Mudhoney guitarist Steve Turner discusses his new memoir, his band’s longevity and that time he was approached about joining Nirvana.
To call guitarist Steve Turner a Godfather of Grunge might be a bit of an understatement. Turner was one of the founding members of Green River, a band that spawned Mother Love Bone, Pearl Jam, Temple of the Dog and, of course, Mudhoney. He had a bird’s-eye view of the birth, explosion and death of the grunge scene in Seattle. Hell, he even wrote a just-released book about it, titled Mud Ride: A Messy Trip Through the Grunge Explosion. That seemed like a good reason for HUSTLERMagazine.com to catch up with Turner from his home in Portland. Need another reason? How about a brand-new Mudhoney album, Plastic Eternity?
The guitarist, singer, author and devoted skateboarder had a lot to talk about, including the time he almost joined Nirvana and the longevity of Mudhoney. So get reading…
HUSTLERMagazine.com: Do you still live near Seattle?
Steve Turner: Yes. Portland. I lived most of my life in Seattle, and I’ve been down here in Portland for close to 15 years now. It’s still close enough that I can get back to Seattle if needed for Mudhoney things. I still have lots of friends and family there, so I never want to get too far away from here.
Do you remember the first time you ever saw a copy of HUSTLER?
Yes. Somehow when we were pre-teens in 1976 or 1977, me and my friends found a pile of old porn magazines in the woods behind our houses. Many were copies of HUSTLER.
