>Kurt Cobain kills himself after Nirvana becomes too big for him to handle >following Alice In Chains' rise to being one of the biggest rock bands on the planet, Layne Staley becomes a shut-in and spends 8 years isolated in his apartment, obliterating himself with drugs before finally dying >Soundgarden break up at their creative and commercial peak; they eventually reunite and release a couple of lukewarm albums before Chris Cornell kills himself as well >Pearl Jam freak out about being too popular and go on an autistic boycott against music videos and Ticketmaster, fucking up their career in the process
Why were grunge bands so shit at handling success?
Heroin, and being fucking losers who reached sudden fame in general.
Evan Barnes
This. They were all just a bunch of autistic junkies from Seattle who were thrown into the spotlight basically overnight.
Aaron Robinson
None of those people were equipped to deal with all the baggage that comes with being a massive pop culture phenomenon because nothing like grunge ever really happened in the US before. The UK had punk(thought none of the major punk bands ever got nearly as big as the likes of Pearl Jam and Nirvana were), the US had no similar cultural shift. All of these bands(aside from maybe Soundgarden) also got very big very quickly, which added further shock to the whole situation. One day you're playing in a sweaty, dingy punk club to 150 people, the next you're all over MTV and surrounded by hundreds of hangers-on and have your record label breathing down your neck about selling another million records and every music magazine wants you on their cover and your private life becomes a media spectacle. It's an insane situation to put a bunch of lower-class young people in.
There's also the fact that a lot of the major figures in the Seattle scene(Cobain and Staley probably being the most severe examples) were self-destructive and emotionally unstable from the get-go, and once you make a shitload of money and become adored by millions of people only to realize that none of that has given any sense of personal stability or fulfillment in your life and that in many ways you're more fucked up than you've ever been(which only further fuels the media myths and obsessions surrounding you), destroying yourself might seem like the only logical thing to do.
Mason James
Chris Cornell had the greatest voice in rock history or at least of our generation. He was also an amazing songwriter, extremely charismatic, charitable and sexy as fuck to boot. He had it all.
What an autistic junkie tho rite lmao
Nolan Foster
Similar to what other anons here said, the Grunge bands that got big just couldn't handle the success and shift of status almost overnight. The front men for Nirvana and AiC were already deeply broken indivisuals, which only made it worse when everything they did were being reported to news media. The tought of going from an almost garage band to a world wide sensation in 1 day is shocking even for me to imagine.
To this day I'm still fucking salty that Kurt blew his brains out. He was basically the figure head of the genre, after his death shit went downhill fast. I fucking miss the grunge...God damn...
Dominic Cruz
KURT COBAIN WAS MURDERED DUMBASS HOW STUPID ARE YOU
Jaxon Hughes
Pretty much this. The documentary "Hype!" actually covers it pretty well, as do a few books. None of the musicians in Seattle ever expected to be successful (except for Kurt and Andy Wood, who both worked to get huge), and it seriously messed with their heads when overnight success happened. All of a suddent these nobodys were supposed to be voices of a generation. Grunge was absolutely huge at the time. Record companies were signing everyone in Seattle that knew how to play and instrument and would put stickers that said "Seattle band" on records because they knew it would make them sell. That kind of attention really isn't good for the kinds of people who were in those bands.
He became an alcoholic as a teenager and spent years listening to Beatles records alone in a basement because he didn't want to interact with people. He also spent most of Soundgarden's career married to their manager, who was an abusive nutjob almost twice his age who skimmed profits and stole all of his guitars after they divorced. He might not have publicly been a mess, but the guy had lots of fucked up things going on in his life.
Hudson Young
Cornell was a shut-in basically through all his teenage years. No amount of talent will change your inner sperg. Nick Drake is regarded as one of the greatest (and most handsome) songwriters of all time yet he still died a virgin at 26.
Adrian Gray
>who skimmed profits and stole all of his guitars after they divorced. Didn't he get them back after fighting for them in court?
Liam Torres
>He was basically the figure head of the genre, Only in terms of MTV play. I guess most people that aren't from Seattle wouldn't know, but Nirvana wasn't actually very big within Seattle before Nevermind came out. The members of band didn't even live in the city until after that (Kurt always refused to work because he wanted to focus on music). They were fairly well-known, but not seen as key parts of the scene.
Soundgarden was the band that everyone looked up to and respected, along with whatever bands Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament, Mark Arm, and Andy Wood were in. Mark Lanegan was also pretty universally respected, as was Tad Doyle.
Julian Flores
Yes, after four years of lawsuits.
Ethan Perry
>but Nirvana wasn't actually very big within Seattle before Nevermind came out. Well yea, after that album they got a boost of popularity. I think I saw a documentory once that said that no one barely knew of Nirvana until Nevermind came on. It was a bubble that was just about ready to explode, but it needed "that band" to prick it. I think the record labels were expecting for Dinosaur Jr or Melvins to hit it huge? Instead Nirvana shot up.
Dylan Myers
>Record companies were signing everyone in Seattle that knew how to play and instrument and would put stickers that said "Seattle band" on records because they knew it would make them sell. That kind of attention really isn't good for the kinds of people who were in those bands.
A lot of people really have no idea of how absurd the hype around Seattle got by 1992-93. Bands would get huge record contracts and major features in magazines on the basis of putting out just one or two well-received singles on Sub Pop. The feeding frenzy was insane.
>Soundgarden was the band that everyone looked up to and respected, along with whatever bands Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament, Mark Arm, and Andy Wood were in. Mark Lanegan was also pretty universally respected, as was Tad Doyle.
Yeah, IIRC Nirvana was like the fifth band related to what would become known as the Seattle scene to actually score a major label contract. Screaming Trees, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains all had major label records out by the time Nevermind came out, and all of them ranged from being moderately successful to being highly successful.
William Clark
They, like myself, were social outcasts, burnouts, losers, nobody's. They didn't seem to fit in anywhere. But they developed or worked on a talent that once heard, gave them attention and granted them the key to success. However, they were not really attention seekers. They didn't WANT to be adored by millions of people. They didn't care to be popular in high school and that stayed with them in their time of fame. Maybe they didn't exactly want to be alone, maybe they just wanted to be noticed by someone. But, that isn't what they got. They got magazines and reporters coming after them, trying to dig up dirt on them and say "he's doing this. He's a bad guy." Or "Courtney Love was shooting up while pregnant with their daughter and Kurt doesn't care because he's probably doing it with her. No good junkies is all they are." So in the media, they are constantly being ridiculed and horribly taunted. Celebrity also can make family and friends jealous and bitter toward you, causing some or most to fall away as a result of their overwhelming envy over your success. So really they become more alone than ever. And that's the thing man. They were already outcasts, their celebrity only serves to magnify the effect.
Anthony Campbell
Yes, he was. And from the evidence, Chris Cornell was too. In the 911 call you can clearly hear the officer or whoever it was say, "there's trauma to the back of the head"
Jonathan Lewis
Layne Stale lived a lot longer than most people expected him to desu. The guy was skin and bones by 1996.
metal music videos sure love that flash of white effect
Zachary Kelly
I'm conflicted with the conspiracy. When you look at some videos, you can clearly see Kurt was troubled, and full on crazy. But then you see other videos where he's genuinely happy and even talks about visiting his grama to go fishing(weeks before his """"suicide"""). Add in the stuff that just doesn't make sense like Courtney acting cold towards the whole situation and the fact that Kurt was going to rework his will and divorce her, I just don't know what to think anymore. Was Kurt just playing an act when he did those crazy things in concerts? Did Courtney really hire a professional hitman to kill Kurt and inherit everything....
Xavier Perez
>full on crazy which videos
Charles Williams
>genuinely happy and even talks about visiting his grama to go fishing(weeks before his """"suicide"""). People with depression aren't sad, crying zombies all the time.
Ethan Clark
This. Depressed people are fantastic actors. Sometimes you won't even know they're depressed until they're found hanging.
Austin Russell
>Cornell was a shut-in basically through all his teenage years. So what you're saying is he's /ourguy/?
>following Alice In Chains' rise to being one of the biggest rock bands on the planet, Layne Staley becomes a shut-in and spends 8 years isolated in his apartment, obliterating himself with drugs before finally dying
It doesn't matter Jerry Cantrell still alive Checkmate
I think some of this is just his own brand of goofiness combined with a weird reaction to fame, seeing what he could get away with on stage
Aiden Harris
Isn't there also a rumour that the guy from Smashing Pumpkins was hitting off with Courtney, even to this day? I've heard that before Frances had her nose surgury to "look like her dad", she looked similar to Billy. This is almost like a fucking rabbit hole...
Oliver Young
Good read, friend. Thanks. And yes it is me
Jeremiah Cook
Wow I've literally seen this thread yesterday hmmmm
Eli King
>user doesn't get grunge music They make that music not to kill themselves.
Thomas Bell
I've got Bleach, Nevermind, In Utero and Incesticide on my iPod. I've also got 8-Way Santa by Tad. Dirt, Facelift, Alice in Chains (self titled), and Jar of Flies. I've got Inside Yours and Push by Gruntruck. And Rehab Doll/Dry as a Bone by Green River (fronted by Mark Arm of Mudhoney). Don't have Soundgarden although I dig them. Only have CORE by Stone Temple Pilots as of now. My little brother has Above by Mad Season which I want but haven't purchased yet. And I dig some Temple of the Dog. Other stuff too but this post is long enough for my taste.
Jackson Cox
go back to your everyday fantano or k-pop threads you fucking asshole
Mason Thompson
...
Ian Sanchez
;_;
Asher Taylor
bump
Carson Hughes
Courtney killed Kurt though.
Jaxson Phillips
Layne was a good person. Its sad that he never gained control of himself. Through middle school, I grew up as a huge Alice in Chains fan. I use their music and his history to keep me on track and away from the drugs that took control of my life for so many years. If he knew how many people he has helped, he'd be happy.
Benjamin Moore
>Layne was a good person. Its sad that he never gained control of himself. To me, the saddest thing about Layne's last few yeas was that people constantly tried to reach out to him. From what I've heard, everyone really liked him, and would try to check in because they were worried. But he was so out of it, he only ever let drug dealers and other junkies into his place. It's pretty heartbreaking to think about.
Jordan Hall
It is. And the only time he ever left the house was to get groceries. Thats how the rest of the band got hold of him so they could record their last 2 songs together. I heard that in his last few years, he'd recorded some demos by himself that were discovered in his cd player. They've never been released, though.
Nathaniel King
(Same guy that posted quote here) He is my greatest vocal inspiration. And I am an alcoholic. When I drink, I drink hard and heavy. His lyrics, teamed with the emotional heaviness of his vocals and the raw power of their music really hits home with me. I can relate to his struggle with addiction on a personal level as you can. That's something that resonates with you for sure. I've never shot up (although I was going to), but I've been through pills, coke, and I'm still an alcoholic. Alice in Chains, Mad Season, those are my tunes man.
Nicholas Scott
Why would you pretend to be me? Thats pretty lame.
Adam Allen
my bad. I misread your post.
Jacob Taylor
>This thread again Anyone got best of the 90s Sup Forums chart for OP? because it looks like he thinks the 90s === grunge and boy bands
Jonathan Davis
Same guy from these last 2 posts. The farthest I've ever gone with drugs is with weed, but man its been 10 years and I think I've finally kicked it. People say you can't get addicted to it, but when you end up digging through the trash to find your piece I'd say otherwise. In middle school, I was taking medicine for my ADHD and that resulted in mood swings, depression, and thoughts of suicide. Their music definitely helped me through that and they bullying.
Jack Cox
*the
Parker Sullivan
Yeah, you're funny user. Besides, the proof
Jason Gutierrez
Soundgarden released one studio album (King Animal, and it was great imo) and that compilation Telephantasm a few years before that.
And Scott Weiland from STP died a few years ago as well. Real shame
Mason Gomez
You are an absolute moron if you think he had the greatest voice in rock history.
Luis Thompson
Cornell's vocals on Black Rain are out of this fucking world.
Liam Kelly
STP was the only worthwhile grunge band for fuck's sake
Zachary Kelly
they're actually on the bottom tier of all the big ones though
