Alternative for the Masses

The '90s Alt-Rock Revolution - An Oral History

Greg Prato

$55

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Motor Books
01 February 2026

Music; Rock & Pop music; Punk, New Wave & Indie; Individual composers & musicians, bands & groups; History: specific events & topics

Get the definitive story of the '90s alt-rock movement straight from the musicians and figures who lived it.

No period in the history of rock music offered such an abrupt shift in prevailing tastes as the 1990s. While just a short while before, radio and MTV were clamoring for hair metal bands, suddenly alt-rockers such as Jane's Addiction, Nine Inch Nails, Faith No More, Primus, Smashing Pumpkins, and of course, Nirvana, brought a sea change not just in what the most popular bands sounded like, but also in fashion, politics, and seemingly all aspects of pop culture.

In Alternative for the Masses: The Oral History of the '90s Alt-Rock Revolution, veteran music critic Greg Prato presents more than 60 new interviews conducted exclusively for the book-with an emphasis on the 1990-1995 peak period-including insights from renowned names like:

Ian MacKaye (Fugazi, Dischord Records)Frank Black (Pixies)Corey Glover (Living Colour)Moby (solo artist/DJ)Al Jourgensen (Ministry)Les Claypool (Primus)Kennedy (host of MTV's Alternative Nation)Matt Pinfield (host of MTV's 120 Minutes)Butch Vig (producer of Nirvana's Nevermind)Tanya Donnelly (Belly, Breeders)Fred Armisen (Portlandia, Saturday Night Live) Prato also includes excerpts from one of the last interviews with Steve Albini, arguably the period's most influential recording engineer and producer, responsible for influential albums by the likes of Nirvana and PJ Harvey producer, among many others.

Prato sets out his book in thematic chapters covering topics such as:

The Lollapalooza music festivalThe impact of NirvanaAlt-rock's many subgenresNotable producers of the periodThe impact of women rockersMTV's influenceDrugs and addictionand much more! Do you long for the days when it seemed rock artists were all about daring to be different, speaking their minds, and shaking up the music industry? The last decade before the internet, downloads, and streaming took over music? Alternative for the Masses will take you back to that time when alt-rock truly promised something different.

By: Greg Prato
Imprint: Motor Books
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 30mm
Weight: 871g
ISBN: 9780760398425
ISBN 10: 0760398429
Pages: 384
Publication Date: 01 February 2026
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

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.