I am sure Les Claypool would be pleased to know he is a poser. But then his name is 'Mud'.
I think that was a bit of sarcasm. Could be wrong, but I think STP were considered more of an imitator of Pearl Jam, who were considered an imitator of Nirvana. I wasn't really a fan of any of it at the time, "grunge". Although I
had to play some of it at the time in the 80s, hair band crap, grunge in the 90s was an answer to that genre. It went from party and get laid in the 80s to deep depressive pity me self-loathing darkness in the 90s. I didn't care for it, thought it was sad that that was the
alternative younger people were subjected to as the
in thing. Thought it was dangerous. Don't care for Nirvana to this day, creeps me out. You invite and entertain depression, it can take you places that are not easily escaped. It can become very much not cool if you're not careful.
Dylan said,
"Little boy lost, he takes himself so seriously. He brags of his misery, he likes to live so dangerously.....He's sure got a lot of gall, to be so useless and all. Muttering small talk at the wall, while i'm in the hall. How can I explain when it's so hard to get on!"
Of course it is all subjective, but my interpretation of those lines is just that. Toying with depression, celebrating it, even. Which can then lead to self loathing and withdrawal, a self imposed prison of darkness and an inward narrative that you're useless, a
creep loser and life is not worth living.
Sorry, got off on a tangent there. Has nothing to do with the 90s or Grunge.....except possibly Kurt Cobain, Layne Staley, Scott Weiland, Chris Cornell, Chester Bennington, and who knows how many fans of that genre.
Admittedly I haven't delved very deeply into STPs catalogue, but contrary to what I may have thought at the time back in the 90s, I don't really consider them a grunge band. ymmv