Grunge speak was a

hoax A hoax is a widely publicized falsehood so fashioned as to invite reflexive, unthinking acceptance by the greatest number of people of the most varied social identities and of the highest possible social pretensions to gull its victims into pu ...

series of

slang Slang is vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in spoken conversation but avoided in formal writing. It also sometimes refers to the language generally exclusive to the members of particular in-gro ...

words purportedly connected to the

subculture A subculture is a group of people within a culture that differentiates itself from the parent culture to which it belongs, often maintaining some of its founding principles. Subcultures develop their own norms and values regarding cultural, poli ...

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, reported as fact in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' in 1992. The collection of alleged slang words were coined by a record label worker in response to a journalist asking if grunge musicians and enthusiasts had their own slang terms, seeking to write a piece on the subject. They were essentially made up on the spot; there was no such vernacular among members of the grunge scene, and the terms that were published were merely a

prank A practical joke, or prank, is a mischievous trick played on someone, generally causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion, or discomfort.Marsh, Moira. 2015. ''Practically Joking''. Logan: Utah State University Press. ...

on the news industry's tendencies to seize upon trends.

History

The words later labelled "grunge speak" were coined by Megan Jasper, then aged 25 and working for

Caroline Records Caroline Records is a record label originally founded in 1973. Initially founded in the United Kingdom to showcase British progressive rock groups, the label ceased releasing titles in 1976, and then re-emerged in the United States in 1986. ...

. She had previously worked for

Sub Pop Records Sub is a common abbreviation of words beginning with the prefix "sub-". Sub or SUB may also refer to Places * Juanda International Airport, Surabaya, Indonesia, IATA code SUB Computing and technology * , an HTML tag for subscript * SUB designate ...

, whose co-founder

Jonathan Poneman Jonathan Poneman is an American record executive and co-founder of two record labels: Sub Pop and Hardly Art. Early life and education The third child of Harold and Beverly Poneman, Jonathan Poneman was born October 9, 1959 in Toledo, Ohio and ...

referred journalists to her, ostensibly for her inside knowledge of grunge, but also because of her prankish streak. She was telephoned first by UK magazine ''

SKY The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from outer space. In the field of astronomy, ...

'' and later by Rick Marin for ''The New York Times''. Poneman forewarned Jasper that Marin was seeking "a

lexicon A lexicon is the vocabulary of a language or branch of knowledge (such as nautical or medical). In linguistics, a lexicon is a language's inventory of lexemes. The word ''lexicon'' derives from Koine Greek language, Greek word (), neuter of () ...

of grunge"; Jasper recalled Marin explaining, "Every subculture has a different way of speaking and there's got to be words and phrases and things that you folks say." Jasper tested her interviewers' gullibility by supplying invented slang expressions of increasing ridiculousness. A coverline on the September 1992 issue of ''SKY'' said " — How to hang out in Seattle", trailing a four-page article which mentioned some of Jasper's expressions. Seattle band Mudhoney saw the article while on tour in the UK and joined in the joke by reusing some terms in an interview with ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...

''. Marin's article, "Grunge: A Success Story", appeared in ''The New York Times'' on November 15, 1992, as a full page story in its Sunday "Styles" section. The article begins with an investigation on the origin of the term "grunge" and concludes with a summary of

grunge music Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of pu ...

and

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

. Jasper's invented terms were published as a sidebar to Marin's story, titled "Lexicon of Grunge: Breaking the Code" and crediting Jasper for "this lexicon of grunge-speak". The list was reprinted by the ''

Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the '' ...

'' in December.

Thomas Frank Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...

was skeptical of the ''Times'' lexicon, and contacted Jasper, who "readily admitted" the fabrication, as Frank reported in the Winter–Spring 1993 issue of ''

The Baffler ''The Baffler'' is an American magazine of cultural, political, and business analysis. Established in 1988 by editors Thomas Frank and Keith White, it was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, until 2010, when it moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts. ...

''. The ''Baffler'' story was picked up by news media, including

Calvin Trillin Calvin Marshall Trillin (born 5 December 1935) is an American journalist, humorist, food writer, poet, memoirist and novelist. He is a winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor (2012) and an elected member of the American Academy of Arts ...

's syndicated column. When the ''Times'' got back to Jasper, she initially denied Frank's claims, so the ''Times'' demanded an apology from Frank. Instead, he sent a letter standing by the story: "When The

Newspaper of Record A newspaper of record is a major national newspaper with large circulation whose editorial and news-gathering functions are considered authoritative and independent; they are thus "newspapers of record by reputation" and include some of the o ...

goes searching for the Next Big Thing and the Next Big Thing piddles on its leg, we think that's funny." He considered the article to be part of an attempt by mainstream culture to co-opt the grunge scene and felt that the ''Times'' had gotten what it deserved. Jasper later explained her initial denial to a fear that Marin or "Styles" editor Penelope Green would be fired. Green commented to the '' New York Observer'', "Our piece was tongue-in-cheek, so I guess he hoaxworks. But how irritating." She prepared a

correction Correction may refer to: * A euphemism for punishment * Correction (newspaper), the posting of a notice of a mistake in a past issue of a newspaper * Correction (stock market), in financial markets, a short-term price decline * Correction (novel), ...

but the ''Times'' never published it.

Grunge speak words

The following were in the ''Times'' lexicon: *bloated, big bag of bloatation – drunk *bound-and-hagged – staying home on Friday or Saturday night *cob nobbler – loser *dish – desirable guy *fuzz – heavy wool sweaters *harsh realm – bummer *kickers – heavy boots *lamestain – uncool person *plats – platform shoes *rock on – a happy goodbye *score – great *swingin' on the flippity-flop – hanging out *tom-tom club – uncool outsiders *wack slacks – old ripped jeans Jasper had also offered tuna platter ("a hot date"), and regretted that it had not appeared in the article.

Legacy

Daniel House, the head of

C/Z Records C/Z Records was a Seattle-based punk rock record label that was established in early 1985 by Chris Hanzsek and Tina Casale. It started with the release of '' Deep Six'' which collected the earliest recordings of what later came to be known as ...

commissioned

Art Chantry Arthur Samuel Wilbur Chantry II (born April 9, 1954) is a graphic designer often associated with the posters and album covers he has done for bands from the Pacific Northwest, such as Mudhoney, Mono Men, Soundgarden, and The Sonics. Biography ...

to design a lexicon T-shirt after people started wearing the sidebar from the article pinned to their shirts at grunge shows. Chantry's design featured "Lamestain" or "Harsh Realm" on the front, with an enlarged copy of the lexicon sidebar on the back.Siegel, Alan
When Grunge Was Fake News
The Ringer. November 8, 2017. ''Harsh Realm'' was a 1994 comic book series by James D. Hudnall and Andrew Paquette, set in a future of multiple virtual realities, one being a

dystopia A dystopia (from Ancient Greek δυσ- "bad, hard" and τόπος "place"; alternatively cacotopiaCacotopia (from κακός ''kakos'' "bad") was the term used by Jeremy Bentham in his 1818 Plan of Parliamentary Reform (Works, vol. 3, p. 493). ...

called "Harsh Realm". In 1999 Chris Carter adapted the ''Harsh Realm'' comics into a television series of the same name. In Adam Warren's comic '' The Dirty Pair'', the characters' futuristic slang includes "harsh realm" in the grunge-speak sense. Bass guitarist

Dave Brockie David Murray Brockie (August 30, 1963 – March 23, 2014) was a Canadian-American musician, who was the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Gwar, in which he performed as Oderus Urungus. He performed as a bassist and lead singer in the b ...

's stage persona in the band X-Cops was "Ex-Patrolman Cobb Knobbler". The 1996 documentary ''

Hype! ''Hype!'' ( 1996) is a documentary directed by Doug Pray about the popularity of grunge rock in the early to mid-1990s United States. It incorporates interviews and rare concert footage to trace the development of the grunge scene from its early ...

'' included Jasper's prank in its exploration of the early 1990s grunge scene.Pray, D., Helvey-Pray Productions. ''Hype!''. 1996. Republic Pictures.

Citations

Sources

External links

''Sub Pop CEO Megan Jasper on The Grunge Hoax of Greatness''
interview with Owen Murphy of

KEXP-FM KEXP-FM (90.3 MHz) is a non-commercial radio station licensed to Seattle, Washington, United States, specializing in alternative and indie rock programmed by its disc jockeys for the Seattle metropolitan area. The station is owned by the non-p ...