ALTERNATIVE FOR THE MASSES: The '90s Alt-Rock Revolution—An Oral History, seriously good fun with the information

ALTERNATIVE FOR THE MASSES: The '90s Alt-Rock Revolution—An Oral History
GREG PRATO
Motorbooks International (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$29.99 all editions, available now

Rating: 4.75* of five

The Publisher Says: Alternative for the Masses: The Oral History of the ’90s Alt-Rock Revolution offers insights, opinions, and memories from an incredible cast of musicians and producers who created the music. Get the definitive story of the ’90s alt-rock movement straight from the musicians and figures who lived it.

No period in the history of rock music offered such an abrupt shift in prevailing tastes as the 1990s. While just a short while before, radio and MTV were clamoring for hair metal bands, suddenly alt-rockers such as Jane’s Addiction, Nine Inch Nails, Faith No More, Primus, Smashing Pumpkins, and of course, Nirvana, brought a sea change not just in what the most popular bands sounded like, but also in fashion, politics, and seemingly all aspects of pop culture.

In Alternative for the Masses: The Oral History of the ’90s Alt-Rock Revolution, veteran music critic Greg Prato presents more than 60 new interviews conducted exclusively for the book—with an emphasis on the 1990–1995 peak period—including insights from renowned names like:
Ian MacKaye (Fugazi, Dischord Records) Frank Black (Pixies) Corey Glover (Living Colour) Moby (solo artist/DJ) Al Jourgensen (Ministry) Les Claypool (Primus) Kennedy (host of MTV’s Alternative Nation) Matt Pinfield (host of MTV’s 120 Minutes) Butch Vig (producer of Nirvana’s Nevermind) Tanya Donnelly (Belly, Breeders) Fred Armisen (Portlandia, Saturday Night Live) Prato also includes excerpts from one of the last interviews with Steve Albini, arguably the period’s most influential recording engineer and producer, responsible for influential albums by the likes of Nirvana and PJ Harvey producer, among many others.

Prato sets out his book in thematic chapters covering topics such as:
The Lollapalooza music festival The impact of Nirvana Alt-rock’s many subgenres Notable producers of the period The impact of women rockers MTV’s influence Drugs and addiction and much more! Do you long for the days when it seemed rock artists were all about daring to be different, speaking their minds, and shaking up the music industry? The last decade before the internet, downloads, and streaming took over music? Alternative for the Masses will take you back to that time when alt-rock truly promised something different.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: I'm unhappily aware that it's been more than thirty years since Kurt Cobain died.

It's saddening to think "what might have been" about anyone's life; his was no more important than any other, yet some people take on larger-than-life importance to the culture at large. He was one of them. His early overdose death was A Moment, not merely a tragedy for his wife and his family, including the daughter he never really knew.

This book is filled with the stories of the survivors, and the fallen, from their own mouths. The author's been a music journalist and author forever. Many books to his credit, including the lushly titled The Yacht Rock Book: The Oral History of the Soft, Smooth Sounds of the 70s and 80s, which ZOMG might's well have been titled "I'm Aiming For Mudge's Wallet." In this case I'm bycarch, but still very much into reading the stories. The book's design is really of a piece with its era and subject.

half-title;contents; text spread

Of course, the real appeal is the interesting people who were there:

And there are lots of fun sidebars of trivia, too:

I don't see this as a very expensive book for what it is and has inside it. Music defines generations. We're all walking to the beats the speakers are pumpin' out. You'll already have someone in mind for this delight of nostalgia, either who was there or who wished they were. At this price, even a casual friend can look forward to one of these. I will say, though, the tree-book will flow better than the ebook; though it's by no means *bad* it just lacks the overall view that a tree-book has.

Lucky us who lived through it!