Do you know grunge?
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history of grunge generation X Kurt Cobain
the king of fashion fashion trends
do you know what are you wearing?
Debora Ferrara Design for the fashion system Politecnico di Milano
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Grunge is a word that became synonymous with the Seattle sound. It’s a word that was used to describe a number of different “alternative” bands from the region in 1980s, and then also into the 1990s with bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Mudhoney and Screaming Trees. The first noted instance of referring to a Seattle band as “grunge,” was in a 1981 letter by Mark Arm, according to Clark Humphrey in his account of the Seattle music scene, Loser. Bruce Pavitt later claimed to have popularized the term as a musical label in 1987, when he wrote some promotional copy for Green River, describing the band as “ultra-loose grunge that destroyed the morals of a generation”. In the late 80s, “grunge” did actually define a sound – high levels of distortion, feedback, fuzz effects, a fusion of punk and metal influences. Many of these bands were on either the C/Z or Sub Pop record labels. Jack Endino, the so-called “Godfather of Grunge” recorded Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Green River, Nirvana and Blood Circus between 1984 and 1989. But, by 1990, “grunge,” as a synonym for loud, heavy music, had peaked.
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Bands like Green River, the U-Men, Cat Butt, Feast and Blood Circus had broken up; Mudhoney and Soundgarden were veering into a new sound, and the scene was full of bands that didn’t fit the original label, like the Fastbacks, Young Fresh Fellows, Posies, Walkabouts and Beat Happening. Even Nirvana, now liberated from the more restrictive sound requirements of Sub Pop, wanted to go into a poppier direction. Their more commercial approach was apparent in their breakthrough album, 1991’s Nevermind. The 80s version of grunge, with long-haired musicians wailing away in front of tiny crowds at squalid clubs like the Central Tavern or Squid Row, was dead. In 1991, Nirvana’s Nevermind album, Pearl Jam’s Ten, and Soundgarden’s Badmotorfinger were all released, and the following year, Alice in Chains released their landmark album, Dirt. With four huge alternative stars all hailing from the same region, the music media wanted a label to describe this new Seattle sound. Despite the music sounding significantly different from each other, the “big four” Seattle bands were all labelled as grunge. Any other bands from Seattle at the time, were lumped into the category as well.
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It all started with the Melvins. Forming in 1983 in Washington State, the band, as well as its generational peers, spent their time listening to the likes of KISS, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and AC/DC. The city of Seattle at that time was just shedding its hippie image while holding onto the hippie values of counterculture and non conformity. The Melvins were the first step in mixing metal and punk. In 1984, Green River and Soundgarden formed, followed by the Screaming Trees in 1985. The year 1986 brought the founding of Sub Pop Records and saw Seattle-based record label C/Z Records’ first release, Deep Six. This compilation, credited as the first distribution of grunge, included the Melvins, Green River, Soundgarden, Malfunkshun, Skin Yard, and The U-Men. The following year saw the forming of Alicve in Chains.
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Between 1988 and 1990, the tight-knit group of Seattle bands did a lot of member-trading and band transforming. Green River split into two groups: the members who wanted to stay “underground” formed Mudhoney, while those who wanted to become famous rock group formed Mother Love Bone. Representing another shift in those values of non-conformity. Soundgarden signed in 1988 with a mainstream label, A&M Records, to the dismay of many of their fans. At the start of the new decade, Mother Love Bone was set to become the rock stars they wanted to be when Wood unexpetedly died of a heroin overdose. Wood’s roommate, Chris Cornell of Soundgarden, wrote a tribute to his late friend. A few songs played with the surviving Mother Love Bone members turned into an entire album, Temple of the Dog. When Cornell decided that one of the songs would be better as a duet, he invited a backup vocalist, Eddie Vedder, to join him for the singing of “Hunger Strike”. In the same year, Eddie Vedder joined the remaining Mother Love Bone members in
creating a new band, first named Mookie Blaylock, and then renamed Pearl Jam. Still, in 1990, Nirvana had yet to find a fulltime drummer. Eventually, they were introduced to Dave Grohl through-coming full-circle-their friends, the Melvins. And so all the staple grunge bands of the ‘90s were made possible and grew through immense collaboration and perseverance. Before any of these bands really left Seattle, they would describe themselves in selfdeprecasting ways, mostly as jokes, calling their bands dirt, scum and grunge. In 1991, when Nirvana reached number one on the Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart, with Pearl Jam following closely behind, “grunge” turned from a joketo an actual descriptor of the rock music subgenre characterized by guitar distortion, feedback and heartfelt, anguished lyrics. That same year, Mudhoney and the Screaming Trees entered into indie success. Soundgarden didn’t catch up with the commercial success of Nirvana and Pearl Jam until 1994.
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wino A label attributed to people born during the 1960s and 1970s. Members of Generation X are often described as cynical or disaffected, though this reputation obviously does not apply to all people born during this era. Many were beginning to see the effects of capitalism and didn’t support it. They refused to believe in societal classes and were annoyed by the idea of human value being defined by money and property. They didn’t approve of ”serving the machine” aka career-oriented lifestyle. People belonging to this group disdain of conformity shows itself through grunge fashion. Neil Young (who is known as the Godfather of Grunge), Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins and Soundgarden had gained huge commercial success and their style was influencing fashion. People who dressed in grunge were seen as the ultimate rebels of their generation.
Messy hair, careless makeup, flannel shirts and vintage items are stapless of the grunge wardrobe. Floral dresses paired with combat boots was the uniform of Riot Grrrls. Shirts with slogands and band t-shirts images were paired with torn jeans. Grunge fashion was developed by Generation X and is a reflection of their frustration with the side effects of the eighties economical upswing. The grunge lifestyle is about individuality. It is filled with people who want to be known for their words and work instead of adhering to what is expected of them. Through their style they express this philosophy. They avoid spending too much time on grooming and favor looks that break the molds of society. They mix new pieces with retro or vintage styles and avoid chasing commercial trends in an attempt to remove themselves from the pitfalls of capitalism.
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Kurt Cobain was born in 1967, in Aberdeen, Washington. Kurt and his family lived in Hoquiam for the first few months of his life then later moved back to Aberdeen, where he had a happy childhood until his parents divorced. The divorce left Kurt’s outlook on the world forever scarred. He became withdrawn and anti-social. He was constantly placed with one relative to the next, living with friends, and at times even homeless. Kurt was not the most popular person in high school as he was in public school. In 1985 Kurt left Aberdeen for Olympia where he formed the band Nirvana in 1986. In 1989 Nirvana recorded their debut album Bleach under the independent label Sub-Pop records. Nirvana became very popular in Britain and by 1991 they signed a contract with Geffen. Their next album Nevermind became a 90s masterpiece and made Kurt’s Nirvana one of the most successful bands in the world. Kurt became trampled upon with success and found the new lifestyle hard to bear. In February 1992 Kurt married Courtney Love, the woman who was already pregnant with his child, Frances Bean Cobain. Nirvana released their next album Incesticide later that year. The album appealed to many fans due to the liner notes, which expressed Kurt’s openmindedness. In September 1993 Nirvana released their next album, ‘In Utero’, which topped the charts. On March 4, 1994, Kurt was taken to hospital in a coma. It was officially stated as an accident but many believe it to have been an unsuccessful suicide attempt. Family and friends convinced Kurt to seek rehab. Kurt was said to have fled rehab after only a few days from a missing person’s report filed by Courtney Love. On April 8th Kurt’s body was found in his Seattle home. In his arms was a shotgun, which had been fired into his head. Near him laid a suicide note written in red ink. It was addressed to his wife Courtney Love and his daughter Frances Bean Cobain. Two days after Kurt’s body was discovered people gathered in Seattle, they began setting fires, chanting profanities, and fighting with police officers. They also listened to a tape of Courtney reading sections of the suicide note left by Kurt. The last few words were “I love you, I love you”.
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rather be dead than cool rath be dead than cool rather be dead than cool rather be dead than cool the king of trends rather be dead than cool rather be dead than cool rather be dead than cool rath be dead than cool
Kurt Cobain has an enshrined place in the fashion’s pantheon. Though it’s probably the antithesis of the punk attitude he lived for, there’s no denying how his gender-subversive fashion choices have gone on to inform a radically new idea of androgyny that resonates with millennials today and rejects the archaic social conventions that Cobain once rallied against. From Cobain’s love of disheveled denim to worn-in fabrics to grandad cardigans, we take a deep dive into today’s dominant trends and show you how Cobain did them all first.
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The grunge fashion was born as an anti social and anti capitalist expression, the use of logos and slogans was strongly used as identification, and each symbol was given a strong connotative importance with specific and unique characteristics. Today the logo and its repetition is the most striking example of consumerist and capitalist society as all fashion companies are using this trend with the sole purpose of increasing sales, therefore as a mere marketing tool. Expressing one’s philosophy has today become a maximalist activity, practiced through the use of mass tools, social networks, which do nothing but make everyone equal. While in the 80s and 90s, grunge clothing is a tool to express one’s individuality, one’s way of living and thinking and therefore not to conform, today’s grunge clothing can represent identification to a group or, at worst, cases in which you are not really aware of the symbols you’re wearing, not knowing and ignoring their identifying value, you choose a shirt only because you are seen to an influencer. The solution is to investigate the symbols by discovering their true meanings in order to understand the historical-cultural period in which they were born.