Punk rock changed my life. Punk rock has also changed the lives of many but rarely do you ever hear about a single person that helped to alter a whole music scene and change music itself.
Last week I found myself in Seattle, Washington. During my visit, I had the pleasure to visit one of the best museums I have seen. This place is called the EMP Museum which stands for Experience Music Project.
One exhibit featuring the life of Nirvana, specifically Kurt Cobain, felt the most significant. In the exhibit, there were artifacts such as guitars (or pieces of ones), records and rough drafts of ideas for album covers. There were even cardigans that Cobain used to wear. There were books on the punk/grunge scene and documentaries playing that talked about Cobain’s life and the music scene in Seattle in the 1990s. One wall had a map of the Northwest that showed different cities and famous bands from each of these places, including Nirvana, Heavens to Betsy, Death Cab for Cutie, Bikini Kill and more. This map had music from each band to show how all the bands in the area at the time came together to build a music scene that was so tightly woven.
The punk scene was always underground because it came from a Do-It-Yourself and underground culture. That is why the rise in popularity of Nirvana always surprises me.
The most interesting thing that I can tell you about learning more about Nirvana was how it evolved from nothing to the biggest explosion of original music that nobody has been able to replicate since. That is a big deal. Cobain didn’t enjoy being famous. That is not why he made his music and that is what separated him from the masses. The sound was different than what most people had heard, but at the same time, so very relatable, especially to rebellious teenagers or outsiders.
Nirvana was all about writing and playing music. The most bizarre part was how the band had such a presence in the underground scene but the kids that loved mainstream turned their attention to this small band and that is what changed everything. At the EMP museum, I read a quote by Megan Jasper of Sub Pop Records that said “When you love something so much, you talk about it, you can't contain it. If you find something that you think is the greatest thing in the world, what teenager is quiet? There are none.”
All of this could have just been a coincidence. As quoted at the exhibit, it could have just been that “Nirvana was the right thing at the right time, with flawless songwriting and strong melodies and vocals. The culture was ready for it at the exact moment,” said Jack Endino, a record producer. But Nirvana was revolutionary and that is why it took like fire despite the damned Seattle climate.
There is so much to learn about how Nirvana not only changed lives but changed music forever in the Nineties. The death of Cobain in 1994 made the band almost untouchable because of the amount of greatness they produced — and the amount of greatness they could never produce again.
