EVERYBODY LOVES OUR TOWN

Spin: On the 20th anniversary of their iconic 1993 breakthrough, now reissued as an expanded package titled ‘LSXX,’ the Breeders’ definitive lineup reunites and AMANDA PETRUSICH dives in, talking with all the key players and supporters who helped make ‘Last Splash’ one of the most exhilarating albums of the decade. [Link]

Today, the Onion A.V. Club asks, Are oral histories a good way to write about music? (My answer: definitely not as often as many writers and editors seem to think.) The piece, pegged to today’s release of Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History of Metal by my friends Jon Wiederhorn and Katherine Turman, gives a nice shout-out to my book, Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge:

Everybody Loves Our Town is an oral history, and it’s about the Seattle grunge scene. It’s also a fantastic work of journalism, one that punctures a lot of the mythology surrounding the town and sound that Nirvana supposedly built (but really didn’t). Besides giving a soapbox to various grunge-era lunatics and movers-and-shakers alike, it’s not afraid to show some of its subjects contradicting each other. Or in the case of Courtney Love, lashing out at Yarm as he interviews her.

Check out the Louder Than Hell Tumblr here. \m/

My friend David Peisner wrote this for Spin: Let It Bleed: The Oral History of PJ Harvey’s ‘Rid of Me’ The unblinking story of how inter-band tension spawned a rubbed-raw masterpiece and influenced Nirvana

Hope you enjoy! Happy New Year!

alternageek:

This arrived today!!!

Adorable! Chuck, have you met Ponyboy yet?

runjuliet:

Chuck and I are enjoying Mark Yarm’s Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge.

Celebrate Taylor Momsen’s return to Gossip Girl by checking out the exclusive grunge playlist she shared with the Everybody Loves Our Town Tumblr last year.

“Weird Al” Yankovic: I only met Kurt in person once at a restaurant in Los Angeles. He just happened to be eating at an adjoining table with his friends. This was after the parody had come out, so I got to go over and thank him in person. I just profusely thanked him and said, “Anything I can do for you, let me know.” Kurt extended his hand to me and said, “Polish my nails.”

So many wonderful details in this Spin.com piece: ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Looks Back at 20 Years of ‘Smells Like Nirvana’

Hard to believe, but my book Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge came out one year ago today. A big thanks to all who’ve read and supported the book! And if you haven’t bought yourself a copy, what are you waiting for? Order info here. 

If you have read and enjoyed ELOT, please consider writing a glowing review on Amazon, Goodreads, etc.

Also, if you’re not already, follow me on Twitter and like the ELOT Facebook page (we just broke 3,500 fans!). Oh, and please reblog this! Thanks again!

Paper has posted a new oral history of X-Girl, Kim Gordon and Daisy von Furth’s ’90s fashion line. Featuring commentary from the cofounders, plus Sofia Coppola, Chloë Sevigny, Ione Skye and the late Mike Mills.