MUSC 2019 Lecture Notes - Lecture 23: Sub Pop, Riot Grrrl, Kurt Cobain
Lecture 23 - Alternative music, Grunge, Riot Grrrl, Teen
Pop.
April 18, 2018
5:25 PM
Alternative movement
• Response to corporations, mainstream
• Response to how individuals have no say in what corporations were saying or doing
• Not style specific - all groups have a different style but their oppositional stance was the same
o Regional scene, local development
• Grunge scene
o Biggest impact
o Fashion of torn clothes, dirty, nothing expensive
• From every day experience and cold areas
• Was adapted by corporations and they made money off of it
▪ Alternative movement knew it was going to happen - anything cool that
appeared would get co-opted, ruined by corporations and the mainstream
Nirvana
• Sub Pop Records - gets interest by major labels, and Nirvana signed with them
o Controversial - Nirvana claims that even though they are signed by the main corporations,
what they do won't change
o Opposed the alternative movement of opposing against the corporation and mainstream
• Teen Spirit - aggressive marketing to young teens
• Album - Never mind
o Corporation ruins all the cool things, makes it bland
o Slacker identity that the system won't do anything if you're from an impoverished
background, so "never mind", they wont try hard
• Song: "Smells like teen spirit"
o Guy in a crappy job (McJobs)
o Cheerleader - group where they do the same thing, choreographed scenes, looking like they
aren't having fun - referencing everyone in USA
o Verses are quiet, chorus is an angry cynical detachment
• Versus have little change in dynamics
• Chorus - detachment explodes through
o Apathy is emphasized, cynical
o Guitar solo - no displays of virtuosity, only mimics chorus
• Reflects apathy, of "not trying hard", not transcending like heavy metal
• Kurt Cobain - felt like a fraud, pretending like they were giving their all when they didn't care
o Ended up committing suicide
o Nirvana was a good symbol of alternative rock, where they felt like they were hopeless - but
Kurt wasn't able to get past it
Many alternative bands were informed by feminist waves - much more welcoming to women being
musicians and part of the scene, of homosexuals, people of color
Riot Grrrl
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
