Flannel and Doc Martens
Yesterday I was driving home from my son’s swim lesson and had our Sirius radio on. I was listening to a station called “Lithium”–my new favorite. Pearl Jam’s “Black” played on the radio, and I cranked it up and sang along. Next came Tori Amos’ “Corn Flake Girl”. I turned up the volume even higher and nearly shattered Ryan’s ear drums as I sang in my best Toriesque fashion. It was followed by the Bush song, “Mouth”. What a great radio station!
Then the dj came on and said something to the effect of, “Thanks for tuning in to Lithium on Sirius Radio. Classic grunge music for all of you who wore flannel and Doc Martens in 1990.” Then he laughed.
Then the realization hit me. What I was listening to is no longer considered “cool”. The early 90’s were almost 20 years ago. I’m stuck in an era long past and didn’t even realize it until that moment. I have turned into MY PARENTS, out of touch and listening to old music!!! How in the hell did THAT happen?
I guess it’s inevitable. It seems that the music that one is drawn to is often from a time when you were in your most formative years. For me, it was the time period from 1991-1995. Those were my college years. And I started my adulthood at the threshold of the grunge era.
It wasn’t just the music; it was an entire lifestyle. I found myself wearing flannel shirts with baggy jeans and ten-hole Doc Martens. I threw out my hair styling products and opted for a black headband to hold back my long, straight hair or or pulled it back into a ponytail. I didn’t worry about wearing make-up or trying to impress anyone; I was just me. It was the first time in my life that I felt comfortable in my own skin.
I’m so glad that I had a chance to figure out who I was during the grunge era. The music, fashion and idealism was all about being real and not trying to impress anyone else with a false facade. It was also about being comfortable (I lived in Flagstaff at the time, so flannel and boots didn’t seem as ridiculous as they may have in Phoenix) and no frills. And the music was a soundtrack to my life:
Nirvana’s “Nevermind”
Pearl Jam’s “Ten”
Soundgarden’s “Badmotorfinger”
Alice in Chains’ “Dirt”
Smashing Pumpkins’ “Siamese Dream”
Bush’s “Sixteen Stone”
Silverchair’s “Frogstomp”
Screaming Trees’ “Buzz Factory”
L7’s “Bricks Are Heavy”
The Breeder’s “Cannonball”
Mad Season’s “Above”
I still love all of this music, as well as many of the artists who may not be classified as grunge but still burrowed a way into my soul in the 90’s: Blind Melon, Garbage, Veruca Salt, Everclear, Radiohead, Counting Crows, Fiona Apple, Wallflowers, Offspring, Tool, Cracker, Sponge, Stabbing Westward, Mazzy Star. I can guarantee that the volume on the radio will go up if one of these artists come on when I’m in the car.
Ok, so I’m lame. I’m in love with music from at least 15 years ago. But I don’t care. I’ll take Lithium on Sirius any day over that stupid Radio Disney station that plays Hillary Duff, The Jonas Brothers and a bunch of teens I have never heard of who star in some currently popular but bizarre to me High School Musical thingie.
Damn, I wish I still had my flannel and Docs. They’d come in handy now that I’m finally residing in my grunge motherland, the pacific northwest. Maybe it’s time to start looking for some new flannel shirts.
August 23rd, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Oh my god…this is so timely! The other day, my husband was lamenting on and on about how, when his students are supposed to be doing in class work, he plays music. And he is shocked - SHOCKED! - that none of them ‘even know who Kurt Cobain is or when Layne Stayle died’. I had to gently remind him, “Honey…Kurt Cobain killed himself about 15 years ago…that would be like us remembering Buddy Holly’s demise. Some of the kids you teach weren’t even BORN back then.”
Le sigh. We’re getting older. But, seriously, at least we HAD Tori and Veruca and Tool and the Breeders. High schoolers these days are stuck with Nickelback and the Jonas Brothers. Ewww.