Back in 1991 music was huge. Lines formed hours before midnight when Guns N' Roses and Metallica released their new albums. Skid Row (!!!) had a number one album. New videos were events. Every hour on the hour "You Could Be Mine" played on MTV, which made us all go see Terminator 2 to marvel at this new thing called CGI.

And then, later in the fall, some band called Nirvana came along and sold millions of their major label debut by sneering at the opulence the music business had become. Soon after that Pearl Jam became huge and the rest of the Seattle scene followed. Everyone talked about music, went to concerts, sang along with Doors songs. Or something like that.

Music trends in the 90s could give you whiplash. Hair bands ruled the first two years, then grunge, ska, rock rap, swing, house, hip hop, techno...by 2000 we'd gotten so worn out we just threw up our hands and said, "Sure, give us Lolita pop. Britney's not gonna go crack ho on us, is she?"

Recently the two music magazines I subscribe to had competing sides of the same theme: the 90s rockers lament.

Spin put Courtney Love on the cover and let her rant and rave about how everyone hates her, how it's okay to use her old band's moniker (how Axl Rose of her), and how she's not on drugs anymore. If she's not, then her mind's irretrievably in retrograde.

Also in that issue of Spin were a bunch of quick blurbs on where a bunch of 90s rockers are today. I've never been more depressed after reading a magazine article. A good chunk of them traded heroin for God. Another chunk opened restaurants or bars (same lifestyle, less traveling)--these were the least depressing of the bunch. And then another chunk are freelance weirdos (okay, non-traditional occupation consultants). Most of them blame music for their confusion. Some miss playing. Others can't remember much of what happened back then (drugs and alcohol).

Rolling Stone (who put Shaun White on the cover for the second time--and have gone almost four months without putting a woman up front) countered with an interview with Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins. Although he's known more recently for (not) dating Jessica "Sexual Napalm" Simpson.

He rants about ex-members of his band, the music industry, his fans, the Internet, and how he identifies with Axl Rose (he's also using his band's moniker without the other members of the original band). And, oh yeah, how he isn't respected by the chroniclers of music history--whoever they are. Get in line behind Kiss, Billy.

Billy found God, too. Although it's a strange new wavy god with a bunch of random stuff thrown in the spiritual cauldron. I guess if you're going to "save" yourself, you might as well go all the way.

Most ex-addicts go this direction. 12 step programs are rather specific about finding a higher power to bow down to. Obviously if you make a mess of your life, you need someone to look up at from the gutter.

And it was a gutter when grunge hit full force. In the midst of the Great 90s Recession we rocked out to sarcastic and somewhat depressing music. Beck was a loser. Radiohead were creeps. Nirvana smelled like teen spirit. And Pearl Jam sang of child suicide, abortion, the homeless and cutters. If we weren't so broke, we might have all tried heroin.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that most of these stories are confusing and depressing. It was the sign of the times. That it's our fault (the music consuming masses) is rather strange. Both Courtney and Billy (who have written music together over the years but are now estranged--Billy claims to have burned the bridges forever, Courtney says he'll be back) rail against the people who like their music. It's our fault, you see, that they've had such screwed up lives.

But this was the music we listened to because it helped us make sense of our own screwed up and somewhat depressing lives. All of these people made money off it. What they did with their money and minds is their fault.

It ain't all bad news for the survivors of the 90s, though: Soundgarden is getting back together. And the guitarist in my band pointed out that Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures) is living the best rocker's life in the history of modern music.

Drummers are so cool.

Matt Worley is pretty sure Kurt Cobain killed himself to get away from Courtney. Which makes her Judas with Billy playing the part of Peter.