When you think about what happened up in the Pacific Northwest during the late '80s and early '90s, you kind of realize that this "scene" was always destined to fail. There's no way a secluded, out-of-the-way region like Washington state could have produced a long-lasting cash cow. It did in a backhanded kind of way since people are still leeching off the scene to create a much more dumbed-down version (Seether, anyone?). That's not to say everything that came from Seattle was intelligent. No one would accuse Seaweed or Gas Huffer for being the most brilliant bands ever. But there was an authenticity that came from those bands and many others that were created in Seattle that scene-hoppers like Candlebox couldn't replicate.

And the movie Hype perfectly illustrates this point. It shows the juxtaposition created by commercial success and authenticity. Occasionally the two can coexist, but more often then not they're mutually exclusive. So to see bands like the Screaming Trees on the cusp of fame, only to shy away from it (even if unintentionally), you kind of get the idea what a lot of the Seattle bands were about. Most never expected to amount to anything more than the guy who serves you your coffee at Starbucks. The goal for a lot of people was just to make music they personally enjoyed, and then play a few shows. If they got lucky, they expected maybe to tour up-and-down the West Coast. And then that's it But MTV came calling and then that was it. Authenticity is replaced by photogenic front men.

Don't get me wrong. Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains were all greats band, but they got a lot of their attention because they were lucky enough to be fronted by sensitive, good-looking guys that girls would go crazy for. They had great music, but their looks coupled with the down-and-dirty attire that they wore made them into the guys-next-door. The movie Singles helped to solidify that image, and then grunge became a household word. Meanwhile Tad were stuck out in the cold, stormy weather of Seattle, playing music that was equally compelling.

If anything, don't watch Hype for the big bands that came out of the scene. Watch it for the obscure bands you've never heard of. Bands like the Fastbacks, the Gits, Some Velvet Sidewalk, and Love Battery. Is Eddie Vedder a good listen? Well, yeah. But does he make much sense? Nope.

Another big highlight of this movie are the producers, the writers of fanzines, the current (and former) employees of Sub-Pop, generally everyone that lived in Seattle but wasn't in a band. They all have great stories that really go back to illustrating the authenticity of the music, and eventually also pointing out its corruption.

This along with the more recent Brian Jonestown Massacre/Dandy Warhols-documentary Dig should be required viewing for any self-respecting music fan. They both brilliantly show the highs and lows of success in the music business, and everything those two polarities entail.

It's my hope that future musicians who are trying to make real music as opposed to Spice Girls pap and that ilk will look at this documentary and try not to make the same mistakes, and allow the hype to overwhelm what could have been a real musical revolution. The high points (or low points, depending on your point of view) are the Muzak version of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and when the ex-Sub Pop employee made up "grunge" terms that The New York Times printed as gospel. I wish this had acknowledged earlier Seattle musicians like Hendrix and Heart, and tried to answer whether the Nirvana-Pearl Jam feud was real or just part of the hype, but otherwise, this is an important cautionary tale, and it's also fun and informative. Oh yeah, and the music is great too.

This documentary is, very simply, great. It is basically about the music scene in Seattle during and before the "grunge" scene exploded.

I really liked how most of the people that were interviewed were not the really famous bands that everyone knows. Of course there is a part of that in the film, but it is not presented in a way that is really shoving it in your face like how all the mainstream media tends to do. It had more to do with the relatively unknown or underground music that erupted from Seattle during that time.

I also liked how it was put together in a way that really gave you a solid history and background of the music that was present before "grunge", and how that music influenced the next generation of music, which then influenced the NEXT generation of music.

As a whole, it is a very solid documentary that gives the perspective of the people who were around during the "grunge" movement, and the artists' opinions and responses to it. And, of course, there is a lot of fantastic music (and some not so much). ^_^ Enjoy.