About Flagpole. (Athens, Ga.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (July 20, 2011)
STUPID AND CONTAGIOUS The first time Krist Novoselic heard Kurt Cobain play the opening riff of "Smells Like Teen Spirit," he thought it sounded "ridicu lous." And it does. It's a garage-band lick, the kind of thing a teenager plays with when he or she first discovers how to make barre chords, like "Smoke on the Water" or "You Really Got Me." It's simple and tinny and, well, ridiculous—that is, until Dave Grohl's menacing drums come in like anti-aircraft fire, Cobain stomps his fuzzbox, and suddenly you're wondering how you're going to get all the melty face-goo out of your vintage Stiff Little Fingers tee. It's hard to believe that "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and Nirvana's Nevermind album will be 20 years old this autumn. I'm not one to perpetuate the Cobain myth—Nirvana made only a handful of albums, of uneven quality; Kurt was a decent songwriter but certainly not "the voice of his generation"; and I believe that his death was pointless and stupid and that Courtney had nothing to do with it—but, considered in a vacuum, Nevermind is a near perfect album, both as a showcase of a band at the height of its powers and as a reflection of its time: the doldrums of the early '90s, the hangover from too much MTV gloss, bad hair-metal and de-fanged punk. Here Cobain's songs glide across the spectrum from incho ate rage to mind-numbing ennui, capturing all the shades of grey in between, like the sky over Seattle. Among Nirvana's contemporaries, Pearl Jam was more successful, Mudhoney was probably better, and Soundgarden was, well, Soundgarden, but for good or ill they all lived and breathed under the shadow of Nevermind. As we in Coolsville, GA know well, a break ing music scene is like a zit. You never know when or where it will appear, but after years of subterranean scene-building, you wake up one morning and it's there, huge and angry and impossible to ignore. It hangs around for awhile, the new big thing attracting attention from all over... and then suddenly it pops. Sometimes it leaves a scar to remind you it was there, sometimes not, but you'll never replicate it in the same place again. As it was with Athens, so it was with Seattle. Once known in the music world as the backwater that spit out The Kingsmen ("Louie, Louie") and gave birth to Jimi Hendrix, but little else, the Pacific Northwest had little- known yet thriving punk and metal scenes and a ready crowd of bored and restless kids clamoring for noise. As musicians from both scenes began to cross-pollinate into a hard but melodic sound that lazy A&R flacks would eventually label "grunge," Bruce Pavitt's Sub Pop magazine and subsequent record label began to gather and promote these emerging bands relentlessly. The right promotion of the right sound at the right time propelled the Pacific Northwest scene into the forefront of American rock music and filled the post-'80s radio void with its larger-than-life presence. Seattle's Experience Music Project (EMP) is a museum—in a Frank Gehry-designed build ing-devoted to preserving and displaying the artifacts of the Seattle/Northwest music scene and compiling an extensive oral history of the music and the times. The fruits of EMP's labors have been gathered in a new book, curated by Jacob McMurray, called Taking Punk to the Masses: From Nowhere to Nevermind (Fantagraphics Books, 2011). It's a dense tome, timed to coincide with the 20th anni versary of Nevermind, packed with beautiful photos of EMP's vast collection of instruments, posters and flyers and assorted rock and punk memorabilia, with commentary and excerpts from the oral history project, featuring testimonials from people like Greg Ginn and J Mascis and Grant Hart and Novoselic, on facing pages. The effect is that of taking a guided tour through the museum, exhibit by exhibit, with headphones on. My favorite photos are those taken from live shows, though the pictures of vari ous donated guitars trip my trigger as well. The collection of show flyers featured here runs the gamut between crude line drawings ar \ cut-and-paste jobs and the beautiful work of artists like Ed Fotheringham that stand as sophisticated pieces in their own right. There's an awful lot to look at here, and the book stands up to repeated readings. Included with the book is a companion DVD that provides more views and allows one to hear the recordings excerpted in the book. What is also interesting here is what's not included with the book: Courtney Love. Though the history and artifacts of Nirvana are explored in loving detail, and though the band Hole, despite not being a Seattle band, is nonetheless represented by testimony from bassist Melissa Auf der Mar, there is not a single image, reference or mention of Love to be found in the book. It's a glaring and obvi ous omission, and Love's absence is conspicu ous. The reader can decide whether or not this is a plus. Taking Punk to the Masses is a definite keeper for anyone who loves the bands of the Pacific Northwest or the history of rock in America. It may also be a useful reference for those who'll be rebuilding the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in the coming years. We Coolsville-ites can learn a lot from each other. John G. Nettles Friday, July 29 • 6:30-9:30p.m All Skill Levels Welcome! An original painting for you, a donation for them! A portion of the proceeds benefit the • Rebuild Georgia Theatre Fund www.pintsandpaints.com The leathers Building 675 Pulaski Si. COOL'PLACES TO SIT AND SLEEP BEAN BAGS • FUTONS * MATTRESSES PLATFORM BEDS • KIDS* LOFTS BUNKBEDS • WATERBEDS UGA Decor & More Open 6 Days 10-7 • 706.543.4323 Across from Georgia Square Mall southernwaterbeds.com • ■ J Canine Cocktail Hour 5-7p on The Madison Patio Pe/friendly with $3 Salty-Dogs & Greyhounds Live After Five 6-8p on The Madison Patio Featuring live music by Matthew Michaei Anderson and Dusty Woodruff Local Libations The Madison Bar & Bistro Enjoy our signature cocktails for only $5 500 College Avenue | 706 546 0430 | mdigoathens.com twitter.com/mdigoathens | facebook.com/mdigoathens ATHENS SUNDAY BEACH BRUNCH OMELETS • FRENCH TOAST CRABSCINO SANDWICH SALMON HASH & MORE ! Mon 4pm until • Tue-Sun 11:30am-Until • Plenty of Parking 1080 Baxter St. • 706-850-5858 WT4 www.gnatslanding.net Call us for vour catering needs! GNATS LANDING Be*9ch Gaawl Thursday, July 21 • 6-7:30 pm Join Andy and Bob for their OWNERS' OYSTER ROAST FTee Roasted Oysters Live Music! JULY 20, 2011 FLAGPOLE.COM 7
