The Nineties

October 25, 2021
Pop culture critic and essayist Klosterman (Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs) turns his flinty eye to the 1990s, “the last period in American history when personal and political engagement was still viewed as optional.” Blending cultural analysis with his own caustic hot takes, Klosterman claims that the chief characteristic of the ’90s was a pervasive feeling of ambivalence, “defined by an overwhelming assumption that life... was underwhelming” (his writing has a similarly detached tone). He views how this societal apathy coursed through the decade’s indie films, such as Larry Clark’s 1995 cult hit Kids (its theme: “there was no meaning to anything, ever”), and was embodied by Nirvana’s Nevermind, the ideal soundtrack for, as Kurt Cobain put it, “a completely exhausted Rock youth Culture.” But at the same time, Klosterman counters, the decade gave rise to art that tackled timely issues including the AIDs epidemic—with Rent debuting on Broadway in 1994—and brought queer stories to TV via such shows as NBC’s Will & Grace. “The world, as always, was changing,” he writes, citing how the decade saw a shift in everything from politics and awareness around race to the explosive growth of the internet and celebrity culture—a preview, he writes, of what was to come in subsequent decades. This nostalgic look at the waning days of offline culture both piques and entertains.

Starred review from January 1, 2022

Klosterman (Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs) dissects an iconic era that remains a mystery even to those who grew up during the 1990s. The decade of landlines, glossy magazines, and TV antennas propelled pop culture without social media or streaming services. There's not much missing from this delightful collection of quotes and culture from the era that most find difficult to define. As Klosterman points out, "doing nothing was a valid option" and selling out was the worst sin you could commit. Apathy was appealing, slacking off was a career path, and a polished exterior was gag-inducing. A self-proclaimed demographic clich� himself, Klosterman points out pivotal moments in the era, such as the end of 1980s glam and the rise of 1990s aesthetic when Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit hit MTV, and grunge rock demolished an entire era of saxophones and Brat Pack wannabes. With humor and history (supported by articles, TV news segments, advertisements, and interviews), Klosterman's volume is the perfect guide for millennials who wear vintage t-shirts ironically. VERDICT From politics to Prozac, a fascinating exploration of Generation X from the perspective of those who lived it and witnessed it. Readers will be raiding closets for mom jeans and drawers for scrunchies after reading this nostalgia-inducing book.--Alana Quarles

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 15, 2021
Klosterman returns with an entertaining journey through the last decade of the 20th century. "Almost every meaningful moment of the nineties was captured on videotape, along with thousands upon thousands of trivial moments that meant nothing at all," writes the author. "The record is relatively complete. But that deluge of data remained, at the time, ephemeral and unavail-able. It was still a present-tense existence." In this retrospective, which examines a decade that most of his readers lived though, Klosterman acknowledges that "there is always a disconnect between the world we seem to remember and the world that actually was." Throughout the wide-ranging narrative--from technology and the rise of the internet to key trends in music, TV, and film; indelible moments in sports; and significant political moments--Klosterman takes pains to ensure that references are addressed in relation to their historical context rather than through the foggy and often inaccurate lens of memory. He brings the decade to vivid new life, whether he's discussing attempts to classify Generation X; how the ascendency of grunge "initiated rock's recession from the center of society"; or the unprecedented phenomena of Meet Joe Black being the "all-time highest grossing movie among ticket buyers who did not watch one minute of the film" (many theatergoers entered to view the "131-second trailer for The Phantom Menace" before walking out). In the 1990s, writes the author, "No stories were viral. No celebrity was trending. The world was still big. The country was still vast. You could just be a little person, with your own little life and your own little thoughts. You didn't have to have an opinion, and nobody cared if you did or did not." As in his previous books of cultural criticism, Klosterman delivers a multifaceted portrait that's both fun and insightful. A fascinating examination of a period still remembered by most, refreshingly free of unnecessary mythmaking.

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Starred review from December 1, 2021
In stark contrast to Klosterman's previous work, Raised in Captivity (2019), a frenetic and inventive fiction collection, his latest is a self-described work of "popular criticism" about the 1990s. Like Todd Gitlin in The Sixties: Years of Hope, Days of Rage (1987), Klosterman explains what it felt like to live through this decade. He begins by exploring how Douglas Coupland's Generation X (1991) was an odd place for that generation's name to originate. He moves on to question the slacker image, focusing on what this generation actually liked, including the contradictory popularity of both Garth Brooks and Nirvana. Klosterman makes compelling connections, such as the rising fear of genetic engineering and the success of Jurassic Park (1993), and explores how much that is ubiquitous now--the internet, political polarization--can be traced back to this underexamined decade. His writing is strongest when he looks at moments through a contemporary lens, including assessments of the impact of Bill Clinton and ardor for the film American Beauty (1999). Klosterman bookends the decade with the two Bush presidencies, and the fascinating effect of third-party candidates Ross Perot and Ralph Nader. Wonderfully researched, compellingly written, and often very funny, this is a superb reassessment of an underappreciated decade from a stupendously gifted essayist.

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