While talking about Seattle’s grunge scene in the ’80s during a chat with Pete Thorn, Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil revealed what caused the death of hair metal at the time. The guitarist touched on the mindset of the era and said:
“People were being very true and allegiant to the punk rock ethos, and Seattle was doing something different. We were very aware of that. We didn’t think it was grunge. That became some marketing thing later.”
Grunge Bands’ Approach To Hair Metal
Thayil mentioned that Soundgarden and other local bands were moving in a different musical direction than hair metal, which eventually affected its popularity. But he also noted that it wasn’t a conscious choice:
“None of us were listening to hair metal. It’s not because we didn’t like it. I didn’t get MTV. I don’t even think I had a TV. And when we did have a TV, it was just broadcast.”
The One Hair Metal Act That Was Popular
Due to the absence of MTV, Soundgarden and their peers in Seattle formed their music independently with little to no influence of hair metal acts, but they knew of one band in the ’80s. The guitarist revealed:
“Mötley Crüe was a band that we were aware of. The first album, ‘Too Fast For Love,’ we were totally aware of that. It was one of those bands that kind of fit in the punk rock cannon.”
You can watch Kim Thayil’s full interview in the video below.
