by Mark Yarm
COURTNEY MILLER The Rocket newspaper advertising manager
MIKE MONGRAIN TAD drummer
CRAIG MONTGOMERY Nirvana/TAD soundman
SLIM MOON Earth guitarist; solo artist; Kill Rock Stars label founder
THURSTON MOORE singer/guitarist for Sonic Youth (New York); Kim Gordon’s husband
STEVE MORIARTY the Gits drummer; OK Hotel club booker
JOE NEWTON Gas Huffer drummer
TOM NIEMEYER the Accüsed/Gruntruck guitarist
KRIST NOVOSELIC Nirvana bassist; Shelli Novoselic’s ex-husband
SHELLI NOVOSELIC (now Shelli Hyrkas) Krist Novoselic’s ex-wife
BRENDAN O’BRIEN producer/mixer/engineer
TOMIE O’NEIL soundman; RKCNDY club co-owner/comanager
BUZZ OSBORNE (a.k.a. King Buzzo) Melvins singer/guitarist
OZZY OSBOURNE singer for Black Sabbath (U.K.); solo artist
GUY OSEARY Maverick Records A&R scout–turned-partner
RICK PARASHAR producer; London Bridge Studio cofounder
DEMRI PARROTT (d. 1996) Layne Staley’s girlfriend
TIM PAUL Gruntruck bassist
BRUCE PAVITT Sub Pop Records cofounder
JOHN PEEL (d. 2004) BBC Radio 1 DJ
MARK PELLINGTON video director
DAN PETERS Mudhoney/Nirvana/Screaming Trees/Feast/Bundle of Hiss drummer
CHARLES PETERSON photographer
ERIK PETERSON (a.k.a. Erok) Cat Butt drummer
KRISTEN PFAFF (d. 1994) bassist for Hole (Los Angeles)
BOB PFEIFER Epic Records senior vice president A&R; Hollywood Records president
MARK PICKEREL Screaming Trees/Truly drummer
HUGO PIOTTIN (now known as Poki Piottin) Metropolis club owner
DEE PLAKAS drummer for L7 (Los Angeles)
JONATHAN PLUM producer/engineer; London Bridge Studio co-owner
NICK POLLOCK Alice N’ Chains guitarist; My Sister’s Machine singer/guitarist
JONATHAN PONEMAN Sub Pop Records cofounder
DOUG PRAY Hype! documentary director
TOM PRICE U-Men/Cat Butt/Gas Huffer guitarist
BARBARA DOLLARHIDE PRITCHARD C/Z Records public relations and marketing director
CHRIS PUGH Swallow guitarist/singer
RIKI RACHTMAN host of MTV’s Headbangers Ball
TONY RANSOM (a.k.a. Tone Deaf) U-Men bassist
DAN RAYMOND Melvins “hanger-on”
DAVE REES Malfunkshun bassist
LARRY REID U-Men manager; co-owner of Roscoe Louie/Graven Image galleries; Tracey Rowland’s husband
BENJAMIN REW musician; TAD roadie
TRENT REZNOR front man for Nine Inch Nails (Cleveland)
IANN ROBINSON MTV News reporter
JOHN ROBINSON singer for the Fluid (Denver)
EDDIE ROESER (a.k.a. King Roeser) singer/bassist/guitarist for Urge Overkill (Chicago)
RODERICK ROMERO Sky Cries Mary singer
AXL ROSE singer for Guns N’ Roses (Los Angeles)
JIM ROSE Jim Rose Circus Sideshow founder
ROBERT ROTH Truly singer/guitarist
TRACEY ROWLAND co-owner of Roscoe Louie/Graven Image galleries; Larry Reid’s wife
RON RUDZITIS (a.k.a. Ron Nine) Love Battery/Room Nine singer/guitarist
CHARLIE RYAN U-Men/Cat Butt/the Crows drummer
SALTPETER bassist for Dwarves (San Francisco)
STEFANIE SARGENT (d. 1992) 7 Year Bitch guitarist
JOHN BAKER SAUNDERS (d. 1999) Mad Season/the Walkabouts bassist
PATTY SCHEMEL drummer for Hole (Los Angeles)
SARAH SHANNON singer for Velocity Girl (Washington, D.C., area)
GARRETT SHAVLIK drummer for the Fluid (Denver); Lilly Milic’s husband
BEN SHEPHERD Soundgarden bassist; Hater singer/guitarist; March of Crimes guitarist
ALEX SHUMWAY (a.k.a. Alex Vincent) Green River/Spluii Numa drummer
JOHN SILVA Nirvana/Sonic Youth manager; Gold Mountain Entertainment partner
SUSAN SILVER Soundgarden/Alice in Chains/Screaming Trees/U-Men manager; Chris Cornell’s ex-wife
TRACY SIMMONS (a.k.a. T-Man) Blood Circus bassist
JOSH SINDER TAD/Gruntruck/the Accüsed drummer
ROB SKINNER Coffin Break bassist/singer
SLASH guitarist for Guns N’ Roses (Los Angeles)
PAT SMEAR Nirvana/Foo Fighters/Germs guitarist
JEFF SMITH (a.k.a. Jo Smitty) Mr. Epp and the Calculations singer/guitarist
TABITHA SOREN MTV News reporter
EDDIE SPAGHETTI Supersuckers singer/bassist
DONITA SPARKS singer/guitarist for L7 (Los Angeles)
LAYNE STALEY (d. 2002) Alice in Chains/Mad Season/Alice N’ Chains singer; Demri Parrott’s boyfriend
MIKE STARR (d. 2011) Alice in Chains bassist
ANNA STATMAN Geffen Records/Slash Records A&R representative
AARON STAUFFER Seaweed singer
DAMON STEWART KISW DJ; Sony Music regional A&R scout
KEN STRINGFELLOW the Posies singer/guitarist
SCOTT SUNDQUIST Soundgarden drummer
JOSH TAFT video director
SUSIE TENNANT DGC Records Northwest promotion representative
NICK TERZO Columbia Records/Maverick Records A&R executive
KIM THAYIL Soundgarden guitarist
GARY THORSTENSEN TAD guitarist
JIM TILLMAN U-Men/Love Battery bassist
EVERETT TRUE Melody Maker newspaper writer; Nirvana biographer
MIKE TUCKER U-Men roadie
STEVE TURNER Mudhoney/Green River/Mr. Epp and the Calculations/the Thrown Ups guitarist
CONRAD UNO Popllama Records founder; Egg Studios owner; producer/engineer
CHRIS UTTING (a.k.a. Criss Crass) the Vains singer/guitarist; the Living drummer/guitarist
TOBI VAIL Bikini Kill drummer; Kurt Cobain’s ex-girlfriend
SCOTT VANDERPOOL KXRX/KCMU DJ; Room Nine drummer
MATT VAUGHAN Gruntruck manager; Easy Street Records stores owner
EDDIE VEDDER Pearl Jam/Temple of the Dog singer; Hovercraft drummer
BUTCH VIG producer; drummer for Garbage (Madison, Wis.)
SELENE VIGIL-WILK 7 Year Bitch singer
KIM WARNICK Fastbacks singer/bassist; Sub Pop Records receptionist
ALICE WHEELER photographer
DENNIS R. WHITE Pravda Productions partner; Desperate Times zine cofounder
KIM WHITE Screaming Trees manager
BOB WHITTAKER Mudhoney manager
KEVIN WHITWORTH Love Battery guitarist
STEVE WIEDERHOLD (a.k.a. Steve Wied) TAD drummer
RUSTY WILLOUGHBY Pure Joy/Flop singer/guitarist
ANN WILSON Heart/the Lovemongers singer; Nancy Wilson’s sister
NANCY WILSON Heart/the Lovemongers singer/guitarist; Ann Wilson’s sister; Cameron Crowe’s ex-wife
ANDREW WOOD (d. 1990) Mother Love Bone singer; Malfunkshun singer/bassist; brother of Brian and Kevin Wood; Xana La Fuente’s fiancé
BRIAN WOOD musician; brother of Andrew and Kevin Wood
KEVIN WOOD Malfunkshun guitarist; brother of Andrew and Brian Wood
REP. LYNN C. WOOLSEY Democratic congresswoman from California
ANNA WOOLVERTON Sub Pop Records receptionist
MATT WRIGHT Gas Huffer singer
TOBY WRIGHT producer/engineer
HIRO YAMAMOTO Soundgarden/Truly bassist
NEIL YOUNG Canadian singer-songwriter
MIA ZAPATA (d. 1993) the Gits singer
All interviews conducted by the author between 2008 and 2011, unless noted otherwise below.
CHAPTER 1: Something Crazy’s Gonna Happen
1 What were all the police cars doing at the recreation center “Vandalism at the Recreation Center,” Laurelhurst Community Club newsletter, January 1982.
CHAPTER 2: The Gospel According to Buzz
1 I remember hanging out at Montesano, Washington’s Thriftway Kurt Cobain, Journals, Riverhead Trade, 2003, pp. 56–57.
2 It wa
s like a revelation Jim Berkenstadt and Charles R. Cross, Nevermind: Nirvana, Schirmer Trade Books, 1998, p. 17.
CHAPTER 5: Screaming Life
1 At the time I was growing up Alec Foege, “The End of the Innocence: Chris Cornell of Soundgarden,” Rolling Stone, January 12, 1995.
2 I went from being a daily drug user at 13 Ibid.
3 The beginning of me thinking maybe I should get out there David Peisner interview with Chris Cornell, 2010; © David Peisner.
CHAPTER 7: A Third Sound
1 The fact that none of these bands could open Dawn Anderson, Deep Six record review, The Rocket, June 1986; © Murder Incorporated.
2 And her boyfriend, from behind, grabbed me Andy Savage, Jodi Brothers, and Steve Migliore, KNDD interview with Jeff Ament and Matt Cameron, aired November 6, 2000.
3 Went up to get paid afterwards Ibid.
CHAPTER 8: The Four Weirdest Guys in Ellensburg
1 When I was a kid, I got caught shoplifting Charles R. Cross, “Screaming Trees,” The Rocket, July 24, 1996.
CHAPTER 10: Sounds Like Throw Up Looks
1 Stone and I were on the side of the stage Brendan Mullen, Whores: An Oral Biography of Perry Farrell and Jane’s Addiction, Da Capo Press, 1995, pp. 151–52.
CHAPTER 12: Touch Me I’m Sick
1 I remember my mom, when I showed her the record TAD: Busted Circuits and Ringing Ears documentary, directed by Ryan Short and Adam Pease, King of Hearts Productions, 2008.
CHAPTER 13: He Who Rides the Pony
1 He was going to live on the island with his parents Lonn M. Friend, “Heroes … and Heroin,” RIP, July 1992.
2 Stone and I had known Andy a long time Brian Hiatt interview with Jeff Ament, RollingStone.com podcast, 2006.
CHAPTER 14: Bands That Will Make Money
1 It put the other three guys in the position David Peisner interview with Chris Cornell, 2010; © David Peisner.
2 [The tractor] was coming right for my balls Keith Cameron, “Death Valley Blues,” MOJO, October 2004.
3 We didn’t have a damn thing in common Ibid.
CHAPTER 15: The Music Bank
1 I wasn’t really close to my dad Jon Wiederhorn interview with Jerry Cantrell, 1995; © Jon Wiederhorn.
2 I never had a whole lot of money Chuck Dean, “Chain Letter,” Ray Gun, December 1992–January 1993. 170 I met Layne again at a house party Martin Kuiper video interview with Jerry Cantrell and Sean Kinney, FaceCulture.com, January 11, 2010; © FaceCulture 2010.
3 I first met Layne around 1985 Chris Gill, “Dirt,” Guitar World, November 1999.
4 Layne was playin’ with another band Martin Kuiper video interview with Jerry Cantrell and Sean Kinney, FaceCulture.com.
CHAPTER 16: Where’s the Grog?
1 Mark used to try to mythologize Sonic Youth’s profile David Bevan, Jonathan Cohen, Corey duBrowa, Andrew Earles, Jason Ferguson, Matthew Fritch, Tim Hinely, Pat Hipp, Bruce Miller, and Noah Bonaparte Pais, “Superfuzzy Memories,” Magnet, Summer 2008.
CHAPTER 17: Create Your Own Myth
1 I hate Mr. Epp & the Calculations! Mark Arm, Desperate Times, letters section, July 22, 1981.
2 The one show of this tour that really sticks in my mind Carrie Borzillo, Eyewitness Nirvana: The Day-by-Day Chronicle, Carlton Books, 2000, p. 36; used with author’s permission.
CHAPTER 18: Incompatible Individuals
1 We just decided to drive straight home Carrie Borzillo, Eyewitness Nirvana: The Day-by-Day Chronicle, Carlton Books, 2000, p. 39; used with author’s permission.
CHAPTER 19: All About Kicks
1 We played another show in the West Krist Novoselic, “Twenty Years After the Wall,” SeattleWeekly.com, November 3, 2009.
CHAPTER 21: Raise Your Candle High
1 I loved Mother Love Bone Eric Weisbard with Jessica Letkemann, Ann Powers, Chris Norris, William Van Meter, and Will Hermes, “Ten Past Ten,” Spin.com, August 2001. Reprinted with permission from Spin magazine. All rights reserved.
2 We were crammed in a smallish living room Chris Cornell, “Essence of Dreams,” ChrisCornell.com blog, October 13, 2008.
CHAPTER 22: A Bright, Clear Sound
1 I was looking forward to being able to write BJ Shea, KISW interview with Chad Channing, November 3, 2009.
2 When we were auditioning [Jason] Mike Gitter, “Soundgarden: Behold, the Grunge Messiahs,” RIP, January 1992.
CHAPTER 23: Good Luck in Your Future Endeavors
1 The first phone call that I had with Kurt Foo Fighters, Skin and Bones DVD, CA, 2006.
2 This girl sits down and she plays Ibid.
CHAPTER 24: Sick of Crying
1 I was sitting around at a party with Pete Droge Jeff Gilbert, “Alive: Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready Says Goodbye to Drugs and Alcohol and Is a Better Man for It,” Guitar World, April 1995; © Jeff Gilbert.
2 I was going through a major identity crisis Eric Weisbard with Jessica Letkemann, Ann Powers, Chris Norris, William Van Meter, and Will Hermes, “Ten Past Ten,” Spin.com, August 2001. Reprinted with permission from Spin. All rights reserved.
3 Jack sent me three of their songs Jennifer Clay, “Pearl Jam: Life After Love Bone,” RIP, December 1991; used with author’s permission.
4 I’d never been in a situation where it clicks Weisbard et al., “Ten Past Ten.”
5 The minute we started rehearsing Ibid.
6 I never knew my real dad Cameron Crowe, “Five Against the World,” Rolling Stone, October 28, 1993.
7 I had written “Say Hello to Heaven” Weisbard et al., “Ten Past Ten.”
8 Within our own community, there was Charles R. Cross, “Chain Reaction,” Classic Rock, July 2006.
9 I was trying out the camp counselor thing Jonathan Bernstein, “Crowe’s Feat,”
10 Spin, September 1992.
11 Acting was really uncomfortable Phil West, “Insiders Wonder Whether Movie Will Change Seattle’s Music Scene,” The Seattle Times, September 17, 1992.
12 Recording Ten, we probably did “Even Flow” 30 times Weisbard et al., “Ten Past Ten.”
13 The first time I mentioned Pearl Jam [as a band name] Ibid.
CHAPTER 25: The Final Countdown
1 In August of 1990, I found myself laying on my stomach Comments during performance at Joe’s Pub, New York, December 15, 2010.
2 You open the cell door and boom Michael Azerrad, Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana, Main Street Books/Doubleday, 1993, p. 178.
3 “More low end!” Nathaniel Penn, “The Moment We Found Nirvana,” GQ, June 2011.
4 Originally we wanted L7 to be the cheerleaders Videos That Rocked the World, episode one, aired on Fuse, November 26, 2007.
5 I go, “Well, why don’t we have the cheerleaders” Ibid.
CHAPTER 26: Punk Breaks
1 In 1990, RIP magazine comes out David Peisner interview with Chris Cornell, 2010; © David Peisner.
2 [Axl] was always hidden somewhere having a personal crisis Austin Scaggs, “Q&A: Chris Cornell,” Rolling Stone, July 28, 2005.
3 February 1, 1992, was our last show with Soundgarden Slash with Anthony Bozza, Slash, It Books/HarperCollins, 2007, p. 347.
CHAPTER 27: On the Corner of Dopey and Goofy
1 Nirvana pulls off an astonishing palace coup Paul Grein, “Nirvana Achieves Chart Perfection,” Billboard, January 11, 1992.
2 I remember walking into their hotel room Michael Azerrad, “Territorial Pissings: The Battles Behind Nirvana’s New Album,” Musician, October 1993.
3 I remember after the New Year’s Eve 1991 show Eric Weisbard with Jessica Letkemann, Ann Powers, Chris Norris, William Van Meter, and Will Hermes, “Ten Past Ten,” Spin.com, August 2001. Reprinted with permission from Spin. All rights reserved.
4 In San Diego we were playing with Nirvana and the Chili Peppers Ibid.
CHAPTER 29: Bile Hog!
1 It made us feel like playing those huge shows Cameron Crowe, “Five Against the World,” Rolling Stone, October 28, 1
993.
2 We had to hide him in the dressing room Stevie Chick, “Where to Start with … Screaming Trees,” Kerrang!, December 10, 2005.
3 Just looking for attention, I guess Eric Weisbard with Jessica Letkemann, Ann Powers, Chris Norris, William Van Meter, and Will Hermes, “Ten Past Ten,” Spin.com, August 2001. Reprinted with permission from Spin. All rights reserved.
CHAPTER 30: The Emperor’s New Flannel
1 All subcultures speak in code Rick Marin, “Lexicon of Grunge: Breaking the Code,” The New York Times, November 15, 1992.
2 I wore shorts year round Eric Weisbard with Jessica Letkemann, Ann Powers, Chris Norris, William Van Meter, and Will Hermes, “Ten Past Ten,” Spin.com, August 2001. Reprinted with permission from Spin. All rights reserved.
3 We were fired from Perry Ellis Marc Jacobs talk, moderated by Patricia Mears, deputy director, The Museum at FIT, March 22, 2010; part of the Fashion Talks series presented by the French Institute Alliance Française.
4 Marc sent me and Kurt his Perry Ellis grunge collection Rachel Strugatz, “Courtney Love on Birkins and Sex,” WWD, July 21, 2010.
CHAPTER 32: Strange Love
1 The 20 words that shook the record business are found Steve Hochman, “POP MUSIC: The Ruckus over the Vanity Fair Profile,” Los Angeles Times, August 16, 1992; copyright © 1992, Los Angeles Times. Reprinted with permission.
2 In a statement by Love and Cobain Ibid.
3 What I wanted to do was drop my pants and pull it out Renée Crist, “The Magnificent 7,” Spin, July 1993.
4 [Reading] was a pretty strange experience Alan Light, “Foo Fighters’ Pilot Roosts with Vultures,” The New York Times, November 13, 2009.
5 Nirvana gets introduced, and we start playing our prank Krist Novoselic, “What Really Happened at the 1992 MTV Music Video Awards,” SeattleWeekly.com, November 18, 2008.