How Grunge Killed Hair Metal: The 1991 Rock Revolution
How a scrappy Seattle scene in muddy flannel dethroned the most glamorous era in rock history—and why a generation raised on MTV never quite got over it.
How a scrappy Seattle scene in muddy flannel dethroned the most glamorous era in rock history—and why a generation raised on MTV never quite got over it.
Quick Answer: MTV (Music Television) launched at 12:01 a.m. on August 1, 1981, opening with footage of the Apollo 11 moon landing and the words “Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll.” The first music video played was “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles — a deliberate choice that was equal parts ironic and…
By the spring of 1987, Def Leppard had spent more than three years, somewhere north of four and a half million dollars, and the better part of their twenties trying to finish a single record. The band had survived a drummer losing his left arm, a producer abandoning the project mid-sessions, a near-fatal car crash…
From Mötley Crüe to Bon Jovi, 80s hair metal dominated rock music with big hair, power ballads, and legendary Sunset Strip shows. Relive the glam metal era that defined a generation.