The 1990s had so much rock happening, some of it was seeping out of the airport Marriott near Los Angeles' seaside airport.
The 1991 Foundations Forum, created by Concrete Marketing, boasted a lineup that would make Lollapalooza jealous.
Over three days and nights from October 3-5, the ballroom of the Marriott on Century Blvd hosted the likes of Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog, Ugly Kid Joe, Megadeth, Love/Hate, Prong and Ozzy freakin Osbourne.
Nirvana's Nevermind had just been released a few weeks prior, destroying the hair metal and speed metal's momentum into popular culture, but that weekend a few miles from the tarmac, many of the elements of grunge and its influences were on display in that unlikely venue.
In many ways it was the calm before the storm, if you can call hard rock and metal in a mid-priced hotel calm.
Some jokingly called it a "Weekend in Hell"
Like most trade shows and conventions, Foundation Forum provided a place for those in the hard rock / heavy metal music industry, including the artists, to talk about the struggles they had reaching audiences and plying their trade.
That year bands complained about lack of radio play, MTV, being typecast, and the pitfalls of touring.
Little did they know how well they had it at the time. There were many labels, radio was more than happy to play "college alternative," LA even had a heavy metal station, KNAC. There wasn't YouTube or social media to get the word out, but there were multiple newspapers in most cities along with free weeklies and countless record stores around the world. In 1991 if you were halfway decent you stood a chance to get heard and paid.
MTV's Headbanger's Ball was there
Because grunge was a noisy amalgam of metal, hard rock, and punk, it made sense that Riki Rachtman, host of Headbanger's Ball drove the 45 minutes from his home in Hollywood to interview the likes of Soundgarden, who would quickly become MTV darlings.
Rachtman asked Soundgarden if the rumors were true that they were going to go on the road with Guns N' Roses.
The bands did tour together and years later Soundgarden's frontman Chris Cornell alluded to the fact that Guns' singer Axl Rose was not afraid of self-sabotaging.
"Without saying anything negative about Axl, what I remember the most was Duff and Slash and everyone else being regular, sweet, warm guys in a rock band that just wanted to play rock music," Cornell told Vulture in 2012.
"And then, like, there was this 'Wizard Of Oz' character behind the curtain that seemed to complicate what was the most ideal situation they could ever have been in: They were the most successful and famous rock band on the planet. Every single show, hundreds of thousands of fans just wanted to hear songs," he continued.
"For some reason there seemed to be this obstacle in just going out and participating in that. That is what I remember the most. It's sad," the singer said.
Santa Barbara's Ugly Kid Joe brought the college metal
Even though they're probably best known for their Jim Croce cover "Cats in the Cradle," the long haired outfit (technically from Isla Vista, CA) had an impressive assortment of tasty originals.
"Everything About You," their debut single went to number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. Not bad for a song from a debut EP from an imprint label, Stardog. In 1989, to woo Mother Love Bone onto Mercury, it created an imprint for them.
Signing UGK to it was genius (and profitable). "Neighbor" ended up on Beavis and Butt-Head, "Everything About You" was featured in Wayne's World. They were bratty but safe.
At Foundations Forum the band did their Black Sabbath cover that appears on the As Ugly As I Want To Be EP. Ugly Kid Joe was soon invited to open for Ozzy. Singer Whitfield Crane and Osborne became good friends afterwards.
Ozzy received a Lifetime Achievement Award and was meh about it
Despite having started in 1988, the Foundations Forum did not hand out awards until 1991. At the top of the list was some love thrown at Ozzy Osbourne who well earned the praise. In the late '60s thru '70s, Ozzy helped usher in metal. Then in the '80s he outdid himself alongside Randi Rhodes on his solo albums with songs that are still played at sporting events every night around the world.
But when asked about it, the 42-year-old said he felt like he still had many more years ahead of him to be thinking about "lifetime" awards.
Here's who got what at the Airport Marriott that year:
Lifetime Achievement Award: Ozzy Osbourne
Best Debut Album: Alice in Chains
Best Hard Rock Band: Queensrÿche
Top Artist (Radio Album): Megadeth – Rust In Peace
Top Artist (Radio Cut): Megadeth – Hangar 18
Top Artist (Retail): Queensrÿche – Empire
Best Thrash Band: Megadeth
Best Hard Alternative Band: Jane's Addiction
Best Video (Single Cut): Slayer – Seasons in the Abyss/Janes Addiction – Been Caught Stealing
Best Album Art: Jane's Addiction – Ritual de lo Habitual
Top Independent Artist (Retail): Napalm Death – Harmony Corruption
Top Home Video: Faith No More – Live at Brixton
Top New Artist: Pantera
Of all the rockers, Lemmy gave the best interview
Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmister made fun of the interviewer, conventions like Foundation Forum, the record industry, music marketers, and even himself.
"Rock 'n roll is a band plays enough clubs so that enough kids see them to get popular. That's what rock n' roll is," Lemmy explained.
All after flashing his bare chest five seconds into the chat.
Temple of the Dog performed "Hunger Strike"
Was there a better duet than between Cornell and Eddie Vedder? When Andrew Wood, singer of Mother Love Bone tragically died, the Soundgarden singer put together some of the band's surviving members, along with Vedder and some others to make a one-off supergroup that truly was just that.
At its center was "Hunger Strike" where both Vedder and Cornell were able to play off each other in a powerful way.
The group would peel away and the majority of it would form Pearl Jam.
The last time the two men sang "Hunger Strike" together was almost exactly 10 years ago at the Bridge School benefit.
Pearl Jam is now on their 12th studio album, Dark Matter, and world tour.
Eddie had a great time at his Ohana Festival last month and is taking October off before the band heads to New Zealand and Australia in November for a series of shows. Tickets available here.