‘Hype!’ Captures The Seattle Grunge Explosion In Real Time

Love it or hate it, the early ‘90s alternative rock boom was the last time loud guitar-based rock held the attention of both the record buying public and the music industrial complex. Nirvana and the bands that preceded and followed them left a permanent mark on music and though others have punched through the pop static for their moment in the sun, they are the exception not the rule. Though the scene had many antecedents in the American indie rock scene of the 1980s, which occurred around the entire United States, many of the biggest bands of the era hailed from the previously unheralded Pacific Northwest.

Doug Pray’s 1996 documentary Hype! captures the last embers of the Seattle grunge scene as it turned to ash. Featuring interviews and live performances, it delves deep into the lives of those who defined the era, providing an intimate look at how the once rainy backwater became the focus of desire of the entire music industry and the havoc it wrought. Currently streaming on Freevee through Amazon Prime Video, it was Pray’s feature-length debut before going on to direct such documentaries as 2007’s Surfwise and last year’s Love, Lizzo.  

The film opens with footage of fog rolling across the Puget Sound, trees being felled in a damp, moss-ridden forest, and hirsute young men moshing to their heart’s content. We learn local folklore from veterans like graphic artist Art Chantry, who cites ‘60s garage rock, flying saucers and serial killers as examples of the region’s quirky character. “The Manson family used to vacation up this way. This place is weird,“ he says, both a warning and a boast.

Through the early ‘80s, few touring bands made their way up to the northwest. Those that did were treated to exuberant and unpretentious beer-fueled crowds. Jack Endino, who at one point recorded every Seattle band of note, says the Pacific’s Northwest’s incessant downpours drove young malcontents into their basements to find release through rock ‘n’ roll. Metal ruled the suburbs while forgotten punk bands put on DIY shows at long gone venues downtown. As Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil notes, the audience was mostly made up of the members of the other local bands.

By the mid-80s, Seattle was inundated with new bands. We meet amateur musical genealogists who trace the lineage of such incubators as Green River, who begat Mudhoney and Pearl Jam, and Bundle of Hiss, which featured members of Mudhoney and Tad. 1986’s Deep Six compilation LP was the first document of the new thing and featured tracks by Green River, The Melvins and Soundgarden, among others.

What was ultimately labeled “grunge” was a blend of punk aggression, underground rock adventurousness and the thickheaded riffing of ‘60s and ‘70s hard rock. The band’s didn’t take themselves particularly seriously and a self-deprecating sense of humor prevailed, as embodied in Sub Pop’s “LOSER” t-shirt. “The music wasn’t stupid, but it was dumb,” says photographer Charles Peterson.  

Sub Pop Records’ Jonathan Poneman and Bruce Pavit hyped up the new scene with a mix of braggadocio and bullshit. Realizing the marketing advantages of a singular sound and look,  Endino offered sympathetic production while Peterson’s kinetic live shots brought the scene to life for those that lived outside the I-5 corridor. Sub Pop flew over British music journalist Everett True who raved about the label and its bands in the UK’s voracious music press while initiatives like the Sub Pop Singles Club made their records collectable.  

As the Sub Pop hype machine reached ever more ridiculous heights, old timers rolled their eyes, expecting it to fade. Then came Nirvana. Following their success, Seattle found itself in the middle of a major label gold rush. One can be forgiven for thinking the misfit weirdos of the past had all been replaced by good looking musical careerists. Filmed at the height of the frenzy, Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron estimates “there’s over 1000 bands in Seattle right now.” Jack Endino notes the ultimate irony being Seattle musicians who moved to L.A. to seek fame and fortune were now moving back.

Money would corrupt and dilute the scene and make it easy for young musicians to indulge in their worst habits. The casualties started early, Mother Love Bone singer Andrew Wood overdosing days before the release of their major label debut. Watching the film, one is taken aback seeing so many musicians who are no longer with us, including Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell, Screaming Trees’ Van Conner, The Gits Mia Zapata and of course Kurt Cobain.  Footage from Cobain’s memorial vigil in April 1994 is accompanied by the music of Mark Lanegan, who himself died last year. 

I don’t think Hype! Has ever really gotten its due. The modern thirst for rock docs didn’t exist at the time of its fall 1996 release, at which point both the underground rock scene and the pop mainstream were sick of Seattle and its angsty white guy mope rock. It’s a shame as it’s one of the best music docs of the era, if not all time, capturing a genuine cultural phenomenon in real time and documenting the fallout as it occurs. 

Benjamin H. Smith is a New York based writer, producer and musician. Follow him on Twitter: @BHSmithNYC.