You know I love you, baby, but I think you've been deceitful.
I remember all the good times we had. Listening to the radio on my hour drive from Delaware to Maryland each day for middle school. Buying cassingles of Weezer, Better than Ezra, Green Day, Loud Lucy, and many others at the Sam Goody at the Centre at Salisbury. Even later, when it seemed like radio had lost it's mind with all the boy bands, mainstream hip hop, and Nu Metal, I could still listen to Lunch at the Archives on WHFS while I was working during the summers in High School. They played Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, the Wallflowers and all my friends.
Sadly, most of your songs were all on tape, and those live in the unairconditioned workout room, surrounded by spiders and workout equipment. Needless to say, I haven't seen you in quite some time, and you haven't made it onto my computer. Sure, I have some Toad the Wet Sprocket here, and some Meat Puppets there, but I don't hear you enough, and I think you are using that to trick me.
See, I remember there were bands I didn't like. I hated Silverchair back in the day. Tonic was not good, and I remember threatening to jump out of a car on the way to a high school golf match because my ride wouldn't stop playing Sister Hazel. So why in the name of Mazzy Star do I suddenly feel all warm and nostalgic whenever I hear any song from that time period?
Did time make me stupid enough to forget that Sheryl Crow cannot sing? Did I forget all of those middle school dances where I did the Rerun dance to Hootie and the Blowfish songs just to get girls to notice me? For every Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, there was a new Creed album lurking in the shadows, ready to sell you Jesus and angsty Godrock. I mean, Joan Osborne actually got heavy airplay. Things were not all rosy. But now, almost twenty years later, I hear this stuff and I won't shut it off. Pandora decides to play Filter, and I give it a thumbs up. Then I sit quietly at my desk and contemplate what I have done while slowly digging into my leg with a letter opener. They took my stapler away because I was using it as punishment for accidentally singing along to The Verve.
13 year old Greg would be very disappointed, but I generally enjoy listening to all of this now. My music snobbery has left me when it comes to you, 90's alternative. I keep coming back to you, even after you hit me, because I know it must have been my fault.
One thing will always remain the same throughout it all, and in this I can take comfort. Alanis Morrisette is still a wailing harpy, and I will never forget that for a moment.
Hey Greg. It's Ayman. I read this post twice and I'm still a little confused. What about 90s music are you angry at. A lot if bands you named, not only do I still listen to them, I have a lot if their full catalogs saved right into my phone. But yeah, fakk Creed. Cheers.
ReplyDeleteHey Ayman. I am mainly angry that I can hear something like "How Bizarre" or "All I Wanna Do" and lump it in with all the music I like. Back then, I couldn't stand that stuff. Nostalgia is killing my ability to discern things, I think.
DeleteIronically enough, I am listening to Pearl Jam VS as I saw Laura posting a link, then read this. I have to say, at least some of the music has aged well. I wouldn't dare compare it to fine wine, b/c then I'd probably end up in an open letter.
ReplyDeleteAll told, 90's music is awesome. In part, I think, because back then, we were still trying to figure out what awesome was. Imagine having to be a teenager and trying to choose between Justin Bieber or Katy Perry.
I can honestly not give you a lyric from a Katy Perry song. I only know one Justin Bieber song, and that is because Julia Nunes mashed it up with a Supremes song and tricked me. So I cannot actually say what is bad with today's music.
DeleteI have gotten to like some new bands recently like Gaslight Anthem, Grouplove, and Of Monsters and Men. Five or ten years ago I could find nothing I liked in modern music. I lived by the 90's alternative, Ska revival, and old punk music.
Great read Greg. I recently found stacks of my old Guitar World magazines from the mid-nineties and have been getting such a kick out of them. The thing that strikes me about nineties nostalgia is that it's feels like the last musical era where going to a record store(can't do that just anywhere anymore), listening to the radio or even just listening/talking to local musicians seemed like an adventure. No doubt it's because the industry still existed and I was eating it up like candy. I too have found myself enjoying (and actually buying) songs and albums by bands that I completely disapproved of in my formative years.
ReplyDeleteBricks are heavy.
Thanks Dave. I agree completely. I loved driving out to Salisbury and buying up the $5 punk comps at Sam Goody. I spent hours in that store. That and the Tower in Annapolis. There is a record store out in Fells Point that was awesome that I went to last summer, but I can't remember the name. I am glad I am not the only one giving musical amnesty to 90's artists.
DeleteIf we don't, who will? Fells Point? Perhaps the Soundgarden? Spent a lot of time there while at Loyola. Who am I kidding, I still spend a lot of time there.
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