Once again I find myself thinking about the past. I remember even before I started college, change was in the air. Hmmmmm... Change. I guess if you had to describe the 90's then that would be the word to use. Well, at least for most. For me a different expression comes to mind when I think back to those days: Pffffffft!

I'm not going to lie. Even I was intrigued when alternative became the big thing. But after a while I started to see it for what it really was. A passing fad to make a quick buck off of. Everyone was so excited about something new coming along that they practically threw themselves at it and before you knew it most people were pierced/tattooed and thinking Kurt Cobain was more of a genius than Hendrix (Guess what? He really wasn't.).

Here’s a few things that really irked me about the 90's:

1. The claim that heavy metal was dead. This, of course, was full of shit. Anyone who has listened to an Alice In Chains album knows differently. Obviously, these guys and quite a few other bands were influenced by heavy metal. Those who claimed otherwise really needed to have their ears checked. And lastly, let's not forget that Ozzfest was still doing extremely well during those times. But everyone seemed to have ignored that fact. The worst moment of this crapfest movement was when people tried to label Pantera "Heavy Alternative." Hahahahaha! Are you fucking kidding me? What a horrible joke.

2. The lyrical content of music was full of angst and discussed important topics never addressed before. Hello? Ever hear of punk? Thrash metal? These genres of music were going on about serious issues waaaaaaaaaaay before any alternative band. Though I suppose if you were just coming off of glam, it'd be easy to get confused into thinking no one ever talked about anything serious.

3. Fashion. Once again, taking their cue from punk and other cultures, the magazines and other media made it brand spanking new again! You want to be an individual? Get pierced! Or better yet, go piss off your parents by getting that tattoo! Unfortunately, when 95% of the kids get such things, it really doesn't signal the beginning of individuality. It's more like wading through the world of conformity. And don't even get me started on flannel shirts and Doc Martens.

4. Kurt Cobain was the voice of a generation and a musical mastermind. Now it would be stupid of me to say that Nirvana sucked. While I may not like them, they did know how to write memorable riffs. However, to rank Cobain up there with Stevie Ray Vaughan or Jimi Hendrix is insane. The man couldn't even do solos to save his ass for crying out loud. A man who spoke for all of us? Hardly. From what I've read the poor guy didn't even want to be in that position to start with. He just wanted to play music; to express his art. Not be some poster child for Gen-Xers.

I remember seeing some kid in an interview on MTV taking about how alternative would never go away. But you know what? After a while it started to fade. People got tired of being depressed and angry. Bands fell apart due to internal squabbles or drug addictions/deaths. The alternative scene may have not completely died but it’s a shadow of it’s former self; another victim of overexposure and greed.