by Cc Starr

Created on: January 13, 2007   Last Updated: May 09, 2007

I was 12 years old when Nirvana's It Smells Like Teen Spirit aired for the first time on MTV.
And it changed everything, for me personally. But also and more importantly, for musicians & fans across the world.
Through most of the 80's, Rap and Hair Metal ruled the airwaves.
If you were part of the underground you were into more alternative stuff which got some airplay & recognition, but for the most part was seen as a fluke.

A handful of bands that were just too bizarre & different to put in an existing category. When I say this I'm talking about such bands as Jane's Addiction, Pixies, Sonic Youth, etc.
I was a kid and so I listened to what MTV and the radio beat into my head.
Not that MTV didn't play Jane's Addiction but not as frequently as Rap or Hair Metal.
I hated those hair whipping metal bands and so I leaned towards rap, finding rap back then was more true to real life than say.Warrant.
I remember the exact moment when I saw Nirvana for the first time.
My friend Tara & I were getting stoned in my living room, watching MTV like we usually did after school. They flashed that "Brand New Music Video" thing they use to and we watched intently as the video unfolded. Girls with tattoos, Anarchy signs on their chests, people pushed and threw each other around carelessly. Kurt echoed our thoughts in the words he screamed at as through a TV screen. A denial.
After it was over we both looked at each other and without really saying it, we knew we were different. "That was f*ckin' cool" one of us said.
We both went and bought the tape within the next week.
Nirvana definitely got the most recognition out of all the grunge era bands.
Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains & Smashing Pumpkins would probably be next I line, as far as sales or the mainstream is concerned.
For anybody who knows their music history, Nirvana didn't create the sound that the media coined Grunge. They were simply the ones that kicked the door open after a handful of bands had been leaning on it for years.
Alice In Chains & SoundGarden were around way before the grunge explosion and were more on the rocker-ish end of the spectrum, then gradually started to sound different.
Most of Pearl Jam was once Mother Love Bone, a band that was about to get huge before singer Andrew Wood's tragic death at 27.
Temple of the Dog, which was comprised of members of both SoundGarden & Pearl Jam released an album dedicated to Andrew Wood.
Specifically one song was played to almost an annoying degree, called Say Hello To Heaven.
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