In 2024, it’s rare to hear musicians criticize famous grunge bands like Nirvana or Soundgarden because these bands are now legends, known for their great music and achievements. This is especially true for someone who was part of the same music scene when these bands were popular. Krist Novoselic played Nirvana songs with a tribute band, further showing Nirvana’s staying power.
Steve Moriarty, the former drummer of The Gits, talked about this in an interview on Booked on Rock. He explained that The Gits, who moved from Ohio to Seattle in 1989, felt like outsiders compared to local grunge bands. Bands like Tad, Nirvana, and Soundgarden were all from the Seattle area, knew each other well, and practiced in the same places. Some of their parents were even involved in music or the entertainment industry, giving them an advantage.
Moriarty also mentioned that The Gits had a different style from the local grunge bands. They looked more punk rock, wearing leather, combat boots, and spiky hair, while grunge bands usually wore flannel and had long hair. This set The Gits apart from the typical grunge look.
“If you just look at Tad, Nirvana, and Soundgarden, they were all from the area,” explained Moriarty (transcribed by Ultimate Guitar). “They all knew each other. They all rehearsed, like, in the same rehearsal area. So, they kind of grew up together, basically. Their parents lived there, their parents were also musicians in some cases, and one was an entertainment lawyer.”
“So, they kind of had an ‘in’ and had been in bands since high school. When we got there, we looked a little different because we had more of a ‘punk look.’ We dressed more punk rock. We didn’t wear flannel. For example, we were more into leather and combat boots and spiky hair and stuff. We didn’t have long hair.”
Although grunge is often seen as a reaction against hair metal, Steve Moriarty from The Gits felt that the style wasn’t entirely original. He mentioned that the grunge bands sounded quite similar to earlier influences.
Moriarty explained that he found the grunge bands to be derivative, often sounding like Black Sabbath or Iggy and the Stooges. He noted that Mudhoney, with its garage rock sound, resembled ’60s garage rock bands like Iggy and the Stooges.
“I’ll speak for myself: I thought the bands sounded very derivative. I thought they either sounded like Black Sabbath or Iggy and the Stooges. And Mudhoney, there was that garage rock thing, and they all kind of sounded like Iggy and the Stooges to me: like a ’60s garage rock band.”
“And then you got into Soundgarden and even Nirvana and some of those bands, they were like, slow and grungey and kind of melodic, and sounded like Black Sabbath for the most part, tuned down to D oftentimes. Tad was actually of those bands the least known and probably the most talented. And probably the guy that brought the quote ‘grunge sound’ really to light in that area, in Seattle.”
