I went overseas in 1991. Left Wash DC listening to WWDC 101.1 FM with the Greaseman, two for Tuesday, heavy head banger music, lots of Hair on the Air.
Didn't get stateside again until August of 93 when my Dad passed away and I spent 6 weeks helping my Mom pack up and move... Music-wise, I was like WTF happened (despite my zombie walk thru those weeks due to Dear old Dad being gone)?
I wonder just how profound people realize the culture changed over those two years. I left in June 1991 right after Desert Storm, George HW Bush at 91% approval, a vibrant, proud America with a Soviet Union and communism collapsing...
Came back in August 1993 to find Clintoon president, people ashamed of America, and hair rockers GONE and replaced by a bunch of smelly, melancholy hippies in their place!
Overseas we fought to get Rush Limbaugh on the Armed Forces Radio Network and won that in 1996. I used to open a cold one (Rush came on at 6:00 PM in Germany) kick back and listen to real wisdom. Came back (for good in 1997) just in time to witness the whole Lewinsky/impeachment thing and of course, Free Republic. My life hasn't been the same since.
“Music-wise, I was like WTF happened (despite my zombie walk thru those weeks due to Dear old Dad being gone)?”
As a hardcore Steve Vai fan, one thing I can say for the hair band era is that it produced some incredible musicians. But when Grunge hit, it ALSO mirrored the ‘everybody gets a participation trophy” ethos that was gaining ground back then.
The majority of grunge rockers were talentless on their chosen instruments. Sure there was the occasional Cantrell, but Cobain was pathetic. And if ANYONE brings up Morello and calls him a guitarist, there is no hope for them. So in a nutshell, everyone with access to a pawn shop ‘became’ a guitarist overnight and spewed their victimhood.
It took until the recent resurgence of metal before anyone seemed to take actual playing seriously again.