I’m looking California
And Feeling Minnesota
By the time the grunge movement had moved on, a few movies began to be made to commemorate the scene. In case you’re curious about how edgy resistance movements die, this is a pretty good nail in the coffin type measurement.
The movie Singles was unique. It had been filmed in Seattle prior to Nirvana’s Nevermind being released, and it debuted in theaters right as that seminal album was hitting peak popularity. The timing for that soundtrack and the look of the film came about at exactly the right time.
By contrast, Feeling Minnesota was a few days late and a few million dollars short. What I mean is that it missed the entire grunge movement (as it was) by debuting in 1996, although it does hearken to a great line from grunge. I also mean that the movie was clearly pandering and performative, not some genuine pulse-check on youthful rebellion.
The fact that the film came out in 1996 shows you exactly what motivated its release: the hope for box office gold. Cashing in on rebellion can be risky, though: you have to strike while the flannel is red-hot.
That’s Chris Cornell from Soundgarden who is looking California but feeling Minnesota. The song where those lyrics appear is called Outshined, and it sits right at the center of grunge. Late 1991 and early 1992 featured lots and lots of airplay for this song, especially on MTV’s Buzz Bin, where the same couple dozen videos played nonstop.
It’s not shocking to me that Feeling Minnesota ended up being a movie title. It’s a great line, and someone in the executive studio might have even listened to Badmotorfinger, the album where you could find Outshined… but also, maybe not since that video was in such heavy rotation on MTV for like a year.
What’s Chris Cornell trying to say here? Looking California makes me think about Jeff Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Sean Penn’s Spicoli was memorable enough to become the iconic representation of a California stoner, complete with a strong desire for pizza and an irreverence for institutions.
Looking California means appearing casual, above all else. The classic informality is a hallmark of the Golden State, where a reasonably comfortable climate persists year round.
Contrast that with Minnesota, where you have months of ice and snow everywhere. Being casual about the weather isn’t an option—you literally have to prepare for the winter and think about how you will survive the cold. Skateboard culture definitely made its way to Minnesota eventually, but surf culture did not.
If you’re feeling Minnesota, you probably feel somewhat constrained. No offense, Minnesota! You have a ton of cool things too; it’s just that the deadly cold means everyone has to be truly serious about winter, whereas Californians can just make a shaka with their hands and bum for spare change.
Or so the stereotype Chris Cornell was drawing on goes.
Am I onto something here with the climate being a main driver of cultural difference? Kevin Alexander of On Repeat Records lives next door in Wisconsin, where a similar situation exists. He is also the same age as me, so we were both probably watching Outshined at the same time back in the day.
Kevin, can you tell me in the comments if you think the weather has a lot to do with this cultural difference? Other folks who have lived in the Midwest, please drop into the comments section when you have a chance:
"Skateboard culture definitely made its way to Minnesota eventually, but surf culture did not."
There is no shortage of lakes, rivers, waterfalls and other bodes of water in Minnesota, but you can't surf on any of them, even in summer.
Your title made me think of Alabama aka Patricia Arquette unseasonably hot, in True Romance. They start in the Midwest — is Detroit Midwest? As a California boy, the rest of the country is a vast beige expanse to me. But they end up in California with Val Kilmer rocking it as Elvis and Floyd aka Brad Pitt bringing surfer stoner vibes. Actually they end up in Mexico but I don’t want to give away the ending.