Mudhoney Articles
Flagpole
2 September '98
Beneath The Valley Of The Underdog
Mudhoney's Steve Turner is on a roll. Usually shielded from the interview grind that hassles fellow bandmate
Mark Arm, Turner has finally been let loose. When the topic turns to the overused epithet "grunge,"
the guitarist is cocked and loaded.
"I would probably [describe Mudhoney as] 'grunge' because everyone hates that word so much," Turner
says, adding, "Fuck it. I'm wearing a Brooks Brothers shirt. I don't own flannel. I don't do grunge. I'm
from the suburbs, man."
On the plight of grunge's fatherland, Seattle, Washington: "A couple of years it seemed like if anyone
mentioned Seattle in the press there was a collective groan. People were fucking sick of Seattle. Once they
thought grunge was dead, here come the Presidents of the United States of America and Harvey Danger. We can't
be given a break here."
Mudhoney, whose new album Tomorrow Hit Today (Reprise) will be released in a couple of weeks, were
founding fledglings of the so-called "Seattle scene," so if nobody else in that foggy Northwestern
metropolis wants the word "grunge" who better to claim it? Mixing the raw energy of the Stooges with
a generation-specific sense of snottiness, cynicism and slobber, Mudhoney's anxious rock has its roots in Arm
and Turner's tour of duty with Seattle's Green River, which also spawned Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard of Pearl
Jam.
Talk about a fork in the road: while Pearl Jam went on to massive shopping mall fame on the strength of Eddie
Vedder's passionate, humanist lyrics, Mudhoney's early singles sported titles like "Touch Me I'm Sick."
Their ninth album in 10 years, Tomorrow Hit Today, is yet another gleefully amateurish collection
of barre-chord scuzz, lightened as always by the band's freak humor. The tune "Oblivion" opens with
a sort of Tod Browning scene-setting: "She rolled up from the bar with Kahlua and cream/Parked her
wheelchair by the Karaoke machine/closed her eyes and sang 'Dancing Queen'/She sang the shit outta 'Dancing
Queen."
Still, over the years, Mudhoney have repeatedly found themselves paired with their Green River brethren as
openers for numerous Pearl Jam tours. Although those shows with Vedder and company have occasionally helped
the band financially, the general public who rarely pay attention to opening acts, anyway still seem unaware
of Mudhoney's existence. Even Turner acknowledges the lack of appreciation the band receives on the road.
"Somebody finally pointed out the fact that almost nobody in the audience at Pearl Jam [shows] has any
idea who the opening band is," the guitarist explained.
"But not us. We got a banner now."
Ten years of solid American rock and Mudhoney has to talk their label into coughing up $100 for a sign so
dull-witted Pearl Jam fans will know who's playing the soundtrack to their pre-show toke. Ultimately,
though, breaking through to those fans isn't a priority in Mudhoney's collective minds. Turner himself
concedes that playing is its own reward and everything else has been "extra gravy."
"I am almost envious of the one hit wonder bands of today," Turner says. "You hear of bands
like Weezer who have one big album and then they are gone. They can blend back into the world again.
Unfortunately when you get massively huge, you can never go back to being whatever you want. I wouldn't
want to trade off my personal freedom for that. I want to be able to go to the grocery store."
John Britt/Rav Mansfield
WHO: Mudhoney, with Subsonics and Jack Drag
WHERE: The 40 Watt Club
WHEN: Saturday, September 5
HOW MUCH: Call
