On this date in 1991, Marco Collins sparked a worldwide sensation by being the first radio DJ to spin Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," while he was working for Seattle station KNDD (The End) 107.7 FM. Nirvana quickly became global superstars and grunge icons, of course, while Collins went on to establish Seattle as a rock hotbed in the '90s, while also helping other artists—such as Beck, the Prodigy, Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam, Death Cab for Cutie, Harvey Danger, and Garbage—break through to the mainstream.
But Collins eventually encountered troubled times, struggling with drug addiction and the music scene's homophobic attitudes. All of these experiences and more are chronicled in The Glamour & the Squalor, Marq Evans's feature-length documentary about Collins, which is now available to stream for free via Red Bull TV. (It premiered at 2015's SIFF.)
In its 76 minutes, The Glamour & the Squalor covers a lot of ground. Bullied as an effeminate boy in school, Collins got the hell out of his hometown as soon as he could, taking a disc-jockey job at San Diego State's KCR in 1984. He moved to KNDD in 1989 and became an influential taste-maker—what Presidents of the United States of America frontman Chris Ballew called "the on/off switch for your potential career." During his time at The End, Collins strove to blend "college-radio idealism with commercial-radio pull." However, he hit bottom when his drug use spiraled out of control, going through seven rehab units. While stashing his possessions in an unofficial storage space during this low point, he lost the gold record of Nevermind that the Geffen label had bestowed upon him, as well as 32 crates of records. Ow. The film also touches on Collins's activism, as he worked to get Referendum 74—which legalized same-sex marriage—approved.
Through all his ups and downs, including a recent battle with testicular cancer, Collins never lost his passion to break new, unknown bands. You can now find him on the dial at 90.3 FM KEXP and online at kexp.org.
Watch The Glamour & the Squalor here.
UPDATE: The Red Bull TV version has some audio issues; you can also view the film here.
