STEVE TURNER WITH ADEM TEPEDELEN – Mud Ride: A Messy Trip Through the Grunge Explosion by Steve Turner, Guitarist and Founding Member of Mudhoney

Renowned Mudhoney guitarist Steve Turner recently published this fantastically entertaining, engaging, and sincere autobiography of his, and this humorous page-turner (see what I did there?) does an absolutely splendid job at chronicling the birth and evolution of grunge and how the Seattle scene came into being and eventually exploded into mainstream popularity.

Many years before grunge became a phenomenon, Turner was playing in various bands and outfits in the Seattle underground scene, the most notable and influential one being Green River in the eyes of many, and it is amazing to immerse oneself in the stories and anecdotes relating to those semi-mythic gigs and events that took place back then in sweaty clubs and dingy flophouse basements and so on. Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Screaming Trees, and Mother Love Bone obviously appear throughout too, but one of the most enjoyable aspects of this one is discovering what bands and sounds these gents were inspired by and how they transformed and wove them into their own compositions.  

In addition to being wildly enthusiastic about skateboarding and an avid music fan, Steve was also a collector of all things rare and obscure in terms of punk rock, garage rock, and psychedelic music, which entailed that he amassed an insane record collection over the years, and I am certain that he could have penned 296 pages about that one alone. In many ways, Mud Ride offers an amazing insight into all the things that make the guitarist tick and the outputs and artistic endeavors of others that have inspired him at some point in life, but more than anything, it paints a vivid and interesting portrait of a skilled songwriter and musician who has clearly never lost the drive nor the passion with respect to what he does. There is a certain beauty to the kind of curiosity and wonder that Turner displays throughout these pages, and it is always a treat to digest something that is as candid and warm-hearted as this one is.

Mud Ride is an inspiring account of both the man and the music genre that he played such a key part in shaping, and the book comes across as an immensely insightful and reflective read with respect to Seattle’s grunge milieu and the legacy of Mudhoney. Absolutely essential to anyone with more than a passing interest in Seattle’s rock/punk/hardcore/experimental underground scene of the late 70s, 80s, and early 90s.