The American indie underground made music for like-minded people who thought for themselves. Thinking for yourself is intrinsically subversive.

For Nirvana, putting out their first major-label record was like getting into a new car. But the runaway success was like suddenly discovering that the car was a Ferrari and the accelerator pedal was Krazy Glued to the floorboard.

People didn't get to see how other towns interpreted the underground ethos, and so they developed their own unique versions of it.

When you're writing, you're only a brain and some fingers, but drumming, you're involving all four limbs, and you're hearing stuff and you're converting your ideas into physical motions, getting physical feedback from things you are touching - it's pretty cool. It's a really a nice contrast to writing.

I just wanted to tell the story of a bunch of musicians who had never had their story told before. There's no preaching or theorizing.

There's no law that says anybody has to do an interview.

There's a whole apparatus for indie bands now, but back in the eighties it was just getting built. The early people really took it on the chin.