Quietly on my
PVR sat an episode of VH1's classic albums. I've watched lots of these before, but never has such an emotional response been stirred in me.
This episode was about Nirvana,
Nevermind. Released in late September 1991,
Nevermind pretty much single handedly brought the Seattle "grunge" scene to the mainstream, and signed the death warrant for the most popular music of the time. What is now affectionately known as Hair Metal died that year.
I can still vividly recall where I was the first time I heard "Smells Like Teen Spirit." I close my eyes and I'm in my girlfriend's tiny, dank basement apartment at 132nd Street and 106a Ave in Surrey (the armpit of) B.C. I'm alone. Andrea is probably working at the Subway on King George Highway, selling sandwiches to the junkies, hookers, and strippers, hoping to screw one up so it can't be sold and she can bring it home and we can eat that day. Much Music airs the video and I am transfixed. I have never seen anything like this. The emotion, the distortion, the destruction.
On the other side of the country in Quebec's Eastern townships are Sliky and T-Bag, lead singer and bassist in my band Scooter Trash. They also witness this phoenix rising from the ashes of corporate rock.
Shortly after their return to B.C. it was Andrea, Sliky, T-Bag, and myself all living in the tiny apartment on 106a Ave. T-Bag had returned from Quebec with a vintage Harley and an old pickup truck (I'm not saying where the money came from). This at least allowed us to escape from the 200 square foot basement apartment prison. We set out to find this
Nevermind. Nowhere in Surrey is it available so we decided to head south, across the border, and try our luck. Bellingham, Washington, U.S.A ..... success. We now had
Nevermind (on
cassette!).
The journey home was an education and an indoctrination, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" blasting out of the speakers while the truck's pathetic stereo begs for mercy. Never have we experienced anything like this and I can say that I have not heard anything like it since.
Did
Nevermind effect you this way? Maybe you didn't care, maybe you hated it? What album is important to you?