by
      S.
      Livingstone
     
    
   
   
    
     
      narticle
      published
      in
      the
      last
      issue
      of
      the
      X.
      Press
      questioned
      the
      validity
      of
      amovement
      that
      has
      come
      to
      symbolize
      a
      certain
      subculture
      within
     
     
      our
      generation.
      The
      article,
      titled
      ‘“Is
      Grunge
      Dead?’’,
      was
      a
      somewhat
      intelligible
      discussion
      of
      whether
      or
      not
      the
      current
      counterculture
     
     
      with
      noticeable
      connections
      to
      the
      so-called
      grunge
      scene
      can
      prevail
      after
      succumbing
      to
      commercialization
      and
      corporate
      control,
      and
     
     
      moreover,
      upon
      gaining
      mass
      attention
      beyond
      the
      realm
      of
      the
      industry
      appointed
      birthplace
      of
      grunge,
      Seattle.
     
    

    
     
      It
      is
      not
      likely
      one
      is
      going
      to
      see
      the
      disappearance
      of
      a
      music-based
      phenomena
      overnight.
      Eventually
      grunge
      will
      move
      over
      for
      another
     
     
      scene,
      but
      that
      does
      not
      mean
      its
      societal
      impact
      will
      be
      forgotten.
      It
      is
      highly
      unlikely
      stories
      surrounding
      Kurt
      Cobain
      of
      Nirvana
      and
      his
     
     
      enchanting
      wife
      Courtney
      Love
      of
      Hole
      will
      suddenly
      dissipate
      from
      the
      plethora
      of
      entertainment
      magazines
      to
      be
      found.
      These
      people
      thrive
     
     
      on
      attention,
      and
      it
      is
      because
      of
      entertainers
      such
      as
      Cobain
      and
      Love
      that
      the
      once
      underground
      grunge
      scene
      assaulted
      the
      masses
      seemingly
     
     
      without
      warning.
     
    

    
     
      Cobain,
      if
      you
      recall
      wore
      a
      t-shirt
      on
      the
      cover
      of
      Rolling
      Stone
      making
      the
      statement
      ‘“corporate
      magazines
      still
      suck’’.
      The
      message
     
     
      he
      wore
      was
      slightly
      antithetical
      to
      the
      message
      he
      delivers.
      It
      is
      very
      questionable
      as
      to
      whether
      or
      not
      Nirvana
      could
      have
      made
      it
     
     
      independently.
      The
      band
      has,
      within
      the
      context
      of
      popular
      culture,
      become
      the
      exemplification
      of
      the
      Seattle
      scene
      although
      their
      style
      tends
     
     
      to
      be
      far
      too
      top
      forty
      for
      some.
      If
      Cobain
      doesn’t
      like
      corporate
      rock,
      then
      he
      should
      remove
      himself
      from
      the
      cover
      of
      a
      very
      ‘‘middle-of-
     
     
      the-road’’
      magazine
      read
      more
      by
      fortysomethings
      than
      by
      the
      children
      of
      those
      readers
      he
      is
      trying
      to
      appeal
      to.
      He
      could
      not
      reject
      the
     
     
      corporate
      rock
      scene
      for
      the
      simple
      fact
      that
      he
      realizes
      there
      is
      a
      chance
      he
      could
      no
      longer
      make
      it
      in
      the
      delirium
      of
      a
      music
      industry
      and
     
     
      with
      an
      audience
      which
      is
      looking
      for
      something
      innovative
      and
      captivating
      with
      each
      new
      day.
      This
      is
      not
      necessarily
      how
      it
      should
      be,
      but
     
     
      that's
      the
      way
      it
      is
      and
      Cobain
      dove
      into
      it
      head
      first.
      Cobain,
      in
      a
     
     
      sense,
      sold
      out.
     
    

    
     
      Itis
      rather
      bothersome,
      though,
      that
      companies
      such
      as
      Sony
     
     
      and
      MCA
      are
      constantly
      looking
      for
      the
      next
      big
      thing.
      As
      the
      article
     
     
      said,
      new
      bands
      are
      either
      overlooked
      or
      are
      simply
      thrown
      into
      a
     
     
      very
      volatile
      market
      without
      being
      prepared
      for
      the
      inevitability
      of
     
     
      not
      being
      successful.
      Not
      everyone
      is
      destined
      to
      be
      Pearl
      Jam.
      It
      is
     
     
      also
      annoying
      that
      certain
      grassroots
      members
      of
      the
      grunge
      move-
     
     
      ment
      have
      uttered
      remarks
      of
      anger
      over
      the
      fact
      that
      what
      began
      as
     
     
      a
      joke
      or
      pastime
      to
      them
      became
      a
      massive
      success
      in
      the
      eyes
      of
     
     
      many.
      The
      only
      problem
      with
      success
      is
      overexposure
      rather
      than
     
     
      popularity,
      and
      with
      the
      likes
      of
      Vogue
      demonstrating
      how
      to
      look
     
     
      Seattle
      bound
      in
      a
      $1200
      unkempt
      ensemble
      from
      Perry
      Ellis
      it
      can
     
     
      become
      a
      tad
      tiring
      to
      say
      the
      least.
     
    

    
     
      I
      don’t
      think
      one
      has
      to
      live
      in
      fear
      at
      the
      thought
      of
      the
     
     
      obscenely
      affluent
      strutting
      around
      in
      thrift
      shop
      daily
      wear,
      just
      as
     
     
      one
      should
      not
      consume
      their
      time
      worrying
      about
      the
      commerciali-
     
     
      zation
      of
      an
      alternative
      scene
      commonly
      known
      as
      grunge.
      If
     
     
      counterculture
      activity
      did
      not
      receive
      attention
      from
      large
      corpora-
     
     
      tions,
      countercultures
      would
      often
      times
      go
      unnoticed
      thus
      usurping
     
     
      the
      term
      counterculture.
      A
      group
      has
      to
      be
      relatively
      visible
      within
     
     
      society
      to
      be
      labelled.
      The
      counterculture
      occurrences
      of
      the
      1960’s
     
     
      were
      really
      no
      different
      from
      much
      of
      the
      activity
      taking
      place
      now.
     
     
      Our
      music
      is
      used
      to
      make
      a
      profit
      under
      the
      guise
      of
      Lollapalooza
     
     
      just
      as
      theirs
      was
      hidden
      beneath
      three
      days
      of
      music,
      love,
      and
      peace
     
     
      called
      Woodstock
      in
      1969.
      Donot
      be
      misled
      to
      think
      these
      thingsjust
      ,
     
     
      happen
      because
      the
      cultural
      climate
      is
      right.
      They
      happen
      because
      .
     
     
      they
      are
      sound
      economic
      ventures
      for
      those
      in
      charge
      -
      the
      establish-
      |
     
     
      ment.
      The
      irony
      is
      so
      stinging!
     
    

    
     
      The
      next
      time
      you
      are
      listening
      to
      one
      of
      the
      extremely
     
     
      diverse
      bands
      that
      the
      popular
      media
      has
      forced
      into
      this
      single
     
     
      genre,
      do
      not
      be
      concerned
      that
      it
      won’t
      be
      cool
      to
      do
      so
      tomorrow
     
     
      or
      that
      your
      thrift
      shop
      finds
      are
      going
      to
      lose
      a
      place
      in
      your
     
     
      wardrobe.
      Grunge
      is
      not
      all
      image.
      It
      is
      just
      the
      collective
      label
      for
     
     
      great
      music
      and
      all
      that
      surrounds
      it.
      It
      is
      far
      beyond
      the
      pages
      of
     
     
      Vogue
      and
      sometimes
      beneath
      the
      pages
      of
      Rolling
      Stone.
      Now,
      turn
     
     
      up
      your
      Sloan
      CD
      really
      loud
      and
      enjoy
      that
      Seattle
      -
      I
      mean
      Halifax
     
     
      -
      sound,
      @
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Trials
      &
      Tribulations
      of
      a
     
     
      twentysomething