Who says grunge is dead? It's time to break out the flannels again and reminisce of that time when "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was the coolest song on the radio.
The birth of the grunge movement is often credited to Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Mud-honey and any of the other bands from Sub Pop Records. One man is often overlooked or just unheard of. That man is photographer Charles Peterson. His new book, "Touch Me I'm Sick" from powerHouse Books, features 92 black-and-white photographs spanning 16 years.
Whether the book will adorn coffee tables or hold a treasured spot on bookshelves, it's a necessity for any fan of the Seattle music explosion.
In probably the best collection of images from the grunge era ever (including Peterson's previous book "Screaming Life"), "Touch Me I'm Sick" (also the title of a Mudhoney song) focuses on the details that made the scene so distinct. Converse sneakers, flannel shirts, duct tape holding together guitars, headbangers, stage diving, long hair, drugs, alcohol, rock 'n' roll ... it's all there.
The book doesn't concentrate on the mass media whoring of the movement. Rather, Peterson seems to just have wanted to capture what was going on, minus all the hype and fluff.
"Charles was protective. So much so that, looking back, I wish it had been Charles Peterson photographs that were turned into the pull-out posters that found their way onto teenagers' walls," Eddie Vedder writes in the introduction.
Not only do we see behind-the-scene images of people like Kurt Cobain and Vedder dealing with their sudden shock of celebrity, but Peterson also offers attention to the fans. While shots of crowds are normally boring, these photographs are unique and necessary for really capturing the essence of the scene. And because Peterson was there for the birth, it's interesting to see these bands playing for a crowd of less than 10,000 screaming fans. And the not-as-huge bands are present too - L7, Sleater-Kinney, TAD, Heavens to Betsy, Steve Albini's Big Black, etc.
Swirling lights, chaotic performances and distorted guitars can all be seen and heard through the photos. It's amazing some of these shots came out so compositionally well considering all the circumstances that normally come along with standing in the mosh pit. Portraits and other non-performance shots are included as well. While the images are caption-less, occasional interviews and writings from various fanzines explain what was happening better than any caption could.
Chances are you've seen Peterson's photographs before in magazines, films or on album covers. With 80 never-before-published shots though, this book is a must for anybody who still rocks out to "Nevermind," "Super-unknown," "Ten" or any of the other gems coming from the time period.
It's hard to say whether these shots shaped the image of the scene or captured the scene so well that its true colors come flying out of the pages. It's difficult to not opt for the latter considering that Peterson was there from the beginning and a huge fan himself, shooting from the mosh pit with a beer in one hand and a camera in the other.
"I'm also the photographer. And I find it hard to talk about what this all means," Peterson writes on the last page. "I never purport having set out to photograph the history of this thing. That's not my style. I didn't need to. I was there. I lived it."
Be the first to comment on this article!