Another Nirvana article. Interestingly enough, another Queens of the Stone Age refference.
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Posted on 04/06/2004 9:42:49 AM PDT by presidio9
Spin magazine was the first by my observation to put the very dead Kurt Cobain on its April cover to mark the tenth anniversary of his suicide, on 05 April 1994 (his body was found on 08 April). Though he’s nearly twenty-five in this picture, he looks all of seventeen and decidedly sober, one of those rarities. It’s hard to say how often Cobain was photographed sober, but since his death very few publications have thought to publish a decent photo of the man, for fear of not portraying him as a tragic figure.
But at least we have tragic texts. “Kurt Cobain was many things while he was alive – punk, pop star, hero, victim, junkie, feminist, geek avenger, wiseass. But ten years after his death, he’s something else entirely. He’s a ghost [emphasis original] …. [The] bitter finality of Cobain’s end became an indelible part of his story …. No other chapter in pop music history has so much darkness at its center. And no other artist still haunts us in such a powerful, subliminal way.” And so forth.
Chris Norris, who wrote “The Ghost of Saint Kurt” for Spin, may or may not be a fine writer in everyday life, but the article goes on as though beehived old blue hairs are lining up outside Cobain’s house to see his furniture. Easy, Norris. We understand that some journalistic liberties are taken when it comes to writing tribute pieces about popular figures, but come on. If you’re going to say no other chapter in pop music history has so much darkness at its center (and in doing so, at least ignoring the likes of Syd Barrett, the former Pink Floyd lead singer who went crazy and stayed there, a different consideration from being addicted, depressed and ending it all), you’re implying that since “Rock Around the Clock” there has been nothing worse, which is more than a little silly.
But Kurt Cobain was what he was, and a decade later we are left to consider the question (“Was Cobain a performer of real significance or an over-hyped flash in the pan?”) with the full benefit of retrospect. Helpful to remember that what makes a performer unique isn’t just his abilities but the moment in time in which he is “discovered.” Consequently, what made Cobain special wasn’t necessarily his ability to write and perform the catchiest hooks in popular music (which he certainly did), but the confluence of musical events that made him palatable to very large, young audiences.
If released either five years before or after the actual release dates in 1991, both the song “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and the album Nevermind would have come and gone without one-twentieth the fanfare. In 1986, bubblegum pop was still big enough to overwhelm anything different; in 1996, Nirvana would have been thought of as just another band arriving too late to the party, in the way we today consider some of the other capable bands that surrounded Nirvana, such as Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains.
Instead, what happened was that Nirvana signed with Geffen (from a fine little label called Sub Pop; for its loss, Sub Pop negotiated what proved to be a tremendously profitable percentage deal against Nirvana sales, after a certain number of units), a company that had so little faith in the band it printed only fifty thousand copies of Nevermind for its initial release, and didn’t hurt itself in promotion. That was, until MTV got hold of the video for “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” the rest being history.
Nearly lost in the Norris article is the fact that a radio station in San Diego, KBZT, now plays “all your favorite grunge hits,” meaning that it has switched to an alternative music format; also meaning that Nirvana has once again taken center stage. Is anyone surprised that Cobain has found a new audience? The dynamics that made his music so fashionable thirteen years ago are in place again today, just as they were then.
Modern popular music is a repetitive, plastic, tedious wasteland directed primarily at teenage babysitters and their babysitting money; an industry in desperate need of several shots in the arm from something large, intrusive and different. And while there are bands making large, original strides forward – Queens of the Stone Age comes to mind, as does Slipknot – they aren’t striking the sort of nerve Nirvana struck, most likely because not enough people aren’t fed up, yet. Hopefully they will be very soon.
Like it or not (and I didn't particularly), anything Quiet Riot or Twisted Sister did was a hell of a lot better than anything Cobain ever listened to, much less produced.
Nobody would have ever heard of this idiot had he not blown his brains out. The reason he used a shotgun is that he would have missed with a centerfire.
Got that? Good.
Another Nirvana article. Interestingly enough, another Queens of the Stone Age refference.
want on or off the list? FRmail me.
Don't even. The article is not in the slightest bit about Cobain's death. It is written to commorate the 10th anniversary of his death. It is about his life and how his music has come to be appreciated since then.
Your conscience may be bothering you because you rudely disturbed and then attacked a recent widow, and gave the rest of us NYers a bad name, but I can assure you that the nature and the details of Cobain's death are not mentioned in the article. Even in passing. You are projecting your own disapproval of the band's music. Again.
Got that? I didn't think so.
Paul Young, of the bubblegum "everytime you go away' tune, did a nice cover of that song. I thought the lyrics were amazing--and I loved it, until I heard the original that is. The cover just didn't do it justice.
Joy Division--great band.
The more I think about Nirvana, the more I am convinced that Dave Grohl was the real brains of the operation from behind the drums. What is Krist Novoselic doing nowadays? Krist who? Exactly.
Dave Grohl playing with Queens Of The Stone Age, June 2002
Kinda like how "The Knack" killed off disco.
James Gang
Spin magazine was the first by my observation to put the very dead Kurt Cobain on its April cover to mark the tenth anniversary of his suicide, on 05 April 1994 (his body was found on 08 April). Though he’s nearly twenty-five in this picture, he looks all of seventeen and decidedly sober, one of those rarities. It’s hard to say how often Cobain was photographed sober, but since his death very few publications have thought to publish a decent photo of the man, for fear of not portraying him as a tragic figure.
But at least we have tragic texts. “Kurt Cobain was many things while he was alive – punk, pop star, hero, victim, junkie, feminist, geek avenger, wiseass. But ten years after his death, he’s something else entirely. He’s a ghost [emphasis original] …. [The] bitter finality of Cobain’s end became an indelible part of his story …. No other chapter in pop music history has so much darkness at its center. And no other artist still haunts us in such a powerful, subliminal way.” And so forth.
(End excerpt.)
You are projecting your own disapproval of the band's music. Again.
Horsehockey. I am not talking about Kurt Cobain's music because quite frankly I could care less about his music. I am talking about Kurt Cobain, the man who committed suicide. And I have made that position quite clear from the word go.
Your conscience may be bothering you because you rudely disturbed and then attacked a recent widow,
Now that's just flat Barbra Streisand. I did not attack anyone's widow. Surely you have better things to do than to be intellectually dishonest and slander people.
I assure you that I am fully capable of reading my own article. I am also capable of recognizing that the mention of Cobain's suicide in the article does not qualify the article as being about his death. It's clearly not. I also make a point of abstaining from childish insults, but I do find it ironic that someone who would argue the position that this aritcle is about Cobain's death would have the temerity to be calling other people "stupid." But then, I remember the definition of the word "stupid" and it all falls into place, if you know what I mean.
I am not going to bother adressing the rest of your ravings, other that to give you the same instructions given to you by KangarooJacqui, widow of Chris Van Loon: Seek help, but leave me the hell alone. Thanks so much.
As for you "not going to bother adressing the rest of your ravings," it is only because you know you cannot argue any of it with me because we both know what I said was 100% true. I do not imply anything. I am right out front with what I am doing, and why.
Finally, regarding your request I "seek help," I say: Go play on the freeway. Which is about as civil as I am going to be in public.
Sigh. I really don't know why I'm bothering to keep this up, but what I actually said was:
"the details of Cobain's death are not mentioned in the article"
What I said was true. The more you argue, the bigger the hole you dig. Trust me, you don't want to be playing amateur detective with me here. The article is not about Cobain's death in any way, but if pretending that it is helps you feel better about browbeating recent widows and persuing asinine tangents that stoke your underserved ego, by all means be my guest.
As for you "not going to bother adressing the rest of your ravings," it is only because you know you cannot argue any of it with me because we both know what I said was 100% true. I do not imply anything. I am right out front with what I am doing, and why.
Your opinion is mean-spirited and immature. Do I believe that suicide is ever an option? Of course not. Would I ever force a young widow who recently lost a husband to suicide to have that conversation? I'd rather die first. What person in that situation would not blame themselves on some level? You have zero social skills.
Finally, regarding your request I "seek help," I say: Go play on the freeway. Which is about as civil as I am going to be in public.
What's this? An invitation to commit suicide? On this thread? You are without question the most classless person that I have run into on FR in quite some time.
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