Loading...Generation x: The Soundtrack To Generation ‘Whatever’
14th April 2011 – 15th May 2011
The term Generation X loosely defines those born between 1965 and 1979, a generation who reached their pop cultural zenith in the late 1980’s & 90’s.
In France, people of a similar age were labeled ‘Génération Bof’ the literal translation meaning “generation whatever”, a perfect description of the era‘s stereotype of dissafected youth – a demographic shaped by the cultural legacy of the baby boomers before them. Growing up during the denouement of the Cold War, their political experiences and cultural perspectives were shaped by the fall of the Berlin Wall, the inception of the home computer, the AIDS epidemic, Mtv, Operation Desert Storm and the rise of the internet.
While the personification of Gen X might be that of an apathetic flannel donning slacker, in reality, Gen X saw the diversification of mainstream culture into myriad emerging subcultures including Heavy Metal, Goth, Indie, Dance music and related “Rave” culture plus the global expansion of localised cultural movements such Hip Hop and ‘World’ music.
Counterculture in some cases became the mainstream – born in the garages of Seattle in reaction to the glam hair bands of LA, (Motley Crue, Poison) Grunge soon became the predominant music movement of the early 1990’s and Kurt Cobain its reluctant spokesperson. In Australia the 90’s saw a dramatic rise in the popularity of ‘alternative’ music partially due to the national expansion of radio station Triple J and a renaissance in music festivals including the establishment of the Big Day Out (headlined by Nirvana) in 1992. Silverchair became one of the country’s biggest bands with huge success at home and in the US.
Compared with previous age groups, Generation X exhibited greater variety not only in musical tastes, but also in lifestyle choices with a greater acceptance of differences in race, class and sexual orientation. The icons of the period are similarly diverse with “Cool Britannia” lads Liam & Noel Gallagher, eccentric chanteuse Björk and politically charged hip hop artists Public Enemy just a few of the artists that made an indelible mark on the era.
