Clyde_Style wrote:I lived in Olympia and Seattle in 1989, the year before Nirvana went national. I had a nice, cheap apartment in a neighborhood called Capitol Hill near downtown Seattle. I went to the Sub Pop parties and met many of the people at parties and clubs and it was quite a little scene that was still largely unknown, but about to explode.
And I can tell you this: there were a lot of young white punks on dope in the Northwest at the time. I'd look across the street and see a young rocker couple on their patio nodding off on their loungers. I was pretty amazed at how easily so many of them slipped into heroin use.
It was a much bigger percentage of the people there than say in NYC where punks may drink or smoke or a few were straight edge, but the needle was far more common out West.
Something about that overcast weather. Drinks lots of coffee. Huddle in damp garages with electric guitars. Needles.
I'm an east coaster and visited Seattle for the first time last year and noticed the same thing immediately. An open culture of heroin use. Obvious junkies everywhere. Over here it's the kind of thing folks keep to themselves.
I also think that and the culture within the music industry at that time did a lot of these guys in. At the time grunge broke the record companies didn't really take care of their assets. The online scene had not yet broken the gulag that the major labels had over the artist and tours and albums were pushed frantically, in my view, at the expense of many of these artists' personal health. Probably a stupid business model but oh well.
I agree about AIC having a lot of lasting power compared with other bands from that period (though not more than Soundgarden. They are just insanely good musicians... and were so focused without all the junk). Jar of Flies in particular is something that I still reach for. Amazing songwriting and musicianship shines through "scenes" imo.
Very sad to hear about Mike Starr. These guys were so heavy into it so young...
