Musically, grunge's roots lay elsewhere. In the early 80's in Minneapolis, there was the proto-grunge of Soul Asylum. Out of the Los Angeles post-punk scene came the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Nine Inch Nails and Henry Rollins, who spread their maximum-decibel gospel in the summer of '91 on the Lollapalooza tour, an alternative-rock road show. In Seattle, the movement was localized. Melodies filtered through the mist, inspired and tempered by that city's three principal drugs: espresso, beer and heroin.
"The vibe now is a little bit like the early 70's, before metal ceased to be heavy and relied on adrenaline highs as opposed to despondency," said Simon Reynolds, the author of "Blissed Out" (Serpent's Tail, 1990), a chronicle of rock subcultures. "There's a feeling of burnout in the culture at large. Kids are depressed about the future."
James Truman, the editor in chief of Details, the young men's style magazine that is taking grunge to the masses, said: "To me the thing about grunge is it's not anti-fashion, it's un fashion. Punk was anti-fashion. It made a statement. Grunge is about not making a statement, which is why it's crazy for it to become a fashion statement."