TAD - Wood Goblins

What this video is

TAD's 'Wood Goblins' video was produced in 1990 as the band's first music video, tied to the Salt Lick EP on Sub Pop Records — recorded by noise-rock engineer Steve Albini in Chicago. The video was notoriously banned by MTV, with Sub Pop documenting that programmers deemed it 'too ugly,' a rejection that became a badge of honor within the Seattle underground. TAD were among Sub Pop's earliest signees and, alongside…

Why it matters

As TAD's first-ever music video, 'Wood Goblins' is a primary document of pre-mainstream grunge visual culture on Sub Pop Records. It predates the polished grunge MTV aesthetic by two years and exemplifies the DIY, anti-beauty ethos that distinguished Sub Pop's underground from the commercial rock…