Kurt Cobain

Kurt Cobain was the frontman, lead singer and guitarist of the popular grunge band Nirvana. He was also the husband of Hole frontwoman, Courtney Love. He formed the band in 1988 with Krist Novoselic. He wrote the songs for the band's three studio albums. Kurt Cobain has been cited as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, being ranked 12th, then 73rd, then 45th in lists of the greatest guitarists from Rolling Stone magazine. In 1994, Kurt Cobain commited suicide by gunshot.

## History

***The following section(s) have been copy/pasted from Wikipedia.***

Cobain was born at Grays Harbor Hospital in Aberdeen, Washington, the son of waitress Wendy Elizabeth (née Fradenburg; born 1948) and automotive mechanic Donald Leland Cobain (born 1946). His parents were married on July 31, 1965 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. His ancestry included Dutch, English, French, German, Irish, and Scottish. His Irish ancestors emigrated from Carrickmore, County Tyrone in 1875. Researchers found that they were shoemakers, originally named "Cobane", who came from Inishatieve, a townland within Carrickmore. They first settled in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada, and then in Washington. Cobain himself believed his family 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 being 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.[3][7]:11 This enthusiasm was encouraged by his grandmother, Iris Cobain, who was a professional artist.[10]
Cobain began developing an interest in music early in life. 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
local park. He listened to artists like the Ramones[11] and Electric Light Orchestra (ELO),[12] and, from a young age, would sing songs like Arlo Guthrie's "Motorcycle Song", The Beatles' "Hey Jude", Terry Jacks' "Seasons in the Sun", and the theme song to the television show of the band The Monkees.[7]:9

Cobain was born at Grays Harbor Hospital in Aberdeen, Washington, the son of waitress Wendy Elizabeth (née Fradenburg; born 1948) and
automotive mechanic Donald Leland Cobain (born 1946). His parents
were married on July 31, 1965 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. His ancestry
included Dutch, English, French, German, Irish, and Scottish. His
Irish ancestors emigrated from Carrickmore, County Tyrone in 1875.
Researchers found that they were shoemakers, originally named"Cobane", who came from Inishatieve, a townland within
Carrickmore. They first settled in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada, and
then in Washington. Cobain himself believed his family came from
County Cork. His younger sister, Kimberly, was born on April 24,

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 being 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. This enthusiasm was encouraged by his
grandmother, Iris Cobain, who was a professional artist.

Cobain began developing an interest in music early in life.
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 local park. He listened to artists like the Ramones
and Electric Light Orchestra, and, from a young age, would sing songs
like Arlo Guthrie's "Motorcycle Song", The Beatles' "Hey
Jude", Terry Jacks' "Seasons in the Sun", and the
theme song to the television show of the band The Monkees.

When Cobain was nine years old, his parents divorced. He later
said that the divorce had a profound effect on his life, while his
mother noted that his personality changed dramatically; Cobain became
defiant and withdrawn. In a 1993 interview, he elaborated:

“I remember feeling ashamed, for some reason. I was ashamed of
my parents. I couldn't face some of my friends at school anymore,
because I desperately wanted to have the classic, you know, typical
family. Mother, father. I wanted that security, so I resented my
parents for quite a few years because of that.”

Cobain's parents both found new partners after the divorce.
Although his father had promised not to remarry, after meeting Jenny
Westeby, he did, to Kurt's dismay. Cobain, his father, Westeby, and
her two children, Mindy and James, moved into a new household
together. 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 soon began to express resentment
toward his stepmother. Cobain's mother began dating 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 steadfastly refused to press charges, remaining completely
committed to the relationship.

Cobain behaved insolently toward adults during this period of his
youth, and began bullying another boy at school. These behaviors
eventually caused his father and Westeby to take him to a therapist,
who concluded that he would benefit from a single family environment.
Both sides of the family attempted to bring his parents back
together, but to no avail. 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 his son in the care of family
and friends. While living with the born-again Christian family of his
friend Jesse Reed, he became a devout Christian and regularly
attended church services. He later renounced Christianity, engaging
in what would be described as "anti-God" rants. The song
"Lithium" is about his experience while living with the
Reed family. Religion would remain 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
homosexual student at school and suffered bullying from heterosexual
students 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
stated, "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 would
remain friends with him. In a 1993 interview with *The Advocate*,
Cobain claimed that he was "gay in spirit" and "probably
could be bisexual". He also stated that 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 other vehicles. One of
his personal journals states, "I am not gay, although I wish I
were, just to piss off homophobes".

Cobain playing drums at an assembly at Montesano High School

Cobain would often draw during school classes as part of his
enjoyment of creating visual art. He would draw objects, including
those associated with the human anatomy. 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". As attested to by several of
Cobain's classmates and family members, the first concert he attended
was Sammy Hagar and Quarterflash, held at the Seattle Center Coliseum
in 1983. Cobain, however, claimed that the first concert he attended
was the Melvins, and he wrote prolifically in his journals of the
experience. As a teenager living in Montesano, Washington, Cobain
eventually found escape through the thriving Pacific Northwest punk
scene, going to punk rock shows in Seattle.

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 a choice: find employment or
leave. After one week, Cobain found his clothes and other belongings
packed away in boxes. Feeling banished from his own mother's home,
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".
However, Nirvana bassist 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".

In late 1986, Cobain moved into an apartment, paying his rent by
working at The Polynesian Resort, a Polynesian coastal resort
approximately 20 miles (32 km) north of Aberdeen. During this
period, he was traveling frequently to Olympia, Washington, to go to
rock concerts. During his visits to Olympia, Cobain formed a
relationship with Tracy Marander. The couple had a close
relationship, but one that was often strained with financial
difficulties and Cobain's absence when touring. Marander supported
the couple by working at the cafeteria of the Seattle–Tacoma
International Airport, often stealing food. During his time with
Marander, Cobain spent most of his time sleeping into the late
evening, watching television, and concentrating on art projects. Her
insistence that he get a job caused arguments that influenced Cobain
to write "About a Girl", which was featured on the Nirvana
album *Bleach*. Marander is credited with having taken the cover
photo for the album. She did not become aware that "About a
Girl" was written about her until years after Cobain's death.

Soon after his separation from Marander, Cobain began dating Tobi
Vail, an influential punk zinester of the riot grrrl band Bikini Kill
who embraced the DIY ethos. After meeting Vail, Cobain vomited, as he
was so completely overwhelmed with anxiety caused by his infatuation
with her. This event would inspire the lyric "love you so much
it makes me sick", which appears in the song "Aneurysm".
While Cobain would regard Vail as his female counterpart, his
relationship with her eventually waned. Cobain desired the maternal
comfort of a traditional relationship, which Vail regarded as sexist
within a countercultural punk rock community. Those who dated Vail
would be described by her friend Alice Wheeler as "fashion
accessories". Cobain and Vail spent most of their time together
as a couple discussing political and philosophical issues. In 1990,
they collaborated on a musical project called Bathtub is Real, in
which they both sang and played guitar and drums. They recorded their
songs on a four-track tape machine that belonged to Vail's father. In
Everett True's 2009 book *Nirvana: The Biography*, Vail is
quoted as saying:

'[Kurt] would play the songs he was writing, I would play the songs I was
 writing and we'd record them on my dad's four-track. Sometimes I'd sing
 on the songs he was writing and play drums on them ... He was really
into the fact that I was creative and into music. I don't think he'd
ever played music with a girl before. He was super-inspiring and fun to
play with."

Slim Moon described their sound as "like the minimal quiet
pop songs that Olympia is known for. Both of them sang; it was really
good". Cobain's relationship with Vail would inspire the lyrical
content of many of the songs on *Nevermind*. Once, while he was
discussing anarchism and punk rock with friend Kathleen Hanna,
another member of Bikini Kill, Hanna spray-painted "Kurt Smells
Like Teen Spirit" on Cobain's apartment wall. Teen Spirit was
the name of a deodorant Vail wore. Cobain, unaware of the deodorant's
existence, interpreted the slogan as having a revolutionary meaning,
and it inspired the title of the Nirvana song "Smells Like Teen Spirit".

### **Nirvana**

On his 14th birthday on February 20, 1981, Cobain's uncle offered
him either a bike or a used guitar—he chose the guitar. Soon, he was trying to copy Led Zeppelin's power ballad, "Stairway to Heaven". "Louie Louie", Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust", and The Cars' "My Best Friend's Girl"
were cover versions learnt by Cobain before he began working on his own songs.

During high school, Cobain rarely found anyone with whom he could
play music. While hanging out at the Melvins' practice space, he met Krist Novoselic, a fellow devotee of punk rock. Novoselic's mother owned a
hair salon, and the pair would occasionally practice in the upstairs
room of the salon. A few years later, Cobain tried to convince
Novoselic to form a band with him by lending him a copy of a home
demo recorded by Cobain's earlier band, Fecal Matter. The demo was entitled, *Illiteracy Will Prevail*. After months of
asking, Novoselic finally agreed to join Cobain, forming the
beginnings of Nirvana.

Religion appeared to remain significant to Cobain during this
time, as he often used Christian imagery in his work, and maintained
a constant interest in Jainism and Buddhist philosophy. The band name
"Nirvana" was taken from the Buddhist concept, which Cobain
described as "freedom from pain, suffering and the external
world", a concept that he aligned with the punk rock ethos and
ideology.

Cobain was disenchanted after early touring, due to the band's
inability to draw substantial crowds and the difficulty of sustaining
themselves. During their first few years playing together, Novoselic
and Cobain were hosts to a rotating list of drummers. Eventually, the
band settled on Chad Channing, with whom Nirvana recorded the album
*Bleach*, released on Sub Pop Records in 1989. Cobain, however,
became dissatisfied with Channing's style, leading the band to find a
new drummer, and they eventually settled on Dave Grohl. With Grohl, the
band found their greatest success through their 1991 major-label
debut, *Nevermind*.

With *Nevermind'*s lead single, "Smells Like Teen Spirit", Nirvana entered the mainstream, popularizing a subgenre
of alternative rock called "grunge". Since their debut,
Nirvana has sold over 25 million albums in the United States
(U.S.) alone, and over 75 million worldwide.

The success of *Nevermind* provided numerous Seattle bands,
such as Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden, access to wider
audiences. As a result, alternative rock became a dominant genre on
radio and music television in the U.S. during the early-to-middle
1990s. Nirvana was considered the "flagship band of Generation
X", and frontman Cobain found himself reluctantly anointed by
the media as the generation's "spokesman".

Cobain struggled to reconcile the massive success of Nirvana with
his underground roots. He also felt persecuted by the media,
comparing himself to Frances Farmer. He began to harbor resentment
against people who claimed to be fans of the band, yet refused to
acknowledge, or misinterpreted, the band's social and political
views. A vocal opponent of sexism, racism and homophobia, he was
publicly proud that Nirvana had played at a gay rights benefit,
supporting No-on-Nine, in Oregon in 1992. The show was held in
opposition to Ballot Measure Nine, a ballot measure, that if passed,
would have prohibited schools in the state from acknowledging or
positively accepting LGBT rights and welfare.

Cobain was a vocal supporter of the pro-choice movement and
Nirvana was involved in L7's Rock for Choice campaign. He received
death threats from a small number of anti-abortion activists for
participating in the pro-choice campaign, with one activist
threatening to shoot Cobain as soon as he stepped on a stage.

### **Death**

Following a tour stop at Turminal Eins in Munich, Germany on March
1, 1994, Cobain was diagnosed with bronchitis and severe laryngitis.
He flew to Rome the next day for medical treatment, and was joined by
his wife, Courtney Love on March 3. The next Morning, Love found
that Cobain had overdosed on champagne and Rohypnol. Cobain was
rushed to a hospital, and spend the whole day unconscious. After
five days in the hospital, Cobain was released and returned to
Seattle. Love later stated this was his first suicide attempt.

On March 18, 1994, Love phoned the Seattle police informing them that Cobain was suicidal and had locked himself in a room with a gun. Police arrived and confiscated several guns and a bottle of pills from Cobain, who insisted that he was not suicidal and had locked himself in the room to hide from Love.

Love arranged an intervention regarding Cobain's drug use on March 25, 1994. The ten people involved included musician friends, record company executives, and one of Cobain's closest friends, Dylan Carlson. The intervention was initially unsuccessful, with an
angry Cobain insulting and heaping scorn on its participants and
eventually locking himself in the upstairs bedroom. However, by the
end of the day, Cobain had agreed to undergo a detox
program.[46]
Cobain arrived at the Exodus Recovery Center in Los Angeles on March
30, 1994. The staff at the facility were unaware of Cobain's history
of depression and prior attempts at suicide. When visited by friends,
there was no indication to them that Cobain was in any negative or
suicidal state of mind. He spent the day talking to counselors about
his drug abuse and personal problems, happily playing with his daughter Frances. These interactions were the last time Cobain saw his daughter.

The following night, Cobain
walked outside to have a cigarette, and climbed over a six-foot-high
fence to leave the facility (which he had joked earlier in the day
would be a stupid feat to attempt). He took a taxi to Los Angeles
Airport and flew back to Seattle. On the flight, he sat next to Duff
McKagan of Guns
N' Roses. Despite Cobain's own personal animosity towards Guns N'
Roses, and specifically Axl
Rose, Cobain "seemed happy" to see McKagan. McKagan
later stated he knew from "all of my instincts that something
was wrong" Most of his close friends and family were unaware of his whereabouts.
On April 2 and 3, Cobain was spotted in numerous locations around
Seattle. On April 3, Love contacted private investigator Tom Grant,
and hired him to find Cobain. Cobain was not seen the next day. On
April 7, amid rumors of Nirvana breaking up, the band pulled out of
the 1994 Lollapalooza
music festival.

On April 8, Cobain's body was discovered at his Lake
Washington Boulevard home by electrician Gary Smith who had arrived to install a security system. Apart from a minor
amount of blood coming out of Cobain's ear, the electrician reported seeing no visible signs of trauma,
and initially believed that Cobain was asleep until he saw the
shotgun pointing at his chin. A note was found, addressed to Cobain's
childhood imaginary
friend Boddah, that stated that Cobain had not "felt the
excitement of listening to as well as creating music, along with
really writing for too many years now". A high
concentration of heroin and traces of diazepam
were also found in his body. Cobain's body had been lying there for
days; the coroner's report estimated Cobain to have died on April 5,

A public vigil was held for Cobain on April 10, 1994, at a park at
Seattle Center
drawing approximately seven thousand mourners. Prerecorded messages by Novoselic and Love were played at the
memorial. Love read portions of Cobain's suicide note to the crowd,
crying and chastising Cobain. Near the end of the vigil, Love arrived
at the park and distributed some of Cobain's clothing to those who
still remained. Grohl would say that the news of Cobain's death was:

> ... probably the worst thing that has happened to me in
>
>
> my life. I remember the day after that I woke up and I was
> heartbroken that he was gone. I just felt like, "Okay, so I get
>
>
>
> to wake up today and have another day and he doesn't".
>
>

He also believed that he knew Cobain would die at an early age,
saying that "sometimes you just can't save someone from
themselves", and "in some ways, you kind of prepare
yourself emotionally for that to be a reality". Dave Reed, who for a short time was Cobain's foster father, said that
"he had the desperation, not the courage, to be himself. Once
you do that, you can't go wrong, because you can't make any mistakes
when people love you for being yourself. But for Kurt, it didn't
matter that other people loved him; he simply didn't love himself
enough".

A final ceremony was
arranged for Cobain, by his mother, on May 31, 1999, and was attended
by both Love and Tracy Marander. As a Buddhist monk chanted, daughter
Frances Bean scattered Cobain's ashes into McLane Creek in Olympia,
the city where he "had found his true artistic muse".

Cobain's artistic endeavors and
struggles with heroin addiction, illness and depression, as well as
the circumstances of his death have become a frequent topic of
fascination, debate, and controversy throughout the world. According
to a spokesperson for the Seattle Police Department, the department
receives at least one weekly request, mostly through Twitter, to
reopen the investigation, resulting in the maintenance of the basic
incident report on file. Cobain is one of the well known members of the 27 Club.

In
March 2014, the Seattle police developed four rolls of film that had
been left in an evidence vault—a reason was not provided for why
the rolls were not developed earlier. According to the Seattle
police, the 35mm film photographs show the scene of Cobain's dead
body more clearly than previous Polaroid images taken by the police.
Detective Mike Ciesynski, a cold
case investigator, was instructed to look at the film because "it
is 20 years later and it's a high media case". Ciesynski stated
that Cobain's death remains a suicide and that the images would not
have been released publicly.[50]
The photos in question were later released, one by one, weeks before
the 20th anniversary of Cobain's death. One photo shows Cobain's arm,
still wearing the hospital bracelet from the drug rehab facility he
checked out of just a few days prior to returning to Seattle. Another
photo shows Cobain's foot resting next to a bag of shotgun
shells, one of which was used in his death.

#### Rumours and Theories involving Cobain's Death

Many fans speculate that the suicide was not in fact a suicide. Some have even suggested that Cobain was murdered by Courtney Love. Documentaries have been made concerning the possibility.

## Legacy

Kurt Cobain's death was so infamous that many grunge fans say the grunge era ended with his death. Despite this, Cobain remains one of the most influential guitarists in the world. Rolling Stone Magazine has often cited him as one of the greatest guitaristsd ever. Numerous documentaries on Cobain have been made, including Montage of Heck, and Kurt & Courtney. In 1993, the year before Cobain's death, author Michael Azzerad published his biographical novel, *Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana*, chronicling the histroy of the band.