Today would have been Kurt Cobain’s 40th birthday. For a guy who is etched into our memories at 27, that sounds pretty old (sort of like imagining the forever young JFK, who’d turn 90 this year).
The Belfast Telegraph has a good look at Cobain’s short life and his legacy. In 2002, Pete Townsend reviewed Cobain’s published journals for The Guardian.
I was never much of a fan of Nirvana. A parody of their trademark song did make me a fan of Weird Al, who has a knack for getting the music right. So, through proxy, I came to appreciate the band.
Even more so, I appreciate the impact their music had on the 90s, leading away from the bubble gum 80s, at least for awhile. I have to wonder how Cobain would have continued to influence music and culture if he’d stayed alive. How would he have used the Internet? What would he be writing in his blog on the big Four Oh?
Of course, we can only wonder, so we’re left with the video below, Cobain’s crowning achievement. Sure, it’s Weird Al’s Smell’s Like Nirvana. The legend has it that Cobain realized Nirvana had “made it” when he heard the parody. I don’t want to put words in his mouth, but I think he’d agree this is as good as it gets.
Wow, I can’t believe it’s been that long. I read ‘Heavier than Heaver’ a couple years ago and it really was quite a fascinating (albeit dark and a tad depressing) life story. Probably even more so because it happened in the Northwest.