Silverchair Killed Grunge

[originally written for overtimecomedy.com on 11/02/06]


Oh memories. I remember the day I found out Kurt Cobain died. I was playing in the basement and my sister came down to tell me the bad news. I asked what seemed to me at the time to be the most logical question, “Who the fuck is Kur Cobain?”

Up until this point in my life, I had only listened to The Capital Steps and randomshow tunes, but in the months and years to follow, I found a genre of music and perfectly described my teenage angst, and the crud you find in rain gutters. Bands from all corners of the globe got famous by ripping off the Seattle scene. As this “alternative” music became mainstream, a gleam of hope came from down under.

A newly pubescent Australian lad who looked just like Cobain released an album with his two buddies. Could this kid be the next Kurt? Could this trio be the next Nirvana? Could this be the beginning of a fresh, new wave of grunge music?

No, no, and no, it wasn’t.