Documentary
Released 1996
Directed by Doug Pray

A smart, ironic documentary named "Hype!" charts the rise of grunge and its enormous impact on the Seattle scene. What grunge did in the mid-'80s was take heavy metal, punk and old time rock 'n' roll and put it together into a sound that was looser and more fun than a lot of the music on the national scene. A local label named Sub Pop, realistically observing that none of the Seattle bands was known outside of town, promoted its label instead of its bands. Sub Pop flew a British journalist into town, he toured the clubs and wrote an influential article for the UK music magazine Melody Maker. Soon, the movie says, "bands that had never played live professionally were being signed up by labels."

"Hype!" doesn't put down the music; it likes grunge but is amused by the way publicity and image took over, turning a local movement into a commodity. Bands like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and Nirvana are seen performing, but there's also early video footage of obscure club bands, including one where a drummer falls onto a guitarist and the band keeps playing. Nothing stopped a performance, photographer Charles Peterson remembers; audiences and band members would drink together, often during a performance, and fans came to party, not criticize (he contrasts Seattle crowds with sniffy New Yorkers saying "I think they just missed a note").

"Hype!" has been directed by Doug Pray and photographed by Robert Bennett, who give you a real sense of the music and its excitement, while at the same time keeping a certain distance as journalists. They find funny, articulate local observers--producers, journalists, musicians, fans, publicists--who lived through the scene and kept it in perspective.

Summary by Roger Ebert