Nirvana changed who got to feel cool in 1991. Eric Alper takes you back to the moment Nevermind reached far beyond the people who first recognised themselves in it. What happened when the music industry went looking for another band like them?
Songs about alienation and anxiety found an enormous audience. But what was it like for the artists making them to suddenly face arena crowds and questions about everything they believed? Alper recalls what musicians from that era told him about the leap.
The plaid is easy to remember. Alper says the music also changed how he thought about social issues, fame and whose voices mattered. For anyone who lived through grunge, or found it later, this is a chance to hear what lasted after the fashion moved on.
Topics: Nirvana, Nevermind, grunge, fame, music and social change
GUEST: Eric Alper | http://thatericalper.com
Originally aired on 2026-09-24
