'Its better to burn out than to fade away'
-Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain was born to Donald Cobain and Wendy O'connor Feb 20 1967, near Seattle Wash. His sister, Kim, was born about two years later. Kurt was an outgoing child, who liked it to be the center of attention, he already showed signs of artistic ability. Soon, however his parents' marriage turned sour, and they divorced. This devastated poor Kurt. Kurt was passed between his parents most of his life, and this made a bad problem worse. Eventually, Kurt got interested in Rock, New Wave, and blues. This focused Kurt's talent in a new direction. Distraught with school, he left close to graduation, despite the prospect of an art scholarship. He stayed with friends most of the time, the rest of the time he slept under a bridge. He even lived a short tiem with Matt Lukin from the Melvins. Soon, Kurt was playing in small arenas, impressing many people, and eventually meeting and teaming up with Kris Novoselic. They named their band Nirvana, but couldn't seem to keep a drummer. Their first two albums, Insesticide and Bleach, though small, helped them launch their first tour. The real turning point for Nirvana, and the event that many mark as the beginning of the Grunge/Alternative movement was the release in 1991 of the ground breaking "Nevermind" album. One song in particular, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" gained a lot of recognition. Nirvana's blend of punk, new wave, and classic rock sounds, started an explosion of what eventually became known as 'Alternative' rock bands. Kurt himself had gained Mega-Star status in the eyes of his fans, who saw the man much the way Hendrix's fans and Clapton's fans had viewed them, as something of a hero and spokesperson for their generation, a title Kurt shunned. Eventually Kurt met and married and had a daughter with, fellow Alternative band leader, Courtney Love. Between countless shows, Nirvana also put out their second album, whose success equaled the first, In Utero. During this time, severe, crippling stomach pains from which Cobain had suffered all his adult life (which many attribute to his riddlin perscription as a child) led to a severe drug problem. The height of Cobain's career cam when he performed for Mtv's Unplugged, perhaps the most memorable Unplugged show ever. The performance was eventually made into another hit record. It was during this show that Cobain revealed his admiration for, and played a music tribute to, the legendary guitarist Leadbelly. Eventually, Kurt's drug problem spiraled out of control, in direct relation to the intense stomach pains. Eventually, Kurt escaped from a drug rehab center he was retrieving treatment at. A few days later, Apr 8th, 1994, distraught and on heroin, Cobain but a shotgun in his mouth, and ended his life. This devastated millions of fans, but too many people concentrate now on the circumstances of his death, murder theories, endless conjecture on why he did what he did, sometimes drown out the life of a man who, in many ways, breathed new life into rock n roll.
Here are some great Kurt Cobain Links: