Dave Grohl: Why Rock Will Never Die...

drummerboy_73 · January 2012

Great Q&A with Dave Grohl about the state of rock and roll and the music industry...hits the nail on the head in my opinion:

http://www.billboard.com/features/dave- ... 1362.story

samjam · January 2012

Read that yesterday, definitely a great little read. Thank god for musicians like Dave Grohl!

Thoughts_Arrive · January 2012

"The late '80s was full of over-produced pop that kids had nothing to grab hold of -- they had no way of connecting to this hair metal band singing about fucking strippers in a limousine on Sunset Boulevard. Who can relate to that? Then you had a bunch of formulaic pop songstress bullshit, and music was boring."

Word.

"Someone asked me recently, "What do you think the problem with the music industry is?" I said, take the Adele record, for example. It's an amazing record and everybody's so shocked that it's such a phenomenon. I'm not. You know why that record's huge? Because it's fucking good and it's real. When you have an artist singing about something real and she's incredibly talented, it deserves all the rewards it gets, it's a great record. Now imagine if all records were that good. Do you think only one of them would sell? Fuck no! All of them would. If all records were that good the music business would be on fire, but they're not. A lot of people are promoting records that are just throw-it-against-the-wall-see-if-it-sticks meaningless bullshit. Everybody has the responsibility to do the right thing and promote artists that mean something."

Word.

Kathi · January 2012

he speaketh the truth, as always.

Kloddz · January 2012

Dave Grohl is Chuck Norris.

Thoughts_Arrive · January 2012

Kathi wrote:

he speaketh the truth, as always.

Yep. What I put as my fb status when linking the article lol

conman · January 2012

Kloddz wrote:

Dave Grohl is Chuck Norris.

"Then you had a bunch of formulaic pop songstress bullshit, and music was boring. And then a bunch of bands with dirty kids got on MTV and rock'n'roll became huge again. And I feel like that's about to happen. "

i hope he's right! :thumbup:

frazba · January 2012

Hey, Hey, My, My

skeetopunk01 · January 2012

Damn.. I hope Dave is right. We need another Nirvana to create a tidal wave of change in the industry.

musicismylife78 · January 2012

this kind of goes along with many of the "rock music is dead now" threads that have been popping up here every few months. while i do think Dave is among the most down to earth people in rock, i sort of have to disagree with him on several accounts. Is their any band right now thats as big as nirvana was, as big as grunge was, thats actually good? i think the problem is people always expect the "breakthrough huge new bands" to sound like whatever they sounded like in their last incarnation. Grunge killed off hair metal and cheeseball 80's metal bands , and of course grunge sounded nothing like that. But more to the point, what was before 80's cheeseball metal. What was the sound that originally people loved and then 80's metal took its place? I'd say it was punk rock. Certainly punk rock and grunge shared similar ethical and moral and ideals traits but i dont really hear the musical link between say a Sex Pistols or The Clash or The Ramones and a Nirvana. The new big band that everyone wants i think its a mistake to think it will sound anythhing like a nirvana. And thats why ive long advocated that the new big band has already happened, and its in other genres. From indie rock to dubstep to electronic to folk to whatever. I think if you wait around for another band to hit it big that sounds and looks and acts like another nirvana, its never going to happen. Punk was a reaction to many things, one of them was the hippie counterculture and their music and the excesses of the early 1970's bands. The ramones and the clash and jefferson airplane or the dead or led zeppelin really sound nothing alike. I think for some reason people expect life changing or scene changing bands to sound alike.

And i think if you were to talk to Dave, im sure he would agree. I would bet he's a fan of Arcade Fire, and Bon Iver, and all these other bands that have made a significant impact in music that share few things, if any with nirvana. He's a big fan of music, of rock music obviously, but im sure he'd agree that this is a pretty amazing time for music in all genres right now. his comment about adele proves that. And i think as i said, bands like Arcade Fire have made stunning contributions to rock music. Going from upstart canadian collective to winning Grammy for album of the year, is no small feat, and of course their live shows are legendary. And i know no one on here will admit to being a fan but someone like a Kanye West has changed hip hop as well. The way he produces, what he rhymes about, the incoprporation of varying genres of music i think all have really altered the hip hop genre.

i think ultimately what nirvana had that makes them the most important band of our generation was the power kurt had with his lyrics. that he felt they were nonsense, but that millions of people, including millions of teen kids found solace and comfort in the lyrics at a stage in ones life where you desperately feel like you are misunderstood and no one understands you. the songs, the music, all were important, but i think the power the words had, and their impact on a generation are why we talk about nirvana in 2012. Ive always been deeply insulted by those who assert kurt and nirvana are remembered mostly because of how he died and the fact he died young. i think thats a gross misunderstanding of what nirvana and kurt were and what his death meant to us all. The fact is, had they been a mediocre band, a band who had no impact at all, his death although a tragedy however you look at it, really wouldnt have caused the impact that it did. and thats sad in a way, as anyones death is cause for reflection and mourning. But this was a band, with a gift for blending rock music, with pop hooks and they struck it big. But i think the real secret weapon was kurts words. you hear it time and time again. people felt like kurt understood them. That he was an outcast, and had problems and that through his words and lyrics people connected, and felt listened to, heard. And i think that type of stuff is really invaluable, and its impact and importance is incalculable. Plus i think Kurt was a charismatic guy. i think he epitomized and still epitomizes cool, and someone who lived by his own principles and ideals and morals. And i think people know when someone is a phony and are attracted to people like a Kurt because he was the real deal.

So i think thats where maybe Dave and I agree, although he never really said it, was all these grunge bands Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, and bands of that time Smashing Pumpkins and the like, all were linked by lyrics. Honest, raw, emotional, powerful lyrics. lyrics that made listeners feel like they were specifically written for each individual listeners life and situation. And maybe thats what we are missing and havent really had again since grunge ,a musical movement or scene with lyrics that seem to speak to and about a generation.

and lastly i think its alot harder for a kurt or nirvana to breakthrough nowadays because of the millions of bands in existance right now. The nature of the digital world right now is that people listen to an album for a few weeks, and then a new band and new album comes out and they drop listening to the first band and move on. Its almost demanded of listeners with the amount of new music thats released each year, its astounding the amount of music that comes out each year. and with the internet and filesharing, listening to a wide range of it is possible. Music really never has time to seep in these days. theres no time to spend and live with an album anymore.

DewieCox · January 2012

"Someone asked me recently, "What do you think the problem with the music industry is?" I said, take the Adele record, for example. It's an amazing record and everybody's so shocked that it's such a phenomenon. I'm not. You know why that record's huge? Because it's fucking good and it's real. When you have an artist singing about something real and she's incredibly talented, it deserves all the rewards it gets, it's a great record. Now imagine if all records were that good. Do you think only one of them would sell? Fuck no! All of them would. If all records were that good the music business would be on fire, but they're not. A lot of people are promoting records that are just throw-it-against-the-wall-see-if-it-sticks meaningless bullshit. Everybody has the responsibility to do the right thing and promote artists that mean something."

I think he's completely off here. There's plenty of rock bands making great, "real" music and they're stuck on the fringe of major popularity. Look at Arcade Fire...They won the grammy for album of the year a little less than a year ago and I don't think they could pull off a major nationwide tour of 20k seat venues.

It's funny he's saying this stuff, b/c I think he's really part of the problem when it comes to rock music. Foo's are better than alot of stuff out there, but it's still very formulaic and hit driven music. I think they're much closer to the Nickelbacks or 3 Doors Downs of the world than the heyday era Nirvana, PJ's or whatever "real" band you wanna put in there.

musicismylife78 · January 2012

i think a perfect example of the amount of music we have nowadays is in 2010, when LCD Soundsystem and Broken Social Scene came out on the same day, a week later Foals, Crystal Castles,band of horses, minus the bear, the national, gaslight anthem, and the black keys ALL CAME OUT ON THE SAME DAY. 2 days later the new pornographers came out. Every single one of these bands and albums deserves to be listened to, and probably lived with and meditated on for a solid year, but with all this new music bombarding us its tough not to listen to an album for a few days or weeks at most. in that type of environment, i dont think any band can ever have the impact of nirvana because you dont really get to know any of these albums, not in the way we used to know albums. because in all actuality any of these albums could be, or could have been the new nevermind or new nirvana. and unless you listen you dont really know. so its a vicious cycle. tons of new music pumped out nowadays with the feeling that unless you listen to a ton of it, you may miss the next nirvana. because lets not forget, when pearl jam, or nirvana started, no one marketed them as the biggest bands of their generation. That came later. they were just normal bands in 1990 early 1991. would we even recognize a new musical movement or scene in 2012? or would it pass us by? did it pass us by already? is the next nirvana already in existence, but is sitting in the pile of hundreds or thousands of albums released each year?

musicismylife78 · January 2012

DewieCox wrote:

"Someone asked me recently, "What do you think the problem with the music industry is?" I said, take the Adele record, for example. It's an amazing record and everybody's so shocked that it's such a phenomenon. I'm not. You know why that record's huge? Because it's fucking good and it's real. When you have an artist singing about something real and she's incredibly talented, it deserves all the rewards it gets, it's a great record. Now imagine if all records were that good. Do you think only one of them would sell? Fuck no! All of them would. If all records were that good the music business would be on fire, but they're not. A lot of people are promoting records that are just throw-it-against-the-wall-see-if-it-sticks meaningless bullshit. Everybody has the responsibility to do the right thing and promote artists that mean something."

I think he's completely off here. There's plenty of rock bands making great, "real" music and they're stuck on the fringe of major popularity. Look at Arcade Fire...They won the grammy for album of the year a little less than a year ago and I don't think they could pull off a major nationwide tour of 20k seat venues.

It's funny he's saying this stuff, b/c I think he's really part of the problem when it comes to rock music. Foo's are better than alot of stuff out there, but it's still very formulaic and hit driven music. I think they're much closer to the Nickelbacks or 3 Doors Downs of the world than the heyday era Nirvana, PJ's or whatever "real" band you wanna put in there.

i would agree that the foos are essentially mainstream rock music. but i dont think having hits or writing hook laden music is a bad thing. i think its pretty damn important actually.
the difference i think is, he's talking about a time when you could turn on the radio and hear quality music. nowadays, i think if you want good quality, life changing rock music, i dont think you wait for it to make billboards list, or to be talked about on mtv, or given radio airplay. i think you have to search. you have to make an effort. to search blogs. read online sites and magazines. talk to friends. get recommendations from boards like this and elsewhere, and to be willing to put forth an effort. and i dont think a ton of people have time for, or the patience for that. they want the ease of hearing good music on the radio. in essense i think thats always been true. if you were a fan of alt rock in the late 80's early 90's pre grunge, you had to search it out as well. Pixies and Mudhoney and The Melvins werent on the radio or mtv either. REM wasnt necessarily being forced down peoples throats either, you kind of had to search them out as well. even going further back to Led Zeppelin, who are now obviously one of the biggest and most important bands to ever exist, and one of Dave's own favorite bands, maybe his favorite of all time, but in their hey day, were they really number 1 on all the radio stations and on all the charts? they gave few interviews, they werent on very many covers of magazines and critics hated them, so by extension you had to search them out as well.

musicismylife78 · January 2012

ultimately i think dave's thesis is undone by his own argument. adele's 21 was loved by many people, pop music fans, and rock music fans, fans of all types of music. it was on my favorite albums of 2011 list, and many others on this board agreed. Adele has nothing in her music that resembles nirvana. or modern rock music as we consider it, certainly its hugely indebted to 50's and early 60's rock and pop, but i think his point is undone in that aspect. adele is a big deal right now. and her popularity and success in a pop genre and attaracting a wide variety of fans from other genres only prove this. good music exists in 2012. i just think limiting onesself to only specifying good music as rock is a problem. He complains about the manufactured nature of music nowadays and how everything is crap, then goes on to give high praise to an album, widely considered pop. i think thats a major disconnect in his argument. his argument perfectly illuminates my main points. Here dave is, loving this adele album saying its amazing and true and powerful, and then at the same time moaning about the lack of honest and true and powerful music artists. he's talking out of both sides of his mouth. plus its an amazing album in the pop genre. maybe as i argued, the new nirvana will not sound like nirvana, and wont even be in the same genre. maybe the next nirvana will be in the pop genre, or hip hop genre, electronic genre, folk genre?

DewieCox · January 2012

musicismylife78 wrote:

i would agree that the foos are essentially mainstream rock music. but i dont think having hits or writing hook laden music is a bad thing. i think its pretty damn important actually.
the difference i think is, he's talking about a time when you could turn on the radio and hear quality music. nowadays, i think if you want good quality, life changing rock music, i dont think you wait for it to make billboards list, or to be talked about on mtv, or given radio airplay. i think you have to search. you have to make an effort. to search blogs. read online sites and magazines. talk to friends. get recommendations from boards like this and elsewhere, and to be willing to put forth an effort. and i dont think a ton of people have time for, or the patience for that. they want the ease of hearing good music on the radio. in essense i think thats always been true. if you were a fan of alt rock in the late 80's early 90's pre grunge, you had to search it out as well. Pixies and Mudhoney and The Melvins werent on the radio or mtv either. REM wasnt necessarily being forced down peoples throats either, you kind of had to search them out as well.

I don't think writing hooky songs is bad either until it becomes the driving force of the music that a particular band is putting out. And there are certain types of music that just inherently have hooks.

I don't listen to the radio a ton, but I've discovered more bands that way in the recent years than almost any place outside of this forum(or a few of my other regular stops), so there is still good music on the radio, and there has ALWAYS been a disproportionate amount of shit. Even when Nirvana exploded you still had...

1. End of the Road, Boyz II Men
2. Baby Got Back, Sir Mix A-lot
3. Jump, Kris Kross
4. Save the Best for Last, Vanessa Williams
5. Baby-Baby-Baby, TLC
6. Tears In Heaven, Eric Clapton
7. My Lovin (You're Never Gonna Get It), En Vogue
8. Under the Bridge, Red Hot Chili Peppers
9. All 4 Love, Color Me Badd
10. Just Another Day, Jon Secada
11. I Love Your Smile, Shanice
12. To Be With You, Mr. Big
13. I'm Too Sexy, Right Said Fred
14. Black Or White, Michael Jackson
15. Achy Breaky Heart, Billy Ray Cyrus
16. I'll Be There, Mariah Carey
17. November Rain, Guns N' Roses
18. Life Is a Highway, Tom Cochrane
19. Remember the Time, Michael Jackson
20. Finally, CeCe Peniston
21. This Used to Be My Playground, Madonna
22. Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough, Patty Smyth
23. Can't Let Go, Mariah Carey
24. Jump Around, House Of Pain
25. Diamonds and Pearls, Prince and The N.P.G.
26. Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me, George Michael and Elton John
27. Masterpiece, Atlantic Starr
28. If You Asked Me To, Celine Dion
29. Giving Him Something He Can Feel, En Vogue
30. Live and Learn, Joe Public
31. Come & Talk to Me, Jodeci
32. Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana
33. Humpin' Around, Bobby Brown
34. Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover, Sophie B. Hawkins
35. Tell Me What You Want Me to Do, Teven Campbell
36. Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg, TLC
37. It's so Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday, Boyz II Men
38. Move This, Technotronic
39. Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen
40. Tennessee, Arrested Development
41. The Best Things In Life Are Free, Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson
42. Make It Happen, Mariah Carey
43. The One, Elton John
44. Set Adrift On Memory Bliss, P.M. Dawn
45. Stay, Shakespear's Sister
46. 2 Legit 2 Quit, Hammer
47. Please Don't Go, K.W.S.
48. Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes), Mint Condition
49. Wishing On a Star, Cover Girls
50. She's Playing Hard to Get, Hi-Five
51. I'd Die Without You, P.M. Dawn
52. Good for Me, Amy Grant
53. All I Want, Toad The Wet Sprocket
54. When a Man Loves a Woman, Michael Bolton
55. I Can't Dance, Genesis
56. Hazard, Richard Marx
57. Mysterious Ways, U2
58. Too Funky, George Michael
59. How Do You Talk to an Angel, The Heights
60. One, U2
61. Keep On Walkin', CeCe Peniston
62. Hold On My Heart, Genesis
63. The Way I Feel About You, Karyn White
64. Beauty and the Beast, Céline Dion and Peabo Bryson
65. Warm It Up, Kris Kross
66. In the Closet, Michael Jackson
67. People Everyday, Arrested Development
68. No Son of Mine, Genesis
69. Wildside, Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch
70. Do I Have to Say the Words?, Bryan Adams
71. Friday I'm In Love, The Cure
72. Everything About You, Ugly Kid Joe
73. Blowing Kisses In the Wind, Paula Abdul
74. Thought I'd Died and Gone to Heaven, Bryan Adams
75. Rhythm Is a Dancer, Snap
76. Addams Groove, Hammer
77. Missing You Now, Michael Bolton
78. Back to the Hotel, N2Deep
79. Everything Changes, Kathy Troccoli
80. Have You Ever Needed Somone So Bad, Def Leppard
81. Take This Heart, Richard Marx
82. When I Look Into Your Eyes, Firehouse
83. I Wanna Love You, Jade
84. Uhh Ahh, Boyz II Men
85. Real Love, Mary J. Blige
86. Justified and Ancient, The KLF
87. Slow Motion, Color Me Badd
88. What About Your Friends, TLC
89. Thinkin' Back, Color Me Badd
90. Would I Lie to You?, Charles and Eddie
91. That's What Love Is For, Amy Grant
92. Keep Coming Back, Richard Marx
93. Free Your Mind, En Vogue
94. Keep It Comin', Keith Sweat
95. Just Take My Heart, Mr. Big
96. I Will Remember You, Amy Grant
97. We Got a Love Thang, CeCe Peniston
98. Let's Get Rocked, Def Leppard
99. They Want EFX, Das EFX
100. I Can't Make You Love Me, Bonnie Raitt

...alot of shit

I first got interest in Broken Bells Mumford and Sons and Black Keys from hearing it on the radio and "shazam"ing it. I was savvy enough to go home and track down those tunes and see what else they had to offer. Most people don't give a crap about music in general and when such a low percentage of what you hear on the radio is rock music, most people are just gonna gravitate away from it.

musicismylife78 · January 2012

I don't think writing hooky songs is bad either until it becomes the driving force of the music that a particular band is putting out. And there are certain types of music that just inherently have hooks.

I don't listen to the radio a ton, but I've discovered more bands that way in the recent years than almost any place outside of this forum(or a few of my other regular stops), so there is still good music on the radio, and there has ALWAYS been a disproportionate amount of shit. Even when Nirvana exploded you still had...

1. End of the Road, Boyz II Men
2. Baby Got Back, Sir Mix A-lot
3. Jump, Kris Kross
4. Save the Best for Last, Vanessa Williams
5. Baby-Baby-Baby, TLC
6. Tears In Heaven, Eric Clapton
7. My Lovin (You're Never Gonna Get It), En Vogue
8. Under the Bridge, Red Hot Chili Peppers
9. All 4 Love, Color Me Badd
10. Just Another Day, Jon Secada
11. I Love Your Smile, Shanice
12. To Be With You, Mr. Big
13. I'm Too Sexy, Right Said Fred
14. Black Or White, Michael Jackson
15. Achy Breaky Heart, Billy Ray Cyrus
16. I'll Be There, Mariah Carey
17. November Rain, Guns N' Roses
18. Life Is a Highway, Tom Cochrane
19. Remember the Time, Michael Jackson
20. Finally, CeCe Peniston
21. This Used to Be My Playground, Madonna
22. Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough, Patty Smyth
23. Can't Let Go, Mariah Carey
24. Jump Around, House Of Pain
25. Diamonds and Pearls, Prince and The N.P.G.
26. Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me, George Michael and Elton John
27. Masterpiece, Atlantic Starr
28. If You Asked Me To, Celine Dion
29. Giving Him Something He Can Feel, En Vogue
30. Live and Learn, Joe Public
31. Come & Talk to Me, Jodeci
32. Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana
33. Humpin' Around, Bobby Brown
34. Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover, Sophie B. Hawkins
35. Tell Me What You Want Me to Do, Teven Campbell
36. Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg, TLC
37. It's so Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday, Boyz II Men
38. Move This, Technotronic
39. Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen
40. Tennessee, Arrested Development
41. The Best Things In Life Are Free, Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson
42. Make It Happen, Mariah Carey
43. The One, Elton John
44. Set Adrift On Memory Bliss, P.M. Dawn
45. Stay, Shakespear's Sister
46. 2 Legit 2 Quit, Hammer
47. Please Don't Go, K.W.S.
48. Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes), Mint Condition
49. Wishing On a Star, Cover Girls
50. She's Playing Hard to Get, Hi-Five
51. I'd Die Without You, P.M. Dawn
52. Good for Me, Amy Grant
53. All I Want, Toad The Wet Sprocket
54. When a Man Loves a Woman, Michael Bolton
55. I Can't Dance, Genesis
56. Hazard, Richard Marx
57. Mysterious Ways, U2
58. Too Funky, George Michael
59. How Do You Talk to an Angel, The Heights
60. One, U2
61. Keep On Walkin', CeCe Peniston
62. Hold On My Heart, Genesis
63. The Way I Feel About You, Karyn White
64. Beauty and the Beast, Céline Dion and Peabo Bryson
65. Warm It Up, Kris Kross
66. In the Closet, Michael Jackson
67. People Everyday, Arrested Development
68. No Son of Mine, Genesis
69. Wildside, Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch
70. Do I Have to Say the Words?, Bryan Adams
71. Friday I'm In Love, The Cure
72. Everything About You, Ugly Kid Joe
73. Blowing Kisses In the Wind, Paula Abdul
74. Thought I'd Died and Gone to Heaven, Bryan Adams
75. Rhythm Is a Dancer, Snap
76. Addams Groove, Hammer
77. Missing You Now, Michael Bolton
78. Back to the Hotel, N2Deep
79. Everything Changes, Kathy Troccoli
80. Have You Ever Needed Somone So Bad, Def Leppard
81. Take This Heart, Richard Marx
82. When I Look Into Your Eyes, Firehouse
83. I Wanna Love You, Jade
84. Uhh Ahh, Boyz II Men
85. Real Love, Mary J. Blige
86. Justified and Ancient, The KLF
87. Slow Motion, Color Me Badd
88. What About Your Friends, TLC
89. Thinkin' Back, Color Me Badd
90. Would I Lie to You?, Charles and Eddie
91. That's What Love Is For, Amy Grant
92. Keep Coming Back, Richard Marx
93. Free Your Mind, En Vogue
94. Keep It Comin', Keith Sweat
95. Just Take My Heart, Mr. Big
96. I Will Remember You, Amy Grant
97. We Got a Love Thang, CeCe Peniston
98. Let's Get Rocked, Def Leppard
99. They Want EFX, Das EFX
100. I Can't Make You Love Me, Bonnie Raitt

...alot of shit

I first got interest in Broken Bells Mumford and Sons and Black Keys from hearing it on the radio and "shazam"ing it. I was savvy enough to go home and track down those tunes and see what else they had to offer. Most people don't give a crap about music in general and when such a low percentage of what you hear on the radio is rock music, most people are just gonna gravitate away from it.[/quote]

good points. and i think you are right. the bands you listed as bands you are into, or got into because they were on the radio, only drive that point home further. None of those bands, broken bells, mumford and black keys are straight up traditional rock, yet all are great and interesting bands. i think people get so zoned in on a certain sound. rock music is supposed to sound like this, or that, or look like this, that they ignore some awesome bands that come their way. all of those bands could be added to the list along with an adele, of bands who make quality music nowadays.

frazba · January 2012

I've said this on another thread and I think it deserves to be repeated here, I have absolutely no time for genres of any sort, there are only two types of music in this world, good and bad, obviously defined by whether or not you like it.
One point I agree wholeheartedly with is the one about being bombarded with music through the internet, I consider myself fairly obsessive about music, and will actively seek out new stuff I've never heard, be it word of mouth, blogs, forums, magazines or just liking the album cover, if someone copies an album for me and I like it, I'll go and buy it, I don't agree with illegally downloading music. You have to remember that most people are not like us, music to them is background radio shite, not something to be sat down and listened to, this is why many bands are missed.
Going back to the late 80's early 90's, and Nirvana in particular, as an example, 99% of people had never heard of them, including me, until I bought a Sup Pop compilation (Sub Pop Rock City) in 1988 (I think), Green River were on there, Tad, Soundgarden and a song called Spank Thru' by some band called Nirvana. My friends and I, because of this comp, searched high and low for ANY recordings of all the bands on the record, much harder then than now, especially living in a wee town in the arsehole of Scotland, we were the first wave of ''Grunge' in Scotland (certainly in my town) and went to Reading (1990?) specifically to see them, we all got Nevermind on the day of release and saw them in Edinburgh and Glasgow in 91 in tiny clubs when hundreds were locked out.
My point after all that waffling is that it is easier today to find good music, although you have to filter through more shite to find it, but it can be done.

And that Rock 'n' Roll, whatever form it takes, will never die, as long as there are people like us out there.

I apologise for some of the rambling comments in this thread, I was just writing them down as I thought of them, I hope you got the point I was trying to make.

frazba · January 2012

Oh, and I don't like Foo Fighters after all that, incidentally. :P

DewieCox · January 2012

frazba wrote:

I've said this on another thread and I think it deserves to be repeated here, I have absolutely no time for genres of any sort, there are only two types of music in this world, good and bad, obviously defined by whether or not you like it.

And there's no such thing as math and what a clock tells us isn't real, b/c it's all just made up as a point of reference... I have no problem with certain types of music being labelled under different categories. I'll admit I don't have much of a need for the subgenres and all that, but I just don't take issue when somebody calls Pearl Jam a grunge band or something along those lines. What makes classifying bands under genres a slippery slop is that so many bands are blurring the lines these days.

musicismylife78 · January 2012

frazba wrote:

I've said this on another thread and I think it deserves to be repeated here, I have absolutely no time for genres of any sort, there are only two types of music in this world, good and bad, obviously defined by whether or not you like it.
One point I agree wholeheartedly with is the one about being bombarded with music through the internet, I consider myself fairly obsessive about music, and will actively seek out new stuff I've never heard, be it word of mouth, blogs, forums, magazines or just liking the album cover, if someone copies an album for me and I like it, I'll go and buy it, I don't agree with illegally downloading music. You have to remember that most people are not like us, music to them is background radio shite, not something to be sat down and listened to, this is why many bands are missed.
Going back to the late 80's early 90's, and Nirvana in particular, as an example, 99% of people had never heard of them, including me, until I bought a Sup Pop compilation (Sub Pop Rock City) in 1988 (I think), Green River were on there, Tad, Soundgarden and a song called Spank Thru' by some band called Nirvana. My friends and I, because of this comp, searched high and low for ANY recordings of all the bands on the record, much harder then than now, especially living in a wee town in the arsehole of Scotland, we were the first wave of ''Grunge' in Scotland (certainly in my town) and went to Reading (1990?) specifically to see them, we all got Nevermind on the day of release and saw them in Edinburgh and Glasgow in 91 in tiny clubs when hundreds were locked out.
My point after all that waffling is that it is easier today to find good music, although you have to filter through more shite to find it, but it can be done.

And that Rock 'n' Roll, whatever form it takes, will never die, as long as there are people like us out there.

I apologise for some of the rambling comments in this thread, I was just writing them down as I thought of them, I hope you got the point I was trying to make.

i think this is a valid point, partly because of the genres comment. ive said time and time again, few people these days consider themselves exclusively a one genre type person. Ask a teen what type of music they listen to and they will pull up their ipod, with britney spears and gaga, but also arcade fire, bob dylan, hendrix, the beatles, the clash, the who, radiohead, eminem, kanye west, fleetwood mac, spoon. its all over the place. and thats normal in 2012. And because of that, a nirvana will never rise to the top, a kurt cobain will never again be the voice of a generation, because there is just too many bands. just investigating the catalogues of those bands i listed above would take a long time. and before you could investigate and take it all in properly, 10 new bands and 10 new albums would have been released. all of THEM each with the possibility of being the new nirvana. i think most people nowadays subscribe to the good music is good music philosohpy that you were suggesting. In that type of environment, no band could ever become the next nirvana because all the bands essentially cancel each other out. Kanye and radiohead and eminems fan base is so big and broad any or all of them could have the impact of a nirvana, but because each band and artists fan base is so fragmented and rabid and all that, they cancel each other out. its both fragmented and huge, each fan base. Arcade Fire is the prime example. their fan base view the band with almost religious fervor, and they won music's top award last year, but to many people, they arent even aware the band exists.

Dave Grohl: Why Rock Will Never Die...

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