As reported earlier in the month, the attorneys for Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl requested that Courtney Love should undergo psychiatrical evaluation and brought the matter before the court. However, the judge just dismissed the motion; "Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic asked the court to force Love to undergo the exam by June 1 to determine if she is mentally capable of handling her Nirvana-related responsibilities under the Nirvana LLC partnership. 'In sum, [Grohl and Novoselic] have cited no mental incapacity. [Grohl and Novoselic] have cited a business disagreement as to which reasonable minds could differ,' states the ruling. 'In the absence of a good faith suggestion from [Grohl and Novoselic] of an identifiable mental problem or condition reasonably expected to last at least six months, this court cannot ignore or discount the likelihood that requiring a mental examination in response to a marketing dispute would serve no purpose other than to contribute a circus-like atmosphere to the trial. Defendants' Motion is, therefore, DENIED.' Part of the reason Grohl and Novoselic pulled out the 'capacity' clause in the LLC Agreement was because Love had tried to terminate the agreement, citing she was not of her right mind when she signed it in the first place. To that end, the ruling states, 'In oral argument in this motion, [Love's] counsel unequivocally dismissed any such reaching and sought to voluntarily dismiss the claim. To avoid any further confusion, this court grants [Love's] oral Motion of Voluntary Dismissal.' This means that if Love wants the LLC Agreement dissolved, then, according to the ruling, she'll have to 'prove that any allegedly wrongful acts of defendants or their representatives would have deceived or misled a reasonable person under the facts applicable to this case. Second, any claim by Love of voluntary ingestion of drugs or alcohol in 1997 will provide no defense against enforcement of the Agreement as long as defendants did not induce her to do so or otherwise knowingly attempt to take advantage of any substance-induced diminished capacity at the time of signing.' " Story courtesy of CDNow/AllStar news. You can read the full ruling here. Also check out this page for a scan of the document with the ruling, courtesy of The Smoking Gun. More news stories on the ruling; MSNBC, BBC, Nettavisen, NME and Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

There has been a lot of confusion concerning the song "Talk to Me" and Iggy Pop's involvement with this Nirvana track. The indie fanzine 'The Big Takeover' did an interview with Iggy last year that clears up the confusion, after asking the question Joey Shithead, from D.O.A. wanted to know if you ever wanted to record the song Kurt Cobain willed to you? Iggy Pop responded: "Not really, no. The story went like this ... I was backstage at somebody's gig, I think it was the Lemonheads. I was hanging out there, and Courtney [Love] was there. She said there was a song that he [Kurt] had done for me, and I should really hear it. Wait I should backtrack. He had called me once on the telephone and left a message. I was watching TV and heard the phone ring and I couldn't be bothered. He left a message saying it was Kurt from Nirvana and 'Why don't you call me and maybe sometime we can get in the studio or something and kicked around some shit together?' I don't really do that though. That's not my trip. I didn't wanna be produced or done up or be a Nirvana mascot or something, but I had enough respect enough for him to call him back. But when I called him back it was like 'This is the 4 Seasons hotel ... Mr. Cobain is hanging upside down like a bat from the ceiling for the next 32 hours' or whatever. So I said 'Great, just leave a message that I called.' That was the end of it until after he was deceased, and Courtney said there was a song. I said, 'Great, OK I'll listen to it' And then she went on MTV and said something like 'There's a song and I don't know if I'll give it to Iggy or Patti Smith.' You know, she started playing games and I'm not interested! And then somebody called my manager and wanted to talk about meeting about the song ... I didn't really care. I do my own music, and I like Kurt's music, but I have no interest in doing Kurt's music. If I did any of his music, I'd be more likely to do something off Bleach, which I liked a lot better than the later stuff." Thanks to Scott for passing this one on.

"Gladiator director Ridley Scott has revealed his new project - an adaptation of Patrick Süskind's dark novel, Perfume. The Oscar-winning filmmaker, whose last movie was the war drama Black Hawk Down last year, has confirmed he will helm the adaptation of the renowned work - but refuses to comment on which actors he has in mind for the lead role. He says, 'Perfume is about the boy Grenouille who is born with an exceptionally developed olfactory organ and therefore kills people to steal their body odor. I have two or three candidates in mind who are suitable for the role of Grenouille. Who they are? I won't tell yet. If names are revealed now, their salary's will boom skyhigh.' " Nirvana's song Scentless Apprentice is based on this book.

Here are some more shots of Eyes Adrift live. These were taken at their April 22 show in New York, NY at the Knitting Factory. Picture #1, #2, #3, #4 and #5. I also got some pictures from their show the day before (April 21) at the Middle East Club in Cambridge, MA; #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6 and #7. Special thanks to Jeff @ novoselic.com for these! Check out his terrific Eyes Adrift website (possibly the first Adrift' fansite on the net?) here. Finally, don't forget to check out the remaining tour dates here.

A photographer from Slovenia sent me a link to a website presenting some very rare shots of the concert Nirvana did in Ljubljana on February 27, 1994. One of the final shows the band would ever do. Follow this link to view the photos. Special thanks to Janez Pelko for this one! You can also check out Janez' other concert photos here. Finally, click here for a scan of a photographer pass used at this show.

Here is the official press release from the Alice in Chains camp, concerning the late Layne Staley: Statements from Alice In Chains and Columbia Records on the Passing of Layne Staley. Seattle/New York - April 22, 2002. On April 19, 2002, our friend Layne Staley was found dead in his home. The official cause of death is still unknown. Yesterday [April 20], we all managed to come together in Seattle; it's good to be with friends and family as we struggle to deal with this immense loss and try to celebrate this immense life. We are looking for all the usual things: comfort, purpose, answers, something to hold on to, a way to let him go in peace. Mostly, we are feeling heartbroken over the death of our beautiful friend. He was a sweet man with a keen sense of humor and a deep sense of humanity. He was an amazing musician, an inspiration, and comfort to so many. He made great music and gifted it to the world. We are proud to have known him, to be his friend, and to create music with him. For the past decade, Layne struggled greatly--we can only hope that he has at last found some peace. We love you, Layne. Dearly. And we will miss you endlessly.

Layne's family has asked that the media honor their privacy as they mourn their loss; we ask that you respect their request. Layne's family has requested that contributions may be made in Layne's name to:

Eastside Recovery Center
1412 140th Place NE
Bellevue, WA 98007
USA

Statement from Don Ienner, Chairman, Columbia Records Group:

"I am incredibly saddened by Layne's passing. His voice, lyrics and powerful presence were such a big part of what made Alice in Chains so special. On behalf of everyone at Columbia and Sony Music, I offer my condolences to Layne's family, friends and his millions of fans the world over. We have all lost a gifted artist and a great friend."

Thanks to Columbia Records for the press release. Click here for the latest on Layne's passing, from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Speaking of Eyes Adrift, Nathan sent in some pictures that were shot at the show the night before the one where the above interview was done. So, here are some shots of Eyes Adrift live at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, NC on April 18, 2002; #1, #2, #3, #4 and #5. Thanks to Nathan for posting these!

Apparently, on April 26th there will be a Kurt Cobain memorial night in Hamburg, Germany. A 'very rare' Nirvana concert will be shown (probably on some sort of big screen) and at a stage, four underground bands will perform live. You can get tickets for the event here. Thanks to Andreas for the news.

Here is a different account of the April 20 vigil for Layne Staley; "There just was a vigil. They announced it (on the radio) for 6 pm 4/20. It was very low key. Maybe around 100 people were around the fountain at the Seattle Center at 6 pm. The same locale as where the Kurt memorial was held, except there was a stage at the Flag Pavilion where the speakers were (the Pavilion's being remodeled). As it was a sunny day, there were other folks around too, tourists, teens on their way to the prom in tuxes and dresses. No stage, no speakers, no Alice music. After about 45 minutes, members of the band showed up; Jerry Cantrell, Sean Kinney, Mike Starr, w/Chris Cornell and Susan Silver (his wife and Soundgarden/AIC manager). They talked with friends and fans. The members declined to give any statement to the press, but they thanked people for coming."

The IRC chatroom for this website, #NirvanaClub, recently moved to a new network (WhatNET) and was named 'Channel of the Month' for April. Read more about that at the WhatNET website here. In addition to moving host, the channel's website also got a new maintainer recently and thereby changed look and content. Check it out here. Thanks to Scott for the news.

A couple of months ago a member of the NFC Discussion Board put up an artwork contest, to get the members of the board to submit their finest artwork. The contest was organized by members 'Hanni', 'val' and 'sappymuddybank'. Before the winning pieces are presented, here's first a short introduction; "All 3 of us spent countless seconds voting and finding a winner. We have looked at the quality, creativity, effort and everything else about the artwork submitted. I'm surprised that nobody submitted sculptures!" About 20 people entered the contest and the Top 5 comprised work by the following members; 5th place - Numchux, 4th place - Dv, 3rd place - Maria, 2nd place - The Sell-Out and finally the 1st place went to Jamie C. You can read more here. Thanks to Mike.

Yesterday in Seattle there was a vigil for the late Layne Staley, similar to the April 10 1994 vigil for Kurt Cobain; "For Alice in Chains fan Cain Rurup, Saturday's memorial for singer Layne Staley was a long-overdue tribute to one of his rock idols. 'It's the least I could do for what he gave to me,' said Rurup, who organized a vigil Saturday at the International Fountain at Seattle Center. More than 200 people turned out, leaving flowers, notes and signs and lighting candles as darkness fell. Some wore T-shirts with Alice in Chains, Nirvana and Soundgarden logos. At Seattle Center Saturday, fans began to gather at the south edge of the fountain shortly before 6 p.m., but slowly moved to the north edge when band members Jerry Cantrell, Mike Inez and Sean Kinney showed up. They were joined by former member Mike Starr, singer Chris Cornell and Cornell's wife, Susan Silver, Alice in Chains' manager. At the edge of the Seattle Center fountain, fans placed notes and signs next to flowers and candles. One of the larger signs read, 'There's only one thing left to say - Say Hello to Heaven.' It was a reference to a song from the 1990 'Temple of the Dog' album recorded by members of Soundgarden and Mother Love Bone as a tribute to the latter band's late lead singer, Andrew Wood, whose death in 1990 resulted from a heroin overdose." Story courtesy of Gene Stout and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Read more related stories here. Charles Cross, author of the Kurt Cobain biography Heavier Than Heaven wrote an interesting article on Layne Staley for The Seattle Times which you can read here.

A very tragic story reached the media earlier today. Layne Staley, legendary lead singer of the band Alice In Chains, has died. Initially, the body was unidentified, but it appears (after an autopsy) that it is indeed the body of Layne Staley. Here's the story from Seattle; "A body was removed last night from the University District residence of Layne Staley, lead singer and guitarist for the Seattle grunge band Alice in Chains. KOMO-TV, citing an unidentified source, said the body was that of Staley, 34. A King County medical-examiner's investigator said his office removed a body from the Staley address and planned an autopsy today, but he refused to confirm the identity of the person. He said it appeared the person had been dead for some time and would have to be identified scientifically. Staley had a history of substance abuse, and in the early 1990s publicly acknowledged an addiction to heroin. Alice in Chains, formed in Seattle in 1987, was part of the early '90s heyday of grunge. The band was mentioned in the same breath as Nirvana and Soundgarden." Story courtesy of The Seattle Times.

MTV News reported later that the body found at Staley's house was indeed the Alice In Chains frontman; "Alice in Chains' Layne Staley was found dead in his Seattle home on Friday evening. The King County Medical Examiner positively identified Staley's body on Saturday (April 20), following an autopsy. Exact time and cause of death are pending, as laboratory results could take several weeks, a spokesperson said. Staley was 34. Police responded to a call to check on a person's well-being at Staley's address in Seattle's University District at 5:41 p.m. PT on Friday, according to the police report. Upon discovering the body, which is presumed to have been there for several days, officers called investigators from the medical examiner's office, who arrived on the scene at approximately 7:30-8:00 p.m., a spokesperson said. The body couldn't immediately be identified as that of Staley, whose longtime battle with drug dependency was a central component of his band's music — a dark and bombastic sound that continues to influence artists some 15 years after the group first formed." Read the full story here, courtesy of MTV News. Read more here.

Layne Staley (1967 - 2002) -- rest in peace.

An update on today's court meeting, concerning the motion that was submitted, requesting Courtney Love to undergo psychiatrical examination; "A King County Superior Court judge will rule in a week to 10 days whether Courtney Love should undergo a psychiatric evaluation in the ongoing legal battle over Nirvana's musical legacy. Attorneys for both sides argued the case before Judge Robert Alsdorf for about an hour Friday [today]. Neither Love nor the former Nirvana members was present. In a motion filed April 11, defendants Grohl and Novoselic requested that Love submit to an examination by a psychiatrist of their choosing by June 1. Love is fighting the motion." Story courtesy of Mike Roarke, Gene Stout and The Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Read more here.

An interesting update on the court case between Courtney Love and Krist Novoselic/Dave Grohl; "In the ongoing legal battle over Nirvana's musical legacy, the surviving members of the Seattle rock band want Courtney Love ordered to submit to a psychiatric examination. In December, Grohl and Novoselic alleged Love is too 'incapacitated' to manage her business partnership with them. Court papers stated Love had shown an inability in the past decade to work with managers, attorneys and fellow members of her band, Hole. 'In her professional dealings, Love is irrational, mercurial, self-centered, unmanageable, inconsistent and unpredictable,' the court filing said. Earlier this year, Love and her attorney submitted what they believe was a reasonable settlement offer. Among the proposals was a stipulation that 'the content of any new releases during the next 10 years will require unanimity among each of the recording artists, which shall not be unreasonably withheld.' Grohl and Novoselic rejected the offer. According to the brief filed yesterday by Love's attorney, Grohl and Novoselic had said Love 'would be a fool not to settle with them' and promised the trial would be a 'circus.' Both sides believe a settlement is still possible." Story courtesy of The Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Gene Stout. Thanks to a couple of people for the link. Read the full story here.

The controversial website 'The Smoking Gun' put up scans of the legal documents that form the basis of the above news story. In particular, you can read the entire documents that were submitted to the King County Superior Court earlier this month. Specifically, this is the Defendants' Motion to compel mental examination of Plaintiff Courtney Love, dated April 11. You will also find a copy of the Plaintiff's very lengthy and detailed response to the motion (Plaintiff's opposition to defendants' motion for a psychiatric examiniation) dated April 17. The Plaintiff's conclusive response to the request that Courtney should undergo psychiatric examiniation reads as follows;

"Defendants have an affirmative double burden under CR 35 to show that her mental capacity is genuinely at issue, and that there is good cause for a psychiatric examination. They have accomplished neither task. Nor have they presented a cognizable evidentiary basis for a good faith belief that she is mentally incapacitated as defined by RCW 11.88.010(1)(b), or shown that the L.L.C., as a legal entity, has complied with the decision-making procedure set out in the agreement. Finally - to the extent Defendants are seeking a prejudgment enforcement of a hotly-contested agreement - they must satisfy the requirements for a mandatory preliminary injunction, a burden they have not even attempted to meet. For all of these reasons, Ms. Love should not be compelled to submit to a psychiatric examination."

The meaning behind 'CR 35' and 'RCW 11.88.010(1)(b)' should be somewhat cleared up in the documents. You can find them all at The Smoking Gun website here. Special thanks to Daniel Green for the link.

Salon.com put up a very nice story on Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit; "The stereo system in my friend's pickup was the ultimate. He was the drummer in his own band and he needed sound, loud sound, to surround him at all times. 'Listen to these guys,' he said, putting on the album 'Nevermind' by Nirvana. 'Teen Spirit' clinked its first guitar riff, then roared to life. It was easy not to listen to music then. The Milli Vanillis and Tiffanys seemed to have drained the life out of the record charts. But halfway through 'Teen Spirit,' I sat up in my seat. Clearly, the singer was pissed off, though I couldn't understand a word he was saying. But he was also reaching into the melodic stratosphere and coming back with a simple tune that made you want to do something, even if you were a washed-up ballplayer who thought you just wanted to drink beer." Read the entire article here. Courtesy of Jamie Allen and Salon.com. Also thanks to James.

Dave Grohl posted a message on the official Foo Fighters message board earlier today, commenting on his current activities and the progress of the band's recording session. He also made a brief statement about the crazy tabloid rumor going around that he was dating pop-sensation Christina Aguilera; "Oh, and by the way ... as far as all of that Christina Aguilera business goes ... I got two words for you ... YEAH RIGHT! Gimme a break." So there you have it! All the Dave Grohl bashing can be put to an end now. The guy really doesn't deserve it. As for the next Foo Fighters record; apparently it is coming along really well - as a recent interview with Kerrang! magazine also confirmed. You can read Dave's full message at www.foofighters.com under the topic "Thought I Disappeared...Didn't You" in the "Letters From the Fighters" forum. Thanks to Tim.

I recently registered the domain nirvanaclub.org, completing the trilogy, so to speak. The domain, as nirvanaclub.net, is merely an alias of nirvanaclub.com. So, in other words, you can now type in either of those three URL's and you will still be sent to the same website.

Dave Grohl and Christina Aguilera dating. Sounds crazy? Well, according to the Swedish 'Aftonbladet', it's true. Here's the story (roughly translated from Swedish); "Christina Aguilera doesn't need a long mourning period after a broken relationship. Just weeks after she and dancer Jorge Santos broke up, she falls into the arms of none other than Dave Grohl - singer in Foo Fighters, and formerly drummer of Nirvana. The two singers met at a hotel in Los Angeles in January, according to The Sun. 'He is wonderful', Aguilera is said to have commented on the meeting, but nothing more happened as she was still together with Santos at the time. But when the relationship between her and the dancer ended a few months ago, Aguilera ran into Grohl again - at the same hotel as where they had first met. Shortly after they were kissing obsessively and they have been inseparable ever since, a friend of Aguilera claims. The couple have now been on several dates and friends of Aguilera say that the singer is completely taken by the former Nirvana star." Story courtesy of Aftonbladet. You can also read it here (also in Swedish). As the story originated from British tabloid The Sun, whose credibility is somewhat low, the odds of the story being true are not particularly high. However, it should be noted that it was picked up by MTV Germany and it is even available on their website. Thanks to Franziska, Tommy, Jonas and Mattias.

In related Grohl news; "Dave Grohl is putting down tracks for the new David Bowie album called Heathen. Pete Townshend contributes on the song 'Slow Burn' but it is unknown at this time which specific song Dave is contributing to." Thanks to CFOX and 'Cobainela' who also submitted this one; "An alt-country maverick by the name of Steve Earle is releasing a new album called 'Sidetracks' which is going to include a cover of Nirvana's 'Breed.' "

Apparently, The Internet Nirvana Fan Club was mentioned on the German music channel Viva+. A couple of days ago they were showing a Nirvana video and the URL (address) of this website was printed along with the name of the song in the beginning and end of the video. This site was also mentioned on MTV Germany earlier in the week. Thanks to Franzi for the news!

Please note that the NFC Picture and Sound galleries are currently not available. Unfortunately, we need to find a new host for the files. So if you can help out, please let me know ASAP. The galleries require about 100 MB of space and an allowed 50 GB of monthly bandwidth, approx.

Courtney Love posted a message on the hole.com message board, asking fans to help locate material that depicts Kurt Cobain or Nirvana in an offensive manner; "If you have extensive or even a little bit of bootleg, or otherwise Hole or Nirvana video clips used on Television shows, as in sleazy tabloid ones, I really need to get them. Also any really gross depictions (which I do not want to SEE but will have [my] lawyers look at, like what Eminem did to Kurt in his Cartoon - sick sick shit like that). Here's why; just found out that since Kurt paid for his videos and I paid for mine - our contracts say that the company has an obligation to protect our assets and not allow us to public ridicule." So what Courtney needs, should you choose to help her, is basically help locating the following:

1. Smells Like Teen Spirit

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- - - April 8, 2002 - - -

Today, it has been exactly 8 years since Kurt Cobain was found dead at his home in Seattle by electrician Gary Smith. Though it was initially announced to the media that an unidentified man had been found dead at the Cobain house, the news of Kurt Cobain's death quickly spread around the world and shocked the music industry. It is a day that will not be forgotten for many years to come, and April 8 1994 will always be one of saddest moments of the music world.

The Internet Nirvana Fan Club was mentioned on MTV Germany today in the show "Webcharts". The VJ talked about Kurt Cobain and Nirvana, and briefly described this website, while a screenshot of the NFC Picture Gallery was shown - and "www.nirvanaclub.com" got printed on the screen. After this happened, at 1.37 PM (CET) to be exact, MTV played Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video. Thanks to MTV Germany for noticing this site! On a sidenote, today it has been exactly five years since The Internet Nirvana Fan Club first opened to the public.

The poll script on the main page was changed. The existing script, 'SurveySays' by pingPackets, didn't work very well and caused several hundred votes to be lost. Therefore, I completely dropped it and decided to write my own instead. The new script uses a database and should thus be more reliable, and not cause any problems. So, if you haven't already, take a moment to voice your opinion in the current NFC Poll; "Do you think it's a good idea to release a book containing Kurt Cobain's journals?" It can be found on the front page. Thanks!

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- - - April 6, 2002 - - -

Some Nirvana-related news from latest issue of the British magazine Mojo; "There's a mention of the Cobain diary sale in the April Mojo; more interesting is the review (with pictures) of Eyes Adrift's show at the Troubadour, Hollywood."

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- - - April 5, 2002 - - -

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- - - April 4, 2002 - - -

Here is the current schedule of upcoming Nirvana specials on TV (click here for printer-friendly vers.):

MTV Germany:

April 7 @ 08 PM - Nirvana: Unseen From The MTV Studios.

MTV2 (UK):

April 5 @ 09 PM (Eastern) - Grunge Profile

Don't forget the call-in radio special about Kurt Cobain on April 5th, 7-9 PM, at Trent Radio (92.7 FM) in Canada.



Sadness struck the music world yesterday when it was announced that the legendary band Megadeth had broken up. Here are parts of Dave Mustaine's statement on the matter; "During the first week of January, 2002, while Megadeth was on hiatus, in Texas, I suffered an injury which caused severe nerve damage to my left arm and hand. It was diagnosed as Radial Neuropathy - specifically, a 'compressed radial nerve.' My doctors tell me it will take about a year to make as complete a recovery as I can, and even then, we don't know how complete that is going to be. I am working hard with a great team of doctors and physical therapists daily, and God willing, someday I hope to play guitar again. In the meantime, while I work on rebuilding my arm, I will take this opportunity to reappraise my career and my future. For the time being I have decided to exit Megadeth, and explore other areas of the music business where I might make a contribution without being able to play my instrument. In closing I would like to depart with the beautiful French words I wrote on the record 'Youthanasia': 'A tout le monde, a tous mes amis, Je vous aime, Je dois partir.' (To all the world, to all my friends. I love you, I have to leave)."

From the official press release; "Megadeth's career has been one of the most spectacular and musically innovative in the history of heavy metal. For nearly 20 years, U.S.-based Megadeth soldiered on under the extraordinary vision of founder, vocalist, lead guitarist and principal songwriter Dave Mustaine. Most recently, the achievements of Mustaine, bass guitarist David Ellefson, lead guitarist Al Pitrelli and drummer Jimmy DeGrasso have occurred as an integral part of the Sanctuary Records Group Roster. For the past two years, Megadeth has undertaken a grueling, worldwide tour and promotion schedule. Mustaine formed Megadeth in 1983, after he was fired from Metallica. This would have been a setback for most people, but not Mustaine. He was determined to start his own group. The music would be uncompromisingly heavy with intricately precise guitar lines, and the lyrics would take an unflinching look at serious subjects like the dark side of humanity and politics. For lovers of heavy metal worldwide, the demise of Megadeth is sad, but they will have nearly two decades worth of music to enjoy for the rest of their lives, and future generations of music fans not yet born will experience the thrill of discovering Megadeth."

Rixx from Italy sent in this one; "A new book was released March 28, 2002 from Einaudi. The title is 'Un'amore dell'altro mondo' and the author is Tommaso Pincio. The book is not a biography but a romance based on Kurt's life. Musica! magazine issue 320 (March 21, 2002) quotes a brief piece of the book. The book's price is 8,50 Euro."

"I just picked up a special edition of Life Magazine which focuses on Rock & Roll at 50 with a list of the Top 100 'Rock and Rollers' of all time, with a write up about each artist. Kurt Cobain is #10, with Elvis at #1. Here's the Kurt Cobain write up: 'Growing up in a small town in Washington, he was a happy boy who loved the Beatles. His parents divorced when he was eight, and the next year Cobain became a devotee of heavier music: Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. (He once said that he hoped to marry Beatlesque melody to Sabbath's power). In 1987, Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic began expressing their loud, edgy, intoxicating songs. Eventually joined by drummer Dave Grohl, they released, in 1991, a disc that was the very definition of seminal. Nevermind sold more than 10 million copies in the US and, in Smells Like Teen Spirit, gave a generation its anti-establishment anthem. Neither success, nor marriage to singer Courtney Love, nor fatherhood could dispel Cobain's demons, which included heroin addiction, and in April 1994, he killed himself in Seattle with a shotgun blast.' There is also a picture of Kurt, along with the date he died, where, and how among the other rock and roll fatalities." Thanks to 'Cobainela' for this story.

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- - - April 2, 2002 - - -

Today, it has been exactly five years since nirvanaclub.com was registered. And in some 6 days it will have been 5 years since the actual website The Internet Nirvana Fan Club first opened. NFC, as it later came to be known as, was based on an existing website 'The Danish Nirvana Homepage' which was conceived in late 1995 and opened in the spring of 1996. Over the years, the site has developed quite a bit, and turned into one of the premiere Nirvana resources on the Internet.

To celebrate the 5-year anniversary, the layout on the main page was changed. Based on the old layout, using some of the same principles and largely the same content, the new one is not that much different. But I still think it looks a lot better now and hopefully all of you out there will agree. At the same time, most of the main sections of NFC were updated. The NFC FAQ was revised; a lot of dead links were fixed and various spelling and grammatical errors were corrected. A little new information was also added, while some text was altered or removed. The NFC Museum got a similar update. This section also had some new material added to it, such as funny gif animations from the 'NFC Elections', along with other minor details. The 'Interviews and Articles' section was updated as well, adding links to some of the documents that have been posted in this news section over the past couple of years. Finally, a new section had been planned, dedicated to information about Nirvana's album releases. It has been postponed for now, however.

In other bad news; the NFC Sound and Picture galleries will probably become unavailable very shortly. The reason is that the company currently hosting the files cannot continue to do so, and finding a new host for such a high traffic compendium is very difficult. If you have the option of hosting these sections, look under the March 24 update for more technical information. For now, enjoy the new layout and the updated content. It should be noted that only the main page has had an overhaul, concerning layout. The rest of the site looks the same. An updated 'global' and consistent layout for the entire site will have to come at a later time. Special thanks to Tim Magaw for the new banner, and also thanks to Parisa for looking over the new layout. Finally, thanks to everyone visiting this site. Without you, it would never have made it into a 5-year anniversary. PS: Don't forget the 10th NFC Competition!

MTV in Germany will also have some Nirvana specials for their viewers this coming weekend.

April 7 @ 11 PM - MTV Unplugged: Nirvana

Thanks to Steph. Also check the Nirvana schedule for MTV2 and other channels, under the March 29/30 update. Apparently, MTV Nordic/MTV Europe will air the show 'Alternative Nation' on April 4 and it should feature some Nirvana videos. Also, on April 5th MuchMoreMusic in Canada will air a profile on Nirvana at 7 PM Eastern, and a profile on Grunge at 9 PM eastern.

Steven May sent in the following interesting story; "As part of my documentary, 'The Nevermind Year', I'll be hosting a live call-in radio show on the 5th. The special will be broadcast live on a Campus/Community radio station in Peterborough, Canada: Trent Radio 92.7 FM, but it can be heard internationally via www.trentradio.ca (you just need a Winamp player to stream)." Some more details:

KURT COBAIN CALL-IN RADIO SPECIAL
FRIDAY, APRIL 5TH, 7-9PM (GMT-05:00, "Eastern Time")
TRENT RADIO @ 92.7 FM or stream via www.trentradio.ca
Have something to say? Call-in LIVE and share your thoughts, 8 years after Kurt's suicide.
ON-AIR LINE: 705-748-4761

Some Nirvana related stuff was found in the March issue of the magazine Q; "In one section, stars recall their fave concerts, and Tim Wheeler of Ash picks Nirvana's June 22 '92 show in Belfast. Then there's a story on Tours That Changed Music and they pick Nirvana's '89 Euro tour."

Another interesting story; "The Daily World (Aberdeen) has published a book, On the Harbor: From Black Friday to Nirvana. It's a history of the Grays Harbor area. It gives a good idea of the environment Kurt and Krist grew up in. The last chapter is on Nirvana and has some rare photos. There's a picture of a 14 year old Kurt playing drums at a wedding I've never seen before. Also pics of Krist's mother, Maria, holding the platinum award for Nevermind (this appeared on the front page of the paper) and Krist speaking at a local city forum when there was a move to bring Lollapalooza to Grays Harbor in '94 (it failed); this pic also appeared in the paper. The hardback is $39.95; www.thedailyworld.com; The Daily World, PO Box 269, Aberdeen, WA 98520, USA." Thanks a bunch to Gillian G. Gaar for this one!

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- - - April 1, 2002 - - -

Finally, a new NFC Competition has been put up. As always, this one also features some spectacular prizes. The first prize is a copy of the 522-page book "Our Band Could Be Your Life" by Michael Azerrad. Mr. Azerrad also wrote the legendary "Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana". The copy you can win of the book is of course signed by the author. 2nd Prize is another book; simply entitled "Nirvana". This one, however, is filled with photos and is a follow-up to 1999's "Winterlong". The 3rd prize is a new book by British journalist Everett True called "Live Through This - American Rock Music In The Nineties". The 4th prize is the chance to win two tickets for an upcoming music fair in London. Finally, the 5th prize is a copy of the NFC Compilation - Volume II (a collection of songs made by people who post on the NFC Discussion Board). Entering the competition is free -- all you have to do is answer a couple of simple questions. Check out the competition here. Thanks to Shannon Byrne, Sarah Marusek, John Scardino and Rob Lythall for sponsoring the great prizes.