Iggy Pop has faced the hazardous aspects of the industry head-on and worked with the dangers of rock ‘n’ roll superstardom throughout his long career. Fortunately, he has weathered the storms life has thrown at him. However, not everyone has been as fortunate, and the frontman of The Stooges has seen enough horror films to leave him permanently scarred.
One of the darkest episodes in modern music history is the story of Kurt Cobain. In just a few years, he went from being a little-known member of the Seattle grunge scene. This transformation was primarily due to Nirvana. Popularity is extraordinary, and it’s common for creatives like Kurt Cobain to experience discomfort with their public image.
For Cobain, making music was the only thing he knew how to do. It was never his goal to see his name in lights like many others did. He never desired to be worshipped by the public. When his fame grew to the point where he could not leave his home without being approached, he did not want that.
Iggy Pop was first introduced to Nirvana before their rise to fame. His first concert experience left him with unforgettable memories. The former Stooges singer also recalled this in a 2006 interview on MTV’s Actitud Punk Weekend. “In 1990, I was living in New York, and a guy told me about a really good band I better see.” It was awakening.
He continued, “They didn’t have any of the songs on Bleach or that later made them famous.” “But there was a certain vibe about them, and the guy who was playing his guitar with his head hunched over seemed like he was talking to me. He had a voice like a little devil troll.”
Iggy remembered that shortly after: “Everyone was bowing down, and his face was all over the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.” The rock legend also talked about how Nirvana’s initial reception differed greatly. However, all that changed when they were unexpectedly thrust into the spotlight and turned into unwilling megastars.
Iggy thinks that the parasites that have always flourished in the music industry caused Cobain’s death. They know all too well how it has historically been.
It’s a horrible thing that this guy didn’t get to live his life and enjoy his time on earth more, the speaker continued. I believe that his surroundings—not just his spouse, but everyone around him—are the reason behind it. His wealth was too great for too many, and he rose to fame too quickly. That’s how things work, and it’s not nice that he had to die.
Iggy was speaking from experience when she made the uncomfortable-to-read comment that Kurt Cobain “had to die.” Sadly, the ex-frontman of Nirvana wasn’t the first to give in to the unfair demands of the music business.
