Kurt Cobain, the late frontman of Nirvana, has left an indelible mark on rock history as the figurehead of grunge music. Thanks to his ever-absorbing lyrics and provocative demeanor, Kurt Cobain’s innovative work in the late 1980s and ‘90s stood out. It elevated the alt-rock genre to a broader global consciousness. With dark irony, Cobain’s tragic suicide in 1994 elevated Nirvana to new heights of fame, given that fame was a significant factor in the troubled singer’s demise.
Cobain derived much of his songwriting ability from an insatiable thirst for literature, particularly material that provided the therapeutic release of spiritual escapism. Cobain, like The Beatles, The Doors, and Bob Dylan before him, was a fan of Beat Generation literature. This included the progressive, creative ideas of William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg.
On top of that, beard and butter literature and classic rock ethos were more direct, tangible influences, including Pixies, Sonic Youth, The Stooges, R.E.M., and Neil Young, dubbed “The Godfather of Grunge.” Cobain frequently praised such artists in interviews and once mentioned some of their essential records when listing his 50 favorite albums of all time in the early 1990s.
Before he died in 1994, Kurt Cobain got to know some of his heroes while alienating others. He famously formed a close friendship with Michael Stipe of R.E.M. Toward the end, the Atlanta singer noticed that his friend was in trouble and attempted to assist.
He wrote the Monster song ‘Let Me In‘ about his futile attempt to help Cobain in 1994. “There were several phone calls before that fictitious one.” [I was] desperately trying to pull him out of a deep, dark hole. We were all aware of it and did everything we could to assist – but it wasn’t enough. I wrote the lyrics and recorded them in five minutes. It was my pleading to Kurt. That’s unfortunate.”
On the other hand, Cobain irritated Pixies‘ frontman Black Francis by allegedly “ripping” off their sound. Following the success of 1991’s Nevermind and its lead single, “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Nirvana achieved widespread acclaim. However, they expressed concerns that they had borrowed too much from the Pixies’ associative loud-quiet-loud approach.
During an interview with Reuters in 2013, not long after the Pixies reformed, Francis was asked to name his greatest contribution to rock. “Being original, influencing Nirvana so they could rip a song,” Francis replied sarcastically. I’ll admit it — if Kurt Cobain admitted it, fuck it, I’ll agree with him, you ripped us off.”
Of course, Francis‘ irritations are understandable, but his sarcasm was likely not malicious. Cobain, on the other hand, could get particularly agitated when discussing artists he didn’t like. Cobain, influenced by Beat literature, couldn’t align with all contemporaries, as stated earlier.
While the Nirvana frontman could sympathize with The Doors and The Beatles, he had reservations about the hippie era’s most ardent supporters. Particularly, he was critical of Jerry Garcia’s Grateful Dead. During a photoshoot, Cobain, in a personalized T-shirt, boldly declared “Punk’s not dead” and provocatively stated, “Kill The Grateful Dead.”
In 1992, Cobain critiqued hippie culture, targeting tie-dye, Phil Collins, and Jerry Garcia with his punches. “Do you know what I despise about rock? I despise tie-dyed T-shirts. “I wouldn’t wear a tie-dyed T-shirt unless it was dyed with Phil Collins’ urine and Jerry Garcia’s blood,” the grunge icon joked.
The only issue Cobain might have had with killing Jerry Garcia and his bandmates is that they’d be far too grateful. Watch the Grateful Dead perform ‘Althea‘ live in 1979 in the video below.
