In January 1992, the impossible happened. Michael Jackson, with his single “Black Or White”, out the album “Dangerous”, ruled the top of the charts world-wide. He was the suitably called “The King of Pop”. Seven weeks later however, another bird would sing. Something like a vulture. It was a rock band from Seattle, whose debut album was out since 1991. In the week of January 11th, 1992, the Seattle Punk-Alternative Rock Band Nirvana de-throned the King of Pop off the sales charts.
Kurt Cobain was meant to lead the underground rock scene into the mainstream as we see it today. If it weren’t for him, we’d probably still be stuck with glam rock all around. God forbid what would have been of my life. Acts like The Smashing Pumkings, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Weezer and Green Day (to name a few) got their shot at stardom because the little power trio from Aberdeen decided “The hell with this, lets do our own stuff”. And hell did they. But none of them played “Heavier than Heaven”, cause that honor was reserved for Nirvana.
“Smells like teen spirit” is probably the soundtrack to Generation X. Im a proud member of that generation of teens who weren’t really understood by the establishment. I had a good side to it though, I’ve moved on to better things, but it all started there, with a load of teen angst and hatred for everything that was imposed. Why even bother asking why? Things won’t change (they still haven’t) and all I can do is recluse myself and die, fight the establishment and live or zombie myself into the establishment itself. I honestly don’t know which I am right now, but I want to think in the end of my days, I will be remembered for making a difference.
Kurt showed us it was ok to express your feelings in other ways than the usual power ballad or the nasty rock song nobody understood. It was ok not to have the glamorous lifestyle of the rich and famous. The leather clothes and the big hair where just something for the god-like rock bands who needed to make themselves god-like in order to be liked by the fans. This was different. It was ok to wear a flannel shirt and jeans. The occasional sunglass. The steel chain linked to your wallet. It was ok to be yourself. You want to wild out? Get your finger a little black and you’re set. I owe that to Kurt.
Smells like teen spirit might be just another rambling of loud, distorted guitar sounds with barley understandable lyrics. Hell, it took me about 10 years and google to finally get it. But that song change the way we listen to music today. It started what is now the norm in music and it takes a couple of years to hear that one song will change music forever, to which I am glad to say I WAS THERE.
3 years after the release of Nevermind, in March 1994, Nirvana started recording their new album (the follow up to “In Utero”) and the only song that came out of that particular session was “You Know You’re Right”. It was the last song the group ever recorded. Kurt died in the following days somewhere between April 4th and April 8th when he was found dead in his house. Janis Joplin, Jimmy Hendrix and Jim Morrison waited for the newest member of the “Dead by 27” Club.
We got to hear the song in 2002, and by the looks of a song that was recorded in 30 minutes, with no mixing or enhancing, that record would have cemented Nirvana as the supergroup they were meant to be since the initial conception of the Group.
Kurt died without knowing how much he meant to music and to fans all-over the world. Kurt died without knowing that he was going to influence a whole generation of losers who by being themselves found the salvation they needed to achieve whatever it was the wanted.
I forgot you death day Kurt, but I will never forget your work and your legacy. Thank you for saving my life, although you couldn’t save yours, your work will live forever. Thank you.
To the rest of you mortal souls in corporate world, I say, here I am, entertain me: I dare you to come as you are and bring your lithium-filled music and see if you can fill the heart-shaped box in my chest before it falls underneath the bridge. But only do so if music is your life, your passion, otherwise you will fail. You know I’m right…
Ehl.
