Was Nirvana the Spark, or Was 1991 Ready?

Shane Hewitt and The Nightshift · Sep 25, 2026 · 9m

Nirvana’s Nevermind arrived at a moment Ed Conroy remembers as ready to change. His look back at 1991 gives you a reason to question the familiar story of a single band transforming music. What was already happening around them?

Think beyond plaid and guitars. Conroy recalls other records and television that made the year feel different, along with a music business that suddenly paid attention to artists outside its usual choices. How much of that change had been waiting beneath the surface?

That leads to a question for today: where would a comparable cultural shift happen now? Conroy…