HAVE I GOT A LITTLE STORY FOR YOU... The year was 1984. I was eleven years old and popular music was in a state of confusion. Along with songs by artists I liked such as Van Halen, Prince, Quiet Riot, Duran Duran, Billy Idol, and The Police, Top 40 radio constantly played songs from bands or artists that didn't quite do it for me. Apologies to Kenny Loggins, Phil Collins, Bananarama, Wang Chung, and Ray Parker Jr. Due to my parents' divorce and telling my mom that I was so unhappy that I no longer wanted to live, I was now a couple of years into therapy. It was around this time that I really began to find solace in music. The mid- to late 80s gave me hope. Rap, punk rock, and alternative music befriended me at a time when I needed them the most. A mixtape from 1989, courtesy of a high school friend, opened my soul to the music that would change my life forever - the gritty sound of grunge. I know that this experience is not unique to me or my life. History has shown that millions of Gen X kids who were going through some heavy times in the late 80s and early 90s found comfort in the grunge and alternative music and culture that came first from Seattle, then the world. Music can save lives; we are proof of that. This book is for the SLACKER in all of us. SLACKER takes a deep dive into the early seedlings of grunge and alternative music (early 80s in Seattle), year by year, through 1999. In addition to my own experiences, I've included interviews with musicians, writers, promoters, music industry executives, psychologists, sociologists, and more who were there when grunge broke and who have helped shape the culture of this music over the last three decades.