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by Denise Sheppard
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Picture it. The event was Lollapalooza '92; the city, Vancouver. You've hiked miles through a muddy field and the sounds of Pearl Jam finally reward your ears. As you clear your way through the thick crowd, the opening chords of "Alive" explode into action. One look from the top of the stadium takes in 32,000 people. Your eyes, however, are drawn to a spot directly in front of the stage - the pit. It's unlike anything you've ever seen before. Enormous clouds of steam float up, obscuring the band... steam created by the hundreds of hurling, moshing bodies as they dance in the cold, wet air.
Lollapalooza has often been referred to as the "Woodstock of the 90s." That's a lazy, misleading definition in many ways, but there is some truth in it. When rock'n'roll first emerged in the 50s, people fought to stop the music from happening. DJ's smashed Elvis' records with hammers, calling his uninhibited rockability "the devil's music." Over time, rock was held responsible for a generation's long hair, experiments with sex and drugs, and all its crazy ideas about freedom. The three-day Woodstock in 1969 gathered together a group unified in age, attitude and musical taste to celebrate its own unique identity.
Lollapalooza was a lot like that. It was a gathering of a whole new tribe that shared similar ideas about fashion, politics and music. The dress code was a riot of cut-offs, plaid shirts, tie-dyed tees, ripped jeans, Doc Martens, backwards baseball caps, long-hair and buzzcuts. The crowds ate vegetarian and multi-cultural food. Greenpeace, Amnesty International and other advocacy groups distributed info on the environment, political oppression, AIDS, safe sex and animal rights. Tattoo and body piercing booths were busy.
Mainly it was a day filled with the songs of the world's hottest new artists - Soundgarden, Ministry, the Jesus and Mary Chain, Ice Cube and the Red Hot Chili Peppers included. But the monumental success of this event should not be taken for granted. Just like the early years of rock'n'roll, today's sounds have had to fight an uphill battle for the right to be heard.
"Alternative" is the broad, vague, impossible-to-define genre under which bands from Nirvana to Sonic Youth to L7 and Canada's own Sloan, are categorized.
It's a clear alternative to mainstream pop, metal, rock and dance. It looks forward and sounds contemporary. Faith No More is alternative. The Black Crowes is not.
If alternative has a family tree, then Grandma and Grandpa would have to be Patti Smith and Iggy Pop. Smith's music was angry and defiant; 17 years after her landmark debut, Horses, her image of strength and power remains an inspiration for music-makers today.
"Patti's music is God," says Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde. "Horses outrocks any album ever. I mean, Guns'n'Roses think they're wild, but Patti Smith could knock those boys out of the ring!"
Speaking of wild, Iggy Pop practically defined the word. Iggy's radical stage antics - stage diving, spitting and slamming - paved the way for punk. It was a style more physical than musical. The experience of concertgoing began to change from an armchair to participatory sport.
The sounds that followed, created by bands like the Sex Pistols and Generation X, were strictly anthems of fury and alienation. But they spawned a movement that began to challenge audiences with lyrics that confronted political issues head-on. The Clash sang of race riots and police brutality. Sham 69, also from London, encouraged fans to turn anger into activism, singing "if the kids are united, they will never be divided." X-Ray Spex called on youth action in "Plastic Bag": "It's 1977 and we're going to show them all that apathy's a drag."
Although the intelligent ideas and powerful music was inspiring, the British-based punks had trouble relaying their message to North Americans. An answer arrived with the advent of campus/community radio. Stations like CKCU-FM in Ottawa introduced alternative music to the airwaves. The music's popularity grew to the point that our national radio service, the CBC, hooked into the sound with its latenight program Brave New Waves. Meanwhile, urban clubs and indie record companies provided a base for a Canadian punk scene led by Vancouver's DOA and Toronto's Viletones.
New Wave arrived with the 80's, bringing radical haircuts, sharp fashions and eclectic masses. Heavily synthesized new music evolved with the Cure, Depeche Mode and New Order. While the music challenged you mentally - and one need only look as far as REM and the Smiths to see its genius - it didn't have the same effect on your physical being, the chaos and anarchy, as Iggy and the Pistols.
Now that turmoil is back with a vengence as alternative music returns to its punk roots. With Nirvana at the forefront, the music industry is undergoing a shakedown that has opened the door for numerous new bands. The Seattle scene has become massive, with the Singles movie soundtrack and bands like Alice in Chains and Mudhoney selling in volume. Britain has contributed "shoegazing" bands like Lush and My Bloody Valentine, as well as the slamming, grungy Eugenius and Daisy Chainsaw. Helmet, from the US east coast, signed a $1 million contract with a major label, while Halifax's Sloan was the subject of an intense bidding war before opting for DGC, Nirvana's home base.
Canada had its own mini-Lollapalooza last fall with the Big, Bad and Groovy tour, featuring such top alternative acts as Montreal's Bootsauce and, from Vancouver, Sons of Freedom, Pure, and Art Bergmann. Homegrown indie acts with large followings include Change of Heart (Toronto), Furnaceface (Ottawa), Asexuals (Montreal) and Perfume Tree (Vancouver).
One of the more important aspects of alternative music is that some of its leading bands are getting involved in the political arena. Fugazi has staged a number of concerts billed as Rock For Choice, educating fans on the abortion issue. Pearl Jam was one of many bands involved in a voter-registration campaign in the US called Rock The Vote.
There is a distinctly female slant to the political and musical activism of bands participating in the 'girl-core' movement. Groups like Bikini Kill, Bratmobile and Heavens to Betsey produce angry, confrontational music. They also publish fanzines that speak to girls of all ages about politics, other girl bands and, in general, attempt to educate kids about their rights and freedoms.
And what about the future of alternative music? It could go just about anywhere. One thing is certain, though: As long as there is something to scream about, the alternative scene will continue to flourish and push the outer limits of music and culture.
©1999 TG Magazine/Le Magazine TG
tgmag@tgmag.ca