You can\u2019t truly understand the last decade of the 20th century without a look at the muddy, electrifying rock music that would come to define it: grunge. For such a short-lived genre\u2014at least in the mainstream\u2014grunge had a lasting impact on American music and culture. It also provides a unique lens through which to examine the post-Reagan, pre-internet America of the 1990s.<\/p>\n
In the six lectures of\u00a0The Story of Grunge<\/i>, you\u2019ll explore the rise and evolution of the genre, tracing it from Seattle subculture to MTV and the Billboard charts, all the way to its decline and evolution into new forms. Along the way, you\u2019ll meet the pioneers of grunge and see how they, and their music, continue to influence popular culture today.<\/p>\n
While the emergence of Nirvana in the early 90s marked grunge\u2019s ascendency, you\u2019ll begin at an earlier point in the story, exploring the birth of the genre\u2019s unique look and sound from within the wider punk scene in the Pacific Northwest. From there, you\u2019ll see how grunge was a vehicle for politics and social consciousness in music, including feminism and the Riot Grrrl movement. And you\u2019ll also understand why the rapid rise of grunge was not quite the authentic, organic process it might seem, but rather the result of marketing savvy and cynical commercialism.<\/p>\n
The death of Nirvana\u2019s lead singer and grunge icon Kurt Cobain in 1993\u2014combined with increasing oversaturation and commercialization of the genre\u2014certainly diminished the creative energy that spurred the rise of grunge. And yet, as you\u2019ll see, the music, style, and anti-corporate philosophy of grunge has had a deep and lasting impact that continues to resonate well into the 21st century.<\/p>\n