Classics. A piece of work judged over time to be definitive. And what is it but a “Charles Peterson photo” that comes to mind when you think of the grunge scene, or maybe even the nineties altogether? These are my legacy photos, the icons, the perfect outcome of the vision I was trying to bring to the world, no matter how small the subject seemed to begin with. I was an art student, so I leaned into it with that critical eye, no matter how sloppy it all seemed at the time. I always aimed high, with technique, creation, and concept. 

Eddie Vedder once said to me, upon looking at an image I took of him, where his head occupies only a small corner in a sea of black, “Oh, wow, I never thought of it like that…” Exactly! The best art is a blending of mystery and beauty, constantly drawing you back in. Lighting is the emotion, composition the primal, and moment the intellectual. My hope is that I’ve succeeded on all three levels with these photos I’m presenting to you.  - Charles Peterson

Charles Peterson Grunge Years NFT collection - Classics

I had the concept of shooting Mudhoney in the style of The Slit’s first album cover. So we made a mud pit in the backyard of the house Tad was renting at the time. After these posed shots, we took a trip down to the local mall parking lot and wandered around. 

This was used for their “You Got It” single - decades later Mark wished they’d used it for the cover of their first LP, as the shoot was intended for, instead of the abstract, difficult to read photo of the band they went with. - Charles Peterson


Mudhoney, Tad’s backyard, Seattle, 1989

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