I ask this for many reasons, and I'll divide my argument into the generations that experienced them.

The Xers: Of course, this was the generation leading pop culture at the time, driving it away from the yuppies of the 80's and making it far more down to Earth. Pop culture was, for the most part, great in the 90's (minus the last few years). Grunge and gangsta rap were real and anti-establishment, and were the perfect music scenes to combat the 80's vibe, unintentionally setting the mood for the entire decade. Malls were all the rage, and record stores were still in business, and believe it or not, you actually had to leave your house for some good entertainment (and I kinda wish that was still the case, so more people would get out more  :-\\)...that is of course, unless you had the N64, Dreamcast (or Genesis for that matter), or the PSOne. Those systems gave video games a whole new plateau to reach; games like Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario 64, Crash Bandicoot, and the like all had a certain adventurous feel to them that is largely absent in modern video games. Shows like Seinfeld and That 70's Show made their way to the limelight, and, although I don't necessarily find it entertaining, Friends certainly was a far better show than most shallow TV now. Yep, the 90's were great for young adults and teens, even if it started off with a recession (which, oddly enough, we're now facing again).

The Boomers: I don't have too much to say here, since I never really cared about these people, but they certainly had the time of their lives in the 90's. What can I say? The economy was at an all time high, and Reagan and his ignorant conservative cronies were finally out, giving America far more freedom in the process. Economic growth at this point was through the roof, thanks to the dot-com boom, and that made way for some great vibes. Also, crime was way down in comparison to the 80's, so that was something to feel good about.

And finally...

The Yers: Yep, my generation, the ones that experienced the decade as children...and I gotta say, what a time it was to be a kid. First and foremost, cartoons - be it Nicktoons, Saturday Morning Cartoons, the resurgence of old school cartoons, or the lingering 80's epic cartoons - this was the time for them all. I mean, who could forget Swat Kats? Or Freakazoid? Or ROCKO!? These were classics. They had intelligent humor that both kids and adults could find funny, and they weren't afraid to push the boundaries (one that paricularly comes to mind is Johnny Bravo). Snick was great too, with Pete and Pete, All That (not the more recent, crappy version, I mean the REAL All That), KEENAN AND KEL, and of course Salute Your Shorts. Kids game shows like Legends of the Hidden Temple and Nick Gas were so fun to watch...I remember waiting for the longest time for 'Legends...' to come on. And the end was when Dragonball Z came into the picture, the undisputed king of my elementary school years. Cartoon Network first began, and Nick hadn't been bought out by Viakill yet, so things were going well for a long time. As I said before, video games were great too, even for our age; I particularly enjoyed Banjo Kazooie and Pokemon as a kid (and still do sometimes), and just couldn't get enough of Mario Kart  ;D! School was fun, kids were still kids, pop culture hadn't seeped into my generation yet...it was all good. Unfortunately, I was too young to enjoy every aspect...and I have to deal with the 00's as a teenager. Oh well, hopefully the 2010's will be the true Yer decade  ::)(I just see this one as a 'Revenge of the Yuppies' type thing).

What are your opinions?

The last few years sucked? They were awesome!

I liked "Ren & Stimpy", "Rocko's Modern Life", "Tiny Toon Adentures", and also "Beavis & Butt-Head" 8) Also older cartoons like Mickey, Donald, Hanna Barbera, MGM and Looney Tunes were still being shown.

MTV still aired videos, though went downhill when I started getting into popular music as a young teenager towards the end of the decade with the overexposure of rap and "TRL"  :P

Though there was a time I actually liked "Power Rangers" and even "Ninja Turtles", I know it's from the '80's, but was still around in the early 1990's.

The last few years sucked? They were awesome!


Yeah, they did. You could tell where pop culture was headed to unfortunately.  :-X

90s = suckage

The Yers: Yep, my generation, the ones that experienced the decade as children...and I gotta say, what a time it was to be a kid. First and foremost, cartoons - be it Nicktoons, Saturday Morning Cartoons, the resurgence of old school cartoons, or the lingering 80's epic cartoons - this was the time for them all. I mean, who could forget Swat Kats? Or Freakazoid? Or ROCKO!? These were classics. They had intelligent humor that both kids and adults could find funny, and they weren't afraid to push the boundaries (one that paricularly comes to mind is Johnny Bravo). Snick was great too, with Pete and Pete, All That (not the more recent, crappy version, I mean the REAL All That), KEENAN AND KEL, and of course Salute Your Shorts. Kids game shows like Legends of the Hidden Temple and Nick Gas were so fun to watch...I remember waiting for the longest time for 'Legends...' to come on. And the end was when Dragonball Z came into the picture, the undisputed king of my elementary school years. Cartoon Network first began, and Nick hadn't been bought out by Viakill yet, so things were going well for a long time. As I said before, video games were great too, even for our age; I particularly enjoyed Banjo Kazooie and Pokemon as a kid (and still do sometimes), and just couldn't get enough of Mario Kart  ;D! School was fun, kids were still kids, pop culture hadn't seeped into my generation yet...it was all good. Unfortunately, I was too young to enjoy every aspect...and I have to deal with the 00's as a teenager. Oh well, hopefully the 2010's will be the true Yer decade  ::)(I just see this one as a 'Revenge of the Yuppies' type thing).

What are your opinions?



I kinda think that it is all relative to the person. As someone who was a kid in the 70's and a teenager in the 80's, I know I feel about those decades the way you feel about the 90's. I think when we are kids we don't pay attention to the "adult" world (ie, politics, gas prices), but I definitely remember there being "pop culture" in the 70's and 80's. The 70' saw the debut of PEOPLE magazine, which was the ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY of it's day. The phenomenon's around Grease, Saturday Night Fever and Star Wars were nothing short of amazing. And the "Disco Blow Up" at Comisky Park was all that was talked about around Chicago for months.

I'm sure if we all asked our parents (given the ages) most would say the 50's or 60's were the best decades.  :D

The Yers: Yep, my generation, the ones that experienced the decade as children...and I gotta say, what a time it was to be a kid. First and foremost, cartoons - be it Nicktoons, Saturday Morning Cartoons, the resurgence of old school cartoons, or the lingering 80's epic cartoons - this was the time for them all. I mean, who could forget Swat Kats? Or Freakazoid? Or ROCKO!? These were classics. They had intelligent humor that both kids and adults could find funny, and they weren't afraid to push the boundaries (one that paricularly comes to mind is Johnny Bravo). Snick was great too, with Pete and Pete, All That (not the more recent, crappy version, I mean the REAL All That), KEENAN AND KEL, and of course Salute Your Shorts. Kids game shows like Legends of the Hidden Temple and Nick Gas were so fun to watch...I remember waiting for the longest time for 'Legends...' to come on. And the end was when Dragonball Z came into the picture, the undisputed king of my elementary school years. Cartoon Network first began, and Nick hadn't been bought out by Viakill yet, so things were going well for a long time. As I said before, video games were great too, even for our age; I particularly enjoyed Banjo Kazooie and Pokemon as a kid (and still do sometimes), and just couldn't get enough of Mario Kart  ;D! School was fun, kids were still kids, pop culture hadn't seeped into my generation yet...it was all good. Unfortunately, I was too young to enjoy every aspect...and I have to deal with the 00's as a teenager. Oh well, hopefully the 2010's will be the true Yer decade  ::)(I just see this one as a 'Revenge of the Yuppies' type thing).

What are your opinions?



I was still pretty young throughout most of the '90s (almost 13 by the end of 1999) and I have got to agree with you.

Cartoons were awesome across the board in the '90s. Disney and Nickelodeon were still great, Saturday morning cartoons were still a huge deal, and there were plenty of great shows from the late '80s that carried over, and had success in, the '90s like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ducktales, Garfield and Friends, etc.

Television was still top notch then, and the '90s is usually considered right up there with the '70s as one of the top decades for sitcoms. The video games were also amazing. The early 3D systems like the PS1 and N64 had plenty of great games like you mentioned, but don't forget about the 16-bit systems from the early '90s like the SNES and Sega Genesis. They had awesome games like Super Mario World, the original Sonic the Hedgehog games, Tecmo Super Bowl, Chrono Trigger, etc.

It's debateable as to whether or not the '90s is the best all around decade. I'm sure others will say that some older decades are better, but in the '90s, television was good, the economy was good for the most part, and we were still in (relative) peace. Maybe it wasn't a perfect decade, but it was certainly better than today.

I kinda think that it is all relative to the person. As someone who was a kid in the 70's and a teenager in the 80's, I know I feel about those decades the way you feel about the 90's. I think when we are kids we don't pay attention to the "adult" world (ie, politics, gas prices), but I definitely remember there being "pop culture" in the 70's and 80's. The 70' saw the debut of PEOPLE magazine, which was the ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY of it's day. The phenomenon's around Grease, Saturday Night Fever and Star Wars were nothing short of amazing. And the "Disco Blow Up" at Comisky Park was all that was talked about around Chicago for months.

I'm sure if we all asked our parents (given the ages) most would say the 50's or 60's were the best decades.  :D


Yeah, I see where you're getting at. My friends mom, who was born in the 50's, always tells me how safe and carefree that time was (though, from a minorities standpoint, it was probably one of the worst decades of all time; and she failed to even mention the Cold War and the Red Scare). I'll agree that I probably have a bias toward the 90's just because it was the first decade I experienced, but I'm looking at it from multiple standpoints, and that's where my argument was coming from. And despite the way I feel about the decade, I definitely think the 70's had better music overall, or at least more variety, but the two decades were both very down to Earth and share a lot of similarities. Everything was, for the most part, fun in the 90's and you didn't have to worry about the consequences because the idea of fun was far more real and innocent than it is today. I just hope the 2010's will have the same feel, with a (hopefully) Democratic president, an ending recession, and the emergence of new and more independent media. And besides, 90's nostalgia (especially among my age group - at least regarding old school games and Nickelodeon) is already well underway.

I hope the next decade is better than this one. Right now we have a mash-up of bad music, dumb fads, and all the stupid ideas from the 70s through the 90s, with none of their redeeming qualities. It sucks being in high school now. At least it'll be 2011 when I graduate.

I was discussing with a friend last year that we probably grew up in the safest, most stable times of the 20th century, as far as world events go anyway:

1910s - WWI
1920s - Great Depression
1930s-40s - WWII
1940s-80s - Cold War

Also

60s-70s - Vietnam
70s - World oil crisis. In Britain we had the 3-day week, power cuts, strikes and IRA bombings.
80s - Thatcher, unemployment, miners' strike, race riots.

90s - The only serious trouble that springs to mind is Gulf War I. Communism ended and for the first time in nearly 50 years a generation grew up without the threat of nuclear war. The Troubles in Northern Ireland pretty much came to an end. The economy was good (apart from the recession at the beginning of the decade) and there was an exciting sense of change as the Internet grew. Children seemed to play outside a lot more still, although probably not as much as the 80's, and the 80's not as much as the 70's etc.

September 2001- Terrorism

So I'd say it was a pretty safe, contented time to grow up. I think if I was a child of the 00s I'd be all too aware of terrorism  :\'(

Although pop-culturally I think my favourite decade would be the 60s, although I do love the fresh, optimistic sound of Britpop from the mid-90s. It seems to match the better summers we had in that decade!

Yep, the 90's were great for young adults and teens, even if it started off with a recession (which, oddly enough, we're now facing again).






Any coincidence that in both cases we had a president in the White House from the same family?  ::)

Even though my favorite decades are the 70s and 80s that I grew up in I have good memories of the 90s too - as far as television goes I remember being totally addicted to 90210 and Melrose Place and my favorite 90s thing to collect were Beanie Babies.  :)

Some innovative screenwriters and filmmakers emerged in the 90s too like Quentin Tarantino with Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction and Wes Anderson with Bottle Rocket and Rushmore.

I was discussing with a friend last year that we probably grew up in the safest, most stable times of the 20th century, as far as world events go anyway:

1910s - WWI
1920s - Great Depression
1930s-40s - WWII
1940s-80s - Cold War

Also

60s-70s - Vietnam
70s - World oil crisis. In Britain we had the 3-day week, power cuts, strikes and IRA bombings.
80s - Thatcher, unemployment, miners' strike, race riots.

90s - The only serious trouble that springs to mind is Gulf War I. Communism ended and for the first time in nearly 50 years a generation grew up without the threat of nuclear war. The Troubles in Northern Ireland pretty much came to an end. The economy was good (apart from the recession at the beginning of the decade) and there was an exciting sense of change as the Internet grew. Children seemed to play outside a lot more still, although probably not as much as the 80's, and the 80's not as much as the 70's etc.

September 2001- Terrorism

So I'd say it was a pretty safe, contented time to grow up. I think if I was a child of the 00s I'd be all too aware of terrorism  :\'(

Although pop-culturally I think my favourite decade would be the 60s, although I do love the fresh, optimistic sound of Britpop from the mid-90s. It seems to match the better summers we had in that decade!

The Depression started in '29, so it's not a 20's thing. But I agree, the 90's was the first time sence WW2 that the U.S. had peace.

Sonic and Mario. Best decade all around is debatable.

90s - The only serious trouble that springs to mind is Gulf War I. Communism ended and for the first time in nearly 50 years a generation grew up without the threat of nuclear war. The Troubles in Northern Ireland pretty much came to an end. The economy was good (apart from the recession at the beginning of the decade) and there was an exciting sense of change as the Internet grew.


Everyone from serious historians to pop musicians had prolcaimed the end of history.

"A woman on the radio talks about revolution, when it's already passed her by.
Bob Dylan didnt have this to sing about; you know it feels good to be alive.

I was alive and I waited, waited.
I was alive and I waited for this.
Right here, right now.  There is no other place in the world I want to be.
Right here, right now.  Watching the world wake up from history.

I saw the decade end when it seemed the world could change in the blink of an eye,
And if anything, then there's your sign of the times."
  - Jesus Jones, Right Here, Right Now, 1991

What was the most triumphant ode to the apparent victory of freedom over totalitarianism - triumphs of the civil rights movement at home in the 70s, the end of overregulation leading to the booming stock markets of the 80s, and it all culminated in that incredible period when the Communist dictatorships fell bloodlessly, one or two a month, to hordes of peaceful protestors.  Statues of Lenin were pulled down like dominoes.  Armed guards from both sides stood silently, grateful for orders that never came, as armies of unarmed civilians attacked the Berlin wall with picks and shovels.

If you're too young to understand just how mind-bogglingly improbable that was, imagine if the Iraqis had welcomed us with flowers and gumdrops in 2003, and that next month, the Syrians and the Iranians did the same thing, and that the next month, everyone else did too, and by 2004, even the Saudis (and Osama himself) had all laid down their arms and said "Sorry about all the suicide bombings.  This 'bacon' stuff is awesome, and this 'beer' stuff you drink goes great with falafel.  Make sure the Israeli ambassador brings bagels and lox to the next round of peace talks.  We gotta try that stuff too."


September 2001- Terrorism


Well, it didn't work out that way.

It was a good ten years, though.  We're still figuring out whether the ten years from 2001-2011 will have only taken us back to 1958, or whether it's 1938, and things are only beginning to get ugly.

I was alive but I didn't want this.
I was alive but I didn't want this.
Right here, right now.  Anywhere else is where I want to be.
Right here, right now.  Watching the world repeat its history.

But try as I might, I can't come up with a parody more bitter than the one I can make in my mind by simply listening to the original song, unchanged in all its glory, and reflecting on the vast ironic gulf between reality and what could (and what should) have been. 

Right Here, Right Now is arguably the saddest song ever penned.

I was discussing with a friend last year that we probably grew up in the safest, most stable times of the 20th century, as far as world events go anyway:

1910s - WWI
1920s - Great Depression
1930s-40s - WWII
1940s-80s - Cold War

Also

60s-70s - Vietnam
70s - World oil crisis. In Britain we had the 3-day week, power cuts, strikes and IRA bombings.
80s - Thatcher, unemployment, miners' strike, race riots.

90s - The only serious trouble that springs to mind is Gulf War I. Communism ended and for the first time in nearly 50 years a generation grew up without the threat of nuclear war. The Troubles in Northern Ireland pretty much came to an end. The economy was good (apart from the recession at the beginning of the decade) and there was an exciting sense of change as the Internet grew. Children seemed to play outside a lot more still, although probably not as much as the 80's, and the 80's not as much as the 70's etc.

September 2001- Terrorism

So I'd say it was a pretty safe, contented time to grow up. I think if I was a child of the 00s I'd be all too aware of terrorism  :\'(

Although pop-culturally I think my favourite decade would be the 60s, although I do love the fresh, optimistic sound of Britpop from the mid-90s. It seems to match the better summers we had in that decade!



You forgot the Yugoslav wars. 90-95.

90s = suckage


Short and sweet.  Long live Mama's Family!!!! ;D

I liked "Ren & Stimpy", "Rocko's Modern Life", "Tiny Toon Adentures", and also "Beavis & Butt-Head" 8) Also older cartoons like Mickey, Donald, Hanna Barbera, MGM and Looney Tunes were still being shown.

MTV still aired videos, though went downhill when I started getting into popular music as a young teenager towards the end of the decade with the overexposure of rap and "TRL"  :P

Though there was a time I actually liked "Power Rangers" and even "Ninja Turtles", I know it's from the '80's, but was still around in the early 1990's.


actully MTV dumb downed with carson daily and also TRL and yeah MTV used to show videos but they on in the morning and a lttle in the afternoon and as a teen of the 90's I saw videos on MTV (when they show all day long)

90s = suckage


The only thing that sucked for me in the 90s was school.

But I love alot of the music from it.

The only thing that sucked for me in the 90s was school.

But I love alot of the music from it.


Music was the main thing I didn't like about the 90s ;D

I'm probably way off here but am I the only person that judges a decade by how important it was to me? 1990 and 1991 were the years that meant the most to me, after that it went downhill for a long time personally which probably leads me to ask this - do you believe that your memories shape how you view music, world events and culture of that time?

I'm probably way off here but am I the only person that judges a decade by how important it was to me? 1990 and 1991 were the years that meant the most to me, after that it went downhill for a long time personally which probably leads me to ask this - do you believe that your memories shape how you view music, world events and culture of that time?



I actually think thats a pretty common thing. For example, my dad has always hated the '60s and '70s for personal reasons (he was a kid in the '60s and a teenager in the '70s, and those were kinda rocky times for him). I mean, he likes alot of the music and pop culture, but just doesn't really care for either decade all that much. He's probably one of the few people his age that actually like the '80s better than the '70s, even though he was married and had kids by then.

I would say most people are probably like that. I love the '90s because they were the majority of my childhood years and that was generally a great time for me, but I could see how you could dislike the decade if it wasn't all that great for you personally.

I'm probably way off here but am I the only person that judges a decade by how important it was to me? 1990 and 1991 were the years that meant the most to me, after that it went downhill for a long time personally which probably leads me to ask this - do you believe that your memories shape how you view music, world events and culture of that time?


   You understand.  Thank you... :)

   
   Was in the military from 1987 to 1991.  All my basic needs were taken care of and, since the military is pretty much a closed society, I felt a little cut-off and insulated from the outside world.  I discharged after one tour, much to the chagrin of my family.  The nineties are when I was truly on my own, left to my own devices to find a home, earn a livelihood, buy food, cook, clean, make a life and play the game.  I didn't like it.  Spent most of the decade paycheck to paycheck...

   In high school we used to talk about good careers, lots of money, being, as we would put it, "rich and famous".  You were supposed to want that.  Perfect marriage, perfect children, perfect house in the suburbs, pet dog, blah, blah, blah.  I realized, in the nineties, that it wasn't going to happen for me...

   Allso realized, in that decade:

   ~The deck is stacked...
   ~I'm related to a-holes...
   ~There are things I refuse to put up with for a paycheck...
   ~I hate money...
   ~Pessimists are never disappointed...

   That's why the nineties leave a bad taste in my mouth, subject to change when I'm 50 or 60 years old...

   Oh, we're talking about music?  Even though it's beside the point - IMO the decade's mucic started out sucking, got a little better, then I stopped paying attention.  Among the decade's best albums, aside from all the obvious-to-the-point-of-being-cliché choices are Faith No More ~ Angel Dust and Dr. Dre ~ The Chronic because they are as real as the soul they posess...

   

I actually think thats a pretty common thing. For example, my dad has always hated the '60s and '70s for personal reasons (he was a kid in the '60s and a teenager in the '70s, and those were kinda rocky times for him). I mean, he likes alot of the music and pop culture, but just doesn't really care for either decade all that much. He's probably one of the few people his age that actually like the '80s better than the '70s, even though he was married and had kids by then.

Yes, I can definitely understand that. I do think there is a correllation between good memories and the need to attach/associate culture/music to them. How many people listen to a piece of music and say; 'I remember exactly what I was doing when listening to this/when this came on the telly'?

I would say most people are probably like that. I love the '90s because they were the majority of my childhood years and that was generally a great time for me, but I could see how you could dislike the decade if it wasn't all that great for you personally.


That's right. 1990 and 1991 were important positive years for me and because they were good I seemed to remember the culture/music that went along with it. The rest, to me, was awful and I didn't take an interest in the culture/music that was coming out at that time, not because it was different or critically horrendous in itself, but because I associated the change in style/year with a change in my bad fortune/bad memories. It might be to do with the neural networks (making positive/negative associations) in our brain and is quite interesting to look into.

I can definitely understand how you love the 90s and I hope you keep loving them like I love the 80s.  :)

   You understand.  Thank you... :)

   Was in the military from 1987 to 1991.  All my basic needs were taken care of and, since the military is pretty much a closed society, I felt a little cut-off and insulated from the outside world.  I discharged after one tour, much to the chagrin of my family.  The nineties are when I was truly on my own, left to my own devices to find a home, earn a livelihood, buy food, cook, clean, make a life and play the game.  I didn't like it.  Spent most of the decade paycheck to paycheck...

After a period of time in, could we call it 'good circumstances', the 90s were the big years of independence for you in a similar way 2000s are going for me - trying to find my way in this world. I certainly understand moving from paycheck to paycheck too.

In high school we used to talk about good careers, lots of money, being, as we would put it, "rich and famous".  You were supposed to want that.  Perfect marriage, perfect children, perfect house in the suburbs, pet dog, blah, blah, blah.  I realized, in the nineties, that it wasn't going to happen for me...

  Allso realized, in that decade:

  ~The deck is stacked...
  ~I'm related to a-holes...
  ~There are things I refuse to put up with for a paycheck...
  ~I hate money...
  ~Pessimists are never disappointed...

  That's why the nineties leave a bad taste in my mouth, subject to change when I'm 50 or 60 years old...   

Wow, don't we have things in common, lol. I probably realised at least three/four things there in the same decade too.

The 90s always represented struggling and fighting just to keep it together type of mentality.

Oh, we're talking about music?  Even though it's beside the point - IMO the decade's mucic started out sucking, got a little better, then I stopped paying attention.  Among the decade's best albums, aside from all the obvious-to-the-point-of-being-cliché choices are Faith No More ~ Angel Dust and Dr. Dre ~ The Chronic because they are as real as the soul they posess...

I stopped paying attention to most things around 1992 (in fact, I felt my life stopped around this point on). I got better towards the end of the decade but life still seemed like just one catalogue of disasters. The turning point was a counselling session I had around 2001.

90s = suckage

nirvana made the 90s what they were great

nirvana made the 90s what they were great


Nirvana was nothing but noize

Nirvana was nothing but noize


They had to wait for generation Y because generation X has awesome taste in music. ;)

Nirvana was nothing but noize


Nirvana did a couple of so-so songs but they were so overated. I will repeat this with every Nirvana argument, it seems Kurt Cobain was worth more dead than alive - if Cobain was alive, I couldn't imagine Nirvana gaining the same 'legacy' it has.

Talking of musical suicides, isn't it interesting how Kurt Cobain and Joy Division's Ian Curtis are reverred because of their deaths yet Michael Hutchence from INXS doesn't seem to reach that lofty 'legend' status as a result of his death - is it because his was more to do with misadventure rather than angst/despair?

Nirvana did a couple of so-so songs but they were so overated. I will repeat this with every Nirvana argument, it seems Kurt Cobain was worth more dead than alive - if Cobain was alive, I couldn't imagine Nirvana gaining the same 'legacy' it has.


As much as I love Nirvana, I do kinda agree. Had Kurt not died they wouldn't always be singled out as the defining grunge band, but rather they would have been treated the same way Soundgarden or Pearl Jam are - as a band that helped to change the face of rock rather than THE band that changed the face of rock (which they wouldn't have without the help of the aforementioned bands plus a few others like AIC and the Smashing Pumpkins). But I hate when Pearl Jam buffs insist that PJ are more deserving of the defining grunge title than Nirvana. To put things in perspective, Nirvana was the first grunge band to even get major airplay, much less have a top ten single, and while Ten may have outsold Nevermind in the USA (Ten went 12x platinum while Nevermind went 11x), on a global basis Nevermind has been far more successful. On the singles charts, Pearl Jam's highest charting was Jeremy, and that only reached #75...four years after it was released, while Nirvana has two top 40 singles. Oh, and Nirvana made 3 good albums, while PJ only made 2  ::).


Talking of musical suicides, isn't it interesting how Kurt Cobain and Joy Division's Ian Curtis are reverred because of their deaths yet Michael Hutchence from INXS doesn't seem to reach that lofty 'legend' status as a result of his death - is it because his was more to do with misadventure rather than angst/despair?


I really dislike INXS. Sorry  :P

Talking of musical suicides, isn't it interesting how Kurt Cobain and Joy Division's Ian Curtis are reverred because of their deaths yet Michael Hutchence from INXS doesn't seem to reach that lofty 'legend' status as a result of his death - is it because his was more to do with misadventure rather than angst/despair?


Stuart Adamson never became a legend either, but to me, Big Country was and still is one of the greatest bands of the 80s.  I can listen to the 'Steeltown' album for hours on end 8)

1990- I don't remember, I was only 1 going on 2!
1991- I remember my 3rd Birthday and that was it.
1992- It was a great year, going to picnics, everything was fresh and new for me. Experiencing America for the for the first few years!
1993- I remember the first part was mostly me watching cartoons and the second half going to pre-school.

1994- Power Rangers, Fox Kids, and Jurassic Park
1995- Calm year, but a better time than pop culture these days. Everything seemed more fun!  Rap was better (1,2,3,4, get your woman on the floor, Gotta gotta get up, get down, gotta gotta get up get down!). I was quite indifferent to world news/events. Still watching the same Power Rangers, Fox kids, and was obssessed with dinosaurs.
1996- The most fun year out of the 90's! I went fishing with my oldest brother.
1997- I started liking music.
1998- I was obssesed with music for the first half of 1998.
1999- I hated Britney Spears and teen pop that started to dominate.

Overall, a very peaceful and good time to be a kid. Only the Gulf War was serious and even then it was over in a month!

I loved the early 90s in terms where there was still shows out there that were fun, even if it was chessy.  1991 was when I paid attention to the music scene and liked the alternative-rock genre, though having a station playing only that helps too.  Around 94 or 95 things started to get boring up until 1997-98 where the music scene picked up again only to go to the sewers in 1999 :(.  That said, while I think 1991 and 1998 are my favorite years of my life, I am comfident that the 10's will be great for me.

The mid 90's stand out to me more than the early and the late. Probably because that's when I was a teenager... They say college is the funnest time of your life, I think I had funner in highschool..

You forgot the Yugoslav wars. 90-95.


That's true but it was a localised ethnic conflict and not really considered a threat to world safety.

Nirvana was nothing but noize


Nirvana was also a band from the 60's...and they were British!

But seriously...the 90's WAS optimism for me and everything that I knew and had during childhood was there!

1991-Officially the first year of the 90's, I was a child going to a Multi-Handicapped school and that was when my family got Cable TV.
1992-Here's where it was rocky...I went to a new school (That's not the rocky part) and my grandma died. Today would be her 71st Birthday.
1993-Here's where I turned-on to Nintendo, Atari, and Sega.
1994-This was where my acting approach came from and my true ear to The Beatles came at that year too.
1995-This is where I watched both Home Improvement and MST3K.
1996-Best year ever...for now. I started going to a new church which is now my recent church and Cleveland was 200 years old!
1997-A mirror-reflection to 1996, meaning it was bad. I was home-schooled, we stopped getting cable, and hard times fell on my family at that time.
1998-Still a struggling year, but it was better than 1997.
1999-Hopes for a new millennium, this year was a good year and it was a great way to ring-in 2000.
2000-Officially the end of the 90's, Things stayed the same since 1998, but it seemed comfortable to me.

I miss the 90's. 

1990- I don't remember, I was only 1 going on 2!
1991- I remember my 3rd Birthday and that was it.
1992- It was a great year, going to picnics, everything was fresh and new for me. Experiencing America for the for the first few years!
1993- I remember the first part was mostly me watching cartoons and the second half going to pre-school.

1994- Power Rangers, Fox Kids, and Jurassic Park
1995- Calm year, but a better time than pop culture these days. Everything seemed more fun!  Rap was better (1,2,3,4, get your woman on the floor, Gotta gotta get up, get down, gotta gotta get up get down!). I was quite indifferent to world news/events. Still watching the same Power Rangers, Fox kids, and was obssessed with dinosaurs.
1996- The most fun year out of the 90's! I went fishing with my oldest brother.
1997- I started liking music.
1998- I was obssesed with music for the first half of 1998.
1999- I hated Britney Spears and teen pop that started to dominate.


Overall, a very peaceful and good time to be a kid. Only the Gulf War was serious and even then it was over in a month!

This really makes me want to sum up every '90s years for me, and seeing as how I have nothing else to do tonight. Although I'm sure no one wants to read someone sum up ten years of their childhood  ???

1990 - I was 10 years old, and not much stands out. Kind of a dark year for me.
1991 - I watched Full House every weekend, I was really excited about starting middle school (but it was called junior high and only that back then)
1992 - one of the best years of my life. The summer particularly. Great music, nice weather for NorCal, spent it with my little girlfriend, my mother (rest her soul - it was the last summer and pretty much the last time i spent with her because she became ill), and my friend who moved away. Also, at the end of that summer my nephew was brought into this world. He's 16 years old now, and actually someone I'm very close to.
1993 - The worst year of my life, but a really good year for pop culture of what I remember. My mother passed away February 4th, and one of my best friend moved away in June. I had signs of bipolar disorder and depression, and something else that they ruled out, I believe it was called Cyclothymia? and the worst summer of my life. But after that, in september 1993 when I started 8th grade things started to clear up a little bit.
1994 - It was overall a fun year, ending jr high starting high school, but I was dealing with a lot of problems. I hated my life then, but I really like to look back on 1994. I think it was all worth it because on November 28th, my other nephew was brought to the world! 14 years old now. I'm also very close to him.
1995 - One of the best years of my life as well. I started to enjoy the high school life and put my past aside, and 1995 is the year I was introduced to reefer and alcohol. My partying started, and it was all fun. And the movie clueless. Boy did I love that movie... probably the only young man you would've ever met who loved that movie.
1996 - This might be a paragraph because it was the greatest year of my life hands down. I was 16, partying all the time, and I wasn't an adult yeah and it was before I had to pay any type of consequences for partying. We got a computer for christmas 1995, and I didn't hardly use it or understand it but I took comfort in the fact that I had one. And that summer was pretty wild.
1997 - Still a really good year, I was 17, and started senior year, but some of the bad things I did started to catch up to me slowly. My favorite movie that year was Scream. I loved it just as much as Clueless 2 years before.
1998 - Graduated and went away to college. Was both a good and a bad year because I had a really good end of senior year and summer, and the college life was pretty fun. I was very rebellious and couldn't wait to live on my own, I actually think now that I was a little ahead of myself back then. But the bad things were I had alcohol problems and went AA meetings. I really didn't mind going to them because I was a very outgoing person and was willing to get rid of my problems.
1999 - I will always cherish 1999 because on February 14th, my beautiful niece was brought into the world. Who turned ten years old yesterday! She has a very big heart, shows why she was born on Valentines Day!

I didn't expect to babble as much as I just did..

But summing it all up, the '90s is a time I cherish. And the 3 best friends I had for those ten years are still with me now.

To me the 90's will always have a place in my heart! I was a 90's kid!

You know what, when I think of stuff I like from the 80s, I think of comforting childhood times without hardly anything to worry about. When I think of good things from now, I think of the technology or just that it's cool to know more about the world. So yeah, for personal reasons the '90s are cool because they're kinda right inbetween both of those worlds. :)

They had a great balance, like how alot of retro stuff was still around (i.e. mom and pop stores, analog technology, classic rock and just less of an obsession with modernizing), but things were also more casual and heading towards today too. The way people dressed was pretty similar, and girls had that "one of the guys" appeal to them (but not as nasty as some of them are now, lol).

Like 1993-1998 is a perfect midpoint that way.

^ That was your 6666th post.  You are the super devil ;D

I'm about your age! I also loved Rocko's Modern Life - and Doug, and Rugrats, and especially Ren & Stimpy. And old school Al That! Remember when Lori Beth did Vital Information? She was so much better than a lot of the later cast members who came on. And does anyone remember Roundhouse? It was this Al That-like variety show that came before Al That. I vaguely recall that it had more of an alternative rock feel, where Al That was more R&B/hip-hop.

Anyway... yeah, 90's Nickelodeon was awesome and I probably melted my brain watching way too much of it. ;D But I think I'd still rather have been a child in the 80's and a teen/young adult in the 90's. The 80's was a great time to be a kid, too - bright colors, silly music, epic children's TV, and you'd be too young to understand the constant threat of nuclear annihilation, but just old enough to appreciate the fall of the Berlin Wall. Plus, I'm still a bit miffed I was too young to participate in the whole grunge phenomenon - I just watched my older siblings wear flannel and obsess over Nirvana and got all jealous. I figured my generation would have its turn, but all I got was the crummy 00's. :P