We Have Seen "Nirvana," and It Is Dense, Intense and All Grown Up
On Friday night, Seattlest took a peek at the EMP's newest addition, "Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses." And masses there were. Masses of artifacts, masses of information and, unsurprisingly, masses of very excited ex-rockers.
We were greeted by a sea of cheerful, bespectacled middle-aged men, all re-living their favorite rock moments ("Dude, I totally have a Gibson that looks like that out in my garage somewhere,"** a guy in a plaid shirt, tucked into J. Crew khakis remarked, gesturing to one of many destroyed guitars), delighted to see items of their not-so-distant past displayed under the track lighting, adorned with meaningful quotations and tidbits of information. To many, it seemed uncanny that something they were a part of was now something in a museum.
"Nirvana" follows the band in a somewhat familiar pattern: humble roots to blinding fame, Pacific Northwest to world stage. But it's those additional pieces of information and imagery along the way that help capture not just Kurt, Dave, Krist and the like, but the sentiments and the environment of the West Coast in the late 80s and early 90s. The exhibit is careful not to fixate on just Kurt, or just Nirvana, but touches on the record labels, venues and other bands that rode the wave. Interviews with photographers and producers lend stories to the ones you've already heard. "Smells like Teen Spirit" isn't blaring angrily, and there's very little reference to suicide. It's refreshing.
The exhibit is well curated. The large-scale photos are intriguing, and allow for crowds to gather and examine brief moments in great detail. And while the physical space the show takes up isn't much, there's a lot packed in. From interactive listening stations featuring relevant albums (Devo's Are We Not Men? We are Devo! is featured twice), videos of interviews and live performances, and plenty of bits and pieces from the band and the era. There's just enough information about each piece to help onlookers feel informed, but not so much that that it gets preachy or overly introspective.
The only aspect of "Nirvana" that isn't represented in mass? Women. There's some mention of Bikini Kill, a Hole album (though thankfully, not much Courtney) and a few really great interviews with Megan Jasper, of Sub Pop. But overall, the exhibit is fairly homogeneous--young, white and male. We're not sure if this was a conscious choice by curator Jacob McMurray, or simply an oversight--because there certainly were plenty of women making music, drawing posters and generally making noise.
The opening event was great fun. Casual and informative, we caught speeches from Krist, as well as Dow Constantine and McMurray himself. We spied Dow afterward (he wasn't even wearing a tie, that's how casual), but were too shy to say hello.
While First Thursday is always a good way to see what's happening in the museums around town, we advise going to see "Nirvana" in the middle of the day. It's really dense, and there's a lot to take it. And if you're lucky? You'll be among some of the masses of fans who, despite having grown up, haven't forgotten.
"Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses" // April 16, 2011 - April 22, 2013 // 10 am - 5 pm, until May 26 // Free-$15, depending on when you go
**Another great quote? "I can't stay long--I got tickets to Paul Simon." Ah, how worlds collide.
