Grunge Is Dead' Author Compares Kurt Cobain To John Lennon, Johnny Rotten
Omega's Apple recently published an exclusive email interview with Classic Rock journalist Greg Prato, conducted by Robert Gray. Topics of discussion included his book "Grunge Is Dead", as well as his other books, namely "A Devil On One Shoulder And An Angel On The Other: The Story Of Shannon Hoon And Blind Melon", "Touched By Magic: The Tommy Bolin Story", and "No Schlock... Just Rock". Several excerpts from the interview follow:
Omega's Apple: "Grunge Is Dead" was inspired by a Soundgarden article for Classic Rock magazine. What about the article prompted you to take the subject further with a book on grunge, and from there, how did the book develop?
Greg Prato: For most of the feature articles I do for Classic Rock, a lot of time / research goes into it. Being a long-time fan of Soundgarden and other grunge bands, I always wondered why there was not a comprehensive and well put-together book that chronicled the Seattle rock music scene from beginning to the modern day. So I figured I had a pretty good head start to do a book, and took the plunge.
Grunge is often accredited as being the main reason heavy metal experienced a low point in the early to mid nineties. Would you say this was because a lot of heavy metal bands had a somewhat dated sound and image by this time, or would you say this was because the media shifted its focus to grunge?
I would say it occurred because the vast majority of metal bands simply sucked by the early-mid nineties. But to say metal died at that time is incorrect, as bands such as Tool, Pantera, and Korn prospered, and Metallica and Slayer continued merrily on their path. And quite a few people would consider Alice In Chains and Soundgarden heavy metal, anyway. Also, another one of my fave all-time bands, Faith No More, released what I consider to be their best albums in the early to mid nineties. As far as grunge killing glam / hair metal… thank god!
Obviously, the scene’s best known group is Nirvana. Do you feel the group are as great as modern day critics suggest, or has Kurt Cobain’s death clouded their judgment somewhat?
No, Nirvana was indeed the real deal and one of my fave all-time bands. I’d put Mr. Cobain up there with the John Lennon’s and Johnny Rotten’s of the world – meaning that you don’t often see a major rock artist with the cajones to openly and freely speak their mind on a variety of topics. Musically, I’d put Nirvana up there with just about any rock band – there’s simply no comparison between Nirvana and most of today’s popular rock bands. Apples and oranges…
And finally, what is grunge's lasting influence upon the world of music?
I’d say it shows that a musical movement can come out of nowhere and change / influence the world in more ways than just music (politics, fashion, etc.). Grunge also showed that anyone could pick up a guitar, go on stage, and as long as you weren’t afraid to speak your mind and put your own original spin on it, you were a-ok. I also love the sound of a real band playing together live in a room – no ProTools, no drum machines, no click tracks, etc. Music today has reverted back to the dreary eighties – everyone sounding the same, no originality. Please somebody, come and save rock n’ roll!!!
