I Miss the 90s

I'm in my office listening to Soundgarden and thinking about how much I miss the 90s music.  There were so many bands that have fallen completely off, and ruined the great reputations they once had.

The first of course is Chris Cornell.  Soundgarden had two of the best songs of the 90s, "Burden in My Hand" and "Black Hole Sun". I was so excited for that album that he put out with Timbaland last year, thinking that mixing of two of my favorite genres would be a great idea.  If Jay-Z can do a mash-up album with Linkin Park, why not Chris Cornell and Timbaland?  It was awful that's why.  I tried so hard to get into it and it just didn't happen.  I got one single, and listened to it over and over again trying to make it work, and it did not.  Maybe the Soundgarden reunion this year will bring back some of that lost magic, or Chris Cornell may remain a punch line.

Then we can move on to Bill Corgan and the demise of Smashing Pumpkins.  Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness was a high note in 90s rock, and "Tonight Tonight" is on my list of top songs of the 90s.  The group is back making music after their 2000 break up, but the only original memeber is Corgan himself. He has also blamed all the other members for the split, and was able to hold on to drummer Jimmy Chamberlain until last year, but finally made his exit.  It also seems like Corgan sees no reason to make great albums anymore since the world only craves singles, which is another tragedy unto itself.  We'll see if the newest reincarnation of Smashing Pumpkins ever finishes an actual album, and see if they can hold on to their musicians long enough to do so.  Billy Corgan seems like a bit of a narcissist and drama queen, in my humble opinion.  He's also well aware that he's become a bit of a joke, according to an interview I read in Rolling Stone a few months back.  The idea that this man dated Courtney Love makes my head hurt.  Though their relationship could make as good of a documentary as "Kurt and Courtney", with a much less dramatic finish.


Speaking of Courtney Love, what was the deal with her solo album, "America's Sweetheart".  The thing about Courtney is that she really is an amazing musician.  She plays a guitar well and writes fantastic no holding back lyrics.  I for one am impressed by Hole's apparent comeback and "Nobody's Daughter", but Love herself is nuts.  It's the same thing as Corgan and Cornell, where the front person's reputation is ruining the stature of the band.  She's lost custody of her child with Kurt Cobain, she's been in an out of rehab getting down to a frigthening thin weight last year.  At one point she looked like she had promise as and actress, but that somehow, like her life, has been derailed.  And now yesterday I see that she has come out with a fashion blog.  This is a woman who was caught wearing a faux Chanel design a few years back.  Granted she did say she had no idea the dress was a fraud, she apologized, was featured in a Karl Lagerfeld photo shoot, and apparently the man is still taken with her (according to another Rolling Stone interview where Lagerfeld happened to pass by).

I miss the do miss the 90s.  I might just go put on the Empire Records or Singles soundtrack and thank god for Dave Grohl, Nirvana, The Foo Fighters, and Them Crooked Vultures.