Grunge Is Dead

by Greg Prato

  SUSAN SILVER: [Alice in Chains] filmed the show [at the Moore Theatre in December 1990], and that was the show that this new band opened for them. Everyone was still reeling from Andy’s death — it had been nine months, but it was such a shock. They hadn’t really played out yet. The band came on, and Chris carried Eddie onto the stage — he was on his shoulders or something. It was another one of those super powerful moments, where it was a big healing for everybody. He came out as this guy who had all the credibility in the world — in terms of people in Seattle — and Malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone were loved bands. Andy was such an endearing personality. It’s a hard thing to do — to show up after people die. And Chris bringing Eddie out, and pointing at him, as much to say, “This is your guy now.”

  JIM SORENSON: [Eddie] was nowhere near as over-the-top as Andy had been. He was much more intense.

  REGAN HAGAR: Andy was a coliseum-big-arena-rock-guy, Mark Arm was an Iggy Pop–small-club-guy. Vedder came in, and it was like, “Wow, they got another ‘Iggy guy.’” Because he was flailing around, breaking shit, climbing on stuff — it’s exciting when you’re in a little place and somebody’s going ape shit. So I enjoyed the energy Pearl Jam created since day one. There wasn’t a build there — they put him in place, came out with a show that was on fire right away.

  SCOTTY CRANE: When I did see those early Pearl Jam shows, I was blown away by Eddie Vedder. I was blown away by his stage presence. Eddie was a wild animal onstage — insane. He was fearless. It was like, “He’s going to die!” The way he was jumping off huge things and throwing himself into the audience like a madman.

  GRANT ALDEN: The next time I saw Eddie, he was at rkcndy scaring the hell out of Epic executives, because he’d gone hand-over-hand up into the lighting rig, two stories up, with nothing but concrete underneath him. I remember seeing that show and thinking, “Boy, these are nice guys … it’s too late, they’re never going to happen.” Wrong again.

  JEFF AMENT: [Alice in Chains] were kind enough — they took us down the West Coast. We probably played about ten shows opening for them. That was huge at that point.

  RIKI RACHTMAN: Alice in Chains played the Cathouse [and] brought Pearl Jam. They’re like, “Can we let our friends open up? They’re from Seattle too.” Eddie Vedder was all over the place. I think he hit the microphones hanging from the ceiling — he might have broken some of those. He was climbing all over.

  KIM THAYIL: There were a lot of strong hooks. When I first heard Pearl Jam, I saw them live. As much as I loved Andy and his stage presence, Eddie’s voice and some of the melodies he was singing actually sent shivers up my spine. That’s not an experience that I would have with any degree of regularity. It was his voice and the way he presented it. I thought, “There’s something there too.”

  JEFF GILBERT: There wasn’t anything loose or jammy about them. The songs had real solid structure. Very meticulously arranged. Choruses even [laughs]. These were actual songs you could hear on the radio.

  ART CHANTRY: Pearl Jam was never considered really “a Seattle band” — they were “an industry product band.” Nobody really respected Pearl Jam as a band. They liked the individuals and they were all their friends, but they were never really respected. Whereas Mudhoney was the real thing — they were like fucking Iggy Pop — beating their heads and doing all these crazy things. Really making an impact.

  CHRIS PUGH: With Pearl Jam, pretty good songs — for me, it’s mostly about Ed’s singing. It’s not that the rest of them aren’t good players and song-writers, but his voice really carries that band. It’s such a distinctive sound to it — passionate, provocative. And their live shows were really good too. They’re rock stars, and they were from the get-go. It’s not like they developed into them, they just had a lot of those necessary elements.

  STEVE TURNER: I remember thinking it was a lot better than Mother Love Bone. I was excited to see them doing stuff.

  EDDIE VEDDER: At this point, I’m done working at the gas station, I’m living in Seattle, and I think we’re getting 700 bucks a month. I’m not really paying rent because I’m living in the basement of the little art gallery/artist space we were renting for practice. And every couple of days I’d go shower at Kelly Curtis’s house, or sleep in his basement. I didn’t have a lot of money saved, but I remember getting a certain amount of money for giving Matt Dillon guitar lessons [for the movie Singles]. So I did that, and they gave me a nice check — at least 500 bucks. And then I got another call, and they said, “We need you to come down right now — there’s 500 bucks in it for you.” So I ran downtown, and they took Polaroids of my head — kind of mug shots, from the back as well — then they cut a big chunk of my hair out. I think I might have gotten 1,000 bucks for that. Then they made a wig for Matt Dillon. I think I also bought a twelve-string Rickenbacker, because a couple of the other guys were getting some guitars and amps for recording, and what did I need, a mic? It was on sale for 600 bucks. I thought that that was going to be what I got from making the record. The guitar that Ten got me. We had no idea it was going to be anything different.

  JEFF AMENT: After the process we went through with Mother Love Bone, I didn’t want to do that ever again. We decided we were going to spend a lot less money making Ten — we probably spent about half as much money as we did the Mother Love Bone record. We rehearsed really hard and recorded at a local studio [London Bridge] with Rick Parashar. Part of the compromise with Michael Goldstone at [Epic] was he wanted somebody to professionally mix it — we probably spent as much time in London, England, with Tim Palmer mixing, as we did making the record.

  EDDIE VEDDER: If I remember right, our drummer at the time, Dave Krusen, I think [when] we recorded some of the songs, like “Even Flow,” his wife or girlfriend was having a baby. We played the song, like, 120 times, because of the tempo. All I remember was singing it, thinking each take was going to be the one that ended up on the record. Trying to really sing it with everything I had. And not realizing that I would do the vocals later. I remember losing my [voice] a lot in the early days, because I was going for it at all times — thinking, “This could be the take.”

  JONATHAN PLUM: I did hear that Eddie was living on the couch [of the recording studio] for a while, when they were making the record.

  CATHY FAULKNER: They were recording Ten — one of our former disc jockeys was down there when they were mixing, and I went to give him a ride home. Got to listen to some initial tracks. The first time I heard them and really thought, “Oh my God,” was in the studio. Instantly, I knew they were the real deal. They were raw, passionate, and there was a certain reckless abandon that Eddie had onstage that I hadn’t seen a lead singer have in years. It was not only refreshing — it was infectious.

  Pearl Jam’s Jeff Ament and Eddie Vedder in Melkweg, Amsterdam, February 12, 1992

  EDDIE VEDDER: Our record is getting mixed, and now it’s getting ready to be put out. It was like, “What’s the goal here?” There was the magic number of 40,000 — for some reason I remember that. “If you can sell 40,000, they’ll let you make another one.” I don’t know if that was true or not — that was what we were being told. Then we made our “Alive” video and did a couple of things. It seemed like we were getting opportunities. You could start to feel the pot simmering.

  CATHY FAULKNER: When they recorded the “Alive” video at rkcndy, it was 120 degrees inside, but there wasn’t a person you could talk into going outside and getting fresh air. They didn’t want to turn it into “a Hollywood video shoot,” so they just played it twice — at the beginning of the set and at the end. Whatever they got, they got.

  EDDIE VEDDER: I think with the advent of MTV and us putting stage diving in “Alive,” [it] was regretful, because then it was like training videos for how to jump in the crowd — like that was the mode of expression. It wasn’t the same version that was happening at early Social D or X shows. It got to be a distorted MTV version, and now it was like every frat boy buying a pair of spikes from the cor
ner novelty shop, putting spikes on their big white gym shoes, and doing it. And guys that were way too big to have any business landing on people. It got out of control real quick.

  SEAN KINNEY: It was really amazing to hear that record before it came out. Just knowing it’s going to be huge.

  PETE DROGE: We did a show with them at the Off Ramp — it was after their album was out, or right before it was going to come out. They did an unannounced show, and they were fucking so loud. At that point, they’d been playing bigger places, and they were really firing on all cylinders. I remember having the impression, “These guys are loaded for bear.” Not only from the band really playing well together, but all the buzz and energy surrounding their ascent — success-wise and on an international scale. There was so much anticipation and titillation around that. I remember sitting there and watching them from the side of the stage — really super powerful. They sounded like a great rock band.

  KRISHA AUGEROT: Dave Krusen was out early — he was out before they even went on tour. Matt Chamberlain played for a while — he came from the Saturday Night Live band. He was a little more like, “I need to be taken care of.” It was more of a side project for him — even though they really liked him a lot and he was a great drummer. So they started auditioning drummers, and I could not believe when they hired Dave Abbruzzese. It didn’t make any sense at all. I remember seeing him in the lobby of our office, and walking back to my house, going, “Who is that dude?” He was wearing a matching running suit and really long hair. He’s a rocker from Texas. I’m like, “Is he that good? Because he doesn’t fit in the band.”

  KIM THAYIL: The record came out — it was great to hear a lot of the songs, because there were so many great hooks that Stone came up with. And of course, “Jeremy,” which was Jeff ’s riff. Initially when I heard the record, it didn’t seem to have the immediacy of their performance live. They remixed a lot of the singles, and it had a better sound. If you listen to the radio or MTV mixes of those songs, they seem to be a lot better sounding than the record. Ten benefited ultimately from good singles mixes.

  DUFF McKAGAN: That record was killer. It was more in line with what I was into — anything that wasn’t fucking Whitesnake or White Lion.

  CHARLES PETERSON: At the time, I really did not like the first Pearl Jam record, which is funny, because a couple of years back, I started listening to it again, and I was like, “Some of this stuff is pretty good.” Part of it is your mindset at that age, being oversaturated with stuff — I always was more into being on the cutting edge of things. That said, back in those days, the few times I did see Pearl Jam play, I was totally blown away. It’s that when I was home, I didn’t reach for “Jeremy” to put on the turntable. Superfuzz Bigmuff spoke to me more than Ten.

  ROBERT ROTH: I don’t want to sound snobby, but I was a snob at the time, so why not — it wasn’t punk rock, it wasn’t underground, it wasn’t rebellious to me. I saw it as being very mainstream. Now had I been living in the Midwest and was bored with everything on MTV, and didn’t realize there was all this other cool stuff going on, maybe I would have been charged by it too. I mean, they imported their singer from San Diego, they had auditions. It just seemed like a weird kind of way to go about it. It wasn’t quite the organic, “from the streets” thing that the other bands were.

  EDDIE VEDDER: We had two options that were being looked into. One was a European tour with the Cult, or this tour [in] support of the latest Chili Peppers record [1991’s Blood Sugar Sex Magik], and do the States with them and the Smashing Pumpkins. We were lucky, because the Peppers allowed us that option, and we were able to go on tour with them, instead of the Cult. And the one thing at the time too — I didn’t know if I would ever get to see Europe. So it wasn’t as much the Cult, it was, “Am I passing up my only chance to go to Europe in my life?” But if it wasn’t for that Chili Peppers tour … that really helped us reach a crowd.

  MARK ARM: We met with an a&r guy who said, “This Nirvana record is doing well now, but the one that’s really going to blow up is the Pearl Jam record.” We thought he was nuts because we’d heard the record once, and nothing jumped out to us the way that “Smells Like Teen Spirit” or “In Bloom” did. Lo and behold, he was right.

  EDDIE VEDDER: A lot of what Seattle was — “Don’t try.” That’s what’s on Bukowski’s gravestone, “Don’t try.” So, the first time I didn’t try, everything just opened right up and said, “Come on in.”

  CHAPTER 19

  “A ‘testosterone period’”: Alice in Chains, Soundgarden

  The first grunge album to hit big was Alice in Chains’ debut, Facelift, while Soundgarden broke through with their second major label album, Badmotorfinger. But each band reacted differently to its initial success.

  DAVE DEDERER: [Alice in Chains] was the best of all those bands. Just the songs. They had the most distinctive sound — in terms of taking it in a new direction. Jerry and Layne’s harmonies. Jerry’s probably the best guitarist from that whole era by miles.

  KRISHA AUGEROT: Jerry is super loyal — very talented musician. He was responsible for ninety percent of those songs. I remember him playing me eight-track versions of all the songs on [1990’s] Facelift. They were exactly the same — it wasn’t like they went in the studio and rewrote anything. It was those really catchy riffs — really impressive. With Layne singing, it was just an amazing band.

  SUSAN SILVER: They’d lived a pretty crazy rock ’n’ roll life, so they were ready to buckle down and start working hard. The only one that was difficult to manage was the original bass player — he had that notion that if you sign a major record deal, you can go and spend a lot of money. The rest of the guys were really great about being money conscious and realizing that the money you get is your money, and the way you spend it is going to be how much you have at the end. Dave Jerden produced that record — he was no help in terms of having them be money conscious. He would say, “Just go to the music store and get it. Tell them to put it on your bill.” We had a few rounds. They made it in L.A.

  YANNI “JOHNNY” BACOLAS: With regard to their success, I think that [Layne] was happy. He was similar to me — he wanted to make Mom proud, and show everyone what he’s accomplished. “Look at me, I’m not a bum.” Because he had lived in cars for a long time — doing odd jobs before they got signed — and I think he got a lot of judgment from his parents. Then all of a sudden, he gets a deal with Columbia Records. He had a different vibe about him.

  SEAN KINNEY: I played [Alice’s debut, Facelift] with a broken hand — I broke my hand right before. I almost didn’t play on the record — they started rehearsing with the drummer from Mother Love Bone, Greg Gilmore. I was sitting there playing with one hand, guiding him through it. Dave Jerden came in and they started to try to do it. He was like, “Screw it — pull the plug. This is not going to be the same.” Luckily, we took a tiny bit of time off. I had that cast on for a while, and was like, “I can’t miss this.” I cut my cast off in the studio and kept a bucket of ice by the drum set. Kept my hand iced down and played with a broken hand. I tried not to do that again — your first big break, and you fuck it up.

  NANCY LAYNE McCALLUM: Layne called me one day after he’d given me Facelift and said, “So, what do you think about the tape?” And I said, “I think there’s a sleeper on that album” — a song that was going to creep up on people. “It’s called ‘Man in the Box.’” And he said, “Mom, I wrote that song.” I said, “Layne, it’s so beautiful.” But I didn’t know he was the man in the box. I’m sure he just kept wanting me to get it.

  KRISHA AUGEROT: Alice in Chains — I hung out with that scene in particular one summer. I don’t remember exactly what year it was, but I was dating Jerry off and on, and hanging out with Demri [Layne Staley’s girlfriend]. We’d all go to the beach every day during that summer at Magnuson Park, hang out, then have a barbeque at a friend’s house. It was this constant party for the summer. It was a very free, loving time. I remember when they got their
first tour bus. Alice in Chains played a show [at the Vogue]. Waiting outside when they got done was this big tour bus that had a Corvette or some cheesy thing airbrushed on the side. It was probably one of the cheapest buses they could get, because it was so dated. But they were so psyched — everyone got on the bus. They were ready to take off and be rock stars.

  Alice in Chains (L-R: Mike Starr, Layne Staley, Jerry Cantrell, Sean Kinney)

  JERRY CANTRELL: We were a great live band. We had a lot of energy — Layne was an amazing front man. Me, Mike, and Sean were like Tasmanian devils — headbanging, spinning all over the fucking place. Out of all the bands, I always admired our ability to not only play the stuff well, but to bring a show — and to get that energy to translate on a stage. At the same time, we had a “fuck it” attitude. If we got a gig that nobody else would take — like, Soundgarden’s not going to go open for Poison in the Seattle Center Arena. But we would. We’ll go play with anybody — that was our vibe. I don’t care what style of music it is — we’ve got a gig to play in front of people, we’re there. We opened up for Helix, Poison, Warrant — stuff that was on its way out, and also something that we had grown past.

  MIKE INEZ: The first time I saw Alice in Chains, they were opening up in an empty Long Beach Arena — it was one of those KNAC radio shows with a hundred bands. I happened to be walking through the arena, looked up, and saw Alice in Chains. I was like, “This band is amazing.” I couldn’t take my eyes off of Layne — he was such a compelling front man.

  JERRY CANTRELL: Again, starting out with a real lame tour for us — opening up for Extreme for thirty days. Jesus Christ. A couple of the guys were cool, but there were others that had egos. At the end of that thirty days, we had enough. We had been playing to empty rooms too — they didn’t have their “More Than Words” hit yet. We’d gotten attitude about what we could do, what we couldn’t do on their stage. I remember there was no drinking or smoking onstage, because the singer did his set barefoot. So we drank, spilled shit all over the place, smoked. We were like, “What are you going to do, kick us off the tour? It’s the last gig!” And Mike Starr would get a case of the nerves and puke. I think he had some beers in him, so he turned around and puked all over the drum set. That was our last gig with Extreme, and we went to Iggy Pop — so that was a nice step up.