One of my goals in 2020 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.
A freind from work recommended Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History Of Grunge by Mark Yarm after I mentioned reading a oral history of punk some years ago. I picked up a copy, but it took me quite a few years to actually read it.
A collection of interviews with almost everyone who was on the scene in Seattle and surrounding towns when “Grunge” started, this book tells the true tale of their time, their music, in their own words.
Many of the interviews in this book are new when writing, but some are from older interviews as well. In this way, the author is able to share voices of those who were lost druing or after this time. Many of the people in this book are now deceased and part of the running theme of this history is how the musicians and artists became currupted during or after thier climb to fame. Although now grunge is well known around the world, in the late 80s and early 90s Seattle was just another American city and not yet the birth place of this influential music movement. In a few short years, it became an epicenter of it’s time and produced some of the most well known bands in history. And yet, many of it’s founding member were left in relative obscurity. Many saw the climb of certain bands as a cash and fame grab rather than making music for the right reasons. As with the punk history I read, I really enjoyed learning how people felt as it was happening, from the player’s themselves. But there is, so long after the fact, a feeling that history has been changed a lot by perspective. This is neither bad nor good in this book. The artists have mostly all had some time to ruminate on their version of the history and are able to retell it having thought about it for many years. Having grown up during this time, and having experiences and opinions on this time and music myself, it felt in some small way that I added my own history to this book while reading it as well. Although I was experiencing these milestones from a far, I certainly have my own take on them. I would highly recommend this book for readers who like oral histories, non fiction about the resent past, those who liked or still love grunge music, and those who grew up in the 1990s..
Do you like to read books about music? What are some of your favorites?