blabbermouth:
Loud: I was going to ask you about grunge, actually, because it's 20 years since [NIRVANA's] "Nevermind" [an album widely associated with the death of "hair" metal] came out this year. Obviously you would have heard the album when it came out. What did you think of it?
Turner: I loved it. It was a great record. But obviously I didn't like the fact that the industry had to sell only one type of music. Just one type of music, grunge. Too bad that the world is big enough for all kinds of music, whether its grunge or rap or dance or pop or rock. In America they don't promote music on merit, it's more based on selling a brand, something that they've branded. They might as well be selling toothpaste. It's just a product to the record labels. It's the new improved Crest! Now whiter. We no longer sell that other Crest. That other Crest sucks. Now we're selling this Crest. They just don't have any soul.
Loud: Is that kind of what happened with bands like WARRANT? You were just a brand they were selling at one time?
Turner: Yeah. If the music industry was a church, we would've all been excommunicated. You are no longer welcome to come bow at the altar. We were branded as harlots. It's funny but it's true. That was it. Bam! You're no longer wanted or needed around here. Bands started getting dropped like flies, and then they went around and signed bands that sounded like NIRVANA! And there were some really good ones that I loved... SOUNDGARDEN, I love ALICE IN CHAINS. ALICE IN CHAINS actually got signed opening up for WARRANT, ironically.
Loud: I was going to ask you about grunge, actually, because it's 20 years since [NIRVANA's] "Nevermind" [an album widely associated with the death of "hair" metal] came out this year. Obviously you would have heard the album when it came out. What did you think of it?
Turner: I loved it. It was a great record. But obviously I didn't like the fact that the industry had to sell only one type of music. Just one type of music, grunge. Too bad that the world is big enough for all kinds of music, whether its grunge or rap or dance or pop or rock. In America they don't promote music on merit, it's more based on selling a brand, something that they've branded. They might as well be selling toothpaste. It's just a product to the record labels. It's the new improved Crest! Now whiter. We no longer sell that other Crest. That other Crest sucks. Now we're selling this Crest. They just don't have any soul.
Loud: Is that kind of what happened with bands like WARRANT? You were just a brand they were selling at one time?
Turner: Yeah. If the music industry was a church, we would've all been excommunicated. You are no longer welcome to come bow at the altar. We were branded as harlots. It's funny but it's true. That was it. Bam! You're no longer wanted or needed around here. Bands started getting dropped like flies, and then they went around and signed bands that sounded like NIRVANA! And there were some really good ones that I loved... SOUNDGARDEN, I love ALICE IN CHAINS. ALICE IN CHAINS actually got signed opening up for WARRANT, ironically.
