The birth of 'Grunge,' in photos by Michael Lavine

"You're a little bit lost and you're a little bit badass. You're gonna have to make your own fun, your own world, using your very own magic. But you're not alone." — Thurston Moore on life in the Pacific Northwest, from the introduction to Michael Lavine's new photo book, "Grunge."

"What is grunge? We couldn't figure it out. It's not what most people think it is, flannel and three bands. There was a whole lot of other stuff going on that supported those three bands. They didn't just come out of nothing." — Photographer Michael Lavine

Despite its title, "Grunge," Michael Lavine's newest book of photographs, is not meant as a definitive history of Seattle's most infamous musical movement. When Lavine arrived in Seattle in 1982 and started shooting the punks, mods and Goths hanging out on the Ave in the U District, he wasn't trying to encapsulate a scene. When he moved to New York in 1985 and became the go-to studio photographer for the Sub Pop record label, he didn't believe his work was exhaustive. Even now, his book raises more questions than answers.

"It was punk until somebody decided to call it grunge. It really was. It wasn't grunge to us at the time," Lavine says, laughing. "That was one reason we named (the book) that, just to make people think about the word in a different way."

Below are photos from the book accompanied by Lavine's commentary. He'll sign copies of "Grunge" (Abrams) at Neumo's on Friday, followed by a performance by Mudhoney.

Jonathan Zwickel: zwickelicious@gmail.com

"Benson & Hedges, Seattle 1983": "The beauty of those kids is that there was a sense of anarchy, a sense of rebellion and a sense of anonymousness. You really were separate. You were separating yourself from everything, from the mainstream, and then, in the middle of nowhere, separating yourself even further. It was a small, tight-knit group of people that could instantly relate to each other just by looking at each other. They were looking for a connection in something that wasn't the establishment. And trying to avoid the trappings of success."

"Marni, Seattle 1983": "You spend your whole youth trying to find your identity. Trying to find out who is the real you. That's what these pictures are about. People experiment, take a chance in presenting themselves to the world in a different way. It's risky. It's very loaded: Are they trying to make a statement? Are they rebelling against their parents? Are they insane? Are they just faking it? At what point are you for real?"

"Sonic Youth, 1988": "Sonic Youth was in charge. They basically broke bands. You got to tour with Sonic Youth, that was your ticket. They had great taste. They picked Nirvana. Sonic Youth is really influential for a reason — because they're really smart and talented, and their music is really original and powerful and moving. It's maybe not grunge, but it's grungy. They had a certain cast over the independent scene. Everybody looked up to them."

"Pearl Jam, 1992": Pearl Jam was representing a whole different thing. The Pearl Jam phenomenon didn't go over so well (at the beginning). It was awkward. That was a magazine assignment for "Details" at the time, and that was the mainstream picking up on it. That shot of them on the grass with Eddie's mouth taped — that's Eddie, you know? It's very telling. He proceeded to become one of the most influential and ethical and respected musicians on the whole scene. When at the time everybody was kinda mad at him, I think.

"Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, 1992": I like to portray the positive side of things. And certainly they had a very strong relationship, whether people like to believe it or not. He was in love with her, there's not doubt about it. And she was in love with him. You can see a lot of other pictures of him and they don't look like that. He is beautiful to start with, which helps (laughs). A very angelic figure. He was just a sweet kid, a real friendly guy, nice loving and quiet and shy and funny and interesting. And tired. [laughs] He was tired all the time.

"Soundgarden, 1990": Soundgarden was the funnest band to work with. We had a blast. We shot more times than any other band. There was a period there when the energy level was just ... connection. A love affair, I guess. It doesn't always work that way, but it was working that way then.

"Hole": "Courtney Love came to my house for this photo shoot, the one where she's sitting on the floor, and this was before 'Nevermind' came out, and she was obsessed with Kurt. Either she knew he was going to be huge or she didn't care and she was just in love with him. Before everyone else, you know? She wouldn't shut up about him. 'Let me see the Kurt pictures, let me see the Kurt pictures.' She loved Kurt.

"She's a really smart girl. One of the smartest, craziest people I've ever met. And dangerous and wild and free. She's intense, man. She's like a tornado. It doesn't really show there, does it? I think she knows the power of the camera better than anybody. She knew what she was doing."

"Mudhoney with Bruce Pavitt": '[Sub Pop's Bruce Pavitt] came out and visited me and I took him to a Pussy Galore show and he was like, 'Oh my god, this is amazing.' He was in the darkroom with me as I was trying to print the cover for 'Right Now,' the Pussy Galore album, and he got really inspired. The reason he came to New York was to go check out Parsons [design school], possibly go to school there. But he decided to stay in Seattle. The scene in New York inspired him to start Sub Pop in Seattle."

"Nirvana 1992": 'Everybody looks comfortable; that's because I made them feel comfortable. Kurt felt comfortable with me. I had worked with him several times before and we had a bond. It's not comfortable in general on a seamless [photo set]. It's just not. It's an isolation. You're there and it's awkward. You gotta get into it. It's like anything--you get into it and start to feel comfortable.

"I would hope that he felt comfortable in my home. That was my home. That was the studio on Bleecker Street, 2 Bleecker, across the street from CeeBees--our window looked over at CBGB's. And we had shot there several times. [Kurt] had been there several times.

"When he came to New York he would always call me and come visit because he didn't know a lot of people in New York. I was like the Seattle outpost. All the bands would come and hang out at my studio."

"Hanging Out ": "You're in Seattle, it's cold, you don't have any money. So you go to the thrift store and you buy cheap stuff that's there. And you look grungy. Grungy is a word that describes what people look like. Grungy is a look, not a sound, really."

"Happy Spaz": "Things just aren't the same [today]. I don't know how to describe it. Everything feels more self-conscious. Because you almost feel like there's cameras on everything. My kids are growing up in a world where you kind of inherently know how to be on a reality - TV show. Every time you're looking at anything you're looking at it thought those glasses. It's surreal. Because it's hard to be authentic now."