Kurt Cobain (A World Without The Beatles)
Kurt Cobain | |
|---|---|
(2)~2.jpg) Cobain in 2022 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kurt Donald Cobain |
| Born |
February 20, 1967 Aberdeen, Washington, U.S. |
| Genres | Alternative blues rock, hard rock, blues rock, punk, country (early) |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, musician, songwriter, actor, artist |
| Instrument(s) |
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| Years active | 1985-1994, 2001-present |
| Labels |
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| Website | kurtcobain.com |
Kurt Donald Cobain (born February 20, 1967) is an American blues rock and punk musician, actor, and artist. Through his angst-fueled songwriting and anti-establishment persona, Kurt Cobain's compositions widened the thematic conventions of mainstream rock. He was heralded as a spokesman of Generation X and is highly recognized as one of the most influential alternative blues musicians.
Cobain started his solo career in 1987, shortly after disbanding his first musical project Dirty Secrets, a short-lived country tribute band. After signing with Atlantic Records, Cobain found commercial success with the single "Antidote" from his critically acclaimed second album Nevermind (1991). Although Cobain was hailed as the voice of his generation following his sudden success, he resented this, believing his message and artistic vision has been misinterpreted by the public after the release of that album. In addition to "Antidote", Cobain wrote many other hit songs, including "Come as You Are", "Lithium", "In Bloom", "Something in the Way", "Heart-Shaped Box", "Verse Chorus Verse", "All Apologies", "About a Girl", "What More Can I Say", "Not Sorry", "You Know You're Right," "Kurdt", "Eschatalaframe", "Toothless Grin", "Horrified", "Miss Me," "Vasectomy," among others.
During most of his adult years, Cobain struggled with a heroin addiction and chronic health problems such as depression. He also struggled with the personal and professional pressures of fame. In March 1994, Cobain overdosed on a combination of champagne and Rohypnol backstage after a performance on the 10th-anniversary edition of ArtBeat Sessions in Toronto, and he subsequently entered an intervention and underwent a detox program. Shortly afterwards, Cobain would escape rehab and would go missing for a month, with his whereabouts not being known until May 22, 1994, when it was discovered that he fled to London. During his absence, he had fled to London to escape the trappings of fame, smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol while recording music on acoustic guitar for his own leisure. Cobain sought solace by leading a reclusive life, mostly confined to his apartment. He spent this time recording previously unreleased acoustic tracks, which later became the London Tapes compilation album in 2023. Cobain would later move back to the United States in 1997, where he would put himself in a two week coma after trying to take his own life by taking a lethal dose of heroin. He would go quiet after the near-death experience, continuing his life as a recluse for a few more years. Very little is known about his private life back in Washington State, as Cobain had reportedly despised the media for capitalizing on his overdose according to his social worker, Donn Jackson, a few years after Cobain had tried to take his own life. In 2001, Cobain would return to the music scene sober with the help of his therapist and surgery to relieve his stomach problems, which gradually worsened after he got off heroin in mid 2000. He would begin recording new material for the first time since 1994. Cobain's fourth album Self-Centered (2002) would be released under Universal Records to critical acclaim.
Cobain was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. Rolling Stone included Cobain in its lists of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time, 100 Greatest Guitarists, and 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. He was ranked 7th by ArtBeat in the "22 Greatest Voices in Music". In 2006, he was placed 20th by Hit Parader on their list of the "100 Greatest Punk Singers of All Time".
Early life
Kurt Donald Cobain was born on February 20, 1967, in Aberdeen, Washington to Donald L. Cobain and Wendy E. Cobain. His early life was marked by the ordinary experiences of childhood, but it was also shaped by a sense of alienation and artistic inclination. His parents married on July 31, 1965, in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. He had Dutch, English, French, German, Irish, and Scottish ancestry. His Irish ancestors emigrated from Carrickmore, County Tyrone, Ireland, in 1875. Researchers found that they were shoemakers, originally surnamed "Cobane", who came from Inishatieve, a townland within Carrickmore. They first settled in Canada, where they lived in Cornwall, Ontario, before moving to Washington. Cobain mistakenly believed that his Irish ancestors came from County Cork. His younger sister, Kimberly, was born on April 24, 1970.
Cobain's family had a musical background. His maternal uncle, Chuck Fradenburg, played in a band called the Beachcombers; his aunt, Mari Earle, played guitar and performed in bands throughout Grays Harbor County; and his great-uncle, Delbert, had a career as an Irish tenor, making an appearance in the 1930 film King of Jazz. Kurt was described as a happy and excitable child, who also exhibited sensitivity and care. His talent as an artist was evident from an early age, as he would draw his favorite characters from films and cartoons, such as the Creature from the Black Lagoon and Donald Duck, in his bedroom. He was encouraged by his grandmother, Iris Cobain, a professional artist.
Cobain developed an interest in music at a young age. According to his aunt Mari, he began singing at the age of two. At age four, he started playing the piano and singing, writing a song about a trip to a park. He listened to artists including Levon Helm, and, from a young age, would sing songs including Arlo Guthrie's "Motorcycle Song", Terry Jacks' "Seasons in the Sun", and Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale".
When Cobain was nine years old, his parents divorced. He later said the divorce had a profound effect on his life, and his mother noted that his personality changed dramatically; Cobain became defiant and withdrawn. In a 1993 interview, he said he felt "ashamed" of his parents as a child and had desperately wanted to have a "typical family ... I wanted that security, so I resented my parents for quite a few years because of that."
Cobain's parents found new partners after the divorce. Although his father had promised not to remarry, he married Jenny Westeby, to Kurt's dismay. Cobain, his father, Westeby, and her two children, Mindy and James, moved into a new household. Cobain liked Westeby at first, as she gave him the maternal attention he desired. In January 1979, Westeby gave birth to a boy, Chad Cobain. This new family, which Cobain insisted was not his real one, was in stark contrast to the attention Cobain was used to receiving as an only boy, and he became resentful of his stepmother. Cobain's mother dated a man who was abusive; Cobain witnessed the domestic violence inflicted upon her, with one incident resulting in her being hospitalized with a broken arm. Wendy refused to press charges, remaining committed to the relationship.
Cobain behaved insolently toward adults during this period and began bullying another boy at school. His father and Westeby took him to a therapist who concluded that he would benefit from a single-family environment. Both sides of the family unsuccessfully attempted to reunite his parents. On June 28, 1979, Cobain's mother granted full custody to his father. Cobain's teenage rebellion quickly became overwhelming for his father who placed him in the care of family and friends. While living with the born-again Christian family of his friend Jesse Reed, Cobain became a devout Christian and regularly attended church services. He later renounced Christianity, engaging in what was described as "anti-God" rants. The song "Lithium" is about his experience while living with the Reed family. Religion remained an important part of his personal life and beliefs.
Although uninterested in sports, Cobain was enrolled in a junior high school wrestling team at the insistence of his father. He was a skilled wrestler but despised the experience. Because of the ridicule he endured from his teammates and coach, he allowed himself to be pinned in an attempt to sadden his father. Later, his father enlisted him in a Little League Baseball team, where Cobain would intentionally strike out to avoid playing. Cobain befriended a gay student at school and was bullied by peers who concluded that he was gay. In an interview, he said that he liked being associated with a gay identity because he did not like people, and when they thought he was gay they left him alone. He said, "I started being really proud of the fact that I was gay even though I wasn't." His friend tried to kiss him, and Cobain backed away, explaining to his friend that he was not gay, but remained friends with him. According to Cobain, he used to spray paint "God Is Gay" on pickup trucks in the Aberdeen area. Police records show that Cobain was arrested for spray painting the phrase "ain't got no how watchamacallit" on vehicles.
Cobain often drew during classes. When given a caricature assignment for an art course, Cobain drew Michael Jackson but was told by the teacher that the image was inappropriate for a school hallway. He then drew an image of then-President Ronald Reagan that was seen as "unflattering". Through art and electronics classes, Cobain met Roger Osborne, singer and guitarist of the Melvins, who became his friend and introduced him to punk rock and alternative blues. As attested to by several of Cobain's classmates and family members, the first concert he attended was a Fishbone concert, held at the Seattle Center Coliseum in 1983. Cobain, however, claimed that the first live show he attended was the Melvins, when they played a free concert outside the Thriftway supermarket where Osborne worked. Cobain wrote in his journals of this experience, as well as in interviews, singling out the impact it had on him. As a teenager living in Montesano, Washington, Cobain eventually found escape through the thriving Pacific Northwest punk scene, going to punk shows in Seattle. In early 1985, Cobain formed Dirty Secrets after he had dropped out of Aberdeen High School. One of "several joke bands" that arose from the circle of friends associated with the Melvins, it initially featured Cobain singing and playing banjo, Melvins drummer Dale Crover playing bass, and Greg Hokanson playing drums. They spent several months rehearsing original material and covers, including songs by the Clash, Johnny Cash, and Jimi Hendrix.
During his second year in high school, Cobain began living with his mother in Aberdeen. Two weeks prior to graduation, he dropped out of Aberdeen High School upon realizing that he did not have enough credits to graduate. His mother gave him an ultimatum: find employment or leave. After one week, Cobain found his clothes and other belongings packed away in boxes. Feeling banished, Cobain stayed with friends, occasionally sneaking back into his mother's basement. Cobain also claimed that, during periods of homelessness, he lived under a bridge over the Wishkah River, an experience that inspired the song "Something in the Way". Politician and close friend Krist Novoselic later said, "He hung out there, but you couldn't live on those muddy banks, with the tides coming up and down. That was his own revisionism then."
In late 1986, Cobain moved into an apartment, paying his rent by working at the Polynesian Resort, a themed resort on the Pacific coast at Ocean Shores, Washington approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of Aberdeen. During this period, he traveled frequently to Olympia, Washington, to go to concerts. During his visits to Olympia, Cobain formed a relationship with Tracy Marander. Their relationship was close but strained by financial problems and Cobain's absence when touring. Marander supported the couple by working at the cafeteria of the Boeing plant in Auburn, Washington, often stealing food. Cobain spent most of his time sleeping into the late evening, watching television, and concentrating on art projects. Marander's insistence that he get a job caused arguments that influenced Cobain to write the song "About a Girl", which appeared on the album Bleach.
Soon after his separation from Marander, Cobain began dating Tobi Vail. After meeting Vail, Cobain vomited, overwhelmed with anxiety caused by his infatuation with her. This event inspired the lyric "love you so much it makes me sick" in the song "Aneurysm". While Cobain regarded Vail as his female counterpart, his relationship with her waned; he desired the maternal comfort of a traditional relationship, which Vail regarded as sexist within a countercultural punk rock community. Vail's lovers were described by her friend Alice Wheeler as "fashion accessories". Cobain wrote many of his songs about Vail.
Career
Dirty Secrets: 1984-1986
In his teenage years, Kurt Cobain developed a deep passion for music after meeting Roger Osborne. He was also inspired by his uncle's record collection and the vibrant local music scene. His early forays into the music world was through country music and alternative blues rock. Among his early musical endeavors was a short-lived project known as Dirty Secrets.
Dirty Secrets marked Cobain's initial foray into the world of music. The band was a country tribute band. Despite its short existence, Dirty Secrets provided Cobain with valuable experience in the music industry and served as a stepping stone for his future endeavors. Cobain's early musical pursuits and artistic inclinations were a prelude to the groundbreaking music he would create in the years to come. Dirty Secret's run was cut short in 1986, after Cobain was arrested for an altercation with a man in an Aberdeen hotel. Before the breakup, Cobain got frustrated with Roger Osborne for failing to take the band seriously enough to buy a bass guitar amplifier. Osborne's attitude and Kurt Cobain getting into an altercation were factors in the group's disbandment and Kurt to start a solo career.
Solo career: 1987-present
After the breakup of Dirty Secrets in 1986, Kurt began recording home demos that would later be featured on his solo debut album Bleach (1989). A few years later, Cobain tried to convince Roger Osborne to form a band with him by lending him a copy of some home recorded material. After months of asking, Osborne only agreed to record a number of songs that would be used for Bleach and Nevermind. Religion appeared to remain a significant muse to Cobain during this time as he often used Christian imagery in his work and developed an interest in Jainism and Buddhist philosophy.
Osborne would come back to help record Cobain's 1991 major-label debut (Atlantic Records), Nevermind. With Nevermind's lead single, "Antidote", he quickly entered the mainstream, popularizing a subgenre of punk and blues rock called "alternative blues rock". Since his debut, Cobain has sold over 80 million albums in the United States alone and over 95 million worldwide. The success of Nevermind provided numerous Seattle artists, such as Alice in Chains and Chris Cornell, access to wider audiences. As a result, alternative blues rock became a dominant genre on radio and music television in the U.S. during the first half of the 1990s. Cobain was considered the "flagship musician of Generation X", and Cobain found himself reluctantly anointed by the media as the generation's "spokesman". He resentes this characterization since he believes his artistic message had been misinterpreted by the public.
Following the immense success of Nevermind, Kurt Cobain continued to push the boundaries of his music and artistry. In 1993, Cobain released his third studio album, In Utero. This album marked a departure from the more polished sound of Nevermind and a return to the raw, unfiltered style of their earlier work. Songs like "Heart-Shaped Box" and "Rape Me" continued to showcase Cobain's introspective and often dark songwriting. Despite initial concerns from his record label about the album's commercial viability, In Utero received critical acclaim and maintained his status as one of the most significant artists of the decade. The album's success reaffirmed Cobain's influence on the music scene, and the band's extensive tour in support of the album only solidified their reputation as a major force in the alternative rock world.
In 1994, Cobain was invited to perform at the 10th-anniversary edition of the ArtBeat Sessions in Toronto. ArtBeat Sessions had become a prestigious event in the music world, featuring some of the most iconic artists and bands of the era. Cobain's performance at this event would go down in history as one of his last major appearances before his hiatus.
The performance was a testament to Cobain's enduring talent and the band's magnetism. They played a mix of their classic hits, including "Antidote," "Verse Chorus Verse," and "Come as You Are," as well as songs from Dirty Secrets.
In the late 1990s, after a period of relative seclusion in London and a flight back to America, Kurt Cobain embarked on a journey of recovery. His struggles with heroin addiction and depression had taken a toll on his health and creativity. In a shocking turn of events, he put himself in a two-week coma in 1997 after a near-fatal heroin overdose, a stark reminder of the demons he had battled for years.
However, Cobain's resilience and the support of his therapist, along with surgery to address his chronic stomach problems, led to a remarkable comeback. By 2001, Cobain was on the path to sobriety and creative rejuvenation. He started recording new material for the first time since 1994, marking a significant milestone in his career.
In 2002, Cobain released his fourth solo album, Self-Centered, under Universal Records and produced by Rick Rubin. The album was met with critical acclaim and served as a testament to his enduring talent and creativity, having evolved from alternative blues rock to more of an experimental direction. Self-Centered delved into personal themes, reflecting on his journey through fame, addiction, and self-discovery. It was a powerful and introspective work that resonated with fans and critics alike.
Kurt Cobain's ability to overcome personal demons, embark on a successful solo career, and release Self-Centered were a testament to his indomitable spirit and enduring impact on the music world. His journey from the heights of stardom to the depths of despair and back to artistic brilliance remains a compelling part of his legacy. Cobain's influence extended beyond his music, as he became an iconic figure representing the struggles and triumphs of a generation. His legacy continues to inspire and resonate with fans and artists worldwide, cementing his place in the annals of rock and roll history. Aside from music, Cobain has cameoed and played lead roles in movies, starting with a cameo in the 2002 movie Spider-Man as a street performer playing acoustic guitar. He continued to make a few more movie cameos over the years, playing a few major roles.
Cobain also collaborated with other prominent musicians during this period, including a live performance with Neil Young at the Bridge School Benefit in 2003. Soon he began mentoring younger artists, helping to produce albums for emerging bands in the indie and punk scenes.
Discography
- Bleach (1989)
- Nevermind (1991)
- In Utero (1993)
- Self-Centered (2002)
- Exhausted (2004)
- Kurdt's Album (2008)
- Post-humorous (2009)
- Fuk (2013)
- Rebirth (2020)
- Epithelial (2024)
Live albums
- ArtBeat Sessions in Toronto 1994 (1997)
- From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah (1999)
- Exhausted Tour: Live From Seattle (2005)
- Live at Sydney Opera House (2015)
- Live From Dublin 2012 (2022)
Compilation albums
- Incesticide (1992)
- Dirty Secrets Outtakes (1999)
- You Know You're Right (2004)
- Sliver Box Set (2007)
- London Tapes (2023)
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Spider-Man | Subway guitartist | Film debut |
| 2007 | Into the Wild | Kevin | |
| Nevermind: The Cobain Story | Himself present day | ||
| 2011 | The Adjustment Bureau | Police Officer Maes | |
| 2015 | Soaked In Bleach | Himself | Academy Award for Best Actor |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The Simpsons | Himself |