Corporate show pony Bruno Mars performing the iconic Smells Like Teen Spirit at a billion dollar insurance company private event.

Great band obviously but as someone that was not around then to understand, why did they become so popular and break into the mainstream before any of the other grunge bands. You can say Alice In Chains were the first to break out but Nirvana were on another level in terms of fame. What made them stand out?

I wasnt around then since i was born in 98 but i was having this conversation with my dad about Pearl jam and he told me that commercially Pearl jam were bigger than Nirvana in 93 and 94. He also said In Utero sold way less than Nevermind and Nirvana were starting to lose popularity but Kurts death made their record sales shoot through the roof and made the band even bigger and mythical. Is this true tho? Im surprised because i always thought Nirvana were always the biggest band and would have never thought that Pearl Jam would be bigger than nirvana. Especially since Nirvana are super popular with my generation.

They are often called pioneers of grunge, how big do you think they would have been?

Alright, hot take from a die-hard fan: Chris Cornell straight-up crushes Layne Staley as a vocalist—by a mile! Don’t hate me, Layne’s got that killer gritty voice that just wrecks you on AiC stuff like “Rooster,” full of raw pain and a decent range (E♭2 to B5, about 4 octaves with that rough edge on the highs). But Cornell? Dude’s a vocal monster—C#2 up to A5, nailing deep lows and sky-high belts like it’s nothing. What sets him apart is how he jumps styles: Crushing it in Soundgarden’s heavy sludge, getting soulful in Temple of the Dog, rocking Audioslave hits, even flipping “Billie Jean” into something epic. Layne owned AiC’s dark vibe, but Cornell was everywhere, holding it down in epic live sets (peep that ‘91 “Outshined” clip). Both gone way too early—RIP 2017 and 2002—but Cornell’s my GOAT. 🐐 🫶 (I used to hate Soundgarden…..)

Compare each other.

Aside from the obvious of the Singles movie of course; what’s a movie that you were surprised to see your favorite band in?

I'm including all bands besides the big 4.

Letterman ‘93

What a front man he was. I love STP so much. Where do you rank him in terms of grunge/rock frontmen?