TRIBUTE To KURT COBAIN (R.I.P 1967-1994)
"Even the guys in the safety patrol called me faggot."
"Wearing a dress shows I can be as feminine as I want. I'm a heterosexual... big deal, but if I was a homosexual, it wouldn't matter, either."
"All drugs are a waste of time.They destroy your memory and your self-respect and everything that goes along with your self-esteem....I've found they're a waste of time."
"My name is Kurt and I sing and play the guitar and I'm a walking, talking bacterial infection."
"I knew that having a child I'd be overwhelmed and it's true... I can't tell you how much my attitude has changed since we've got Frances. Holding my baby is the best drug in the world."
"I definitely have a problem with the average macho man, because they've always been a threat to me."
"Punk is musical freedom. It's saying, doing and playing what you want. In Webster's terms, nirvana means freedom from pain, suffering and the external world, and that's pretty close to my definition of Punk Rock."
"If you die you're completely happy and your soul somewhere lives on. I'm not afraid of dying.Total peace after death, becoming someone else is the best hope I've got."
KURT STORIESKURT COBAIN (1967 - 1994)
Kurt Donald Cobain, the inspiration behind Nirvana, was born on the 20th of February 1967 in Aberdeen, which is located about 120 kilometres Southwest of Seattle in the state of Washington.
The 20th of February 1981, on Kurt’s 14th birthday, he bought his first guitar. And in the years to follow he tried to create his own music style and started to hang out in the Seattle underground, where he was roadie for a band called Melvins.
Nirvana was started in 1986 by Kurt Cobain and Krist Novaselic. Kurt played the guitar and sang while Krist played bass-guitar. After a few attempts with some different drummers they were’t satisfied until they where introduced to Dave Grohl by the vocalist of the Melvins, who became the new drummer of Nirvana. They made their first demo in 1988 and it didn’t take long until their first single was released. Already the next year they released their first album, Bleach. This album cost a total of just $600 to record. They then started to tour in the U.S. and later that same year they had their first European concert in Newcastle, England.
In 1991 they signed a contract with Geffen records and started to produce their next album which was to be named Nevermind. September 24th the same year Nevermind was released and debuted as number 144 on the hit lists, but after an interview on MTV’s Headbangers Ball and an appearance on NBC’s Saturday Night Live the album climbs right to the top spot whit their hit song "Smells like teen spirit".
Kurt had never expected to be so popular and did not even like the idea of being a main stream rocker. He hated the commercial part of Nirvana and had several times encouraged the audience to stop buying their records and to stop coming to their concerts.
24th of January 1992, Kurt got married to the former stripper Courtney Love in Wakiki, Hawaii. In the beginning of 1993 Nirvana recorded what was to be their last studio recorded album, In Utero. This album was recorded in two weeks, but wasn’t released for another six months, due the work-title "I Hate Myself And I Want To Die." This title reflects the fact of Kurt's suicidal nature.
On the 8th of April 1994 Kurt was found dead in his own house, of what appeared to be a self-inflicted shotgun blast to the head. Two days after there was a memorial where Courtney read a part from his suicide note. Kurt had said earlier that same year that he never expected to reach the age of 30. Unfortunately he was right. He became a rock legend like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison. They were all 27.
Time Line Of Kurt Cobain's Life
•Born Kurt Cobain on 20th Febuary 1967. Born at Grays Habor Community Hospital, Hoquiam, Washington USA. Parents Donald and Wendy Cobain.
•Moved to Aberdeen, Washington USA when 6 months old.
•Sister born three years later, Kimberly Cobain.
•Attended Robert Gray Kindergarten.
•Attended Aberdeen Junior High School. In year eight he transferred to Miller Junior High School.
•In 1983 he transferred to Aberdeen High School.
•Chris Novoselic and Kurt Cobain meet at Aberdeen High School.
•In 1986 Kurt recorded fortrack demo 'Fecal Matter' with Chris on bass and Aaron Burkhart on drums.
•1988 Nirvana formed, group consisted of Kurt Cobain, Chris Novaselic, Chad Channing and Jason Everman. 1988 Nirvana signed to Seattle label 'Subpop'. Lovebuzz - Big Cheese released as a limited edition of 1000. Nirvana recorded Bleach for only $600 in 1988, and was released on 'Subpop' in 1989.
•In 1989 Jason Everman left Nirvana.
•In 1990 Chad Channing left the band, and a Nirvana tour US with dale Crover on drums. Sliver was released in 1990 with Mudhoneys Dan Peters on drums. Dave Grohl joins in 1990. They signed to Geffen Records in 1990.
•1991 Nevermind was released.
•24th Febuary,1992 Kurt married Courney Love. Frances Bean was born on the 18th August 1992, 3 weeks premature. Late 1992 Incestocide was released.
•Utero was released in 1993.
•April 5th 1994 Kurt died, found dead April 8th 1994.
Kurt Cobain Biography
Kurt Donald Cobain was the leader of Nirvana, the multi-platinum grunge band that redefined the sound of the nineties.
Kurt was born on the 20th of February 1967 in Hoquaim, a small town 140 kilometres south-west of Seattle. His mother was a cocktail waitress and his father was an auto mechanic. Cobain soon moved to nearby Aberdeen, a depressed and dying logging town.
Kurt was for most his childhood a sickly bronchitic child. Matters were made worse when Kurt's parent's divorced when he was seven and by his own account Kurt said he never felt loved or secure again. He became increasingly difficult, anti-social and withdrawn after his parent's divorce. Kurt also said that his parent's traumatic split fueled a lot of the anguish in Nirvana's music.
After his parent's divorce Kurt found himself shuttled back and forth between various relatives and at one stage homeless living under a bridge.
When Kurt was eleven he heard and was captivated by the Britain's Sex Pistols and after their self-destruction Kurt and friend Krist Novoselic continued to listen to the wave of British bands including Joy Division the nihilistic post-punk band that some say Nirvana are directly descended from in form of mood, melody and lyrical quality.
Kurt's artistry and iconoclastic attitude didn't win many friends in high school and sometimes earned him beatings from "jocks" Kurt got even by spray painting "QUEER" on their pick-up trucks. By 1985 Aberdeen was dead and Cobain's next stop was Olympia. Kurt formed and reformed a series of bands before Nirvana came to be in 1986. Nirvana was an uneasy alliance between Kurt, bassist Krist Novoselic and eventually drummer and multi-instrumentalist Dave Grohl
By 1988 Nirvana were doing shows and had demo tapes going around. In 1989 Nirvana recorded their rough-edged first album Bleach for local Seattle independent label Sub-Pop
In Britain Nirvana received a lot of recognition and in 1991 their contract was bought out by Geffen, they signed to the mega-label, the first non-mainstream band to do so. Two and a half years after Nirvana's first C.D. Bleach was released they released Nevermind, a series of different, crunching, screaming songs that along with it's first single Smells Like Teen Spirit would propel Nirvana to mainstream stardom.
Smells Like Teen Spirit became Nirvana's most highly acclaimed and instantly recognizable song. Not many people can decipher it's exact lyrics but Kurt used a seductive hookline to hook the listener. Nevermind went on to sell ten million copies and make a reported $550 million (US) leaving Nirvana overnight millionaires. Kurt was shocked at the reception of his highly personal and passionate music repeatedly telling reporters that none of the band ever, ever expected anything like this. It quickly became obvious that the obsessively sickly and sensitive 24yr old was not going to cope well with the rock'n roll lifestyle. "If there was a rock star 101 course, I'd really have like to take it," Kurt once observed. Kurt fell into heroin in the early 90's, he said he used it as a shield against the rigorous demands of touring and to stop the pain of stomach ulcers or an irritated bowel. Through the touring and pressure Kurt continued to write his very personal acutely focused lyrics.
Kurt was distressed to find out that what he wrote and how it was interpreted could quite often be miles apart. He was appalled when he found out that Polly a heavily ironic anti-rape song had been used as background music in a real gang-rape. He later appealed to fans on the Incesticide liner notes "If any of you don't like gays or women or blacks, please leave us the fuck alone." It was to no avail, Kurt found that as an overnight millionaire musician control was something he had very little of. Kurt also worried that his band had sold-out, that it was attracting the wrong kind of fans (i.e the type that used to beat him up.)
In February 1992 Kurt skipped off to Hawaii to marry the already pregnant Courtney Love. Later in the year Nirvana released Incesticide and in August Kurt had hospital treatment for heroin abuse. Shortly after Frances Bean Cobain was born. In early 1993 In Utero was released into the top spot on the music charts. In Utero was widely acclaimed by the music press and it contains some of Kurt's most passionate work. In Utero was a lot more open than Nirvana's previous albums. Songs like All Apologies and Heart Shaped Box detailed aspects of Kurt's sometimes shaky marriage, other songs like Scentless Apprentice detailed the agonies and struggles of Kurt's experiences.
Nirvana embarked on a support tour and recorded and filmed an "unplugged" (acoustic) performance for MTV in November of 1993. Nirvana's choice to honour bands and people that had influenced them and Kurt's passionate and intense vocals especially on "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?"silenced many of their who had labeled Kurt talentless. Rumors circulated that the MTV Unplugged compilation would be Nirvana's last album and the band were splitting up.
Kurt was a gun fanatic and always had several in his possession or in various forms of confiscation. In the northern winter of 1993-94 Nirvana embarked on an extensive European tour. Twenty concerts into the tour Kurt developed throat problems and their schedule was interrupted while he recovered. While recovering Kurt flew to Rome to join his wife who was also preparing to tour with her own band.
On March the 4th Kurt was rushed to hospital in a coma after an unsuccessful suicide bid in which he washed down about fifty prescription painkillers with champagne. The suicide bid was officially called an accident and was not even made known to close friends and associates. Several days later he returned to Seattle. Kurt's wife, friends and managers convinced Kurt, who was still in deep distress to enter a detox program in L.A. According to a missing person's report filed by his mother Kurt fled after only a few days of the program.
Kurt was cited in the Seattle area with a shotgun. Days later on the 5th of April he barricaded himself into the granny flat behind his mansion, put a shotgun in his mouth and pulled the trigger(I NEVER BELIEVE THIS FACT). On Thursday April the 7th ~ two days after a medical examiner says Kurt shot himself and the day before his body was found police say Courtney Love herself was taken to hospital in L.A. for a drug overdose. Released on bail, Love checked herself into a rehab center but left soon after a friend called her the next day with news of Kurt's death.
Kurt's body was found when an electrician visiting the house to install a security system went round the back of the house when no one answered the front door and peered through windows. He thought he saw a mannequin sprawled on the floor until he noticed a splotch of blood by Kurt's ear. When police broke down the door they found Kurt dead on the floor, a shotgun still pointed at his chin and on a nearby counter a suicide note(Actually Retire Note For His Fan's,It's Not Suicide Note, I Belive) written in red ink addressed to Love and the couples then 19 month old daughter Frances Bean.
The suicide note ended with the words "I love you, I love you." Two days after Kurt Cobain's body was found about 5,000 people gathered in Seattle for a candlelight vigil. the distraught crowd filled the air with profane chants, burnt their flannel shirts and fought with police. They also listened to a tape made by Kurt's wife in which she read from his suicide note. Several distressed teenagers in the U.S. and Australia killed themselves. The mainstream media was lambasted for it's lack of respect and understanding of youth culture.
Rest In Peace 1967-1994