VIA PRESS RELEASE | “If your definition of ‘alternative music’ is Nirvana, The Smiths, and Radiohead, you’re missing out on perhaps a more profound and outrageous collection of talented outliers. Greg Prato’s oral history of alt-rock is an absorbing deep dive into an era when—for a short and wondrous time—freaks and geeks ruled the world.” —Brad Tolinski, author of MC5: An Oral Biography of Rock’s Most Revolutionary Band
No era in rock history delivered a more jarring upheaval—in sound and sensibility—than the 1990s. Practically overnight, hair metal —once dominant on radio and MTV—was swept aside. In its place surged a wave of alt-rock revolutionaries like Jane’s Addiction, Nine Inch Nails, Faith No More, Primus, Smashing Pumpkins, and, of course, Nirvana. These and other bands and artists didn’t just redefine rock—they reshaped the cultural landscape, transforming everything from fashion to politics with a raw, unfiltered ethos that felt like a wholesale rejection of the decade before.
This radical reordering of rock’s DNA is at the heart of Alternative for the Masses: The Oral History of the ’90s Alt-Rock Revolution, where veteran music critic Greg Prato delivers the definitive chronicle of the era, straight from the musicians and figures who lived it. Through more than 60 new interviews conducted exclusively for the book—focused on the pivotal years of 1990 to 1995—Prato assembles an insider’s portrait of the artists, trends, and cultural ruptures that shaped the alt-rock explosion.
Among the featured voices are some of the most renowned figures of the era: Ian MacKaye (Fugazi, Dischord Records), Bob Mould, Frank Black (Pixies), Moby, Al Jourgensen (Ministry), Les Claypool (Primus), Matt Pinfield (MTV’s 120 Minutes), Gavin Rossdale (Bush), Mike Watt (Minutemen/fIREHOSE), Butch Vig (producer of Nevermind), Tanya Donnelly (Belly, the Breeders), and Fred Armisen (Saturday Night Live, Portlandia)—all offering unique vantage points and reflections on the sounds and scenes that defined the alt-rock explosion.
In addition, the book includes excerpts from one of the last interviews with Steve Albini, arguably the era’s most influential recording engineer and producer, known for albums by Nirvana and PJ Harvey, among many others. Prato structures the book into chapters that illuminate every facet of the time, from Lollapalooza and the rise of groundbreaking producers to the impact of women rockers and addiction.
The 1990s were the last time rock artists seemed unafraid to stand apart—challenging the industry, reshaping culture, and speaking with unfiltered conviction. Alternative for the Masses captures this fleeting moment before the internet and streaming fractured the music world—when alt-rock still felt like a revolution with purpose.
About the Author: Greg Prato is a Long Island, New York-based journalist who has written for Rolling Stone, Billboard, and Songfacts. He has written over 40 books, including such popular titles as Grunge Is Dead: The Oral History of Seattle Rock Music; The Yacht Rock Book: The Oral History of the Soft, Smooth Sounds of the 70s and 80s; and Primus, Over the Electric Grapevine: Insight into Primus and the World of Les Claypool, among many others.
