The first single released by supergroup Velvet Revolver, Slither, features a studio cover of Nirvana's Negative Creep. The band, featuring former Guns N' Roses members Duff McKagan, Slash and Matt Sorum - as well as former Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland on vocals - will release their first album Contraband on June 8. The band usually performs the Nirvana cover live on their current concert tour, which also includes Guns N' Roses and Stone Temple Pilots covers. Visit their official website here.

Spring 2004 issue of Guitar Legends has a feature on Nirvana Unplugged.

Nirvana-related: Former grunge rocker Tim Eriksen, whose band, Cordelia's Dad, opened for Nirvana during the 80s, has recently turned to an old singing style known as Sacred Harp. Story courtesy of the Lexington Herald-Reader.

Former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic is actively supporting Washington Democrat Dave Seabrook's campaign for state senator. Apparently, the politician received the maximum $1,350 for his campaign from Novoselic, who listed an address in Bellevue and his occupation as 'goat farmer'. Read the full story in The Columbian.

According to a Variety.com article, Gus Van Sant's project 'Last Days' will take a parallel track to the final stages of the life of Nirvana's Kurt Cobain, in the same way that Van Sant's previous movie, the Palm d'Or winner 'Elephant' improvised a story out of the Columbine high school tragedy. The new film stars Michael Pitt, Asia Argento and Lukas Haas and will be produced by his 'Elephant' collaborator Dany Wolf. The crew will work from a loose script and employ the same semi-documentary visual style as 'Elephant'.

Courtney Love recently changed her plea to guilty in one of the court cases against her: "COURTNEY LOVE's trial on one criminal misdemeanor count of being under the influence of a controlled substance was cut short yesterday when the singer changed her plea to guilty. Love had been pleading not guilty on the charge, stemming from her arrest in the early hours of October 3, since last autumn. After several delays due to lab reports and one court appearance where she changed her lawyer, the trial was finally set to begin yesterday (May 25) in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom, but instead Love turned up with lawyer Michael Rosenstein, and changed her plea. As a result of the switch, a disorderly conduct charge, which was brought against her as a failsafe in March, was dropped." Love will be sentenced on July 16 but she is expected to be admitted to a drug treatment program, to avoid serving jail time. Story courtesy of NME.

The latest story from The Aberdeen Daily World on the Kurt Cobain Memorial Project. Read it here. Also check out this thread on the NFC Board where people suggest how Kurt's hometown of Aberdeen should pay tribute to the artist. Includes comments from the Kurt Cobain Memorial Committee.

Some news for Danish people: I aften sender DR1 "Musikprogrammet" om Nirvana igen (det er tidligere kun blevet sendt på DR2). Programmet indeholder bl.a. en feature om Nirvana's besøg på Roskilde 1992, med klip fra det interview de gav Kenan Seeberg dengang, samt selve koncerten. I studiet er gæsterne Sort Sol guitarist Lars Top-Galia og mig :) Programmet sendes kl. 00:15 på DR1. Du kan læse mere om det under 31. marts.

Former Nirvana manager Danny Goldberg urges politicians to make efforts to appeal to nowadays young people. Says Goldberg, in his book Dispatches from the Culture Wars: How the Left Lost Teen Spirit: "A lot of young people really don't understand why politics matter. I don't think you can blame people for not understanding things. You have to really try to make them understand. And to the extent that political rhetoric all sounds like a bunch of lawyers talking legalese, and to the extent that it sounds like it belongs more on CSPAN than MTV, you can't blame young people for tuning out." Story courtesy of MTV.

Chris Black, the British punk who sold Cobain his famous black and red jumper, wants his favourite garment back. During a recent BBC2 show, Black recalled the events that lead up to him trading clothes with Kurt Cobain: "Me and my mate Marshy decided to head up to King's Hall to meet with some mates. We didn't have tickets but somehow I managed to get in. I was backstage when Nirvana's bass player came out and invited me to meet the band. Courtney came over and told me she loved my jumper and could she have it. I had no idea what she was planning to do with the jumper, but then I saw Kurt wearing it on several occasions. It's a bit strange to think that the jumper went from me to Kurt Cobain." Story courtesy of the Belfast Telegraph

Courtney Love is featured on the cover of [the new issue of] Blender, on newstands now. Inside is a lengthy article with photos of Kurt and family, as well as a couple of recent photos of Frances and Courtney. Thanks to Brad.

On May 10, Krist Novoselic turned 39. Happy birthday Krist!

Chicago Sun-Times article reviewing the new Cobain and Nirvana-related book releases. Timing is also behind the slew of new releases about Kurt Cobain: "It was 10 years ago last month that the troubled leader of Nirvana took his own life. Sloppy scandalmongers and shameless opportunists Ian Halperin and Max Wallace first published their conspiracy theories about Cobain's death -- which rank on the credibility scale far below crackpot theories about Roswell and the grassy knoll in Dallas -- as 'Who Killed Kurt Cobain?' in 1998. 'Love & Death' is just a well-marketed repackaging of that book and a well-timed cash-in with little new information added and absolutely no substantive journalism. Atria Books should be ashamed to be charging $25 for it, and you're soiling yourself if you bother to read it." Full review here.

On May 7 I mentioned a new book, "Taboo Tunes". The same night there was a release party in Seattle. The author explains: "We threw a very successful Book Release party Friday night May 7 at a big art gallery, Seattle's Crespinel Studios. To help celebrate I developed an exhibit of rare/banned/censored LP (and CD) covers and posters. For four hours 300-400 people partied to the sounds of 'taboo tunes' spun by guest DJ's, Krist Novoselic and Mark Arm (Mudhoney's singer/guitarist). Both DJ's played lots of wild and interesting stuff, and Krist even played 'Love Buzz' by Shocking Blue! A very special moment" Thanks to Peter!

Nirvana will be featured in a book entitled "Taboo Tunes: A History of Banned Bands and Censored Songs", along with the likes of The Rolling Stones, Sheryl Crow and Dixie Chicks! The book is written by musician, historian and JAMPAC member Peter Blecha and will hit the stores this month. "In this extensively researched ode to scandal, historian and musician Peter Blecha recounts the travails of the musicians and songs that have dared to push the hot-button topics that polite society has deemed unacceptable. Filled with several centuries' worth of raunchy sex ditties, morbid murder ballads, blasphemous satanic songs, paeans to intoxicating substances, and outrageous political antics, this unique compendium uncovers the stories of censors' efforts to squelch these acts of expression. It examines the various societal forces -- such as repressive governments, busybody community organizations, and self-appointed moral guardians -- that have worked to limit how artists are allowed to express themselves, and makes clearer what censorship means for all. The bulk of Taboo Tunes focuses on incidents in America and features several episodes from Pacific Northwest history including our Jazz Age dance bans (and court trials), the infamous 'dirty lyrics' scandal and subsequent FBI investigation (1964-1966) of the Kingsmen's hit 'Louie Louie', and the corporate censorship of the fourth album by Grunge Rock icons, Nirvana." Finally, here's what Krist Novoselic had to say about it: "Fundamentally, we have to recognize that powerful music speaks to people in a way the censor can't – and having a compiled history like Taboo Tunes at hand makes this realization most clear." More info about the book here here. You can order the book online here.

News from the troubled world of Courtney Love, courtesy of the New York Daily News.

Top 20 Rock Riffs Of All Time Named. A new list compiling the Greatest Rock Guitar Riff Ever has just been revealed, and includes songs by Metallica, Muse, Rage Against The Machine and Queens Of The Stone Age. Guns N' Roses tops the list with their legendary "Sweet Child O' Mine" while Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" closely follows at spot #2. For the full story, go to this page, courtesy of XFM Online. Thanks to Nina.

Belfast Telegraph interview with Eugene Kelly of the Vaselines. "Eugene Kelly is in clover. Thanks to Kurt Cobain, he doesn't have to work again. Kelly is the erstwhile front man of The Vaselines, the seminal Glaswegian indie band much- vaunted by Nirvana, Sonic Youth and other members of the new-rock aristocracy at the turn of the 1990s. Nirvana cited them as a key influence in countless interviews, had collectors seek out their only full- length studio album and helped make them much more than a footnote in the musical canon. They also covered three of The Vaselines' songs - Molly's Lips, Son Of A Gun and, most importantly, Jesus Don't Want Me For a Sunbeam on the massive- selling Unplugged album. 'Myself and Francis McKee, who wrote those songs, have made enough to get by,' admits Kelly. 'I wouldn't be able to be a full-time musician without the royalties, especially from Unplugged.' " Read the full article here. Thanks to Ben and Uanah.

It is now finally time for another NFC Competition! This will be the 11th competition since the site launched and it is, by far, the biggest to date. Featuring a stunning 50 prizes - you can win a lot of spectacular items, including Nirvana books autographed by the authors, DVDs, t-shirts, CDs, and great magazines. See this picture.

"Heavier Than Heaven". An ultra rare early edition of the book, signed by the author! (1 winner)
"Touch Me I'm Sick". Brand new photo book by Charles Peterson (1 winner)
"Journals" by Kurt Cobain - paperback edition (4 winners)
"Nirvana: The Chosen Rejects". Brand new book by Kurt St. Thomas and Troy Smith (2 winners)
"Nirvana: The Chosen Rejects". This copy of the book is signed by both authors! (1 winner)
"Our Band Could Be Your Life". Book by Michael Azerrad. Signed by the author. (1 winner)
"Be More Chill". Great book by former Nirvana-webmaster Ned Vizzini. Advance copy. (1 winner)
"The Untold Stories". A brand new DVD with interviews and more. (1 winner)
Uncut Legends #2 - extensive magazine about Kurt Cobain and Nirvana (1 winner)
Gaffa: Nirvana special. Danish magazine about Kurt Cobain and Nirvana (4 winners)
NME (April 10, 2004). Special commemorative issue about Kurt Cobain (1 winner)
Backfire: Issue #50. Seattle magazine with features on Krist Novoselic, AIC and more (4 winners)
East of the Equator - 8x10 photo autographed by all members PLUS a rare promo CD! (10 winners)
East of the Equator - super rare white t-shirt with EOE logo, size XL (1 winner)
Kurt Cobain t-shirt by bobzero.net (2 winners)
Kurt Cobain t-shirt by angrychrist.com (1 winner)
Kurt Cobain postcard featuring photo by Alice Wheeler (2 winners)
"Nirvana" - promotional poster for the 2002 Best-Of album. Quite rare! (1 winner)
NFC Compilation: Best Of - cd featuring the best of the NFC Compilations. To be compiled soon. (11 winners)

THE CONTEST HAS ENDED!

Special thanks to those who donated prizes: Charles Cross, Charles Peterson and Kim Parker (powerHouse books), Riverhead Books, Kurt. St Thomas, Troy Smith and St. Martin's Press, Michael Azerrad and Shannon Byrne (Little, Brown and Company), Ned Vizzini and Hyperion Books, Sylwia and Chrome Dreams, Emily Hutchings and IPC Media, René and Jesper (Gaffa), Dan Silver and IPC Media, GGG, East of the Equator, Brad and Steven (UMG).

Former Nirvana drummer Chad Channing (now in East of the Equator) was recently interviewed by Andy Savage at Seattle radio station 96.5 K-Rock. You can find a clip of the interview at Andy's website. Thanks to Mike for the info.

Some info from an April tribute to Kurt in China: "My name is JJ from Shanghai, China, a constant visitor to this website. At the other side of the Pacific Ocean, a tribute concert to Kurt was held in Shanghai on April 11th. Couple of bands in various styles covered Nirvana songs in their own voice. They're all from Shanghai, a big commercial city, where unease young souls crying for their own voice. Without exaggeration, Nirvana is one of the biggest influences to the Chinese Rockers. The publishing of the Kurt Bio (in Chinese) in 1997 directly caused the Chinese Punk Explosion in the following year. The simple, dynamic, yet beautiful music of Nirvana remained its power among the new generation of young lads and broke the barrier of language and culture. We love you Kurt!" Here are some pictures from the tribute show: #1, #2, #3, #4 and #5. Thanks to JJ!