Wednesday marks the 12th anniversary of Kurt Cobain’s death. I’ll spare you the nostalgia — no fogy-ish mutterings from me about where I was when I found out, or how today’s music scene seems to have forgotten his influence and rolled on as if Nirvana never happened. In fact, everyone else plans to spare you the nostalgia as well; as far as I know, there are to be no tributes on MTV, VH1, or any other channel tonight or anytime in the near future.
But if the pop world that spawned Cobain seems to have forgotten him, the commercial world hasn’t. Besides the chuckles we got a few weeks ago at the announcement of a Kurt Cobain action figure, there was the news last week that Courtney Love is selling off a big stake in the Nirvana catalogue, opening it up for licensing in commercials and movies. ”We’re going to remain very tasteful, and we’re going to [retain] the spirit of Nirvana and take Nirvana places it’s never been before,” she told RollingStone.com. Hmmm, does ”tasteful” mean not using ”Smells Like Teen Spirit” to sell deodorant? Let’s hope so.
In the meantime, you can remember Cobain via the few folks still keeping his flame. Among them is Cher, of all people, and also these Heartland kids who’ve appropriated Nirvana’s biggest hit to pay tribute to their school basketball team. Here’s what teen spirit smells like today.
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I think part of the reason Grunge fell to the wayside as fast as it did was Cobain’s death. Exempting perhaps Pearljam, none of the “grunge” bands had the charisma, charm, or songwriting talent of Nirvana (Sorry Soundgarden fans, but you know I am right). Without Kurt, it was as if the spokesman for the movement was gone.
Would he still be at the top of the charts? Maybe not. But Anton Newcombe has proven that talented muscicians who influence other bands to greatness don’t always get the gold records themselves.
Unfortunately, as with so many of the greats (Billy Holiday, John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin), we’ll never know what could have been.
Courtney Love says “We’re going to remain very tasteful”??
This man was a genius in his time with his music. But, why remember a man who was stupid enough to kill himself? Because he had such a hard-knock life selling all that music? I may sound naive about the emotional state he was in when he offed himself, but I simply refuse to glorify the death of someone who decided life just wasn’t worth living anymore. That kind of act is selfish and bars no reflection on the people who surrounded him at the time and cared for him.
Remember the music, forget the stupid man.
Can you really say that people have forgetten him just because there aren’t any MTV or VH1 tributes on the 12th anniversary of his death? 12 is a pretty random anniversary to call “foul” on. Maybe if they don’t do anything for the 15th or 20th anniversary I’ll wonder.
When Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit was released I was sixteen. Top fourty stations had that song wedged in with Constant Craving by K.D. Lang, and Life is a Highway by Tom Cocrhaine. To be honest, I could not understand a word that Cobaine sang, and I don’t think that anyone did. However the music and the power of his compostion changed the style of what punk music is today. It toned down the music of groups like Suicidal Tendencies and made it more commercial. This is what Kurt Cobaine will be remembered for. Killing himself was his choice. He was really depressed, fighting with his inner demons whatever they were. I feel really bad for his daughter Frances.
Kurt Cobain has to be the most overrated “artist” of this generation. His lyrics were drivel and he couldn’t carry a tune if it had a handle. I cringe when people say he was the voice of my generation. I’ll pass, thank you. The fact that they still play his crap music on the radio ad nauseum is ridiculous.
Nirvana was the last ‘great band.’ Kurt seemed like a good guy. What a waste! As for Courtney saying she will be very tasteful, I guess there’s a first time for everything.
The greatest thing to come out of Nirvana are the Foofighters. I thank Cobain for that.
I have to disagree with Ep Sato and say that grunge–and hardcore rap for that matter–fell by the wayside because it was too much of a liability for the record labels. How do you market junkies, manic depressives, and gangbangers to the youth? How do you ensure that your artists will stay out of rehab, jail or the morgue to fulfill their contractual obligations?
I don’t think it was an accident that after grunge the next major pop phenomenon was the prefabricated boy band. Much easier to market, and more importantly, control.
Courtney Love…..tasteful??
I dont think so…does she even know what that word means…someone throw her a dictionary…preferably at her head.
The reason the music industry is acting as if Nirvana never happened is b/c they were a simple, one-off, one-hit wonder. As a college student in the early 90’s, I was as blown away by “Smells Like Teen Spirit” as the next person. But there was nothing else. They have about as much lasting importance in the music world as The Knack (trust me, if their lead singer had died, critics would be telling you that “My Sharona” was one of the best rock ‘n roll songs of all time, which it is). In Utero, Nirvana’s second album s*cked, big time. I saw them in concert during that tour and it was easily the worst show I’ve ever seen. They basically jeered at the audience for 80 minutes, like they were making fun of anyone who would spend $25 to see them play. Yes, the joke was on us. And it continues to be on anyone who wastes his/her time lamenting Kurt Cobain’s death. He wasn’t the voice of a generation. Like so many performers and politicians before him, his reputation in death is absolutely no reflection of his accomplishments in life.
I concur with MJ. With or without Kurt the “grunge scene” would have eventually collapsed. IMHO, it would have lasted longer than summer of ‘95 with a better living spokesman than Eddie Vedder. Boy bands, garage rockers and Britney Spears are easier to keep an eye on than Snoop or Kurt, so it well could have been led by the labels themselves.
My point is more about how cool the colloborations would have been if Cobain had lived and the ways he would have continued to influence music as a producer or collaborator. Queens of the Stone Age already has a former Nirvana guy come by and rock with them. Imagine if Cobain was guesting on the new Velvet Revolver album, or partnering up with some other brilliant wacko like Anton Newcombe. Wouldn’t that have been cool?
Courtney Love: ”We’re going to remain very tasteful, and we’re going to [retain] the spirit of Nirvana and take Nirvana places it’s never been before.”
WHAT??? Courtney? Tasteful? Bwa-ha-ha-ha!!!
Cobain guesting on the new Velvet Revolver album? I thought Nirvana and GnR were mortal enemies back in the day.
“Imagine if Cobain was guesting on the new Velvet Revolver album, or partnering up with some other brilliant wacko like Anton Newcombe. Wouldn’t that have been cool?….”
Ah yes, but poor wittle Kurt was a lonely, selfish, little pathetic imp who was “suffering” from the media frenzy onslaught that he worked so hard to achieve, how could he possibly share that with anyone?
Even the drug-induced Weiland would’ve had the sense enough to stay away from that abhoration of a collaboration.