Dave Grohl has discussed how the growth of such artists as Marilyn Manson resulted in a decline in the grunge phenomenon back in the 1990s.
The Foo Fighters lead singer was in conversation with Alt 98.7 via The NME when he opened up about the changing trends in rock music. In particular, the resulting transformation that would have started in the mid-80s up to the late-90s and beyond.
Grohl and his former band Nirvana were a pivotal act at the centre of the Seattle grunge Scene. The drummer also experienced first hand what altered the huge popularity in the global rock movement.
Grohl began by talking about Motley Crue’s influence,
“In the 80’s you had all these rock bands that got huge. There was so much glamour, all the dudes had crazy hair, limos, they were shooting their videos at Crazy Girls, riding Harleys…it kind of went its course or whatever.”
With regard to the massive grunge scene, the Foo Fighter explained,
“Then there were a lot of bands that loved playing rock music, but didn’t have anything to do with that. It was more about we’re just dirty kids who play in garages and write these songs. That was sort of born out of the punk rock thing. Then all of a sudden that becomes huge, and that becomes huge for a while, and after that you are sort of like damn man, I sort of want a rock star.”
Grohl reasoned that Marilyn Manson’s shock-rock, goth aesthetic and use of spectacle resulted in the complete opposite of grunge’s ‘DIY punk’ ethic. Grohl believes that produced a total turnaround in rock sensibilities. At the same time hip-hop also took over from rock’s previous desire for riches and debauchery.
“Then Marilyn Manson gets big, and you’re like oh cool, now you’ve got something that is really fantastic to look at, it’s really moving, and really powerful,”
The frontman continued,
“The imagery and the music too, you are like, wow that’s cool man! Then the hip hop scene sort of took over all of the glamour that the rock and roll thing sort of had in the 80’s. It’s kind of cyclical in this weird way, eventually you’ll get to a place where you’ll have a hip hop artist who doesn’t go that route, or a rock band that does go the glam route. Things kind of roll in this cycle.”
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