Mudhoney’s Mark Arm on Being a Grunge Survivour
Before you start into the Q&A, let’s just review Mudhoney’s “Touch Me I’m Sick,” shall we?
Refreshing, no? Now let’s continue with this interview in the new Q magazine:
Formed nearly 25 years ago from the ashes of the fondly remembered Green River, Mudhoneyare among the last true survivors of the alternative rock explosion that left Seattle and many of it’s beloved sons buried in the rubble.
While there have been comebacks for the likes of Soundgarden and a version of Alice In Chains, Mudhoney never really went away – simply performing high-energy live shows and issuing album after album of storming garage punk – much like a more aggressive, furious cousin to their close friends and fellow veterans Pearl Jam.
Q emailed a few questions over to Mudhoney frontman Mark Arm on the occasion of the recent release of a live DVD, Mudhoney: Live In Berlin 1988, recorded at the band’s very first European show in 1988. The video itself is a raw but compelling document of the seeds being sewn for what would eventually blossom into the sound of the 1990s. Here’s Arm’s thoughts on it now…
How does it feel looking back on the release of a live performance from 24 years ago?
“Since the release of that performance only happened a couple of weeks ago, I haven’t really had a chance to process it. Watching the show was kind of a trip though.”
Does it surprise you that you’ve continued as a band for this length of time?
“Due to the phenomenon of creeping normalcy, where I’m at doesn’t surprise me now, but if you told me 20 years ago, I would have been shocked to learn that we would still be a band in the twenty teens.”
What’s changed within the band over those years?
“The biggest change is family and work commitments. It’s been a long time since we’ve been young unencumbered bucks.”
