Nirvana at EMP Museum

BY: PROVOKR Staff

In late 1991, Nirvana exploded onto the national music scene, transforming Seattle into the epicenter of the alternative rock. The band’s infectious single, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (watch the music video, above) saturated the airwaves and MTV, sparking a worldwide “grunge” revolution. This year the EMP Museum in Seattle, with its mission of exploring popular culture, launched a long-term exhibit, “Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses,” which celebrates the public and personal story of the band and invites visitors to discover the underground music scene in which Nirvana developed. It features more than 150 iconic instruments, original poster artwork, photographs, albums, films of performance footage, and 100 new and archived oral histories from key figures in the independent music scene (including Nirvana band members Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic). Three interactive kiosks allow visitors to access topics that range from the macroscopic (different national music scenes) to the microscopic (specific clubs, bands and events). “Nirvana’s Gen X image belied the typical rock star stance—they wore regular clothes, gave props to other underground bands, and stuck up for the freaks, geeks and outcasts everywhere,” says EMP Senior Curator Jacob McMurray. “Instead of creating a barrier between the fans and themselves, they indicated by their affect and actions that they ultimately were one of us.”