The 20th Anniversary of... 1991?

There's nothing like seeing some of the most iconic music of your youth turn twenty to remind you of just how fast you're getting older. If you weren't paying attention this week, you might have missed a story that Facebook was allegedly removing pictures of the quintessential grunge album, "Nevermind", by Nirvana for violating its terms of service. The album, which features a naked baby boy on the cover, will be hitting the big 2-0 in September. "Nevermind" was easily one of the most important albums of the early 1990s, helping to launch the grunge movement into the mainstream, and helping to establish a new golden age of rock that would be seen throughout much of that decade.



Nirvana's breakout second album isn't the only big musical anniversary happening this year. In a few weeks Pearl Jam will be celebrating its twentieth anniversary with a three-night stand at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin. Pearl Jam will also be the subject of a Cameron Crowe documentary entitled "PJ 20" being shown in select cities on September 23rd. The trailer is available at pj20.com, and features never-before seen footage exploring the band's twenty year history. As a longtime fan, I can't wait to see this, and am looking forward to reading the accompanying book as well.

Also celebrating their twentieth anniversary, is my personal favorite, the Dave Matthews Band. Although arguably founded in late 1990, DMB began performing live in 1991, gradually building a grass roots fan base locally in Virginia, then in East Coast college towns, then nationwide until their first independent album and major label studio releases would be released a few years later. DMB is celebrating twenty years of relentless touring, by interrupting their first ever down year with four three-night multi-band festivals, colorfully known as the Dave Matthews Band Caravan. DMB has changed a little in the last few years, with a much heavier rock sound, and a somewhat revised lineup, but the essence of the band's shows remain the same.


On a side note, just for fun, I thought it might be interesting to take a quick look at some of the other events that happened in 1991:

- Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls won their first of six NBA championships in the decade. The Minnesota Twins (MLB) and New York Giants (NFL) were also World Champions that year.

- "Silence of the Lambs" won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Writing

- "Terminator 2: Judgement Day", arguably one of the greatest action sci-fi films ever was released. Twenty years later the franchise has produced two additional sequels, with a third on the way, and a TV series that ran two seasons.

- Kentucky Fried Chicken officially changed its name to KFC.

- The Soviet Union fell, and Boris Yeltsin became President of Russia. The arguable end to the Cold War came with the dissolving of the Warsaw Pact.

- The World Wide Web project was announced by Tim Berners-Lee.

- Super Nintendo was released.

- Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton decided to run for the Democratic nomination.

- Magic Johnson announced that he had HIV.

- Sonic the Hedgehog was released giving Mario a legitimate rival in the mascot world.

- Roseanne, Murphy Brown, Cheers, Home Improvement, Full House, Murder She Wrote, Major Dad, and Coach, were all in the top ten most popular TV shows.