i'm rich
love me, i'm rich
come on, baby
now, come with me
if you don't come
if you don't come
if you don't come
you'll die alone
you'll die alone
Sub pop--
The hype machine.
And we went along with it.
It seemed pretty funny
at the time.
They didn't really
hype their bands.
They hyped their label,
Which is
a much different thing,
A much--A much more
original thing.
Jack endino: it gave
a record this desirability,
This, perhaps,
fictional desirability,
But nonetheless,
it made the collectors
Try and get a hold
of these things,
And made people talk
about them.
So, a lot of people
talked about sub pop
And how cool
their records were,
And how cool the packaging,
and the bands were cool,
And--"Oh, you can't get
the record.
It's worth
a lot of money already."
People started looking
for the seattle sound
The same way that d.C.,
and boston, new york,
And l.A.,
and all those places
Had this crazy
little identity
All of their own.
Seattle started getting
its own identity,
And sub pop decided
to exploit that.
And sub pop decided
to exploit that.
we're all right
yeah, all right
so, you're looking
for something super
aren't we all?
yeah, all right
never knowing
if it hit you
right between the eyes
yeah, all right
gonna lift you up
gonna bring you down
gonna let you
oh, gonna slide
your heart
gonna let you follow
your own dream
it'll turn
your head around
for the first time
in your life
you might find that
for the second time
in a year
i don't mind
for the last time
i think it's time
to fly
i think it's time
to fly
freedom's right
between the eyes
Daniel house: suddenly,
there were 3 times
As many people
that had been here all along.
Going out, seeing bands,
and supporting those bands,
And allowing the scene
to be far more viable.
What you actually see
happening in seattle
Is this kind of explosion
of sub-Culture.
I think it's a very
important thing
And a very healthy thing
to have happen anywhere,
Uh, particularly
in a place like seattle.
It's so conservative
and so reserved.
To have something like this
happen here has been
Nothing short of, like,
a major electrical shock.
Everything was suddenly
just buzzing with activity.
I mean, singles
were being put out,
Uh, there was no point
earlier in history
That you could have
a magazine devote
An entire
record reviews section
Just to local
record reviews.
Um, people from underground
fanzines across the country
Were already starting
to snipe about seattle
And how much hype
it was receiving.
When things started
to become spotlighted,
More venues opened up,
And more opportunities opened up
for people to play,
But there was never a lack
of great musical talent,
And it was always
really diverse.
And there was always
An unspoken sense
of community about it.
An unspoken sense
of community about it.
i'm so happy
it's sunny outside
i'm so happy
it's snowing today
i'm so...oh
i'm so happy
the world's gonna explode
They won't let us in
because we're not 18.
And age doesn't have
anything to do with music!
burn the house down
burn the house down
ooh
ooh-Ooh-Ooh
ooh-Ooh
[Song fades]
[Song fades]
The seattle music scene
right now is really vital.
I mean, it is so alive.
It is--It's better
than london in the 1960s.
It's better than new york
in the seventies. I mean...
Margaret, I was
in london in the 1960s.
I was in london
in the 1960s.
It was awful!
If you say
the word "scene,"
Everybody rolls their eyes
and laughs at you.
It's, "scene. Ha ha!"
You know, "there's no scene!"
So, a lot of people thought
that it has reached its peak,
And by next year,
we were all gonna go back
To doing
what we were doing.
And we were all
gonna go back
To our little
small town utopia.
And about 1990,
we all sort of went,
"Oh, good. It's over."
"Oh, good. It's over."
[Music begins]
[Music begins]
come out and play
make up the rules
i'm not another child
as well
Dd
it's not enough to raise you
it's not enough to save you d
d
hello, hello,
hello, how low
hello, hello,
hello, how low
hello, hello,
hello, how low
hello, hello, hello
well, i'm lyin'
and i'm famous
here we are now,
entertain us
i feel stupid
and i'm waitin'
here we are now,
entertain us
yeah
hey
Jack Endino: Nirvana kind of
came out of left field.
Uh, namely aberdeen,
which is a town
Sort of out in
the middle of nowhere.
And, uh, you know,
we just got a phone call
At the studio one day
from this guy, you know, kurt.
He said he was a friend
of the melvins,
And he wanted to come up
and just record some songs.
And I said ok.
A friend of the melvins,
a friend of mine. Come on up.
I didn't know
who the hell he was,
And nobody else did,
either.
He just came up, blew out
10 songs in 5 hours.
We recorded and mixed them
in one afternoon.
And, uh, blew me away.
I thought, "oh, my god.
This is amazing."
I said, "guys, can I please
keep a copy of this for myself
Before you go back
to aberdeen?"
That was the tape
i gave to jonathan.
That was the tape
i gave to jonathan.
This is my penultimate
grunge photo.
Kurt cobain
spinning on his back.
Everyone asks, "how in the hell
is he doing that?"
I don't know.
i'm a negative creep
i'm a negative creep
i'm a negative creep,
and i'm stoned
i'm a negative creep,
i'm a negative creep
i'm a negative creep
At that point, I think
Soundgarden had put out
Their first
major label record.
It was doing ok.
I think screaming trees
Had put out their first
major label record.
I think it was doing ok.
Alice in chains had put out
Their first major label record.
It was doing ok.
But, Nirvana was kind of
the little brother.
You know, the runt of
the litter, so to speak.
And I remember jonathan
telling me in 1990--
He said, "this band
is going to be huge."
He said it exactly
like that.
He said, "jack, this band
is going to be huge."
[Music begins]
[Music begins]
The record came out
in fall--September.
The video came--
I remember the first
time I saw the video.
I thought,
"this is so cool,
"But there's no way
mtv will play this.
There's just no way."
And then when
that started going,
It reached millions
of kids instantly.
Ben would go off and call up
people back home in seattle.
He'd come back and say--
You know, the latest
sales figures.
He'd go,"nevermind
has done 300,000."
He'd go,"nevermind
has done 300,000."
"Nevermind
has done 400,000."
"Nevermind just went gold."
with the lights out
it's less dangerous
here we are now,
entertain us
i feel stupid
and contagious
here we are now,
entertain us
a mulatto
a denial
a denial
a denial
a denial
It was an old,
uh, brain song
Called
money changes everything.
Called
money changes everything.
I think we adapted that to
Nirvana changes everything.
ow
ow
ow
ow
dust rise
right over my time
empty
fossil
of the new scene
i feel so alone
gonna end up
a big ol' pile
of them bones
of them bones
yeah
yeah
[Playing alternative music]
[Playing alternative music]
That's probably why
you create in the first place.
Because of the freedom.
I mean, whatever you want--
You can lay
whatever you want on tape.
But again,
commerce is involved.
And as soon as it starts
going through those channels...
Those money-Making channels,
Everything changes.
When these bands started
to get popular,
All of a sudden,
Everyone wanted to find
the next Nirvana.
Everyone wanted to sign
the next Pearl Jam.
All of a sudden,
Bands who'd never played
live before, practically,
Were getting
huge advances.
Man: the labels
started bidding for bands--
To get bands signed,
So that they can then
sell them to a major--
The bands get all worked up
And basically break verbal
contracts you make with them,
Because, well,
you don't have a contract.
I mean, whenI first started,
i didn't need contracts.
I didn't think I did.
You know, they were
"here's my friends,"
But someone throws
500,000 in their face,
And they're like, "huh?
We didn't have a contract."
If the major labels are like
a big, dumb baby huey,
You know, that--
"Oh! What's going on
in athens?"
And waddle over
to athens
And you sit down
in athens,
And you start buying
lunches,
And you crush
3 bands by accident.
You know? Wow!
The party's in athens.
And then you kind of
look over your shoulder.
You go,
"oh! Minneapolis!"
And baby huey gets up
And goes and sits
on minneapolis
And kills 3 bands
by accident,
And buys
a bunch of lunches,
And, you know, kind of
plays that party out.
So, the idea that
they were moving and...
You know, sort of
dedicated clumps.
Seattle was just, like,
part of that process.
say good-Bye
to your friends and family d
d
welcome to the menagerie
dd
funny how they forget
to tell you
this is all
you will ever be
this is all
you will ever be, now
this is all
you will ever be
this is all
you will ever be, now
this is all
you will ever be
this is all
you will ever be
The effect of this whole thing
of, like, hyping a label,
Or hyping a sound,
or hyping a place,
Is it starts to take
a lot of the attention
Away from the individual artists
that are making music.
Everyone doesn't
sound the same.
Everyone
isn't grunge.
Everyone doesn't
have long hair.
You know, um...
They made a big mistake.
They didn't go further
And find more of the bands
that were already here,
And had been here
Even before the bands
that were exploited were.
That's what makes me
feel guilty
Of the success of our band.
Because it should've been,
Uh, spread out to--
To the success of, like,
a number of bands here.
Woman: they focus on
this one scene,
Or one type of music,
When, really, that's
pretty inaccurate,
'Cause there's all kinds
of bands here, you know.
There's, like, weird,
funky jazz bands,
And weird, you know,
hip-Hop bands,
Or punk rock bands,
Or metal bands,
or whatever.
It's like there's
a whole bunch of stuff.
Surf bands and cowpoke bands.
There's a shitload
Of different bands here.
There always has been.
Chris eckman: in europe,
they just started
To put stickers on things
that just said "seattle."
That's all
the stickers said.
It's like, the stamp--
You know,
it's like the u.S.D.A.
It's, like, seattle--
Stamp it.
It's, like, seattle--
Stamp it.
yeah
yeah
low beat
Great band.
I like best.
low beat
low beat
low beat
[No singing]
[No singing]
get down now
get down now
hey
hey
low beat
low beat
low beat, whoo
I hate category
of grunge.
Grunge categorize--Oh.
I only like live,
loud music.
I don't need grunge.
I don't need grunge.
how many times
have you said i'm sorry
to only trash me
within the day
i think "god,
will I ever escape this?"
now my body just burns
beware of
what I threw you
baggage like fire
just to thrill you
like I might turn
and sniff you
slippery near the edge
slippery near the edge
Steve fisk: Nirvana happening
or Pearl Jam happening,
In some way seems like
kind of a--
Some kind of, like,
weird natural occurrence
That got rolling in 1979.
Like, it's that energy.
Whatever that energy started as,
Ultimately, you know,
landed with what we got now.
It's not like
it's punk rock paying off.
It's more like you push
the pimple hard enough
And it pops
up someplace else.
But then it becomes
homogenized, manipulated,
And marketed, and it's not
intense anymore.
So, there's a constant
cycle of rebellion.
I think punk's going
to be there forever, man.
As long as there's kids
that like it.
Yeah. Kids are the most
important part of punk.
They want
to get wild. Yeah.
Steve fisk:
there'll be no shortage
Of disaffected american youth
over the next 50 years.
Probably even more.
Some great rock 'n' roll
coming down the line.
slip through you,
yeah
There's over 1,000 bands
in seattle right now.
And I think a lot of that
is people moving here.
Bands moving here
in hopes of becoming famous.
Because of all the hype and
all the attention on seattle,
People know that
if they do something here,
They're going get recognized
to some extent.
It won't be totally overlooked,
even if it's bad.
In fact, there were
musicians who moved
To california in the early
eighties from seattle,
To try and get signed,
who started moving back.
To try and get signed,
who started moving back.
Man: there's got
to be at least 1,000,
If not more than that,
in seattle.
So, I came with an idea
To package boxed sets
of northwest bands.
So, what I try and do, is I try
and find ways to exploit--
And I like the word
"exploit"--
Exploit through propaganda
and television
The northwest music community
as a whole.
Volume 3 is probably
my favorite set.
It's got some of
the most well-Known bands.
You've got your hammerbox,
and your hungry crocodiles,
And pond, sara debell,
peace, love, and guitars.
Just got--I mean, it's got
so many great bands in it,
That if you want
to know anything about
The northwest music--
There's my card--
You want to know anything
about the northwest music scene,
This is a great place to start
because all the cards
Have the contact information
of the band on the back.
And also, if you take
these cards,
Turn them face down,
put them together,
It's a jigsaw puzzle
of a traffic jam on i-5.
i say
fuck
i say fuck and you say yeah d
d
i say fuck and you say yeah d
d
D
i say fuck and you say yeah d
Dd
i say fuck and you say yeah
D
i say fuck and you say yeah d
i say fuck
yeah
i say let's and you say go
i say let's
and you say let's go, man
i say let's
and you say go, whoo
i say let's
and you say go, whoo
i say let's
go
go
oh, yeah
Today, I was
in a music shop,
And saw some people.
It was like,
"You moved from l.A.
Probably yesterday."
Like, I feel sorry for
the up-And-Coming bands.
They can't even
get gigs.
It takes them a year
sometimes to get a gig.
We were together 3 weeks
when we played a show.
You see a ton of bands?
The trees weigh
more than a ton.
We're a ton of band.
Ha ha ha!
So, fuck 'em!
We got bands all over
this place here.
We got a band in here--
Inflatable soul.
Manotypical.
Rap band in this room.
[Drums playing]
Hear a lone drummer
practicing in here.
Hip-Hop beat.
Hip-Hop beat.
Industrial nonsense
comes out of that flat.
It's all hallways
and doorways.
Have bands in the rafters.
Bands to the left.
Bands to the right.
Kim thayil:
it'd be like being a kid
And setting up
a lemonade stand.
And having a really
successful lemonade stand.
All of a sudden, 10 of them
open up right next to you.
In your yard,
on your block,
All competing for
the same lemonade nickel.
Only they're--
They're obviously selling
lower quality lemonade.
They're obviously selling
lower quality lemonade.
[Playing alternative music]
[Playing alternative music]
aah
Right now, seattle is
quarter until 6:00,
On christmas eve
in a shopping mall,
And the mall closes at 6:00.
When it's too crazy,
And it's loaded
with sub-Moronic idiots,
Prancing around,
Buying anything they can
get their hands on.
Buying anything they can
get their hands on.
By universal acclaim,
The nation's media
have declared seattle
The coolest place
in the known universe.
Announcer: the music of seattle
is as progressive as the people.
Listen to Pearl Jam,
Soundgarden, Nirvana.
Where else can you get
the seattle sound? Best buy.
Second announcer: once there
was this grunge singer,
Who did all the things
grunge singers would do.
you get on a carpet
couldn't help it
dd
i'm drinking
from the toilet
it's just a habit
i swear that smell
you smell
is not from me
Announcer: it's loud music
with heavy vocals.
Reporter: is it mutant
rock and roll?
Have we ever used
chainsaws and axes?
Have we ever used
chainsaws and axes?
Are they contributing
anything to the world
They're taking so much from?
They're taking so much from?
Mudhoney's sort of watching
the market right now.
Alex trebek:
in october 1993...
Alex trebek:
in october 1993...
Jeremy?
Who is Pearl Jam?
Pop music for 400.
Who is Pearl Jam?
Pop music for 400.
Does this look like
we're unhappy or cynical?
Ok, our next guests
are a seattle band.
This right here is
their newest album.
Playin' the posies.
"Weird al" yankovic.
Pearl jam!
Beavis: hey, butt-Head,
where's seattle?
Seattle...
seattle...
Seattle?
Thanks, phone dude.
Seattle?
Thanks, phone dude.
I think now's the time
that I should be announcing
My candidacy
for mayor of seattle.
The whole thing
was just out of control,
And press people were
visiting our office
At the rate
of 2 or 3 a week.
It seemed like
very few of them had
Even the most remote clue
Of what was really
going on in seattle.
Glossy print ad
with a fancy red car
In the background,
And they're saying
something about grunge.
You think people are gonna
go out and buy this car?
They're gonna look at
this ad and go, "fuck you."
When you're close
to something,
You feel you know
the truth about it.
And whenpeople magazine
is writing about it,
You know that they're not
gonna have the truth.
They have a very
distorted view of it.
And you realize that that's
what the entire world sees,
And that's what the entire
world thinks about.
And they're wrong.
And they're wrong.
Charles peterson:
this is a photo of seaweed
Being interviewed by mtv.
A band that at the time
really weren't doing anything,
And here's mtv with
camera crews in their face.
And you know,
they laughed about it.
They thought
it was ridiculous.
And everyone thought
it was a bit ridiculous.
Maybe there's, like,
a bunch of photographers,
And they want to put you
with this other person
From another band
that you don't even know,
And they want you to put
your arm around them and smile.
And they want to talk about
all this mundane crap,
And then that's when
istart to feel cynical.
"You play in a band,
don't you?"
"Yeah. Yeah,
i play in a band."
"Pearl jam, right?"
"No."
"Aren't you the drummer
from Pearl Jam?"
"No. I'm not the drummer
from Pearl Jam."
"Alice in chains?"
"No. No."
"Well, what's the name of
the band you play in?"
"Soundgarden."
Then you get
the shrug, like...
They didn't say anything
about the music.
They talked about
what we wore
And whether or not
the girl in the band before
Shaved her armpits or not.
The newest thing I heard
Was that we're really
bad at interviews.
Ha ha ha ha!
Where could they
possibly get that?
just to wake up tells me,
hell, I must be brave
it hits me like a drug
shot into my vein
but it's not as delightful,
delightful of a pain
immobilizing me
almost makes me think
i'm dead
i need a second skin
something to hold me tough
can't do it on my own
sometimes I need
just a little more help
i want that chance to give
every drop that's left in me
i need a second skin
something I cannot
break free of
something I cannot
break free of
well, I just tell myself,
girl, just let it breathe
it's a calmness
i'm always searching for
but the dirt,
it gets so heavy
it falls above my head
seeping
from under my feet
it just keeps on
getting deeper
i need a second skin
something to hold me tough
can't do it on my own
sometimes I need
just a little more help
i've got that chance to give
every drop that's left in me
i need a second skin
something I cannot
break free of
You just didn't
want to answer
Any more stupid
questions.
They were all the same.
What's seattle like?
What are the bands like?
Do you know this band?
Do you know that band?
Everyone had it.
We put a moratorium
at one point
On people calling and asking
for the "seattle story."
There was nothing to do
Except just start poking
fun at the entire thing.
And so,
instead of saying,
"No, I really don't know
that person,"
It would turn into,
"oh, sure,
"Every monday morning,
We eat banana splits
at breakfast time."
"Shooby-Doo used to be
my roommate."
Or, you know,
"i'll tell you,
"He has a horrible
case of the squirts
After he has
indian food."
And, like,
you just start making up
Every single lie you can
And then try to--
The goal is to just get
Crazy rumors circulating
all the time.
There's a big element
of put-On
Involved with
all seattle music.
I mean, kurt cobain's
goofy name-Spellings,
A lot of sub pop's world
domination kind of attitude.
I mean, the whole thing's
ridiculous.
75% of what bruce
and john say is a lie.
But it's served
them well. Ha ha ha!
Bruce: it's essentially been
one big prank.
We've always pretended
we were something we weren't.
Now that we're huge
and have a lot of money,
We're trying to pretend
that we're small and indie
And have street cred.
That's one
of the great things
About a lot
of the bands here.
You know, great humor.
You know?
You know, great humor.
You know?
So, i'm obviously
not from here.
Art chantry:
one of my favorite hoaxes
Was the lexicon of grunge.
Thenew york times
called sub pop records
And talked to a woman there
Who just started
making up words.
They were trying to find out
what the inside secret dope was,
What was the hip language.
And I was, like,
"Uh, why don't you
just give me a word,
And i'll give you
the grunge slang for it."
Chantry: she just started
making stuff up.
A lot of it was
the kind of stuff
That she used for herself
just for laughs.
And next thing you know,
It's on the cover
of thenew york times.
And everybody around here is
just giggling and snortin'.
If they're lame enough
to try to scrutinize
This totally
stupid thing,
Why not fuck with them?
Why not fuck with them?
i try to speak my mind
why'd you leave me
D
i could've taken you so far d
walked out the way
been across
this fuckin' world
to find my brewster
put my love
into the rig
so I could forget her
hello
it's me again, baby
hello, houston
As you can see,
I am basically
A trend-Setter
in the fashion scene.
Androlling stone
called,
And they were doing
a fashion spread
On what the indies
are wearing.
I had to tell them
that I didn't think
They'd be
interested in me,
But that we had a fella
here, scott mccaughey
From the young fresh
fellows, who probably
Was just what
they were looking for.
So, they came,
And they interviewed
scott briefly.
And then they got out
this pile of clothes
And made him, like,
take off his converse
And put on their
tennis shoes.
And take off
his flannel shirt,
Wear their
flannel shirt,
And then put, you know,
in the caption below,
"Flannel shirt, $85."
"Flannel shirt, $85."
Megan jasper: who didn't
get a flannel shirt
For christmas
from their relatives?
And you tie it
around your waist,
And you run off
and do a stage dive.
All across america.
But up here, because
it's logger territory,
All these goonballs just
wear flannel anyways,
And then that's what became
the stereotype here.
And then that's what became
the stereotype here.
You go around, you know,
to cities everywhere,
And you see some real...
Stereotypical grungies,
you know,
With the Pearl Jam shirt
And, you know,
with the stocking cap,
And, you know,
The really neat long johns
with the shorts,
And you just say,
"i spit on you!"
[Muzak version ofsmells like
teen spiritplaying]
[Muzak version ofsmells like
teen spiritplaying]
Mannequins in stores
With, like, long johns
and shorts for, like, $300.
It's like we dress--
We got 'em fooled.
We wear long johns up here
because it's fucking cold.
When seventh avenue decided
that grungewear
Was something
they'd put on the runways,
And that they thought it would
be an absolute knock-Over,
Yes, that any of my clients
Would be
in their fashion shows
And be in
their fashion layouts,
And whenvanity fair
dida spread
With people like joan rivers
wearing grungewear,
That was the only moment
for me, so far,
That came close
to unbearable.
It was our thing.
Then, all of a sudden,
It belonged to people
who you never thought
You were sharing
your music with.
Mainstream periodicals
and fashion magazines.
And you start realizing
There's a whole lot
of people out there
Making money
by selling the idea
Of this seattle scene
or grunge or whatever.
It's so profitable.
It's so profitable.
And they'll just keep taking
and taking and taking,
And they just don't know
how to restrain themselves.
You know, they're frothing
at the mouth over this.
And the bands aren't.
I mean, the bands aren't
really in it for dough.
I mean, they just aren't.
That would--If they were,
That would--That would
tip over the music.
Like, already
it's obvious that you see
The seattle scene has become
a marketed commodity.
But that's what
makes pop culture
So significant to...
All the little consumers
out there.
They have no interest
in history or economics
Or science or art.
They're kind of interested
more in gossip,
The nature of celebrity,
And that's not at all
encouraging to find out
That...
You participate
in that society.
One way or the other.
i wonder why I do
the things I do
one plus one has always
meant more than two
happy,
and then content
change the channel
and now i'm bent
on leaving you
yeah
on leaving you
on leaving you, you
yeah
on leaving you,
you, yeah
yeah yeah yeah
yeah yeah yeah
The bands get all big,
And then everybody
starts to like 'em.
And then they just
become so overplayed
And kind of sold-Out,
and I just--
I get out of them.
That really
pisses me off.
Why?
Well,
i liked them first.
When you hear a song
that's a great song
Played a million times,
you never want to hear it again.
Played a million times,
you never want to hear it again.
If I hear that song
one more time...
If I see that guy's face
one more time...
I'm gonna fuckin'
find out his address
And kill that motherfucker.
And kill that motherfucker.
I don't blame them.
I've said it myself.
There definitely is the idea
that success is bad,
And that's part
of the rebellion.
That's part of the rebellion
against the eighties,
You know,
our peers, and our parents.
That we didn't really want
to become successful
Because with that comes
the trappings of responsibility.
It seemed for a while
that, like, celebrity
Was not really what you
wanted once you got it.
And yet you look at any
of these people
That are now complaining
about being too much
In the spotlight
Or always, you know,
scrutinized by everyone.
[Laughs]
what did you expect?
I think a lot of people
whine about it,
But secretly theykind of
are excited about it, too.
I don't think that
people ever can imagine
What is gonna go along
with being popular.
I don't think--No matter
what somebody tells you
It's gonna be like,
I think
it's a lot different
Once you get there.
I think so, too. Maybe
we should try to find out.
[Laughs]
painted blue
across my eyes
and tie the linen on
and i'm on my way
and i'm on my way
Dd
looking for the paradigm
so I can pass it off
is it on my side?
is it on my side?
is it to the sky?
is it to the sky?
is it to the sky?
is it to the sky?
shadow
shadow
D
painted blue across my eyes d
and tie the linen on
and i'm on my way
on my way
Dd
looking for the paradigm
so I can pass it off
is it on my side?
on my side
is it to the sky?
to the sky
looking to the sky
and down
searching for a ground
D
with my good eye closed d
I kind of figured
you play guitar
Or drums,
whatever, sing,
Make a record,
play a show.
If people like
your record,
They like your show.
I couldn't really
anticipate it becoming
Interviews and videos
and photo sessions.
Sort of in the forefront
of our minds,
We knew that
these were things
That went along
with the job.
But you never really
can anticipate it
Until you're there.
It's like, fuck,
I can do without
the fame stuff
And just, you know,
give me the money.
And just, you know,
give me the money.
is it to the sky?
to the sky
to the sky
to the sky
to the sky
oh
oh
Jack endino: you have
a favorite band, right?
And you think, why isn't
this band enormous?
You know, the world
is just not a very--
You know, it's just
an unjust place.
And then you have a band
that you know is amazing
And, suddenly,
everybody else in the world
Knows that they're amazing
and wants to get at them,
And write about them
and, you know,
You start wondering if success
is really a good thing,
Because it sort of
makes people psycho.
Eddie vedder:
it's nothing to strive for.
It's actually like--
This kind of success
Or trying to fulfill
this kind of hype.
It can destroy everything.
It can destroy what's real,
which is, like, music to you.
Or what's real,
which is your life.
You know?
It can destroy it.
You know,
it can make it, uh,
A commodity.
At--At--At whose cost?
At yours.
At your life and,
you know, your music.
At your life and,
you know, your music.
Th-They'll, you know...
Th-They'll, you know...
Take it all
away from you.
And--And you're supposed
to be happy about it
Because you're successful.
Because you're successful.
now, you kissed me once,
and you kissed me twice
with your messed up
slobbering lips
D
with dribble in my brow d
D
i wait until you turned d
and I wiped it
on my pant leg
and I wiped it
on my pant leg
oh, now i'll sign this paper
for everyone to see
now i'm up here singin'
for everyone to hear
now i'll sign this paper
for everyone to see
now i'm up here singin'
for everyone to hear
you
especially you
it's all for you
it's because of you
it's because of you
my lungs are filled
with smoke
my lungs are filled
with smoke
eyes light and hazy
from too many tears
red and glossy
from too many beers
and my stomach shapes
into one big knot
my stomach shapes
into one big knot
Elizabeth davis:
when you're in a band
And it progresses from
being in the basement
And learning
how to play,
And then you go on to
more and more steps,
And that's a natural
progression of a band.
And you can see that.
That's a good thing.
It's all fine.
But then, you get
to this point where
You're looking backwards
and you're, like,
"Well, maybe it was
better back then."
Jack endino: well,
imagine you're a band.
You're making music
for fun,
Because you like
writing your own songs,
You like playing
your own songs.
You like playing
to your friends
And having them clap and,
you know, having a good time,
And getting up
and jumping around a stage,
And, you know,
crashing into people.
And, um, suddenly,
every publication
And all the media in the world
wants to get at you.
Suddenly, people everywhere
you go recognize you.
They want
your autograph.
Suddenly, your life
as a private individual
Is over with.
And that's probably
A pretty heavy thing
to deal with.
What it looks like is,
wow, if you want to be
Really successful,
do heroin.
But, what I see is,
i saw people
Who were making
really good music
Suddenly have, like,
This overwhelming
need for money.
Susan silver: it's just
fucking heartbreaking
To see how disillusioned
people get,
To where they--
That escape
is so sought after.
Jack endino: I think
the first hint of it
Was when andy wood died.
When you started thinking,
this is really sad
Because this guy had
a great future in front of him.
He was a really wonderful guy.
Funniest guy. The only--
The only rock 'n' roll
stand-Up comic in seattle
Was andy wood.
And, uh, we thought,
Man, you know, they haven't
even become stars yet
And already he's a casualty.
And already he's a casualty.
There's kurt
on new year's day, '93.
Um, this was the shoot
For the cover
ofthe advocate.
And, uh, I really liked
this photo of kurt.
We were just--
We were just talking
And I was just
picking the camera up
Occasionally and--
And photographing him.
It's rare to see a picture
where he's emoting
Or doing something
with his hands
Other than
in his pocket.
And I really
like this one.
And I really
like this one.
the river rise...
Symbolically, perhaps,
it represented
The death of something.
I mean, I know when--
I was--It affected me
in such a way
That I was seriously
tempted to give up everything
And go be a farmer
or something.
It was just--It was
so disillusioning to me.
It was--It was hard.
I didn't take it well.
'cause I could fall
like a tear
nothing else I can do
nothing else I can do
but i'm not alone
nothing's beside me
all I see is
the others blinded
but I could fall
as if I was young
ooh, with a lifetime
to think of you
ooh, with a lifetime
to think of you
Eddie vedder:
if all this influence
That this part
of the country has
In this musical scene has--
If it doesn't
do anything with it,
That would be the tragedy.
If it doesn't do
something with it,
Like make some kind
of change
Or make some kind
of difference,
This group of people
who feels this certain way,
This group of people who,
like, thinks these things
That the underdogs
we've all met
And lived with think--
If they finally
get to the forefront
And nothing comes of it,
That--That would be
the tragedy.
That--That would be
the tragedy.
Eddie vedder:
restless soul
enjoy your youth
enjoy your youth
like muhammad
hits the truth
hits the truth
i can't escape
from the common rule
i can't escape
from the common rule
if you hate something
don't you do it, too?
don't you do it, too?
this is not for you
this is not for you
this is not for you
oh, never was for you
you
you
Art chantry:
to actually be this close
To a pop culture explosion
has been really fascinating.
I mean, all of a sudden,
you can understand
What happened in
san francisco in '66 and '67.
You can understand
what happened in england
During the punk thing.
And--And during
the mersey beat era.
And the subsequent stuff
that happened in london.
I mean, all of a sudden,
you can see
How ridiculous
the whole goddamn thing is.
I mean, it's utterly absurd.
I mean... [metal scraping]
Susie tennant: it's so funny
that they call it
"The seattle scene"
Because it all grew
out of the region.
Everybody doing what they loved
because they love it.
And it doesn't matter
if they're from bellingham,
Portland, olympia.
You had people
who were in bands
Because they want
to be in bands,
Who started record labels
Because they liked
their friends' bands
And they wanted
to put out a record.
Fanzines because no one
was covering
The kind of music
that they heard.
And all this was allowed to grow
without any other force
Coming in
and disturbing that.
Coming in
and disturbing that.
Eddie vedder:
all that's sacred
comes from youth
comes from youth
dedication
naive and true
naive and true
Ddwith no power
nothing to do
nothing to do
i still remember
Ddwhy don't you?
don't you?
this is not for you
this is not for you
this is not for you
this is not for you
this is not for you
this is not for you
oh, never was for you
fuck you,
this is not for you
oh, never was for you
yeah
yeah
Charles peterson: I didn't
think i'd be making a living
At doing this.
I mean, I had no idea
that these bands
Were going to become so--
So popular, so famous.
I would have taken a lot
more photographs of them
If I had known.
[Laughs]
Our first u.S. Tour was
a total failure, you know?
We didn't make
more than 90 bucks
At any show
in the whole u.S.
It's like, they hated us
everywhere we went.
But we're doing basically
the same thing
We were doing in '85,
and now people like us.
I don't know why!
Let me put things
in perspective for you.
5 years ago,
This is a sleepy little
coastal fishing village.
Now, could we have
the camera pan out
To the skyline, here?
This kind of
economic development
Is directly related
to what john and I
Have done
to promote seattle.
Nils bernstein:
that's what's become
Of the great punk
rock party house
Of the mid-Eighties.
[Laughs]
it's so harsh.
It used to be this
tiny little shack,
Like, set way back
in these terrible,
Like, big weeds
in the middle of
This--These
beautiful homes.
And now--Look, it is
a beautiful home.
[Laughs]
I would love to,
In about 20 years
from now,
Be playing in, like,
some kind of, like,
Super-Loungey
soul band
With a horn section
Or something
like that.
We'll probably
all be playing
In r&b bands
in pioneer square.
Probably the same r&b band
onpioneer square.
Dd
[imitating blues singer]
l'il sister, don't you--
Wow! What did I do right
in a past life or whatever
That I get to do this
with my 3 really good friends?
I get to be in a band and
make music with these people.
It's a really
incredible experience.
We just play music
when we--When we can
And do shows and record
when we have songs.
And every now and then
we find out
Seattle got really famous.
And we didn't.
And that's not too bad.
That's ok.
And that's not too bad.
That's ok.
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
it's another
fine year end
oh, yeah
at the top of
my own top 10
oh, yeah
let's smash
the year again
oh, yeah
i get so sick of you
and all you're
trying to be
i can't deny
your uselessness
but what'd you
ever do to me?
but what'd you
ever do to me?
so, if you're standing
in our dark corner
and try to dig us up
you'll find
we're history
and if you're standing
in our dark corner
don't forget to bring along
your top 10 list
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
it's another
fine year end
oh, yeah
at the top of
my own top 10
oh, yeah
let's smash
the year again
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
let's paint
a nice back-Drop
Ddoh, yeah
where the music
never stops
oh, yeah
i'll be the oyster
for your pearl
oh, yeah
dark corner
of the world
oh, yeah
it's another
fine year end
oh, yeah
at the top of
my own top 10
oh, yeah
let's smash
the year again
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
oh, yeah
Captioned made possible by
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Captioned by the national
Captioned by the national
What was the question?
What was the question?