Unit 3

Sarah Knee
Professor E. Kent
ENGL 1020
19 March 2016
I. Working Title: Seattle Sound
A. This title is interesting to me because it is another phrase that is used to describe grunge
music. It includes the city in which grunge was originated and it pairs it with the term
sound. To me, this could be taken literally, as in music, or figuratively, meaning to be
stable or solid. In that context, it could refer to whether or not this movement in music
and culture was really solid in its views and morals. I like this title, but I am not certain if
its the one I will be using.
II. Working Introduction: Quotation
A. I would like to begin my introduction with a quote that incorporates the idea that this
grunge movement was a huge step towards musical innovations, but in the same breath, a
huge dollar sign in the eyes of the media. I have come across a few quotes that have done
so, but I havent decided which one I would like to use. I feel like opening my
introduction with a quote such as this will help my audience to better understand the
direction I am going in and the overall thesis I am trying to reveal. I want to discuss the
different emotions the word grunge instills in different people.
III. Working Thesis: The Idea of Art v. Fame
A. This is a very vague, very confusing statement. The overall idea I want to portray is that
grunge started as a music genre and subculture driven by teen angst and the need for
freedom from idealistic views, strict gender roles, and the media. In turn, the media
grabbed a hold of this major movement and turned it into a mass culture. A lot of people

see grunge as a movement that changed music history, others see it as a bunch of
hypocrites who are getting paid by the media to sing about how much they hate the
media.
B. That is what I want my readers to understand, but I need to find a better way to explain it
that is clear and concise. I feel as if I need to take a stance on what grunge is to me, and
go with that. I feel, though, that presenting and exploring both arguments could make for
a more interesting read.
IV. Entry 1: News Paper Article
A. I would like my first entry to be a news paper article. In this article I would write
about how grunge is all a stunt. I would write as if I were a journalist that was tired of
the grunge hype and hypocrisy. I would mention how Kurt Cobain and other artists
were sell outs to the media and how they were only interested in the fame.
B. For this article, I would use sources to back up my claim. I would use the article
Does Grunge Really Matter to help give insight from someone elses perspective.
This newspaper article I will write will show the audience the view that grunge music
was a scam.
V. Entry 2: Letter to the Editor
A. In this entry, I will write a letter to the editor in response to the news article. In this letter,
I will provide a counter-argument that will state that grunge was a revolutionary moment
in time that allowed the young people of America to express themselves and to break free
from the stereotypical suburban lifestyle as well as the strict gender roles that were placed
upon them.
B. For my letter, I want to show a different side of grunge. I want to show the music, art, and
principles that rose from it. This will give the audience a new perspective, allowing them

to understand the two opposing sides. For this, I will use several different sources to
make my claim credible.
VI. Entry 3: Timeline
A. For this entry, I would like to construct a detailed timeline of how/when grunge
developed and what milestones were a part of it. Events such as album releases, major
magazine covers, tours, and things of that nature could really help my audience
understand what helped to shoot grunge into the limelight.
B. For this entry, I will be using many sources, such as the VH1 documentary, that include
dates so that I can have an accurate timeline.
VII. Entry 4: Recipe
A. Here, I would like to create a satirical piece. It would be titled How to Start a Grunge
Band or How to be Grunge. Something of that nature. In it, I would talk about the
stereotypical things that make a band grunge material. Coming from a suburban lifestyle,
hating gender roles, not washing your hair, wearing plaid, and singing about not
belonging are all great examples of what I would include in my recipe.
B. The point of this entry is to show how some people view grunge bands as unoriginal and
stereotypical. This will help my audience to understand the idea that grunge is a scam.
VIII. Entry 5: Poem
A. For this entry, I will create a poem that discusses the opposing views of grunge. It will
include both the negative and positive ideals. I want to incorporate a lot of adjectives in
order to describe grunge and the vibe it gives off.
B. The reason for this entry is to help readers to see a deeper side to the topic at hand rather
than just the surface details.
IX. Entry 6: Cartoon

A. This entry will act as another satirical piece. I would like to draw a scene in which Kurt
Cobain is looking at a store window mannequin that is wearing his exact outfit, yet the
prices are much higher in the store. I want to somehow incorporate that his clothes are
from a thrift store.
B. The reasoning behind this is to show how the media and big corporations took grunge
and blew it up into this huge trend and mass culture that was making them money. Also,
this cartoon shows the irony in which bands in the grunge scene, much like Nirvana,
usually wrote songs that were against the media and what was mainstream, yet what they
were doing had become the new normal.
X. Entry 7: Essay
A. For my last entry, I would like to write an essay about what grunge really is. In this
essay, I would like to write about how it is multi-dimensional and that there is no one true
definition for grunge. A beauty is in the eye of the beholder kind of element will be
discussed in this essay.
B. The purpose of this is to conclude my paper in an open ended way. Not open ended as in
my audience is confused and feel as if my paper has no direction, but open ended as in
they can decide for themselves which view they side with more. Also, they might not
have an opinion either way, but I want my readers to really think and ask questions as to
what grunge means to them and the world.

Annotated Bibliography
Curmodgeon NIRVANA. VH1 News Special: Grunge. YouTube. YouTube, 2 Jan 2015. Web.
27 Feb 2016.

This short documentary by VH1 is a compilation of interviews of iconic people who were
not only amidst the grunge movement as it was happening, but were also major contributors to
it as well. People such as Kurt Cobain from Nirvana, Chris Cornell from Soundgarden, and Kelly
Canary from Dickless, along with many others, were asked to describe how grunge came to be
and what influences helped to shape it. These musicians and producers spoke of how they did not
realize they were staring a movement of sorts, they were just doing what they loved and what
felt right to them and it just so happened to blow up. They also discussed how the media was the
cause of grunges demise. This source is very relevant because it is coming from VH1, a channel
that focuses on music and subcultures that arise from it. Also, the people being interviewed are
very credible because they were some of the very ones to create this new Seattle Sound.

Haenfler, Ross. Smells Like Teen Spirit: Music, Youth Culture and Social Crisis. American
Journal of Sociology 116.3 (2010): 10151017. JSTOR. Web. 19 May. 2016.
This source is significant because it gives insight on what caused this grunge movement.
Not only the music, but the economy, government, and societal views that helped form this new
sound and teen angst. The author discusses how this genre and subculture took hold of the
American youth because they felt as if they could relate to the topics being discussed in these
songs. Young people started feeling as if their voices could be heard and as if they really
mattered. This source is important to my paper because it will help to portray the idea that
grunge was an important revolution that changed the music scene as well as society.
Heller, Jason. Did grunge really matter? A.V. Club. Onion Inc. 11 Nov. 2013. Web. 27 Feb.
2016.

This article from A.V. club takes a look at grunge from present day and asks the question,
does grunge really matter? It explores the idea that grunge was nothing more than a short-lived
genre full of idealism and hypocrisy. Here, the writer discusses his view that grunge stood for
nothing and was built on nothing, meaning it had no purpose and no meaning. This source is
credible because it comes from a site that often posts about music and subcultures and the effects
it had on others during and after the time of its success. Though this article was published in
2013, it is still relevant to my research because it looks at grunge in the past tense and gives a
new perspective as to how it effected, or didnt effect, the music industry. I can use this article to
present another side to the argument as to the importance of grunge.

Hunter, David. Examining Grunge and Post Grunge Rock Movement Culture Crossfire.
Culture Crossfire. Web. 27 Feb. 2016.
This article from Culture Crossfire discusses just the music side of grunge and how it is
thought that most bands after Kurt Cobains death were only trying to copy the sound and style
that made grunge bands successful in the past. This was known as post-grunge. This new genre
was seen as being unoriginal and produced by major labels only to try and hold onto something
that was already dead and overplayed. Another issued discussed in this article was how
unsuspecting bands were unwillingly categorized as grunge, though they differed from other
grunge bands and werent trying to pursue this genre. This source is relevant because it shows
the view that some record labels and media sources only saw grunge as a dollar sign rather than
art. Culture Crossfire is well known for discussing music, art, and culture using credible sources
to support their articles. This source will give me the opportunity to explore the idea that some

people did not appreciate grunge as an art, rather they just saw it as a quick way to earn a buck,
which is part of what the original grunge artists stood against.

Huq, Rupa. Beyond Subculture: Pop Youth and Identity in a Postcolonial World. Abingdon:
Routledge, 2006. Web. 27 Feb. 2016.
This source is a book by Rupa Huq, a well respected writer and lecturer, that focuses on
the idea of the correlation between the behaviors and identity of young people and the
subcultures that surround them. He states that they are interchangeable, seeing as either or can
affect the other. In the case of grunge music and the culture, the attitude of the American youth at
the time really helped artists to be inspired by the pressures they felt in everyday life, such as
depression, isolation, and angst. In turn, grunge also affected young adults in a way where they
felt comfortable in knowing its okay not to be the stereotypical macho man or girly girl. This is
relevant because it shows the importance of grunge music during its time and even to this day.
The purpose of using this source is so I can present the argument that grunge was very important
to our society and that it made a huge impact not only on the music industry, but on the way our
views changed when considering the troubles young adults face.

Kahn, Seth. Kurt Cobain, Martyrdom, and the Problem of Agency. Studies in Popular
Culture 22.3 (2000): 8396. JSTOR. Web. 19 May. 2016.
In this source, the author discusses the rise of Kurt Cobains fame and how it came to be,
as well as his fall, ending in suicide. Though the article is mainly focused on Nirvanas front
man, it tells the tale of how a shy suburban kid could impact the world so greatly. The story is
told as though it could be any cul-de-sac teen in the late 80s early 90s. The author discusses the

many aspects that went into what made Cobain, as well as many other teens at the time, the way
he was and how that impacted his writing style and views on life. This source is important
because it shows the importance of society and the impact it made on the youth of America
during this time. It also shows how this significantly impacted music history through grunge.

Mazullo, Mark. The Man Whom the World Sold: Kurt Cobain, Rock's Progressive Aesthetic,
and the Challenges of Authenticity. The Musical Quarterly 84.4 (2000): 713749.
JSTOR. Web. 19 May. 2016.
This source explores the authenticity in musicians and music genres themselves. The
author discusses Nirvana and how they have this aesthetic as to which they seem as if they are
care free and the media and fame is of no importance to them. Yet, Nirvana can be seen on an
episode of MTVs Unplugged. In the article, an interview with Kurt Cobain is included where
he discusses the desire to explore more music genres like The Beatles. Here, the author discusses
that this could be seen as a publicity stunt only to get the attention from the media that they truly
desire. This source can be of importance to me and my paper because it gives insight on the idea
that the grunge attitude towards the mainstream was all a stunt in order to gain more fame.

Strong, Catherine. Grunge: Music and Memory. Surrey: Ashgate, 2011. Web. 26 Feb. 2016.
This book by Catherine Strong is a great source for my paper because it encompasses all
of the topics in which I wish to discuss in my paper. She talks about how grunge came to be and
who was apart of that movement. Though Strong herself seems to be a fan of grunge, she
discusses how the media took what grunge used to be, a genre full of emotion and angst, and
turned it into flannel shirts plastered on the cover of every style magazine on the rack. She also

discusses how grunge was able to take the normal power positions of men and women and
break those down so young adults no longer felt as if they had to follow those guidelines. This
source is really relevant to my research question because it gives two different perspectives of
what grunge really is. The purpose of this source is to show that there are people who can see the
two sides of how grunge is viewed, but is still able to make a strong claim. I will use this source
to back up my opinions and to also have counterarguments.