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April 5, 1994 was and will forever be a point of inflection for many a certain age. grunge ruled and Seattle was the center of the world of music. Groups from all over the city of Emerald have been signed by major labels and indies like Sub Pop were considered not only as majors' portals, but also as essential taste creators. The city was the focus of a New York Times profile that was trying to explain the grunge explosion. Everything owed his success to a man and a group: Kurt Cobain and Nirvana, whose legacy continues to weigh heavily on music.
Then it happened. The shocking reality inconceivable. A few months after his hospitalization for overdose, Cobain committed suicide: a single shot tore a whole generation.
At home two days later, the death of the singer of Nirvana was felt all over the planet. Impromptu vigils took place and her funeral brought together a host of hysterical fans, as well as a heart-rending eulogy of Cobain's wife, singer Hole Courtney Love, who channeled the shock and sorrow.
It is a day that lives forever in the infamy of pop culture, a time when many remember exactly where they were. Twenty-five years later, Cobain's impact on music remains more important than ever. He hated being called the voice of a generation, but it's ultimately his legacy.
Listen to the best of Nirvana on Apple Music and Spotify.
The legacy of Kurt Cobain
Although the influence of rock does not dominate the culture as beforeCobain's attitude and spirit endure.
His sincere song writing has channeled the anguish and alienation of his time, and he remains in touch with people. his t-shirts and his blond hair up to the shoulder are still visible on the t-shirts worn by the children today. Cobain has also been the inspiration for many songs, from Patti Smith's "About A Boy" to R.e.m."Let Me In" and the lesser known "The Mighty KC" squirrels, among others. Cobain's songwriting talents have influenced those who go far beyond the powerful and powerful grunge movement.
"A quarter of a century later, I'm still trying to understand why Kurt Cobain's work had the effect of doing it," says Australian singer-songwriter Ben Lee, formerly of the alt lineup. rock Noise Addict.
"The brutal aggression and the intense vulnerability spoke of something so primordial and real in me. So perfectly combining seemingly disparate elements in a pop frame created the project of everything I wanted to do since with the music. "
The sound of Nirvana, built from raw emotions, and the fusion of punk and indie rock elements have become sustainable formulas of rock, eliminating the pop-metal acts of the time. But the accessibility of the group has exceeded the power agreements. In reality, Nirvana: MTV Unplugged in New York is an emblematic album that has highlighted their tenderness while remaining obsolete. The setlist of the evening had only one "hit", "Come As You Are", and included six times, but it reinforced the group's legendary status.
"He forced the music to evolve"
The second album of the band, It does not matter, remains one of the most vital works of music, generating an incredible number of iconic hits from Generation X and beyond. It's a follow-up, In utero, found Nirvana reacting against their success, and it's the album that made you want to create a band.
"The first time I heard Nirvana, I was instantly intrigued. It was something different for my ears and really, really good – that's what I knew, "says guitarist Dave Keuning The killers. "The music and natural talent of Kurt Cobain are undeniable. Like so many people, he started directing my musical interests into directions I had never thought of before. He also forced the music as a whole to evolve. "
Over the years, many groups have paid tribute to Nirvana with flashy rehearsals. None, however, has been as ambitious in his tribute as Deer Tick. In 2011, instead of playing a traditional ensemble, John McCauley and his bandmates performed a full set of Nirvana songs before the South By Southwest performance.
"It was a blunder at first," recalls McCauley. "That went against what SXSW is playing as a cover group … Dave[Grohl[Grohl[Grohl[Grohl, The drummer of Nirvana]was a fan of this kind of Deervana and I guess he had a good shot. "
It's also something that Cobain, who's famous Rolling stone on his cover, would have appreciated.
"A mentor for me and people like me"
More than his music, what crystallized Cobain's legacy was an agent of social change. Songs like "Polly", "Pennyroyal Tea" and "bad Me" deal with toxic masculinity and badual badault. Cobain was a fan of women's groups of smaller scenes, often ahead of the curve of the music industry. In an interview with Spin in 1993, the singer promoted bands that were not generally recognized by the general public at the time.
"There are a lot of girls' groups right now in the last few years. Breeders and riot grrrls all have a hand in it. People finally accept women in this kind of role, "he told Spin, while he was living in Olympia, Washington, with his girlfriend of the time, Tobi Vail, of Bikini Kill. McCauley also pointed out how Nirvana had an impact on Deer Tick beyond their sound.
"It's funny, I was talking to my wife [Vanessa Carlton] About this and she said, "I do not think you realize how your group gives women the opportunity to enhance their careers in the music industry," McCauley said. to hire a fairly diverse team to work with us, I think Kurt Cobain was a great role model for that.
"As a person who has had difficulties with school – whether it was chosen and what was not – I think I have always been more turned towards the female side. I always felt comfortable with women, people who did not identify as straight, and to see a famous rock star who had written some of my favorite songs and who had been a mentor for me and people like me, it was really cool. "
A lasting impact
In 2014, when she joined the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Nirvana was animated by female artists. Joan Jett sang "Smells Like Teen Spirit", the lively youthKim Gordon is in charge of "Aneurysm", St Vincent of "Lithium" and Lorde with "All Apologies" alongside bbadist Krist Novoselic, drummer Grohl and guitarist Pat Smear. After the ceremony, the same group, with McCauley and J Mascis, was produced in Brooklyn. "It was certainly a surreal moment that I will never forget," recalls McCauley.
A similar tribute to Kurt Cobain was celebrated at the 2018 Cal Jam Festival, organized by Grohl, where McCauley and Jett performed with members of Nirvana's still-living group, illustrating the lasting impact of the songs of the band's two decades before.
"He thought outside the box"
Cobain not only supported the anti-riot movement, but also other artists who have evolved outside the mainstream, including RuPaul. At the time, when RuPaul became famous, few people saw the drag queen be the tour de force that it was going to become. In 2015, during a "Ask Me Anything" session on Reddit, RuPaul praised Cobain's public embrace and said, "He and the rest of the boys were absolutely fabulous, so adorable and they really appreciated what I was doing. I think mostly because he's thought outside the box and understood that, basically, it's the flirt: totally punk-rock. "
When Seattle experienced its share of homophobia in the early 1990s, Nirvana put forward the No On 9 Benefit in Portland in 1992, a show that opposed an election measure that was clearly discriminatory to The LGBTQ community. Cobain has always been outspoken, but he was ahead of many of his peers when it came to using celebrity as a platform to express himself on certain issues.
Cobain's sharpest remarks about it come from the cover notes of Nirvana's compilation incesticide. "At this point, I have a request for our fans. If some of you hate homobaduals, people of different colors, or women, please do us a favor – leave us alone! Do not come to our shows and do not buy our records. "
"Children want to learn Nirvana songs"
The power chords, the spellbinding lyrics and the punk-rock philosophy of staying true to his personality despite his fame and platform gave Cobain incredible confidence and credibility.
"It's good to know that college kids who are going to play guitar in high school want to learn Nirvana songs," says McCauley.
Cobain's musical excellence is certainly the foundation of Nirvana's enduring call, but it's the unfiltered vulnerability of his writing and the way he used his platform that still resonates with people who feel isolated and misunderstood nowadays.
Nirvana Living in the primordial just released vinyl for the first time and can be purchased here.
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