Grunge Is Dead: The Oral History of Seattle Rock Music

by Greg Prato

Grunge Is Dead weaves together the definitive story of the Seattle music scene through a series of interviews with the people who were there. Taking the form of an “oral” history, this books contains more than 130 interviews, along with essential background information from acclaimed music writer Greg Prato.

The early ’90s grunge movement may have last only a few years, but it spawned some of the greatest rock music of all Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden. This book contains the first-ever interview in which Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder was willing to discuss the group’s history in great detail; Alice in Chains’ band members and Layne Staley’s mom on Staley’s drug addiction and death; insights into the Riot Grrrl movement and oft-overlooked but highly influential Seattle bands like Mother Love Bone/Andy Wood, the Melvins, Screaming Trees, and Mudhoney; and much more.

Grunge Is Dead digs deeper than the average grunge history, starting in the early '60s, and explaining the chain of events that gave way to the grunge movement. The end result is a book that includes a wealth of previously untold stories and insight for the longtime fan, as well as its renowned story for the newcomer. Grunge Is Dead collects the whole truth of grunge music in one comprehensive volume.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, History, Audiobook, Biography, Oral History, Pop Culture

Audible Audio

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Greg Prato is a Long Island, New York-based journalist, whose writing has appeared in such renowned publications as Rolling Stone. He is the author of several popular books, 'A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other: The Story of Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon,' 'Touched by Magic: The Tommy Bolin Story,' 'Grunge Is Dead: The Oral History of Seattle Rock Music, 'No Schlock . . . Just Rock!,' 'The Eric Carr Story,' 'MTV Ruled the World: The Early Years of Music Video,' 'Sack Exchange: The Definitive Oral History of the 1980s New York Jets,' 'Too High to Die: Meet the Meat Puppets,' 'Dynasty: The Oral History of the New York Islanders, 1972-1984,' and 'The Faith No More & Mr. Bungle Companion.'

Reviews

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three things I learned:

1. The drummer from Alice in Chains recorded "Facelift" with a broken hand.

2. Eddie Vedder got paid $80 to teach Matt Dillon how to play guitar for the movie "Singles."

3. The font for Nirvana's logo resulted from the graphic designer of "Bleach" just using whatever was already loaded on the computerized type-setter because she didn't want to put forth any effort since Sub Pop already owed her a bunch of money.

I love oral biographies, especially about bands ("Fool the World" about the Pixies is another great example). This has interviews with Eddie Vedder--who never does interviews, Kim Thayil from Soundgarden, Mark Arm from Mudhoney, and Layne Staley's mother (pretty intense), as well as a hundred other people involved in the time/place in various ways.

See also: "Route 666: On the Road to Nirvana" and "Our Band Could be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991."

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes. I am still on this bullshit. It's fine. I get it.

There's a reason why Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge is the more widely read of these two oral histories of grunge. And it's because, sorry to Greg Prato, it's the better done book. While, like mentioned, both are oral histories somehow Everybody Love Our Town has the better flow. There's often moments within this book that you have to take a minute to figure out who is being talked about and who is talking about them. There is a cast of characters at the back but what Everybody Loves Our Town does that this book doesn't is often put who is talking in brackets so that we are reminded why this persons opinion is here.

The cast of characters obviously overlaps but there are some people here that are not in the other book and vice versa. The strangest exclusion to me seemed to be Courtney Love and her band Hole. Any and all mention of Hole is scrubbed from this text, and Courtney is only mentioned as Kurt's wife. Just seemed.. odd. I will say that Nancy McCallum (Layne Staley's mother) participated in this book and not the other, which, if you're a dead set Alice fan I guess is a point in this books favour.

Once again, and like I mentioned with Everybody Loves Our Town, for a scene that claimed to be so supportive and what not there are plenty of people ready to tear others down. Pearl Jam was equated to an industry plant. Soundgarden didn't stick to their roots and chased mainstream success, blah blah blah. There's a lot of bitter people having a whinge about who was derivative and whatever. It's funny considering how often it seemed to be emphasised that whole thing was about the scene coming together and uniting punks, metalheads and rockers. It does get tedious after awhile. Though the use of various slurs pops up here too, it doesn't seem to be as overwhelming as it was in Everybody Loves Our Town. Gen X. C'mon. No need to call everyone a f-*. Yikes.

The choice in this books size, layout etc are a point against it too. Such a silly complaint really but there's a decent amount of heft here and the size conduces itself to flopping over a lot. If you're a bed reader, like myself, that can be both irritating and dangerous.

There's a couple of strange narrative choices made here. Mike Starr disappears from the story entirely post Brazil (nor does it seem he was interviewed for this) though, this was published before his death in 2011. And while Van Conner and Mark Pickerel from the Screaming Trees both contributed very little is spoken about Mark Lanegan, who I was fascinated enough by in Everybody Loves Our Town to pick up his memoir (Which I aggressively recommend to everyone. Possibly the best music memoir I've ever read and captures Seattle far better than this book does. So go read Sing Backwards and Weep: A Memoir). However there does seem to be a bit more of Mark Arm (Mudhoney) here than the other. Which he's an entertaining dude.

So. Unfortunately. For this book (and Greg Prato) Everybody Who Loves Our Town just manages to do everything better, it's more comprehensive and an overall far better read. But if you're a grunge/"Seattle sound" nerd and just want to consume everything or just on a huge nostalgia trip then there's absolutely nothing wrong with reading this as well.

Also, Candlebox absolutely seems to get ripped apart in this so maybe if you're a fan of them... steer clear?

[Jimmy Leitsch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the content. Disliked the layout. The entire book is done in interviews, but with no context given by the author. I loved what each person was talking about, but had difficulty remembering who was who. There's a list of descriptions in the back, but constantly flipping in the back got annoying, especially if the description for someone was "concert goer." Again, I loved the content and learned a lot, but I wish Prato would create a new edition that was not an oral history.

[Ed Wagemann · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a chapter at the end of the book that asked people how Grunge will be remembered. Some folks said it changed music, it changed the industry, etc. Maybe. The only thing that I can see that it did was it helped the corporate powers-that-be to have another pigeonhole which to exploit. Musically, as Jack Endino said, Grunge was basically 70s hard rock with a bit of punk attitude. And personally I agree. I dont feel that there is anything special about the Seattle scene or Grunge when compared to other scenes or movements in late 20th century western civilization. I don't see where Grunge accomplished anything meaningful. Still, I enjoy a regular share of the music, and I dress--even 20 years later--basically in a Grunge style, a style I have been dressing in basically since I was first able to pick my own clothes--probablly around 9 years old when I wore a pair of gray sweat pants and a flannel shirt to school every day...




Why Everything You Think You Know About Punk Is Completely Wrong:
http://generation-add.blogspot.com/20...

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was interesting. I've never read a book entirely of interviews before. And not necessarily ordered interviews.

The beginning was kind of boring, lots about bands I've never heard of from the 50-70s. But it was interesting to consider the influences of some of my favorite music.

Then you get into why you are reading the book. To understand the development of the "grunge" era of music. And you quickly learn to hate the following things...

1. MTV
2. Heroin
3. The music industry
4. Heroin
5. Heroin
6. MTV

The book is kind of a fun read until people start dying. Then it's heartbreaking. All of these incredibly talented people who die entirely too young.

I've started really hating the homogenized society we are becoming and this book really didn't help that. But it is a good read if you are interested in the era.

[Greta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woah, this book spent 6 years in my to-read list and I'm so glad I finally picked it up. A very enjoyable read, however, reading the last 100 pages is quite a bummer. Now I have to spend some time listening to Nirvana 24/7 as in good old teenage-angsty days until everything gets back to normal.

[Anton · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a good book but if one needs a very good book on grunge I would rather recommend Everybody Loves Our Town by Mark Yarm. It is more expansive, has a much greater selection of interviewees and a couple of really moving sections (the murder of Mia Zapata and Layne Staley's demise).

This one is solid 4/5.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have any interest in the History of Seattle music then this is the book for you. Although I found it pretty depressing at times because of all the talk of drug addiction, the lives lost to it & the talent wasted, the facts & the music kept me very interested. Great read

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread October 2023 in preparation for the outtakes book.


I thought this book was very well put together and definitely worth reading.

[David Dewata · Rating 1 out of 5]

Compolation of quotes. Boring.

[jedbird · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very recently read Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge about the Seattle music scene in the late 80s-early 90s. That book was published in 2011, and this one was published two years earlier, so I was curious if there would be different information/different interviewees. There seemed to be fewer interviewees in this book, though it does include Nancy McCallum, Layne Staley's mom, talking about her son's addiction.

Living in Seattle during the time in question, and frequently going to shows, I was familiar with many of the music people interviewed here, though I wish some of the scenesters had been interviewed. There were a lot of smart, funny people who *weren't* in bands who might have provided some context. However, there is some discussion of how Seattle changed, which I think is important.

I read this on kindle, and the ebook had a bunch of annoying issues. For some reason, almost all incidences of capital letter abbreviations are rendered lowercase. So, for example, instead of running sound through PAs, it's pas. Also, none of the interviewees are identified except in a list in the back. It seems pretty standard for an oral history to contextualize participants when they're first introduced, but not here.

You probably only need to read one oral history of the Seattle music scene, and I tend to think EVERYBODY LOVES OUR TOWN has the edge--unless you're a big Alice in Chains/Layne Staley fan, in which case this book's interview with his mom is worthwhile.

[Jeremiah · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I came of age int he Grunge era I was never a fan of its biggest stars. (eg. Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden). Mudhoney was the one exception, but they were never superstars on a national level like those other groups i mentioned.

All that said, this is a fascinating oral-history style book. I am a big fan of this type of history because there is far less editorial interference in the narrative. It is also a way to get people to have a conversation about events without them being in the same room. I appreciate that the book spends considerable time setting up the peak of the Seattle scene by delving into the late 70s, early 80s, and what all set the stage for what is to come. The book also spends a lot of time in the aftermath. So many people didn't make it.

Some people were not interviewed, or perhaps turned down the author. We never get Courtney Love or Dave Grohl's commentary, for example, except when they are being paraphrased by others. I finished the book three days ago and don't recall seeing their names at the beginning of quotes, but I could be wrong.

The one danger with books like these is that there are so many names that it's easy to lose track. Some of the names I knew exactly who they were as their thread weaved from the 80s to the late 90s, but some of them I had to look up. Luckily there was an index.

[Priyanka Joshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first music book and it being an oral history didn’t make it the easiest read. I didn’t really start enjoying it until I was half-way through but it grew on me and got super addicting.

I was always fascinated about the Grunge rock scene and loved Nirvana’s music. I had hoped to learn everything about Nirvana and Kurt Cobain when I picked up this book but it delivered so much more. While it gives a peek into Nirvana’s rise to fame and their struggle with fame and drugs, it also brings the limelight on some not so famous but amazing sounding bands like The Melvins, The Screaming Trees, Mudhoney, Tad and Skin Yard to name a few.

I have a newfound respect for Pearl Jam and everything they did and continue to do after reading this book. The chapters about Alice In Chains and Soundgarden’s breakup and struggle with addiction were truly heartbreaking. The book humanizes these artists and tells you their real stories as opposed to the overly adulated or overly satanized versions in the media today.

The highlight though is that it has been a musical experience; I’ve discovered albums, singles and demos from the book that will remain in my playlist forever! The one thing that would have made this book better is if it introduced the interviewees as they spoke since it is a long list to remember and is annoying to look up from the cast at the back of the book.

[C.G. Twiles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and comprehensive oral history of the "grunge" music scene, from its origins in 60s punk rock, to its glam, metal, and hard rock influences. If you really only want to hear about Nirvana and Pearl Jam, this isn't the book for you. While Eddie Vedder and Chris Cornell do participate, the casual grunge listener won't know most of the people/bands here. It is a fun opportunity to do some research and get introduced to lesser known bands who didn't break out the way the aforementioned Nirvana and PJ did but who were as much if not much more influential on the scene.

It was strange to listen to the author scramble around to try to figure out why some bands broke big while others didn't. Yes, some got caught in lawsuits or bad contracts or other things that stalled their ascent, but he doesn't seem to put it together that the bands that made it the biggest - Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains - all had good-looking frontmen, so they could more easily hit peak MTV rotation and also the the girls would be into them. He doesn't seem to understand that other bands like the Melvins and Tad did not have that and therefore were going to have a much more difficult time of it.

This is really where the book would have benefitted from having at least one woman take a look at it and give some feedback.

[John Cramer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of good information about the whole grunge craze and the Seattle scene. It's almost entirely taken from interviews with those involved, which is cool and informative. Anyone well-versed in that scene might know most of the information, but it's still cool to revisit that time and place and hear again about some of the unsung (at least outside of Seattle) heroes like The Fastbacks, U-Men, Skin Yard, The Gits, Alcohol Funnycar, Gruntruck, Tuly, 7 Year bitch, Love Battery, Green River, Tad, Screaming Trees, and on and on. For those looking for more analysis and editorializing, this won't be your book. The audiobook is read by the author, which is usually a good thing. in this case, having Prato read the book was a huge misstep in my opinion as I found his voice annoying. He speaks with an irregular, oddly truncated lilt, as if he has no interest in the subject matter, which is strange considering he wrote the damn thing. He also has a weird way of raising and lowering his tone in the middle of sentences for no reason, which is super distracting. Maybe just stick to the non-audio version.

[James Buckley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating, ground-level view of the “grunge” music revolution that up-ended the record industry in a way we will never see again. Greg Prato’s oral history doesn’t just focus on the Big Four (Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Alice In Chains), but also includes plenty of info on equally amazing acts like the Melvins, Screaming Trees, Fluid, TAD, etc. He interviews everyone from PJ’s Eddie Vedder to regular concert goers, promoters, record producers, and record store owners, bringing a much broader perspective to the Seattle scene of the ‘90s. And as with any music scene, all sorts of personalities arise - GNR’s Duff McKagan, a Seattle OG, comes across as an enthusiastic supporter of the scene. Mark Arm of Mudhoney fame sounds like a lovably sarcastic misfit. And then there are folks like Blag Dahlia of The Dwarves, who comes across as a conceited, jealous wanna-be. It’s a fascinating blend of personalities, and taken as a whole, their stories paint a very vivid picture of the Seattle scene at the town, from its dizzying heights to its tragic depths. Highly recommended.

[Drew Keim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitly an oral history. Or maybe more "A Book of Quotes". Very little continuity from one story to the next. Difficult to follow at times.

Overall it was interesting, but I would have prefered the Author paraphrase the quotes and tell the story in somesort of timeline. There was probably a general timeline, but as much as the quotes jumped around and back and forth in time, it was difficult to follow.

I came to Grunge at the tail end of Grunge. I enjoyed the music, but did not live the life. Perhaps had I, or at least known the names involved before reading I would have had a better grasp on things. As it was it was an OK read, I guess. The subject was interesting. The exicusion was not.

If you were emersed in Grunge, you might enjoy reminiscing with the quotes and their stories. If not, I would not recoment this book.

[Brian Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got into music in the early to mid '90s. This was the music of my formative years. I'm really happy people are documenting it.
I have two complaints about Grunge is Dead. The first is about the audiobook narration. All of the author asides, additions, etc. are quieter than the rest. I get that they wanted to show when it wasn't the interviewee's words, but sometimes it was hard to hear.
My other complaint is with the oral history format. Sometimes it felt fairly disjointed. Overall, though, Prato did a good job piecing all the interviews together to tell the story in a relatively chronological order. It couldn't have been easy putting it together. And I got more used to the format as I got further in.

[Gerrod Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Through a collection of critical interviews that range from artists to industry insiders, and members of the musical community, Greg Prato has collected a valuable first hand account of the Seattle music scene of the '90s. From exploring the roots to the key albums that defined not only the genre, but the decade, Prato and company make a compelling case for the importance of Seattle grunge and the significance of this cultural movement. Originally published in 2009, Grunge Is Dead is long overdue for a second edition that continues to chronicle the lasting influence of the style, along with the necessary reunions, eulogies, and triumphs that have emerged since the original publishing.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

The deal with this book is you’re just going to read snippets of interviews. For the whole book. Besides a contextual sentence or two to frame each chapter, the author just organizes all the dozens of interviews into small chunks where stuff about a certain person or event are next to each other. Now mind you these are (shall we say) “colorful” people who have questionable views on life but you get the real picture warts and all. This is how music books should be written and I found it pretty entertaining as well as variously frightening, off-putting, hilarious and exhilarating.

[Todd Hinklin · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an in depth history of music in Seattle. Truly fascinating. I learned so much about what happened in the decade or so before the explosion, and then what happened leading up to the implosion. Truly a mother of a musical movement that ate her own. Can't stand that we lost so many of the icons. Herat-breaking. I was able to find new music that I was completely unaware of from the era. There were a good number of very talented bands that never became household names for one reason or another, but certainly had the chops to do so. Great read.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolute must-read for anyone interested in grunge or music in the early 90s. It's full of interviews and stories from your favourite bands, bands you haven't thought about in 20 years, and ones you probably haven't even heard of.

Beyond that, it's also a fascinating look at the perils of fame and success, and the challenges associated with having your wildest dreams come true. We see how that can absolutely destroy lives, estrange friendships, but also give people a platform to speak to the world.

[Nicola Batecola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Similar to Yarm's "Everybody loves our town" (and, in fact, sometimes the interviews used are the same), this is a good, comprehensive account of the Seattle scene. It does have Layne's mom on it, and it covers most of what's interesting. However, Yarm's book has a better flow to it and feels easier even though it's longer. If you're super interested, get both books - they do overlap, but it's worth it.
Nice work by Prato, it's a fine oral history, worth a read.

[Arthur Gorman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun read, I would consider it to be more written by the people that lived it and not Greg. No doubt Greg has written some good books, but this is more like stories being shared by actual people from the scene, and not just the musicians but most involved. Digs deep in to the history. I have read this book more than a few times. This book and Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge by Mark Yarm are very similar and both are great!

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to learn more about the scene from the people who lived it. I do not recommend the audiobook - aside from the author's narration (they should have hired a pro and researched how to correctly pronounce names of WA towns), I had to reference the book several times to look up who was talking and what role they played.

[Clouds]

An absolute snooze fest. Audio book will put you to sleep, then give you nightmares. The narrator was the worst. The book mainly touched on the most obscure bands, that most people never heard of.
I never made it to the end, the narrator made it unbearable.
I need to try reading it myself... Maybe one day.

[Bruce Kirby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that Grunge summed up the 90's best, post 80's excess, yuppie dreams and conspicuous consumption in the garbage can next to hair metal, the Cold War, bad technology and VHS movies. Grunge was talking about things that the mainstream ignored - abortion, addiction, depression, racism, homelessness etc... Plus que ca change plus c'est la meme chose.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collection of interviews with people in the grunge scene. At first this was a bit difficult to understand since the stories jump around. A bit of wikipedia searching to get background on the people helps fill in the blanks in these interviews.

[Gabriele Zeta · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s really good. I hope they do an unpdate with Chris Cornell. What I didn’t like, but it’s not writer’ fault, is that Candlebox weren’t accepted by the community even if they came from Seattle and they were A. Wood’s friends.

[Nathan Beeler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of fascinating stories and I liked the format of letting people who were there do their own talking. Quite funny at times. Only really annoyed by having to flip to the end to find out who everyone was (once I figured that out).