Alternative for the Masses: The '90s Alt-Rock Revolution—An Oral History

by Greg Prato

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 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

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

The Lollapalooza music festivalThe impact of NirvanaAlt-rock’s many subgenresNotable producers of the periodThe impact of women rockersMTV’s influenceDrugs and addictionand 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.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, History

384 pages, Hardcover

Published October 28, 2025

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

[Gerrod Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the spiritual successor to his earlier work, Greg Prato's Alternative For The Masses seek to tell the story of the alternative rock scene of the '90s, as told by those who were there. While an insightful use of primary perspectives, particularly that of Ian MacKaye, Les Claypool, and Fat Mike, among others, the book struggles to fully separate itself from the parallel grunge movement of the time, despite Prato's best attempts to set the two as distinctive scenes. This, of course, is an impossible task, however, much of Alternative For The Masses feels like a retelling of Prato's Grunge Is Dead. Still, for those seeking to gain a broader understanding of the countercultural shift of the 1990's and the influence it would have, Alternative For The Masses is an important book that provides a wider scope to the music of the decade.

[Samantha Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think a big disclaimer for this book is the format. This isn't a typical book in the sense that it doesn't read like a story. Each chapter is divided into statements by various bands and producers of the '90s alt-rock scene, commenting on various topics. I think I would have enjoyed this book more if I had gone into it knowing it was going to be in this format.

[Richard Derus · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun read. I was 9 years old when Nevermind came out, so I didn't have much context at all about music. I only knew what the radio and MTV played, and I knew what I liked. Over the years I've gone back to unearth some of the 90s alternative gems that I missed, but I still never understood the full story of what was happening. This book helps you understand what other bands were popular in the late 80s and early 90s. You get to hear directly from the musicians about who influenced who (for instance, the Meat Puppets contend that Eddie Vender sounded like Scott Weiland, and not the other way around). It was cool to hear about some bands that I never would have stumbled across myself, like Slint, fIREHOSE, and Sugar.

I think the publicity for this book did it a disservice. When I read reviews or listened to interviews with Greg Prato the big highlights I heard were "it has commentary from Moby and Fred Armisen and there is a story about how a Goo Goo Dolls song is named after MTV VJ Kennedy". Yeah, not the best way to sell this book. I wish the publicity would have mentioned all the other cool people that provided commentary. People like Mike Watt or Ian MacKaye had fantastic insights, and there are more exciting prominent commentators like Matt Pinfield and Frank Black. Moby was fine...I'm still scratching my head about why Fred Armisen was included.

What I love about this book is how my playlist has expanded. I'm discovering so much great music that I missed previously and am loving it. Read this book and get an instant hit playlist for your time investment.

[Alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Broad background of 90s alternative

I loved reading Prato’s books about Shannon and Blind Melon - 2 books total. I was hoping this book talked more or mostly about early- to mid 90s alternative, and was disappointed that more was not written about Alice In Chains.

[Christina Amore · Rating 5 out of 5]

My husband really enjoyed reliving the 90's by reading this book. He even discovered a few new bands, and refreshed his playlists!

[Hanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent idea, a lot of great stuff in here, just wish more people had participated.