Smells Like Teen Bullshit
This might get my flannel shirt taken away by the high council, but enough with Nirvana already. A lot of people would have you believe that Nirvana is a cultural phenomenon that killed Hair Metal and shaped the early 90's, but I would argue that really it was just the album Nevermind that did all these things. They captured lightning in a bottle once and then the band broke up because their singer killed himself (Allegedly). I'm certainly not saying that Bleach and In Utero suck, but neither of them came close to doing the monster numbers Nevermind did, and how much of a factor was Kurt's suicide in boosting those numbers? Bleach has been re-released FIVE times since Cobain's death.
You know who else sold a shit ton of records in 1993? Ace of Base. Iconic? No. You know who else sold a lot of records and had people dressing like them in the early 90's? Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer. Iconic? No. Well... maybe Vanilla Ice. I wouldn't even rank Nirvana as the foremost grunge band. I'd have to give that honour to Pearl Jam (I know, I know, hear me out). Pearl Jam has outsold Nirvana worldwide by 10 million albums. Now that might not sound too convincing since PJ has had an extra 18 years to make albums, but you've got to remember that they haven't been mainstream since the late 90's and are essentially a cult band now. Vs kicked In Utero's ass and that was after they stopped making music videos (So no MTV play. At the time, and maybe still, this is considered vital for album sales) and boycotted selling concert tickets through ticketmaster. They've gone back on it since, but for years they had no music videos and hardly any tours to support new albums coming out.
Now why am I bringing this up? I recently read an article that referred to Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Not Queens of the Stone Age drummer Dave Grohl. Not Them Crooked Vultures drummer Dave Grohl. Not Nine Inch Nails, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, or Tenacious D's drummer Dave Grohl. Not as founding member and lead vocalist of the fucking Foo Fighters Dave Grohl! Nirvana drummer.
Bitch please.
I'll draw a comparison if I can with two other drummers who left groups to front their own projects. Would you say Eagles drummer Don Henley?
Eagles- 6 Grammys and two of the highest selling albums of all time
Don Henley- 2 Grammys, 10 million units sold
Now let's get down to the heart of the matter (Yes!). His solo work is very respectable but he still plays with The Eagles from time to time and let's face it, The Eagles are probably the biggest American band ever. This one is a bit tricky, but I would have to say no. However, I would grant you that he at least be known as Eagles singer Don Henley. Nobody gives a fuck about his drum playing.
Would you say Genesis drummer Phil Collins?
Grammy Awards for Genesis- 1 (Best video)
Phil Collins- 7 Grammys, 1 Academy Award, honorary doctorate of fine arts, honorary doctorate of music, honorary doctorate of history, Royal Victorian Order, Order of the British Empire, played himself in a Grand Theft Auto game.
Genesis is also one of the highest grossing bands of all time. Genesis is big, but Phil Collins stands alone. In The Air Tonight alone crushes anything Genesis ever did as it is in fact, the sexiest song you can ever wake up to.
Now would you say Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl
Grammy Awards for Nirvana- 1 (And this was for a live album that was released two years after Cobain died)
Grammy Awards for Foo Fighters- 11
And these mostly aren't weird sub-genres either. Four of those are for Best Rock Album. Their most recent album was their first to debut at number 1 and alone captured five Grammys. If some asshole hadn't grown tired of fucking Adele they would have won Album of the Year. Foo Fighters are still getting better. Kurt Cobain is Billy Ray Cyrus. He had his fifteen minutes of fame but over time has gone on to be vastly surpassed by his progeny.
What the fuck does Dave Grohl have to do to not be referred to as the drummer from Nirvana? Would you say Lonestar bassist John Rich? New Edition frontman Bobby Brown? N*Sync's Justin Timberlake? Destiny's Child's Beyonce? Former Funky Bunch member Mark Wahlberg? Ben Folds Five pianist Ben Folds? Metallica guitarist Dave Mustaine? Hawkwind bassist Lemmy Kilmister?
Grohl said in 2005, "I love being in a rock band, but I don't know if I necessarily wanna be in an alternative rock band from the 1990s for the rest of my life." And he wasn't even talking about Nirvana then, but expanding what the Foo Fighters played. If Kurt is the Messiah, then his Grohliness is Simon Peter, the rock, still out there testifying his message. Cobain is dead. Nirvana is dead. Long live Rock and Grohl.
T-Bagz is a 90's music enthusiast whose first concert was the Foo Fighters