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Entertain Us: The Rise and Fall of Alternative Rock in the Nineties
The Rise and Fall of Alternative Rock in the Nineties
In 1990 alternative music was where it belonged - underground. It left the business of rock stardom to rock stars. But by 1992 alternative rock had spawned a revolution in music and style that transformed youth culture and revived a moribund music industry. Five years later, alternative rock was over, leaving behind a handful of dead heroes, a few dozen masterpieces, and a lot more questions than answers. What, if anything, had the alternative revolution meant? And had it been possible - as so many of its heroes had insisted - for it to be both on MtV and under the radar? Had it used the machinery of corporate rock to destroy corporate rock? In ENtERtAIN US! Craig Schuftan takes you on a journey through the nineties - from Sonic Youth's 'Kool thing' to Radiohead's 'Kid A', NEVERMIND to ODELAY, Madchester to Nu-Metal, Lollapalooza to Woodstock '99 - narrated in the voices of the decade's most important artists. this is the story of alternative rock - the people who made it, the people who loved it, the industry that bought and sold it, and the culture that grew up in its wake - in the last decade of the twentieth century.
In 1990 alternative music was where it belonged - underground. It left the business of rock stardom to rock stars. But by 1992 alternative rock had spawned a revolution in music and style that transformed youth culture and revived a moribund music industry. Five years later, alternative rock was over, leaving behind a handful of dead heroes, a few dozen masterpieces, and a lot more questions than answers. What, if anything, had the alternative revolution meant? And had it been possible - as so many of its heroes had insisted - for it to be both on MtV and under the radar? Had it used the machinery of corporate rock to destroy corporate rock? In ENtERtAIN US! Craig Schuftan takes you on a journey through the nineties - from Sonic Youth's 'Kool thing' to Radiohead's 'Kid A', NEVERMIND to ODELAY, Madchester to Nu-Metal, Lollapalooza to Woodstock '99 - narrated in the voices of the decade's most important artists. this is the story of alternative rock - the people who made it, the people who loved it, the industry that bought and sold it, and the culture that grew up in its wake - in the last decade of the twentieth century.
400 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2012
23 people are currently reading
268 people want to read
About the author
Craig Schuftan
4 books16 followersAuthor, broadcaster, radio producer from Sydney, Australia
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
October 8, 2018
The anti-white self-loathing of this author is embarrassing (albeit somewhat comical), and there is no mention of the two most interesting alternative music scenes of the 1990s, namely Black Metal and the various World Serpent-distributed groups.
One wonders if the whole ‘self-loathing proto-SJW grunge’ vs. ‘sex-crazed 80s hair rockers’ thing isn’t somehow reflective of the protestant/catholic divide, which in turn reflects deeper tendencies in the European soul…I say that because most of the grunge singers are Nordic-looking, whereas bands like Bon Jovi and Motley Crue have southern European genetic make up (Vince Neil is half Mexican).
Simplification, but maybe a grain of truth to it; perhaps someone with time could investigate further?
One wonders if the whole ‘self-loathing proto-SJW grunge’ vs. ‘sex-crazed 80s hair rockers’ thing isn’t somehow reflective of the protestant/catholic divide, which in turn reflects deeper tendencies in the European soul…I say that because most of the grunge singers are Nordic-looking, whereas bands like Bon Jovi and Motley Crue have southern European genetic make up (Vince Neil is half Mexican).
Simplification, but maybe a grain of truth to it; perhaps someone with time could investigate further?
April 10, 2016
I LOVED this book. Being a child of the 90’s but not quite old enough to seek out or grasp the behind the scenes politics of the industry this for me was both a wonderful wave of nostalgia and an in-depth learning experience. Schuftan's attempt to include as many bands as possible and cover both the American and British alt rock scenes, causes the book at times to wander however I still found it all worthwhile. It was fascinating getting the stories behind the music that shaped my childhood and I'm completely bummed it had to end! Read this while listening to all the bands/albums that were mentioned in the book and recommend all music lovers to do the same!
*Thank you ABC Books and Edelweiss for this review copy
*Thank you ABC Books and Edelweiss for this review copy
September 6, 2015
This book is a gold mine of information about the stories/meaning/philosophy behind 1990s alternative rock music. Schuftan could have done a better job mining it, but still worth a read.
Check out my full detailed review over at http://2bitmonkey.wordpress.com/2013/...
Check out my full detailed review over at http://2bitmonkey.wordpress.com/2013/...
July 25, 2025
A thorough overview of the era that assumes a catchy year-by-year, band-by-band format without ever losing the central thread. An enlightening and entertaining(!) read that helped this 90s kid make sense of the dominant culture in which he came of age. Highly recommended to anyone with even a passing interest in rock bands of the 90s.
In a book full of great band anecdotes, two surprising omissions were Pearl Jam's crusade against Ticket Master and their extremely disaffected acceptance speech for their '96 Grammy. But you can't include 'em all.
In a book full of great band anecdotes, two surprising omissions were Pearl Jam's crusade against Ticket Master and their extremely disaffected acceptance speech for their '96 Grammy. But you can't include 'em all.
January 8, 2025
finally finished this. the alt music bible, bless the 90s gods 🙏🏼
May 14, 2014
In truth, I’d have found it pretty hard to dislike a book that starts with The Stone Roses in 1990 and ends with Radiohead in 2000. 'Entertain Us!' is filled with plenty of smart, analytical writing and interesting quotes that I’d never heard or read before. Australian author Craig Schuftan mines the British and American music press throughout the 1990s to chart the rise and fall of alternative rock, as well as digging through triple j’s archives (particularly Richard Kingsmill’s interviews with key artists) to uncover a raft of fascinating themes and trends that I’m sure have never been collected into a single volume before. The chapters are short and tend to focus on one band (or album) at a time, but the way he weaves it all together is thoroughly enjoyable. A great book.
June 20, 2017
Exactly not what I wanted. Radiohead/Nirvana are great. Sonic Youth is cool. Most of it is just a rehash of the same ideas Spin was pushing back in the day. A band like Silverchair gets a paragraph about how they were one of many clones but that's it. I'd rather see more on those one hit wonders than about how Blur and Oasis didn't like each other.
July 27, 2018
This book tries too much to back 90's alternative rock as having a philosophic higher goal. It reads excellent as independent stories of some of the more important bands in 90's alternative rock.
An extra star for bringing my 90's music memories back :-)
An extra star for bringing my 90's music memories back :-)
June 9, 2025
Well written
But apparently poorly researched. Band members are misidentified many times, and details about several albums are also incorrect. Many of these facts could be easily verified with a quick Google search.
But apparently poorly researched. Band members are misidentified many times, and details about several albums are also incorrect. Many of these facts could be easily verified with a quick Google search.
July 24, 2012
A dérive directed by time's arrow, with a focus on personal alienation rather than its mercantile form. Debord's drift tethered.
July 19, 2012
Excellent! Finished this in two days, couldn't get enough.
February 8, 2020
Craig is one of the best disseminators of popular culture. His books are hard to put down.
Want to read
April 8, 2023to-read
June 30, 2015
I wasn’t as engaged with Alternative Rock in the nineties as someone who was born in the seventies would have been. Many of the band names in this book were unfamiliar, but since I had the advantage of a paid membership to a streaming music service, I was able to listen to these groups and hear their music as I was reading about them.
I knew the major players such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Oasis, and Smashing Pumpkins. I had listened to many of the other groups on the radio back then, but didn’t really pay much attention to their stories. I was 41 in 1990 and had to go to work everyday. This book taught me a lot about what was happening in music back then.
Since I’m an American I knew more about the Seattle music scene than what was going on in Manchester, England. Much of the British music never made it here, and I’m sure that most of the lesser known American bands never were popular in Europe. So even if you grew up during the nineties, to really appreciate the book that Mr. Schuftan wrote, you will have to listen to some of the music that he writes about.
Entertain Us goes into depth discussing the role of Alternative Rock. Mr. Schuftan talks about grunge, and how fame affected the way that Kurt Cobain and Eddie Vedder thought, how they tried to make their music less accessible and therefore less popular. He talks about other movements in music, how female musicians revolted, and formed groups that pushed back against the sexist role of women in rock. How MTV used the music of everyone in rock to sell hamburgers and toothpaste. How some bands couldn’t justify the money they made, when they wanted to change the world. Then some people went the other way, and took whatever was up for grabs, and said that it was only rock and roll, not revolution. There was a lot more going on behind the music than I ever knew about,
Entertain Us is a thoroughly enjoyable book about music in the nineties. If you think that none of it will be new to you, you will be surprised, because there was such a separation of music between the US and the UK. Many bands never became popular because there was such a big difference in what was going on in music in their own countries. I can’t emphasize enough that you will have to spend the extra time and effort to listen to the music that Mr. Schuftan talks about as you are reading about it. If you don’t, you will just be reading a bunch of words that won’t make a connection in your brain. Entertain Us needs to come with a soundtrack. Maybe someone can put up a playlist on Spotify or Beats Music, so that we can more easily listen along. It would have helped a lot.
I give Entertain Us 4 1/2 Stars out of 5 and a Big Thumbs Up! If you grew up during the nineties and claim the music from that time, read this book, because you will like the trip down memory lane, and also because you will learn more about what was going on at the time. If you are older, you probably don’t know most of the back story, but unless you are a real music fan, you may not care.
I received a Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher.
I knew the major players such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Oasis, and Smashing Pumpkins. I had listened to many of the other groups on the radio back then, but didn’t really pay much attention to their stories. I was 41 in 1990 and had to go to work everyday. This book taught me a lot about what was happening in music back then.
Since I’m an American I knew more about the Seattle music scene than what was going on in Manchester, England. Much of the British music never made it here, and I’m sure that most of the lesser known American bands never were popular in Europe. So even if you grew up during the nineties, to really appreciate the book that Mr. Schuftan wrote, you will have to listen to some of the music that he writes about.
Entertain Us goes into depth discussing the role of Alternative Rock. Mr. Schuftan talks about grunge, and how fame affected the way that Kurt Cobain and Eddie Vedder thought, how they tried to make their music less accessible and therefore less popular. He talks about other movements in music, how female musicians revolted, and formed groups that pushed back against the sexist role of women in rock. How MTV used the music of everyone in rock to sell hamburgers and toothpaste. How some bands couldn’t justify the money they made, when they wanted to change the world. Then some people went the other way, and took whatever was up for grabs, and said that it was only rock and roll, not revolution. There was a lot more going on behind the music than I ever knew about,
Entertain Us is a thoroughly enjoyable book about music in the nineties. If you think that none of it will be new to you, you will be surprised, because there was such a separation of music between the US and the UK. Many bands never became popular because there was such a big difference in what was going on in music in their own countries. I can’t emphasize enough that you will have to spend the extra time and effort to listen to the music that Mr. Schuftan talks about as you are reading about it. If you don’t, you will just be reading a bunch of words that won’t make a connection in your brain. Entertain Us needs to come with a soundtrack. Maybe someone can put up a playlist on Spotify or Beats Music, so that we can more easily listen along. It would have helped a lot.
I give Entertain Us 4 1/2 Stars out of 5 and a Big Thumbs Up! If you grew up during the nineties and claim the music from that time, read this book, because you will like the trip down memory lane, and also because you will learn more about what was going on at the time. If you are older, you probably don’t know most of the back story, but unless you are a real music fan, you may not care.
I received a Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher.
September 30, 2016
This book is written as a long series of short vignettes (~4-10 pages), most of which focus on a point of angst in the experience of 90s musicians, explored through historical events, song lyrics and interviews given by musicians. In this way Schuftan distills common elements across their experiences. The vignettes are ordered by the individual years of the 90s, but are given context by recourse to events in other years. All in all the many vignettes reference maybe 50-100 bands. The central personalities, who reappear numerous times include Eddie Vedder, Kurt Cobain, Courtney Love, the Gallagher Brothers, Jarvis Cocker, Damon Albarn, Thom Yorke, Trent Reznor and Beck. Schuftan must have considered Cali-punk to be mostly beyond his scope, because bands like Green Day and the Offspring, which were pretty big, barely surface.
Schuftan's main drive is that alternative bands did not agree on key aspects of what their musical, commercial and political objectives should be. He also shows that the viewpoints on these issues changed year to year throughout the decade as each celebrated style / approach became formulaic or had its downsides exposed. The book also chronicles the differences between British and American rock music histories during the decade.
Schuftan is an occasional presenter on Triple J radio (Australia), of which I have been a die-hard supporter since 1994. This book's topic and research is fascinating but I found the structure a little awkward.
Schuftan's main drive is that alternative bands did not agree on key aspects of what their musical, commercial and political objectives should be. He also shows that the viewpoints on these issues changed year to year throughout the decade as each celebrated style / approach became formulaic or had its downsides exposed. The book also chronicles the differences between British and American rock music histories during the decade.
Schuftan is an occasional presenter on Triple J radio (Australia), of which I have been a die-hard supporter since 1994. This book's topic and research is fascinating but I found the structure a little awkward.
January 4, 2015
A great read about the rise and fall of the various genres that dominated popular music in the nineties. Lots of great insight into some of the decisions various bands made as they made their way from being independent to major labels. Very well researched and pieced together.
January 7, 2013
A little slow in some parts, but still full of lots of little tidbits that made me "ohh" and "aha!". Makes me want to listen to Kid A and Nevermind on repeat for a while.
June 7, 2014
I spent the 90"s in a country town with only AM radio and two tv channels so it was great to catch up on what I'd missed.
March 17, 2015
I grew up with posters of Nirvana and smashing pumpkins on my walls, so I was excited to read this book. Does a great job of bringing all the elements together; not the mtv version of things.
October 24, 2015
Thoughtfully analytic, but not unnecessarily scholarly. Gives good prospective and makes sense of an under-analyzed era. A very enjoyable and enlightening read.
September 23, 2016
loved how it broke it down through the years. extremely poignant
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews