by Mark Yarm
“Yeah, neat.”
Two weeks later, three weeks later, I was laying in bed with a broken jaw and arm. Bicycle accident. Lost a bunch of teeth, had some pretty serious surgeries. Heavily medicated. Val, my girlfriend at the time, called me from work and said, “Turn on the radio! Turn on the radio! They found Kurt dead.”
“Kurt Cobain?”
“Turn on the radio!”
And that’s that.
An oral history is nothing without its voices. So first and foremost, a heartfelt thanks to all the people who were generous enough to share their grunge era memories with me. Obviously, it would have been impossible to put together a book of this nature without you. I’d like to give special thanks to a few interviewees who provided invaluable assistance over the course of the three years I spent working on this project: Mark Arm, Robert Scott Crane, Jeff Gilbert, Buzz Osborne, Susan Silver, and Kim Thayil.
I am deeply indebted to my agent, PJ Mark, who pitched me the idea of doing this book after reading my oral history of Sub Pop Records that ran in Blender magazine back in summer 2008. He’s been a tireless advocate for this project and patiently talked me down after many a book-related crisis. Also, huge thanks to my editor, Sean Desmond—who brought tremendous enthusiasm and a seemingly unflappable nature to this project and edited my manuscript with a light, deft touch—and everyone at Crown who rallied behind this book.
Much gratitude to my photo editor, Christine Reilly, for assembling the many rare and wonderful images in these pages. Thanks to all the photographers who provided images for the book, in particular Valerie Broatch, Paul Hernandez, and Alice Wheeler. High praise to my crack team of audio transcribers—Cynthia Colonna, Larry Fitzmaurice, Marissa Graziadio, Diana Salier, Megan Stride, Kate Thuma, and Jessica Vaysman—without whom I could not have done this.
All my love (and many apologies) to my incredible wife, Bonnie, who tolerated my taking Grunge as a mistress and supported me throughout the entire process. Thanks to my family—my father Jay and stepmother Marilyn, my brother Fred and his wife Andrea—for their love and support.
Many thanks to my former Blender editors in chief Craig Marks (for hiring me) and Joe Levy (for his guidance and support), plus my former colleagues David Carthas, Victoria De Silverio, Josh Eells, Chris “Goldteeth” Ehrmann, Lizzy Goodman, Tyler Gray, Rob Tannenbaum, and Rory Walsh for providing me with contacts and/or book-writing tips.
Thanks to fellow authors John Cook, David Peisner, Marc Spitz, Katherine Turman, Eric J. Weiner, and Jon Wiederhorn for their advice and generosity, and much gratitude to my friends who offered manuscript critiques and moral support: Elizabeth Champ, Miles Hutton, Jeff Jackson, and Gregg Lauer. I’d also like to give shout-outs to the proprietors and fellow denizens of Room 58, my writing sanctuary, and Sonja and Andy Hoven, who provided me with a Seattle sanctuary. And many thanks to Jeffrey Kleinberg, for keeping me sane.
Thanks to the following people for all their efforts in connecting me with interviewees: Andrea Ball, Nils Bernstein, Jenny Dalton, Marie Walsh Dixon, Kent Eby, Bobby Gale, Rick Gershon, Jessica Gronvold, Kate Jackson, Bennett Kaufman, Carol Kaye, Jeannie Kedas, Miranda Lange, Steve Manning, Steve Martin, Brian McDonald, Michael Moses, Pam Nashel Leto, Elaine Schock, Gina Schulman, Monica Seide, Steve Sherr, Staci Slater, Gillian Smith, Andrew Steinthal, Aimee Tyo, Nicole Vandenberg, Amanda Van Goethen, Terry Wang, Beth Winer, Emily White, and Bob Whittaker.
I’d like to acknowledge Jacob McMurray of the Experience Music Project for all his help with, and enthusiasm for, this project. Also, thanks to the following for their assistance with research and source materials: Charles Batho (Archived Music Press), John Bigley, Carrie Borzillo, Stevie Chick, Jennifer Clay, Charles R. Cross, Chris Gill, Regan Hagar, Kristin Jones, Paul Jones (FooArchive.com), Martin Kuiper (FaceCulture.com), Jennifer Kutsher, Al Larsen, Clemens Marschall (Rokko’s Adventures), Maire Masco, Andy Savage, Herman Stadshaug, Dave Wulzen, and the New York and Seattle public library systems.
For reasons of structure, the following people I interviewed are not quoted in the book, though I sincerely appreciate the time they took to speak with me: Michael Alex, Danny Baird, Valerie Broatch, David Dorrell, Jan T. Gregor, John Hawkley, Jane Higgins, Jeff Kleinsmith, Dave Lipe, Chris Monlux, Nigel Pulsford, Reyza Sageb, Dave Sirulnick, Greg Stumph, Whiting Tennis, and Elizabeth Wurtzel.
Also, my humble apologies to anyone I may have failed to recognize here for his or her contributions to this project.
Finally, my sympathy goes out to the friends and family of the two interviewees who passed away as I was nearing completion of this book: Ricky Kulwicki and Mike Starr.
DAVE ABBRUZZESE Pearl Jam drummer
VALERIE AGNEW 7 Year Bitch drummer
MICHELLE AHERN concertgoer; Robert Scott Crane’s ex-wife
STEVE ALBINI recording engineer; singer/guitarist for Big Black (Chicago)
SAM ALBRIGHT Velvetone studio/label owner
GRANT ALDEN The Rocket newspaper managing editor
JEFF AMENT Pearl Jam/Temple of the Dog/Mother Love Bone/Green River/Deranged Diction bassist
JOHN MICHAEL AMERIKA (né Mike Hutchins; deceased) Cat Butt guitarist
JULIANNE ANDERSEN Supersuckers/Gas Huffer booking agent
DAWN ANDERSON journalist; Backlash zine publisher; Jack Endino’s ex-wife
MICHELE ANTHONY Sony Music president
MARK ARM (né Mark McLaughlin) Mudhoney singer/guitarist; Green River singer; Mr. Epp and the Calculations guitarist/singer; the Thrown Ups drummer
KRISHA AUGEROT Kelly Curtis’s assistant; Green Apple Quick Step comanager
JOHNNY BACOLAS Alice N’ Chains/Second Coming bassist
PETER BAGGE Hate cartoonist
LORI BARBERO drummer for Babes in Toyland (Minneapolis)
LOU BARLOW singer/guitarist for Sebadoh (Westfield, Mass.); bassist for Dinosaur Jr. (Amherst, Mass.)
SAMUEL BAYER “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video director
JOHN LEIGHTON BEEZER the Thrown Ups bassist; the Blunt Objects guitarist
NILS BERNSTEIN Sub Pop Records publicist
JOHN BIGLEY U-Men/the Crows singer
JANET BILLIG Hole manager via Gold Mountain Entertainment
KAT BJELLAND singer/guitarist for Babes in Toyland (Minneapolis)
CHARLES ALDEN BLACK (d. 2005) father of Lori Black; husband of Shirley Temple Black; businessman
LORI BLACK (a.k.a. Lorax) Melvins bassist; daughter of Charles Alden Black and Shirley Temple Black
DON BLACKSTONE Gas Huffer bassist
DANNY BLAND Cat Butt guitarist; Best Kissers in the World/Dwarves bassist; Sub Pop Records booking agent
CHAD BLAKE (a.k.a. Slam Hate) concertgoer; posterer
KURT BLOCH Fastbacks/Young Fresh Fellows guitarist
DAN BLOSSOM Feast guitarist
JENNIE BODDY Sub Pop Records publicist
TIM BRANOM Gypsy Rose singer
DANNY BRAMSON Singles music supervisor
BRYN BRIDENTHAL Geffen Records publicity head
SOOZY BRIDGES intern for Kelly Curtis/Ken Deans; club booker
ANTON BROOKES U.K. music publicist
ROBIN BUCHAN U-Men bassist
PETER BUCK guitarist for R.E.M. (Athens, Ga.); Stephanie Dorgan’s ex-husband
JAMES BURDYSHAW Cat Butt guitarist; 64 Spiders guitarist/singer
MATT CAMERON Pearl Jam/Soundgarden/Hater/Temple of the Dog/Skin Yard drummer
KELLY CANARY Dickless singer
JERRY CANTRELL Alice in Chains guitarist/singer; solo artist
DYLAN CARLSON Earth singer/guitarist; Kurt Cobain’s close friend
ROSEMARY CARROLL Nirvana/Hole attorney; Danny Goldberg’s wife
TINA CASALE C/Z Records label/Reciprocal Recording studio cofounder
MATT CHAMBERLAIN Pearl Jam drummer
CHAD CHANNING Nirvana drummer
ART CHANTRY The Rocket newspaper art director; Sub Pop Records freelancer; album/poster designer
FRANCES BEAN
COBAIN daughter of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love
KURT COBAIN (d. 1994) Nirvana singer/guitarist; Courtney Love’s husband; Frances Bean Cobain’s father
ALEX COLETTI MTV Unplugged producer
MARCO COLLINS KNDD DJ
COLLEEN COMBS Kelly Curtis’s assistant
GARY LEE CONNER Screaming Trees guitarist
VAN CONNER Screaming Trees bassist
JOHN CONTE the Living/the Blunt Objects singer
BLAINE COOK the Fartz/10 Minute Warning/the Accüsed singer
BILLY CORGAN singer/guitarist for the Smashing Pumpkins (Chicago)
CHRIS CORNELL Soundgarden singer/guitarist; Temple of the Dog singer; solo artist; Susan Silver’s ex-husband
GERARD COSLOY Homestead Records label head
WAYNE COYNE singer for the Flaming Lips (Oklahoma City)
ROBERT SCOTT CRANE Soundhouse Recording Studio owner; Michelle Ahern’s ex-husband
CHARLES R. CROSS The Rocket newspaper owner/editor in chief; Kurt Cobain biographer
DALE CROVER Melvins/Nirvana drummer
CAMERON CROWE Singles director; Nancy Wilson’s ex-husband
KELLY CURTIS Pearl Jam/Mother Love Bone manager; Heart tour manager; Ken Deans’s business partner
BLAG DAHLIA singer for Dwarves (San Francisco)
KURT DANIELSON TAD/Bundle of Hiss bassist
PETER DAVIS tour booker; Your Flesh zine editor in chief/publisher
ELIZABETH DAVIS-SIMPSON 7 Year Bitch bassist
KEN DEANS production manager; Kelly Curtis’s business partner
DAVE DEDERER the Presidents of the United States of America “guitbassist”/ singer
FREDDY DEMANN Maverick Records cofounder
MATT DENTINO the Shemps guitarist
LINDA DERSCHANG Linda’s Tavern/Basic clothing store owner
MARK DEUTROM Melvins bassist/soundman; Alchemy Records cofounder; producer
MICHAEL DEWITT (a.k.a. Cali DeWitt) Frances Bean Cobain’s nanny
MIKE DILLARD Melvins drummer
MATT DILLON Singles lead actor
STEPHANIE DORGAN the Crocodile club owner; Peter Buck’s ex-wife
GORDON DOUCETTE Metropolis club cofounder; Red Masque singer/guitarist
TAD DOYLE TAD singer/guitarist; Bundle of Hiss guitarist/drummer; H-Hour drummer
DONNA DRESCH Screaming Trees bassist; Team Dresch guitarist/bassist; Chainsaw Records founder
MATT DRESDNER the Gits bassist
DAVID DUET Cat Butt/Girl Trouble singer; U-Men roadie
GREG DULLI singer/guitarist for the Afghan Whigs (Cincinnati)
ROISIN DUNNE (now Roisin Ross) 7 Year Bitch guitarist
BRETT ELIASON Pearl Jam soundman; producer/mixer
JACK ENDINO producer; Skin Yard guitarist; Dawn Anderson’s ex-husband
ERIC ERLANDSON guitarist for Hole (Los Angeles)
JASON EVERMAN Nirvana guitarist; Soundgarden bassist
JONATHAN EVISON (a.k.a. Munkeyseeker) March of Crimes singer
BRUCE FAIRWEATHER Mother Love Bone/Green River/Deranged Diction guitarist; Love Battery bassist
CHRISTOPHER JOHN FARLEY Time magazine staff writer
PERRY FARRELL singer for Jane’s Addiction (Los Angeles); Lollapalooza festival cofounder
RAY FARRELL SST Records promotion department head; Geffen Records/DGC A&R and marketing executive
CATHY FAULKNER KISW assistant program director/music director
JENNIFER FINCH bassist for L7 (Los Angeles)
JASON FINN the Presidents of the United States of America/Love Battery/Skin Yard/Fastbacks/Feast drummer
AMY FINNERTY MTV director of music programming and talent relations
STEVE FISK producer; keyboardist for Pell Mell (Berkeley, Calif.); solo artist
DON FLEMING producer; singer/guitarist for Gumball/Velvet Monkeys (New York)
ED FOTHERINGHAM the Thrown Ups singer; illustrator
CHRIS FRIEL Shadow/Goodness drummer
RICK FRIEL Shadow singer/bassist
GILLIAN G. GAAR journalist/author
ERIC GARCIA assistant for Chris Cornell/Susan Silver
SUZI GARDNER guitarist/singer for L7 (Los Angeles)
CAM GARRETT photographer; SCUD cofounder; Ben McMillan’s first cousin
DAVID GEFFEN Geffen Records/DGC head
CLAUDIA GEHRKE the Vogue club booker
MARC GEIGER Lollapalooza festival cofounder; talent agent
GARY GERSH Geffen Records/DGC A&R executive
RICK GERSHON A&M Records/Warner Bros. Records publicity executive
JEFF GILBERT journalist; KZOK DJ; concert organizer
GREG GILMORE Mother Love Bone/10 Minute Warning/the Living drummer
DANNY GOLDBERG Gold Mountain Entertainment founder/president; Nirvana/Hole manager; Atlantic Records president; Warner Bros. Records chairman/CEO; Rosemary Carroll’s husband
MICHAEL GOLDSTONE PolyGram Records/Epic Records A&R executive
KIM GORDON bassist/singer for Sonic Youth (New York); Thurston Moore’s wife
STONE GOSSARD Pearl Jam/Temple of the Dog/Mother Love Bone/Green River/Brad/Satchel/March of Crimes guitarist
KELLY GRAY producer; Queensrÿche/Myth guitarist
KERRY GREEN Dickless guitarist
DAVE GROHL Nirvana drummer; Foo Fighters singer/guitarist; drummer for Scream (Washington, D.C., area)
DEAN GUNDERSON Cat Butt bassist
REGAN HAGAR Malfunkshun/Brad/Satchel drummer
ROSS HALFIN photographer
STUART HALLERMAN Soundgarden soundman; Avast! Recording studio owner/operator
KATHLEEN HANNA Bikini Kill singer
TOM HANSEN the Refuzors/the Fartz guitarist; heroin dealer
CHRIS HANZSEK C/Z Records label/Reciprocal Recording studio cofounder; producer
KERRI HARROP Sub Pop Records sales and retail employee
TIM HAYES Fallout Records store owner
GIBBY HAYNES singer for Butthole Surfers (Austin, Texas)
TOM HAZELMYER Amphetamine Reptile Records founder; U-Men bassist
RON HEATHMAN Supersuckers guitarist
FAITH HENSCHEL-VENTRELLO KCMU music director
MAUREEN HERMAN bassist for Babes in Toyland (Minneapolis)
DAVE HILLIS producer/engineer/mixer; Mace guitarist
DANIEL HOUSE Skin Yard/10 Minute Warning bassist; C/Z Records owner
JOHN HOYT political and community advisor for Pearl Jam; Pyramid Communications partner
DAVE HUNT (d. 2009) Malfunkshun drummer
REED HUTCHINSON Feast guitarist
DON IENNER Sony Music chairman
MIKE INEZ Alice in Chains bassist; Ozzy Osbourne band bassist
JACK IRONS Pearl Jam/Red Hot Chili Peppers/Eleven drummer
STEVE ISAACS MTV VJ
MARC JACOBS fashion designer
AARON JACOVES A&M Records West Coast director of A&R
MEGAN JASPER Sub Pop Records receptionist-turned–vice president; Dickless singer
RICH JENSEN Sub Pop Records general manager; musician
DAVE JERDEN producer
CALVIN JOHNSON K Records cofounder; Beat Happening singer/guitarist
ERIC JOHNSON Soundgarden/Pearl Jam tour manager
JAIME ROBERT JOHNSON (a.k.a. Crunchbird) singer/guitarist
BARRETT JONES Nirvana drum tech; Laundry Room Studio owner/operator
AL JOURGENSEN front man for Ministry (Chicago)
NEAL KARLEN journalist; Babes in Toyland biographer
ADAM KASPER producer/engineer
MARK KATES Geffen Records/DGC head of alternative promotion
DAVID KATZNELSON Warner Bros. Records A&R vice president
ANDY KESSLER (a.k.a. Joe Spleen) the Gits guitarist
SEAN KINNEY Alice in Chains drummer
PETER KLETT Candlebox guitarist
FRANK KOZIK poster artist; video director
RICK KRIM MTV director of musical talent
DAVE KRUSEN Pearl Jam/Hovercraft/Candlebox drummer
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RICKY KULWICKI (d. 2011) guitarist for the Fluid (Denver)
XANA LA FUENTE Andrew Wood’s fiancée
MARK LANEGAN Screaming Trees singer; solo artist
AL LARSEN Some Velvet Sidewalk singer/guitarist
MIKE LARSON Green River manager
MICHELLE LEON bassist for Babes in Toyland (Minneapolis)
PETER LITWIN Coffin Break guitarist/singer
KURT LODER MTV News anchor
BEN LONDON Alcohol Funnycar singer/guitarist
COURTNEY LOVE singer/guitarist for Hole (Los Angeles); Kurt Cobain’s widow; Frances Bean Cobain’s mother; actress
MATT LUKIN Melvins/Mudhoney bassist
JOHN LYDON (a.k.a. Johnny Rotten) singer for Public Image Ltd./Sex Pistols (U.K.)
STEVE MACK singer for That Petrol Emotion (U.K.)
ALEX MACLEOD Nirvana tour manager
MADONNA pop singer; Maverick Records cofounder
STEVE MANNING Sub Pop Records publicist
TRACY MARANDER photographer; Kurt Cobain’s ex-girlfriend
DAVE MARKEY 1991: The Year Punk Broke documentary director
BARDI MARTIN Candlebox bassist
BARRETT MARTIN Screaming Trees/Mad Season/Skin Yard drummer
KEVIN MARTIN Candlebox singer
MAIRE MASCO Pravda Productions partner; Desperate Times zine cofounder
PONY MAURICE Feast singer
SCOTT MCCAUGHEY Young Fresh Fellows singer/bassist/guitarist; Popllama Records/Egg Studios employee
MIKE MCCREADY Pearl Jam/Temple of the Dog/Mad Season/Shadow guitarist
SCOTT MCCULLUM (a.k.a. Norman Scott): Skin Yard/Gruntruck/64 Spiders drummer
DUFF MCKAGAN bassist for Guns N’ Roses (Los Angeles); played various instruments in Fastbacks, the Fartz, the Living, 10 Minute Warning, the Vains, many more
BEN MCMILLAN (d. 2008) Skin Yard singer; Gruntruck singer/guitarist; Cam Garrett’s first cousin
SCOTT MERCADO Candlebox/Sky Cries Mary drummer
LANCE MERCER photographer
BRET MICHAELS singer for Poison (Los Angeles)
LILLY MILIC Top Hat Records store owner; Garrett Shavlik’s wife