I remember the first time I heard "Smells Like Teen Spirit." I was driving to Minneapolis to visit friends and I heard it on the radio. It was like a sonic slap across the face. I had never connected to a song so immediately, and I don't think I have since. That was a musical moment of inception, the beginning of a long relationship with the music of Nirvana. I don't listen to Nirvana as much as I used to, but the songs still resonate with me.
I thought about Kurt a lot this past weekend. Meg and I were flipping channels Friday night and we came across a show about the Foo Fighters, the band formed by Dave Grohl after Kurt's death. There was quite a bit about the Nirvana days. Nirvana bassist, Krist Novoselic, played on one of the songs on the new album, and it was particularly poignant to watch Grohl and Novoselic make music without Kurt. Saturday night I caught the Foo Fighters first song on Saturday Night Live. I'm not really a huge Foo Fighters fan, but there's no doubt Grohl is a talented guy. He writes catchy songs, and it sounds like he has another hit on his hands.
Kurt died in 1994. 17 years ago. Hard to believe. I remember the day they found Kurt dead in his Seattle home. I was teaching preschool in Minneapolis. A friend called me at work to break the news. I was devastated. It was hard to keep it together. I loved Nirvana, still do. I often wonder what kind of music Kurt would be making in these crazy times. I miss Kurt Cobain.
I couldn't help being angry at Kurt when he ended himself.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe it's been seventeen years since Kurt died. Nirvana hit a little after my time, but I still liked a few of their songs. It's always a heartbreak to see talented people go too soon.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe it has been 17 years since his death. And 20 years since Teen Spirit. Man I am getting old.
ReplyDeletewow. it's been that long? and yet he's still making an impact with his music...
ReplyDeleteI can't believe it's been 17 years either. Such a sad situation.
ReplyDeleteSo funny how we remember exactly where we were when we heard the news. It's like hearing the generation above us saying where they were when Kennedy died. And how much music can make an impact on us...
ReplyDeleteHope you had a chance to read what I wrote about Kurt a few days ago:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.studiothirtyplus.com/magazine/read/the-lesson-of-kurt-cobain-_1516.html
I think Kurt at 44 would have been better than Kurt at 27. He was so different that, like John Lennon, he would have aged well, and contributed maturely as an artist.
I miss him more now than even in April of 1994. I have been listening to Nirvana a lot these past two weeks.
good post
I'm so glad I found your blog. I'm stopping by from the A to Z challenge and I look forward to reading more from you.
ReplyDelete"Smells Like Teen Spirit" is still a cool song to this day. It is timeless.
ReplyDeleteWow - 17 years? Holy cow, that makes me feel old. Such an important figure, the way he shaped not just a generation, but music as a whole. It really is one of those things that makes you ask "what if?"
ReplyDeleteI also miss Kurt Cobain. He definitely died too soon.
ReplyDeleteI never became a Nirvana fan but I did like the Teen Spirit song. I thought the video was pretty wild and entrancing.
ReplyDeleteLee
Tossing It Out
Yeah, I too still remember that first listening to SLTS. Not sure there has ever been a more musically eye opening moment for me.
ReplyDelete17 years. So hard to believe.