SongsForGrownups

Here’s a probably quite tasteless question: I wonder if Nirvana would still be going strong if Eddie Vedder had done himself in instead of Kurt Cobain. Would Pearl Jam have been lamented and legendary after their musical journey was prematurely terminated?

Well, the question is most likely tasteless and silly both, especially since we can still enjoy the quirky sub-genius of Nirvana, and have decades of Pearl Jam to wade through at our leisure. And pointless, since Vedder, despite lyrics which could be just as down as Cobain’s, didn’t succumb to the darkness, and Cobain did.

This is what I think: a main source of Kurt Cobain’s despair was that he didn’t know how, and what’s more, wasn’t sure he was allowed, to grow up. The band had achieved precipitous fame, wealth, and adulation, to his great discomfort. It had also peaked musically, very quickly. I can hear him cry out, What do I do now?

Of course, the Seattle Grunge scene was a hot flame, and brief. But it infused new heat into the increasingly tepid ’80s rock and roll. Wonders of sound and fury from Audioslave, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soul Asylum, and perhaps my favorite, Alice in Chains, stand up to (and still inform) most of today’s offerings, and mix in very well on our local rock station’s playlist. Pearl Jam is the only one still playing. (Not counting Queensryche, of course: still touring and recording after 25 years, but never a grunge act. And what a voice Jeff Tate still has—but that’s for another post.) This isn’t really the place to debate who copped whose sound and licks—it was a close community and ideas were bound to jump around. But the music is still vital, and the lyrics (when you can hear them) strange and biting and poetic. I don’t know Eddie’s secret, but he’s Prometheus carrying the flame, and that’s a good thing.

But back to growing up. I remember being very impressed by Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill, which, despite being a bitter pill indeed (or perhaps due to it), sold over 30 million copies worldwide. I’m sure millions of men were glad not to be the target of Morissette’s venom—and were, even so, the vicarious targets of millions of women who listened and nodded. Really, how does one follow a debut like that? And how do you sustain that combination of musical innovation and rage? The answer: don’t, if you’re Alanis. Three years after Pill, and after a 6-week stay in India and near-retirement from The Biz, Morissette came back with a whole new batch of songs mostly about forgiveness. The fans were like stunned. Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie only sold a few million copies, so of course it was thought by some to be a disappointment. Not by Alanis, I’m sure, and not by me. It was a thing of beauty: haunting and strange, filled with unconventional forms and those very distinctive vocals, this time softer and less edgy, but no less willing to experiment and far more willing to love. And she forced her audience to grow up with her, or else wait for Avril Lavigne.

Morissette has made more records in the decade since, and it’s a pleasure to hear what she shows up with. It doesn’t sell crazy huge like Pill did, and so what. Look at her smile.

And let’s not forget Dave Grohl.  Nevermind Nirvana (sorry, I couldn’t resist)–just keep moving forward.  The Fighters of Foo are nowhere in the vision of Kurt Cobain, and are thriving.  Dave even plays with Sir Paul, for heaven’s sake.  More power to him, and the Fighters.