KIM THAYIL ON THE MEANING OF GRUNGE: “IT’S JUST A CONVENIENT LABEL FOR RETAILERS”
Kim Thayil discussed the word Grunge in a new interview with TheAquarian.com: “Yeah, and I really wonder what grunge is. Is it “Rusty Cage” or “Black Hole Sun” or “Tears [To Forget]?” Mudhoney was probably the first band that got the grunge title, and Nirvana, they had this fuzzy, dirty thing. They were bands that were really good at what they [did]. But what do they mean when they say grunge? It’s just a convenient label for retailers.”
This is yet another reason we are going to change the name of the site. Many members of Grunge era bands hate the word. I don’t understand why though, there was obviously going to be a word needed to describe this era of music, if it wasn’t Grunge it’d be something else. At least it was a word that was actually coined by a musician, Mudhoney singer Mark Arm. Speaking of Mudhoney, the 25th anniversary of their formation was yesterday.
you’re right..you should change the name to billycorganfans.net
THANK YOU KIM!
You sound like my old roommate: “I don’t understand why.”
You probably don’t understand why “Cut Me Some Slack” doesn’t get writing credit from Nirvana either.
If only the world could be the way you want it.
Soundgarden is a mix of hard rock and metal…..nothing else.
Grunge to me is just a way to label bands from Seattle during the revival of good old fashion rock music. It seperated the good bands from the hair rock bands.
I doubt the shitty bands in the 80′s liked the term “hair metal” either, but if it sticks…….
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much Billy Corgan on this site.
When are they going to add more tour dates?
well, that’s stupid…not liking the title “grunge”…because there is obviously some kind of a common quality in all these particular bands, that makes people love them and not, for example, Metallica, which is also “heavy rock and metal” and bla bla.
might as well call this common quality “grunge”.
corgantalkshit.net
I understand where Kim is coming from. As a musician, when the media labels you grunge simply because you’re from Seattle and play a certain style of music, it doesn’t promote any kind of growth or change.
Soundgarden is a rock band. They have elements of punk and metal like other Seattle bands of their time, but at its core, SG is simply rock and roll.
The term grunge certainly helps deviate from other kind of rock bands out there, though. On a site like GrungeReport, you know what bands are likely to be covered, so it is helpful in that aspect.
“Soundgarden is a mix of hard rock and metal…..nothing else.”
Uhhh…you sure about that? Sorry but there is also punk in there, Beatles/ Zeppelin (classic rock) and something uniquely Soundgarden. So no, it is not simply “metal & hard rock” that make up their sound weenus.
Let’s not forget psychedelic as well.
I don’t like the word because applying it to a load of bands that sound totally different renders it meaningless. How can Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam & STP all be the same specific sub-genre of rock?
They can’t of course, they sound nothing like each other. And the things they do have in common they also have in common with lots of other rock & metal acts, who nobody would ever call Grunge.
Billycorganismywaifu.org
What else is supposed to call Nirvana and Pearl Jam, when I am talking about grunge with my friends???
i never call it grunge. all the seattle bands sound different from each other, so it is hard to call it any one thing. you call it the seattle scene, the seattle bands but not really just one title fits all.
i don’t care what you guys call the site… not going to be able to help with that, just keep the news coming because nobody else is doing as good with it IMO. i simply ignore genre tags and only think of who i want to listen to – not what “style” i want to listen to.
“Uhhh…you sure about that? Sorry but there is also punk in there, Beatles/ Zeppelin (classic rock) and something uniquely Soundgarden. So no, it is not simply “metal & hard rock” that make up their sound weenus.”
Ok…..classic rock/rock too…..however overall I feel they have a hard rock vibe. They definitely experiment into other generes, but if one had to pick a label that represented the bulk of their work….my opinion would be HARD ROCK. Not enough punk and psych to label them as a whole. Either way….who cares…..they are AWESOME!
Kim’s right and so is Brett. Mudhoney was really the first grunge band. The mixture of guitars and fuzz pedals and personal style just had that grunge sound quality. Nirvana had it too at one point early on. Soundgarden really never did. They were more rock and roll but with a different groove and a lot heavier. Pearl Jam was just a Hendrix rip off. But there was a great music scene coming from one concentrated area and they all were able to cash in on it. I think grunge is whatever the fans made it, and marketed by MTV. It was mudhoneys guitar tone, then Kurt Cobains voice, then anyone from Seattle, then it became any rock music made from 88-94. I don’t mind the label personally.
Grunge 4 life bitches
The word makes my skin crawl, thank god you’re changing the name of the site
“Grunge”, Hair Metal”, its become a part of our culture like “coke” or “kleenex”. The site name “Grunge Report” will keep you most connected with the masses.
Further on, “Grunge” has been “Grunge” since Nevermind and Ten hit. It’s a descriptive, yet positive label, used during the height of the 90′s.
“Hair Metal” was never called “Hair Metal” in the 80′s. “Hair Metal” is a derogatory terms coined during the 90′s about 80′s metal/pop metal, indicating the music was as much about the length of the hair, as the talent (or lack of) of the musicians.
I say keep “The Grunge Report”.
Grunge almost represents an attitude. Something grittier, more real and serious than the superficial, champagne in the back of a limo with models mindset of 80′s rock.
No disagreements there, the media/culture needs to have a label for everything. They started calling everything and anything grunge even though all the 90′s bands sound very different. Flannel shirts and jeans were being marketed as the grunge look and the GAP started selling outfits like these for close to $100.
It bothered them when the bands distanced themselves, and it irked everyone else who said this style of music had to have some type of identification. Whatever.
I like to call it “Good Music”
I don’t mind the name Grunge given to these bands… it is the music industry, media and other commercially interested industries which have turned grunge into a dirty word with there greed $$.
The thing I hate when you talk to a lot of people, they often have no idea about grunge music apart from knowing it has something to do with Nirvana.
Happy 25th Mudhoney!
“TheSiteFormerlyKnownAsGrungeReport.net”
Grunge was more of a feeling or an emotion of the music at the time, “Pure Grunge!”
Not a style or type of music. Retailers ruined it.
Wherever there is a buck to be made, retailers and such will jump in and exploit terms like grunge to push products. Record Labels used the term to push other bands. I tend to think of it as a reference mainly to Seattle’s influence in the 90′s, and a turning point to define the changes in rock music that were taking place then. At least it is better than being known as a dime a dozen hair band, like so many rock bands of the 80′s that have faded. When I hear some people refer to it now, it is often to differentiate “grungy” sounding guitar riffs, and a sort of angst quality to the music. It Is like an Urban Dictionary term now. Most rock fans will know in a broad way what kind of rock it refers to in the big picture, so that is useful. People that think it refers to pretty much only Nirvana…well, that is just sad. They are missing out on a lot more!
rockthatmatters.net – Simple, memorable and true.
@breadbitten: Nice!
I can’t say that I disagree with Kim’s opinion, but I can say that I don’t really care. I don’t love grunge because someone told me that it was a really cool thing to do. I love it because of how it makes me feel.
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