‘Nevermind’ Producer Butch Vig Says Nirvana Album Wouldn’t Have Same Impact If Released Today
Nirvana’s Nevermind seems like a timeless album, but the album’s producer Butch Vig isn’t convinced the album would have the same impact if released today.
In an interview with NME, Vig said, “I think it would be tough to repeat that zeitgeist moment. If ‘Nevermind’ came out this week, despite being a great record, it would not have the same cultural impact. It was perfect timing coming out when there was a shift in music and it felt like a revolution. I can see that happening again, but not in the same way.”
Vig adds, “Everything is so instant that it’s hard to build up some mystique. When you really want something but can’t quite get your hands on it, that makes it all the more powerful. Everyone has access to everything these days. Maybe someone will come along with a band who sounds like Nirvana but a lyricist who writes like Bob Dylan and is into hip-hop and doesn’t have Instagram or Facebook. Maybe they’ll do a couple of shows and disappear. If they did, people would go mental because they’d want them all the more. If you know who that is, please call them because I want to produce them!”
Vig also mentioned how he saw parallels between Nirvana and Billie Eilish saying, “I saw something similar with Billie Eilish. I’m friends with her and [brother, producer] Finneas and their mom was my daughter’s music teacher. They live down the street from us. Billie speaks for a whole generation of youth, much like Nirvana did with their zeitgeist moment.”
BY THE NUMBERS: Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’
