10 years ago today an electrician in Seattle, Washington discovered the body of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. It is believed Cobain actually died 3 days prior, on April 5. His death was ruled suicide via a self-inflicted gunshot, though in recent years this conclusion has been increasingly questioned. A suicide note was found at the scene, and no one can doubt that he was a troubled individual with a history of drug problems (including at least two overdoses). However, I must digress. I am not writing to investigate the circumstances around his death - god knows there has been plenty written (and filmed) about that. I am merely writing to talk about my experience with Nirvana.
When "grunge rock" hit mainstream -- which, as the son of middle-aged Republicans, where else would I get my information but from mainstream America? -- I wasn't that big of a fan. That is to say, I enjoyed it, but wasn't enamored of it. I was into the "gods of rock" at the time -- Metallica and Guns N Roses. However, the sound did have a way of growing on you and the more I listened to it, the more I liked it - especially Nirvana. Unfortunately, I didn't realize until it was too late what we had.
I can't tell you what day of the week it was, but I can tell you exactly where I was when I found out that Kurt Cobain had died. I would have been at tennis practice that afternoon -- during my senior year of high school! -- and then would have headed home for dinner. That part I can only speculate on, but this part I know for fact. I remember my parents telling me over the course of dinner that Cobain had died. They didn't know any details yet, only that he had died. I remember my first reaction being, "Oh, well that's a shame for his family." Later, I remember seeing footage on the news of the various vigils that had sprung up across the country to honor Cobain's memory. Of these people, I remember thinking, "Are they idiots? They're acting like he was John Lennon. I mean, Nirvana isn't -- wasn't? -- that good."
Well, 10 years have passed and I have come to like Nirvana even more than I did then. I still think people continue to overreact to his death and overrate his talent, though I do miss him and his music. For my money, I think their best album top to bottom is the Unplugged album they recorded in 1993. For hidden gems, though, I would go with Nevermind (see "Territorial Pissings," "Breed" and "Drain You").
I keep a list -- to torture myself, of course -- of bands that I wish I had seen in concert in their heyday. I don't include on the list Led Zeppelin, The Clash, The Doors, etc, as I am much younger than that. I only include those bands that it would have been possible for me to see while they were at the height of their relevance and talent. And while the list includes the likes of Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Greenday, the criminally underrated Alice in Chains, and Metallica, Nirvana is at the top.
Now we are left to ponder the future and wonder where rock will go. I am of the humble -- and popular -- opinion that rock is dead. I think grunge was the last little bit of revolution that rock had left, and that passed with the breakup of Soundgarden (1997) and the death of Layne Staley (2002) -- lead singer of Alice in Chains. Now we're left with Limp Bizkit to carry the torch of rock rebels. Who said rock and roll can never die? |
