Grunge Is Dead

The Oral History of Seattle Rock Music

By: Greg Prato

Narrated by: Greg Prato

Length: 22 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Grunge Is Dead weaves together the definitive story of the Seattle music scene through a series of interviews with the people who were there. Taking the form of an “oral” history, this books contains more than 130 interviews, along with essential background information from acclaimed music writer Greg Prato.

The early ’90s grunge movement may have last only a few years, but it spawned some of the greatest rock music of all time: Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden. This book contains the first-ever interview in which Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder was willing to discuss the group’s history in great detail; Alice in Chains’ band members and Layne Staley’s mom on Staley’s drug addiction and death; insights into the Riot Grrrl movement and oft-overlooked but highly influential Seattle bands like Mother Love Bone/Andy Wood, the Melvins, Screaming Trees, and Mudhoney; and much more.

Grunge Is Dead digs deeper than the average grunge history, starting in the early '60s, and explaining the chain of events that gave way to the grunge movement. The end result is a book that includes a wealth of previously untold stories and insight for the longtime fan, as well as its renowned story for the newcomer. Grunge Is Dead collects the whole truth of grunge music in one comprehensive volume.

©2009 Greg Prato (P)2021 ECW Press

Critic reviews

“[Grunge is Dead] is an accomplishment that will find fans as long as the music does. The book is remarkably comprehensive, nearly 500 pages long, and filled with rarely seen photographs, astute analyses of popular culture, insider gossip and interesting, funny and painful stories. Prato keeps the editorializing to a minimum, letting the players (Eddie Vedder, Slim Moon, Kim Thayil, Jerry Cantrell, Kathleen Hanna, Allison Wolfe, Blag Dahlia, Charles Petterson, Riki Rachtman, Chad Channing, et al) speak for themselves.” (Washington Post Express)

“A complete, exhaustive and authoritative account of Music 1.0’s last successful marketing experiment.... Grunge Is Dead is an invaluable record.” (Eye Weekly)

“Grunge Is Dead offers a definitive oral history of grunge.... Prato, a contributor to All Music Guide and Billboard.com, offers accounts from more than 125 musicians (with the exception of Nirvana), record label owners, and scenesters. The book traces grunge’s meteoric rise out of the 1980s hard-core punk scene - and its decline owing to the growing prevalence of heroin use.” (Library Journal Express)

Author’s narration almost ruins it.

Why on Earth would the author opt to narrate this audiobook with his East Coast accent for a story taking place in the Pacific Northwest? It’s pray unbearable and many times distracts me from the actual story, with the unusual pauses. No one in the Seattle area talks like that & it’s hard trying to picture these conversations being had coming from a nastily, Bronx sounding voice. Hire a narrator who matches/blends with the region or scene of the story!

pretty good

interest hearing from people I knew and a time I remember. unfortunate the reader couldn't pronounce NW words.

Good book, bad narrator

The story was good, I liked it. But the author reading it was a bad choice. He sounds like a robot..who…reads..to…five…year…olds

Who chose this guy to read this ? Lol

The guy reading this sounds like one of the guys in the movie Wayne’s world 2 when Wayne and Garth are backstage at the Aerosmith concert . And then everyone he says “laughs” it’s barely audible and just hilarious cause it seems like he did the voice recording of this book and was told to go back and add those only he didn’t have the mic up as Loud . Other than the guy reading this I think how this book was written is horrible . I’d like to own a physical copy to see if it was actually printed that way . It’s like a teenager just dug up a bunch of interviews and threw them together poorly .

the best Alice in chains story ever

I been looking for this book 4ever. I love this book. this is the best story of Alice in chains. thank you

Grunge is Dead

loved the book! Possibly the best book I have ever read on music itself. Extremely information from a 1st person perspective of interviews from the people who lived the Seattle music scene during those times.

why did they pick this guy

I was so looking forward to this book. The content is amazing but it is SO hard to get into due to the way the guy is reading it.

listen before you buy

great story if you love rock music. the narrator, though... oi. He reads it like a 4th grader who's auditioning for his first commercial gig. I'm usually pretty easy on authors who read their own stuff. this cat should know better and hire some actual talent. still a great book... but better experienced in print.

Stay for the stories

The other reviews here that mention the narration are absolutely right. It’s awful. I listened to the sample and thought I wouldn’t mind, but it really is so awkward. Strange phrasing, stopping. In the middle of sentences. Not. How anyone speaks. At all.

But the content is great, and after a while the narrative quirks fade into the background and the stories take center stage. Rough and unpolished, maybe like grunge itself, still worth the listen.

Excellent Book for Rock Fans

This is a book that kept me listening, even though I am quite familiar with the Seattle grunge stuff, being a musician in the Seattle area. I’ve never heard most of these stories! The Narration is different, but works great for the writing style.