Megan Jasper, VP of Sub Pop; image courtesy of mtv.com
So, perhaps ya’ll saw Claire O’Neill’s recent post on NPR about the release of Grunge, photographer Michael Lavine’s new book that documents Seattle’s halcyon days as alternative rock’s beacon on an isthmus. Coming out in time for the holiday season, something tells me many folks of my generation are curious to skim the pages and indulge their nostalgic impulses (though some acquaintances may be willing to wait for a book that lovingly recounts Matador in the early to mid-90s instead of Sub Pop at the turn of the 1990s).
While Lavine could be argued as the book’s actual subject, as his work is being catalogued, I’d like to spotlight another key player that O’Neill mentions in her post – Megan Jasper (link readers: apologies to those not charmed by interviewer L. Swain’s purposely crass introduction). She was a low-level employee at Sub Pop when grunge became popular and all the major media outlets were looking for a quote from someone affiliated with the indie label responsible for discovering Nirvana. When asked to relay some scene-specific slang to a New York Times reporter, Jasper made like a riot grrrl and shut the interloping media out. Her tactic was playful — make some shit up, all the better if they totally buy your line and publish it. Hence grunge speak. Use it to avoid personal contact with lamestains who tom-tom club your flippity flop and turn it into a harsh realm.
Jasper has long since moved up the label’s ranks, currently holding down her tenure as the Vice President of an indie mainstay that has since released albums by The Shins, The Postal Service, Wolf Eyes, Iron and Wine, Wolf Parade, Sleater-Kinney, and many others. Pretty awesome, especially considering that the lady who used to work out front answering phones has her own office out of which she can help run the label.
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