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

by Prato, Greg

• ISBN13: 9780760398425
• ISBN10: 0760398429
• eBook ISBN(s): 9780760398432
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2025-10-28
• Publisher: HACHETTE BOOK GROUP
• More Book Details

Summary

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.

Author Biography

Greg Prato is a Long Island, New York–based journalist who has written for Rolling Stone, Billboard, and Songfacts. He has written over 40 books, including such popular titles as Grunge Is Dead: The Oral History of Seattle Rock Music; The Yacht Rock Book: The Oral History of the Soft, Smooth Sounds of the 70s and 80s; and Primus, Over the Electric Grapevine: Insight into Primus and the World of Les Claypool, among many others.

Table of Contents

Introduction .................................. 6

Cast of Characters .................................. 9

1. Setting the Stage .................................. 12
2. Jane's Addiction and Lollapalooza .......... 28
3. Nirvana and Nevermind .......................... 40
4. 1991: The Year Punk Broke .................. 52
5. Originality .................................. 64
6. Beyond the Music .......................... 74
7. The Shadow of the '70s .................. 88
8. The Producers .................................. 96
9. Subgenres .................................. 110
10. Women in Alternative Rock .................. 120
11. Catchphrases and Buzzwords .......... 132
12. Singers .................................. 140
13. Guitar .................................. 148
14. Rhythm Section .......................... 160
15. Major Labels and Indie Labels .......... 166
16. MTV's 120 Minutes and Alternative Nation .......... 176
17. Other Ways of Spreading the Word .......... 196
18. Lollapalooza 1992-1995 .................. 210
19. Second Wavers .......................... 218
20. Drugs and Addiction .................. 226
21. Cobain's Death .......................... 238
22. Decline? .................................. 244
23. Could It Happen Again? .................. 262
24. Test of Time .......................... 270
25. Headliners .................................. 282
26. Artists .................................. 296
27. Songs .................................. 316
28. Albums .................................. 342
Sources .................................. 370

About Greg Prato .......................... 376

Index .................................. 377