R.I.P. to Steve Harwell
A Tribute to Smash Mouth
I heard that Smash Mouth front man Steve Harwell died today. Harwell led a troubled life, including struggles with alcoholism and mental illness. He retired a few years ago after he was seen giving the Hitler salute at a concert.
Some years ago a friend and I were discussing the band Nickelback. “Everyone claims to hate them,” he said, “but everyone also knows the lyrics to their songs.” I think something similar is true for Smash Mouth. They came to represent kitsch, and I don’t think many people wanted to be seen as fans of Smash Mouth. Yet we also secretly (?) enjoyed a lot of their songs.
I remember being a kid in the ’90s and listening to “All Star,” “Walking on the Sun,” “Then the Morning Comes,” and “I Can’t Get Enough of You Baby,” and unironically loving those songs. I bought two Smash Mouth albums: Fesh Yu Mang and Astro Lounge.
But then Shrek came and Smash Mouth became the band associated with Shrek. The idea of “cringe” wasn’t popular yet, but it just seemed like something I wanted nothing to do with. Shrek was gross, and Smash Mouth became the face of that grossness.
But it’s still sad to hear of the passing of Steve Harwell. His voice was iconic (perhaps iconically annoying) and those songs are an important part of 1990s culture.
