LIVED THROUGH THAT

A photography book documents 1990s musicians in middle age.

The music of the ’90s continues to hold a special place in the popular consciousness. The revolution that came with the end of the Cold War seemed to spill over into music, and much that had previously been considered weird or alternative suddenly became mainstream. As music writer Dave Holmes observes in his introduction, “Broadened cultural tastes naturally led to broadened minds, to riot grrrls, to conscious hip-hop, to the house beats that galvanized a queer identity movement, to Chumbawamba. It doesn’t always feel that way, not right this second, but we’re a better world for the alternative revolution.” With this book, photographer Hipple checks in with some of the musicians who helped define the sound of the era, exploring where they are now and to what extent the alternative revolution continues to fuel them. Profiled artists include Ben Lee, April March, Mary Lou Lord, and Tracy Bonham as well as members of the Presidents of the United States of America, the Dandy Warhols, Harvey Danger, Elf Power, Arrested Development, Marcy Playground, and more. The photos, in both color and black and white, are magazine feature fare: Yuka Honda from Cibo Matto posing before some potted succulents; Adrian Young from No Doubt lounging on a large, inflatable duck. The accompanying texts, which mix resume, interview questions, and personal memories from Hipple, are pleasant but offer few surprises. (Did you know Eric Judy from Modest Mouse now owns a bookstore in Seattle?) The most emotional moment is the profile of Fountains of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger, who died last year of Covid-19 complications. Schlesinger poses beside some storefront gumball machines and reflects about his maturation as an artist: “It’s a little bit of a revelation to me, but at some point, I realized I could be the guy that liked a lot of different things. It’s not necessarily avoiding a choice, it’s actually me playing to my strengths.” That is perhaps the takeaway from the attractive work as a whole: Generation X is still relatively young, still creating and exploring, and still eschewing definitions and imbuing the culture at large with their alternative ethos.

A handsome, intimate, and engaging volume of photos and interviews with ’90s musicians.