A Decade Ago If we take a look back at the music industry of the year 1992 what we see looks to be pure insanity and anarchy. The truth was the year 1992 was a musical changing of the guard. 1992 was a "time of turbulence" (Moll, George Vh1BTM) . Rap music, originally thought to be "just a fad" (Buck, Peter Vh1BTM) was bursting out from the angry streets of a torn Los Angeles, garnering national attention. The Bush administration felt the lyrics of much of the music coming from L.A.'s urban scene called for and promoted violence against the police. "They are making money off a record that suggests it is ok to kill cops, and that is wrong ." states then Vice President Dan Quayle (Moll, George Vh1BTM). The city's recent wave of police brutality and racial friction had come to a head with the Rodney King trial, and the riots that took place in 92 were the climax of the situation.
Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins in 1992.
Corgan playing in Köln, Germany in 2005
Billy Corgan on May 24th 2007 at "den Atelier",Lux...Perhaps the situation is best described in the song "April 29, 1992" by Sublime: "April 29th 1992/ There was a riot on the streets tell me where were you/ you were sittin at home watchin your TV/ while I was participatin in some anarchy"æthey said it was for the black man/ said it was for the Mexican/ but not for the white man/ but if you looked at the streets it wasn't about Rodney King/ it's about this f***ed up situation and these f***ed up police"æ" (Kahne, David Sublime).
Farther north, but still along the coast another, more quiet revolution was stirring. Seattle was about as far away from the center of American pop culture as possible while still being a part of the contiguous U.S. This seclusion allowed the bands of the city's music scene...