Guess what? Corporate Rock Still Sucks...

Or, how the snake keeps eating its own tail. Over at the New Vulgate, Joe Carducci chimes in & adds some much needed perspective on the Nirvana Nevermind anniversary, the recent issue of Billboard magazine memorializing the grunge scene, along with SST Records & the early days of the alternative & independent label//distribution scene.

There still is a Billboard magazine, but somehow its recent cover story on the 20th anniversary of not so much Seattle or grunge or Sub-Pop, but of Geffen Records’ release of Nirvana’s “Nevermind”, or rather its platinum breakthrough, made me wonder if the dead are now memorializing the living -- they seemed so much more alive than we, after all. It isn’t a very good issue, but the wonder is that the magazine staff managed to cough up any kind of major themed effort. And given there is no current cultural activity that warrants the effort it would have to be part of a celebration of some contrived numeric anniversary of some major copyright property. This may be why the lead names touted on the cover do not include Bruce Pavitt or Jack Endino.

“How we won. What we saw. What we lost.” Sounds like Billboard itself is speaking from the grave. If it really wants to know what we lost they might have observed the thirtieth of SST Records back in ’08 if the recording of Black Flag’s debut 45 is the marker, or this November if the “Damaged” album’s release is the ancient totemic idol. Admittedly Greg Ginn is not the conventional copyright holder to get behind an advertorial trade paper synergy…. Which brings to mind the question, Is this Billboard issue, “The Lessons of Grunge,” the first editorial cover story in years, or just another vanity cover purchased by the grunge industry? Just asking. The issue itself is thicker than usual, tho I can’t say I pick up the issues as I used to. Continued here.


Its interesting to note, if only to me, that I agree with him on Alice In Chains. And also, my favorite Sub Pop band at the time was always The Fluid...underrated, unreissued, and definitely not platinum. And not from Seattle.