News 09/2001
As mentioned earlier, the October 2001 issue of Guitar World featured an extensive Nirvana
feature celebrating the 10th anniversay of their "Nevermind" album. I finally had a chance
to read it over, and here are some of it's highlights. The special involves five articles;
"The Dope Show" (an excerpt from chapter 16 of the 'Heavier Than Heaven' book), "Requiem for
a dream" (A lengthy interview with Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic), "Love and War" (an article
on the Nirvana boxed set, and the legal battle between Nirvana and Courtney Love), "The Name Game"
(an article going over some of the early titles that Kurt had planned for selected Nirvana songs
and albums), "In Bloom" (a brief interview with Butch Vig), and "Cobainspotting" (a guide on the
gear Cobain used on the recording of "Nevermind"). Apart from this lengthy feature, mostly written
by 'Heavier Than Heaven' author Charles R. Cross, the magazine also includes a Kurt Cobain poster,
several Nirvana photos and the tabs to "All Apologies".
The "Love and War" article does a great
job of clearing up the background for the forthcoming boxed set, and the reason for it's delay:
"On Sunday January 30, 1994, Kurt Cobain walked into Robert Lang studios in north Seattle for
what would be his last recording session. During the next five hours, Nirvana cut a handful of
new songs, most of them rough demos. For the past seven years, those tracks, and scores of others,
have remained tucked away in the vaults and shrouded in mystery. Jimi Hendrix died at the same age
as Kurt Cobain and with roughly the same size catalog; yet, in the seven years since Kurt's death
almost one dozen Hendrix repackagings, box sets or remastered albums have been released. The absence
of a Nirvana box set, or even a greatest hits album, is an anomaly in an industry that thrives on
reheated leftovers.
Much of the problem is due to the fact that Kurt's life - and the business of
Nirvana - was a mess prior to his suicide. At the time of his death, no legal agreement existed
that specified how Nirvana would be run as a business. Furthermore, Cobain died without leaving
a valid will, thereby giving control of 96% of Nirvana's publishing [rights] to his widow, Courtney
Love. In 1997 Novoselic, Grohl and Love signed a partnership contract which requires that all three
vote unanimously on decisions such as the release of Nirvana songs. But Love recently filed a suit
against Novoselic and Grohl to break up the partnership of Nirvana and gain control of the band's business
affairs. She argues that since the 1997 contract grants veto power to each of the three parties, it
has essentially 'deadlocked decision making'. Her lawyers argue that since she owns most of the publishing
rights (and thus wields ultimate veto power over any new release), decision making should be consolidated
under her control.
While the issue of who controls Nirvana is still being decided by a court, the parties
are working on an out of court agreement that will see the release in the meantime of the often-talked
about Nirvana box set. Universal has planned the set for the late fall, and most observers predict that
it should still arrive by then. Aside from the songs recorded at the January 1994 session, fewer than
a dozen Cobain tunes exist that have not been issued in any form, and only a handful of them are more
than demos. Most likely a multi-CD box set would have to include some of the band's many alternative
takes and live oddities since there isn't a wealth of unreleased studio material." Courtesy of
Guitar World and Charles R. Cross.
The interview with Krist is also quite good, and represents the first
and only lengthy interview he has done on the subject of Kurt and Nirvana since Kurt's death. It goes
over topics such as Nirvana's first show, the making of Nirvana's three studio albums, the impact of
drugs and fame, and Kurt's final days; "In the end he felt like he lost control and he just killed
himself. He literally just shot himself in the head. It all just deteriorated, and I know that I got
estranged from him. I could barely talk to him at the end of his life. There was so much to say but
I could barely say anything. I was just overwhelmed. And I'm still overwhelmed to this day." - "You can't
blame suicide on anybody. He ultimately killed himself. His death was a stupid mistake. He fucked up bad.
He could have made it through and come to terms with things. Now he's always going to be this screwed-up
27-year old, how he was at the end of his life. It goes with being a smart-ass; he thought he was smarter
than everybody else, that he knew better; that no one was going to tell him how to live his life. He wouldn't
listen to advice. He thought he was too fucking smart." (this quote was taken grossly out of context so
please read the complete interview if you get the chance). In general, it's a spectacular article and a great
piece of work. Check it out if you can. Special thanks to Sara for the magazine.
The September 8 2001 issue of the British NME also featured a tribute to the "Nevermind" album. Although more primitive
than the Guitar World feature, NME also offers info from Charles R. Cross in the form of an interview with him
about his book, and the access he got to Kurt's diaries. "There was an inner and an outer Kurt Cobain",
Cross tells NME. "... and the man you thought you knew, even when you were reading him in interviews
with NME, was not always the man that went home and wrote in his journal, who was addicted to drugs and who was
obsessive-compulsive." Speaking of the diaries, Cross said; "It's almost his own version of
psychotherapy. His writing is his way of dealing with his depression. But it's creative brilliance, they're amazing. I
have urged Courtney to publish them. They would be fascinating to read but they are very, very disturbing." Courtesy
of NME and Charles R. Cross. The NME piece also includes an article named "Kurt's Kids" - which is basically interviews
with people wearing Nirvana shirts at the recent Reading and Leeds festivals!
Speaking of NME, their September 15 issue also focused on Nirvana in the form of a "World Exclusive No. 1" interview
with Courtney Love. A saucy front-cover picture of a half-naked Courtney Love opens the interview that at best is a
series of rants and ramblings from the punk rocker. Reading the "interview" with her is like reading one of her longer
hole.com message board postings - echoed by the fact that the "interview" was done per e-mail. Nevertheless,
it's a very interesting read, especially with the interview focusing heavily on the new Cobain biography;
"Charley seemed to be doing the first actual book with researched statistics and data. He's local to Seattle, and I knew what
he was doing was Homeric for him, so in many ways he was doing it for me and for my daughter. He had devoted six
years to it, so I knew he was serious and it wouldn't be the sub-Albert Goldman bullshit cottage industry, which
we all know the previous KC stuff to be. I know that a real biography takes years to write and Charley kept coming
up with stuff that I didn't know about - very quietly and tastefully. He didn't need me, and I like that." Courtney
also, understandably, takes a stab at Nick Broomfield's controversial "Kurt and Courtney" documentary, and the people
who "used him [Kurt Cobain] like he was a subhuman piece of dogshit and someone they could keep in his
room and dine out on." Courtesy of NME and Corutney Love. Also a big thanks to Simon Taylor.
"Last Thursday (the 27th), Courtney Love, along with Frances Bean, appeared on KROQ's morning radio show in LA.
She was mainly there to plug her appearance with her new band, Bastard, at a Jane's Addiction show, though she did
talk a lot about Nirvana. She explained her reasons for the boxed set litigation--how she doesn't want Interscope
Records to have anything to do with any releases and said the Nirvana deal cut with her and the surviving members
was a bogus deal that she was suckered into, basically. She explained that the whole hype with the Tenth Anniversary
of Nevermind was just a bunch of commercialism and that a later date would be more appropriate for any release. Courtney
waxed about her dislike for Fred Durst because he tried to pitch his pet project, Puddle of Mudd, as his "fake Nirvana".
She also talked a little about the new [Kurt Cobain] biography, most notably choosing to excuse Frances from the interview
so she could talk about the various dairies and their contents over the radio. Mostly everything else was her rambling, but
a nice touch was Frances singing along to 'Lithium' before they played it for her." Thanks to Ray for this story!
As mentioned in the story above, Courtney will be performing as a solo artist for the first time, opening a show for
Jane's Addiction; "The Hole frontwoman will play her first show billed as a solo artist in Los Angeles on October 27,
opening for Jane's Addiction. Ex-Hole drummer Patty Schemel will back her at the Hollywood Bowl, as will other
still-unannounced musicians, according to Love's manager, James Barber. New songs will make up more than half of her
set list, while Hole tunes and other material will comprise the rest. Though a source said the singer/guitarist is
considering opening more shows for Jane's Addiction, Barber said, 'At this point, [one show is] all there is.'
Earlier this month, Love said she was considering a solo career because Bastard, the all-female rock group she
formed in March, had dwindled down to just her and Schemel. But for now she has not given up on finding replacements
for Veruca Salt guitarist Louise Post and former Rockit Girl guitarist Gina Crosley, who bailed to work together on
a new Veruca Salt album." Story courtesy of Yahoo! and SonicNet. Ironically, Jane's Addiction opened for Nirvana about
ten years ago at various shows.
"Last Thursday (the 28th), the Belgium radio station Studio Brussel aired a 30 minute live show of the
legendary Nirvana concert at the Paradiso in Holland (in 1991). Some songs from the setlist: Aneurysm,
About a girl, Polly, Smells Like Teen Spirit, Territorial Pissings, School, Breed and others." Thanks
to Steven. I believe the complete show was aired recently by a different radio station; "On the 10th
anniversary of Nevermind, Club Lek on 3FM, a very popular radio station in the Netherlands played the
whole Paradiso '91 concert by Nirvana. The DJ also told some facts on Nirvana but nothing special to
mention." Thanks to 'Thutshui' for this one.
"An NME poll in this weeks issue names 'Heart-Shaped Box' as the readers' favorite Nirvana song
with over 50% of the votes. 'Lithium' comes in second with 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' down as #6."
A bit of an odd result, but thanks to Chris for the news.
"I recently attended a Weezer concert on Wednesday, September 26th. Weezer was amazing. The band
that opened for them was called The Start. They were okay. They sounded alot like Orgy but with a
female singer. Their set pretty much sucked up until they took a little break about 45 minutes into
it. The singer asked the audience if we liked Weezer. We all went crazy. But then she asked if we all
liked Nirvana. Puzzled by the question, there was a mixed reaction by the crowd. Suddenly, they ripped
into 'Breed'. I just about passed out when I heard the opening guitar line, and the thundering drums!
It was freakin' amazing! The crowd went absolutely nuts when they finished the song. I think everyone's
respect for the band had doubled after hearing that. They should have just played a Nirvana set." Thanks
to Tony for sharing this story.
"The only uncut version of Kurt and Courtney by Nick Broomfield will be sold as part of a Film &
Television memorabilia auction at Christies, London on 11th December 2001. The film was kindly
donated by Nick Broomfield. All proceeds for the auction will go to support Britain's National
Film and Television School." At this time, there's no word on what the uncut version includes that
didn't make it to the official one. Thanks to Ciara of the National Film & Television School
for the story.
"I was on your website and noticed your extensive links to articles on Nirvana. We have a story
entitled 'Nirvana: A Decade After Nevermind Changed Music, looking back at Nirvana's career.' Check
it out here." Thanks to Sarah Emerson of
Virgin Entertainment Group for this one.
Here is my own little review of the Nirvana punk tribute CD "Smells Like Bleach" that was released on Cleopatra Records
earlier this year. The CD comes with some interesting liner notes by Dave Thompson who wrote a book on the band a few
years back. At 41 minutes, the CD is unusually short, but includes covers of 12 classic Nirvana tracks. Most of the covers
are done by relatively unknown and obscure punk bands, with a few exceptions.
Today, it's been exactly ten years since Nirvana's legendary "Nevermind" album was released
in the US. To celebrate that, I threw together a little 'Nevermind' special section. This
section contains excerpts from "Nevermind It's An Interview" including quotes that have never
been published anywhere before! You will also find rare pictures and another interview, including
unpublished quotes. Check it out here. Today was also the initially
scheduled release date for the much anticipated Nirvana boxed set. A day many of us have been
waiting for, for several months. Unfortunately, due to legal problems, the release of the box
has been postponed and it is unknown when it will be released, if ever.
Today, this site transferred to a new webhost once again. Basically, the old host would cut
the account around September 25 for various reasons - so it was necessary to move. Fortunately,
it was completed quickly and thus resulted in no downtime whatsoever. The new host will hopefully
be able to handle the site's large demands for so-called "bandwidth". To prevent further problems,
the NFC Board has been moved to a different site - a domain of it's own even - and is now located
at www.nirvana2.com. That site will solely be used for the
board, while the rest of the site is available at the usual address (www.nirvanaclub.com). So, in
the future, when you want to visit the board - just use the URL www.nirvana2.com. After some of the
interactive sections being down for a couple of days, all parts of this site should be working again.
Only the NFC Picture Gallery - including Vladislav's page - will be unavailable for the time being.
This site is no longer part of the MusicFans network - a network of the best music fan sites - as
they went out of business. One consequence of that is that I have to personally pay all expenses
related to operating the domain, including webhosting bills, so it is crucial that you click the ad
banners once they are up (should be in a few days). We also strongly recommend you use the 'NFC
Store' that you can find in the top part of this news section. Thanks for your support. Also a huge
thanks to Simon Taylor for making www.nirvana2.com possible.
The voting period for the 'Dotmusic' People's Choice Award has now ended. Unfortunately, this site
didn't make the Top 6 - and will thus not be competing for the winning spot, to be announced in London
on September 27. More than 3.000 sites worldwide have competed and more than 150.000 votes were cast.
Hopefully this site did make it top the Top 100 as last year -- the Top 100 will be announced shortly.
The sites in the Top 6 were; www.a1-online.com, atomickitten.com, ronankeating.net, fans.gorillaz.com,
westlife.co.uk, and the popular Radiohead site greenplastic.com. The latter site was also part of the
ill-fated MusicFans network.
"In the British 'Q' magazine there was a feature, I think it was The Top 50 Albums of All Time,
and Nirvana featured at #20 with 'In Utero'. The magazine described 'In Utero' as a progression
from 'Bleach' and 'Nevermind' capturing a great sound. It also said that Kurt Cobain was a musical
artist going through great emotional pain, but at the same time simultaneously sticking two fingers
up to the recording industry. 'Nevermind' came in at #3 and there was a page and a half write up about
the album which included photos of the band that I have never seen before." Thanks to Phil.
"There's a story on the Nevermind album in the September 21 issue of Entertainment Weekly entitled
'Did Nevermind Ruin Rock & Roll?' " Thanks to Gillian G. Gaar for this one. You can view scans of
the cover and article here; #1, #2,
#3 and #4. Special thanks to
Amanda for these.
"This article is about
Greg Sage and the Wipers. Not sure if you have it or not, but it discussed how Kurt put together
the 'Tribute to Greg Sage album'. It also mentions that Kurt was tentatively planned to go into
the Sage's studio and record a bunch of Leadbelly covers. That never happened due to the death of
Kurt." Nirvana recorded a cover called "Return of the Rat" for the above mentioned album. Thanks
to Dan for the info.
"Today [September 17] in the Toronto Sun (Canadian Newspaper) on the cover of the Showcase
(entertainment) section was a picture of Kurt Cobain with flames around it, and the caption
read 'It's better to burn out then to fade away? a ten year look back.' Inside there was a
two-page spread. The article talked about Kurt Cobain and of course the recent biography.
The article talked about the effect that Nevermind had on the world. Even going so far to
say that it was because of Cobain that Bush (senior) wasn't going to get re-elected. More
interesting though was the article on the last page. It was a sort of flashback article.
It was the article the paper ran on April 9th 1994. It also showed pictures from the paper
with the caption 'A Waste...But No surprise'. Later in the commentary part of the section
(written today) was a brief commentary on the 'growing number of fans who believe he was
murdered.'" Thanks to Scott Schill for this one.
"In a recent edition of the paper Pulse there was some very different information regarding
the boxset. It read as follows: 'Nirvana's label, Universal, says that two previously unreleased
Nirvana tracks will be included on a new single CD best-of compilation scheduled for release
in the lead-up to Christmas. It seems that Kurt Cobain's widow, Courtney Love, and the two
surviving members of Nirvana have reached agreement over the release of the tracks, said to
have been recorded in the last few weeks of Cobain's life. The inclusion of a third previously
unreleased track is still under discussion but not yet signed, sealed and delivered.' " Thanks
to Matt for this information. I don't believe this info is correct, but nevertheless, nothing
can be ruled out. Let's hope for the best.
"On the Norwegian website http://www.sone2.no/ there is a Nirvana competition running until October
1st. The question is who Kurt was married to, and the winner gets a package from Universal including
all Nirvana albums. What surprised me, though, was that along with the usual albums pictured is the
"Singles" box set and also the "Nevermind"/"Bleach" (or "Incesticide") plus t-shirt and card box."
Thanks to Reidar.
"Nirvana recently topped a poll of over 15000 people. For more information go here."
Thanks to Feargal.
Some interesting information; "a good friend of mine works for Universal Music Distribution
in New York. She said according to her bosses, the [Nirvana] box set is postponed indefinitely.
There was a rumour it would be out in time for Christmas holiday shopping, but she said it
definitely will not be out by then either. She had no info as to what was in it, the artwork,
packaging etc." Another source close to the project confirmed that the box was currently on
hold and was pending an agreement between the various parties (most notably Courtney Love and
Krist/Dave).
The Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet put up a lengthy tribute to celebrate the 10-year anniversary
of the 'Nevermind' album. You may read it online here.
Special thanks to Reidar for the link.
From LAUNCH; "Former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic recently recalled one of the most memorable moments in the
history of the MTV Video Music Awards. Back in 1992, Novoselic split his head open live on national cable TV
after throwing his bass in the air and missing the catch. Novoselic told us, 'What happened was as my concentration
was off. Before I walked on stage, I had a six pack of Budweiser. I mean, I kind of just shotgunned them, and I
walked on stage. I was kind of shook up, too, because of some events that happened earlier with Guns N' Roses, but
I threw the bass up in the air...Well, what happened was I was playing and my bass amp, I turned it on and it was
just overdriven. It's like pile-driving. I'm, like, 'Oh god,' and I'm, like, 'There's how many million people watching
this? We can't start over,' you know? Show biz--the show must go on. Then the amp just cuts out, starts crackling, and
the amp's gone.' Novoselic continued, 'In the old Nirvana days, whenever we'd play bad shows we would just smash our gear
and then everybody would get excited and then we'd walk off stage, and everybody would be, like, 'What a great show. Such
an exciting finale,' but it was just real shtick. I've gotten real good at that. I've thrown my bass 30 feet in the air
easily--really thrown it up there--and caught it every time, and just that one time I was off. I just wasn't feeling right.'
Novoselic added that some good did come out of the incident: 'I just wasn't feeling right and it fell right on my head.
It just kind of knocked me silly. I got up and walked off, and I was walking backstage and the security guard is like,
'Oh, my god. Here come with me.' I felt kind of dizzy and these paramedics came. I think like Boyz II Men or somebody like
that was in the bathroom, and they're, like, 'Oh, my God.' I look in the mirror and my face is covered with blood. And
then Brian May [of] Queen walks up with, like, a towel, and I'm just standing there drinking champagne with Brian May
with an ice pack on my head. Yeah, we were talking.' " Courtesy of LAUNCH Media.
'The Onion' put up an interesting review of the book "Heavier Than Heaven" which you can read
here. Thanks to Chris for the link.
Apparently Guitar World compiled a list of the 100 best guitar solos of all time. Nirvana made it
to spot #26 with "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Thanks to Chris Valles.
(Picture courtesy of The Channings)
"'Grunge' which premieres on VH1 September 14th, 10/9c [is] a comprehensive look at the history of Grunge
nearly 10 years ago which includes interviews with many of the most popular artists of the time with an in
depth look at the life of Kurt Cobain. 'In September 1991, Nirvana released Nevermind, a landmark album that
voiced the frustrations of a disillusioned generation and signaled the arrival of a major music scene. Now,
a decade later, VH1 News and Spin magazine present Grunge, an in-depth look at the Seattle-born movement
that transformed popular music and the major players who made it happen.' VH-1 WEBSITE INCLUDES:
View the 'Grunge' special on VH-1's website here." Press release courtesy of Monica Lee.
NME put up a feature on the "Nirvana Legacy" - a list of essential albums released over the past ten years. The
artists mentioned include Deftones, Linkin Park, Rage Against The Machine, Smashing Pumpkins, Slipknot, Tool and
others. They also have a Top 10 of the "10 Nirvana Tracks You Must Own". They are, according to NME, as follows:
1 Heart Shaped Box (In Utero), 2 Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nevermind), 3 Where Did You Sleep Last Night (Unplugged
in New York), 4 In Bloom (Nevermind), 5 Molly's Lips (Incesticide), 6 Blew (Bleach), 7 Serve The Servants (In Utero),
8 Drain You (live) (From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah), 9 Pennyroyal Tea (Unplugged in New York), 10 Territorial
Pissings (Nevermind). Check out the special here.
As mentioned earlier, the new issue of the print version of NME (published today) would include an interesting
interview with Courtney Love; " 'Kurt didn't have to die. He was systematically destroyed.' - Courtney Love. This
week's NME features not one, but two world exclusives. The first is with Courtney Love, in which she discusses -
for the first time ever - the truth behind the death of Kurt Cobain, the stiga of being the widow of a rock icon
and her plans for the future. The second is with Suge Knight, the Godfather of gangasta rap. Fresh out of jail and
with a point to prove, the most dangerous man in music talks about Dr Dre's sexuality, J-Lo's supposed porn film
and why he believes Snoop Dogg is running scared." Courtesy of NME.
Due to the tragic events in New York and Washington, D.C. on Tuesday - the NFC Discussion Board was closed for about
a day. Only one thread was left open to discuss the terrible incident. This particular thread has currently received
more than 1.200 messages. You may view it here
and share your frustration. You can make donations to the Red Cross here.
MTV put up a (slightly late) story on the new "Heavier Than Heaven" book;
"With unprecedented access to the Nirvana frontman's unpublished journals,
letters, drawings and home videos, author Charles R. Cross set out to construct
the definitive biography of Cobain, and according to the singer's widow, Cross
has come closer than anyone else. 'It's heavy,' Courtney Love said. 'I read it
in one weekend, and I couldn't leave my house. Biographies always are someone
else's projection, but it's the first one that's not nonsense. The facts are in
there — names, numbers, dates. ... It sets the standard.' - 'To me, the most interesting
part of Kurt's personality is the difference between the inner and the outer man,'
Cross said. 'This stuff about Kurt Cobain being an anti-corporate artist is complete
and utter pooey. If you look at the choices in his life, at every single turn of events
he went the route to more popularity. He signed a major label. He kept saying he wouldn't,
but he did. He complained about making a video, complained about how much they played it,
yet privately complained to his managers when they didn't play it enough.' Cobain, Cross
claims, was obsessed with his own mythology and fabricated stories about his past, such
as living under a bridge. - Cross said he gained access to Cobain's intimate material
by winning the trust of the singer's family and friends. '[Love] felt that to understand
him, I needed to read his inner thoughts,' he said. 'The diaries ... really changed this
book dramatically because they gave me a place to have Kurt's voice.' " Story courtesy of
Teri VanHorn and MTV. Check out the full story here.
VH-1's website put up some info about their 'Grunge' special to be aired on
September 13; "In September 1991, Nirvana released Nevermind, a landmark album
that voiced the frustrations of a disillusioned generation and signaled the
arrival of a major music scene. Now, a decade later, VH1 News and Spin magazine
present Grunge, an in-depth look at the Seattle-born movement that transformed
popular music and the major players who made it happen." On VH-1's website there
is a poll entitled "What's the greatest grunge album?" and Nirvana's Nevermind
is currently in the lead with 55%, followed by Pearl Jam's excellent album "Ten"
with 37% of the votes, and Soundgarden's "Superunknown" album with just 8% of
the votes. On the site you can also find a '94 Cobain interview, some 'grunge
interviews', and similar features. Check it out here.
The 'Grunge' special will be aired on VH-1 (in the US) at the following times:
THU 9/13 at 1am ET, THU 9/13 at 1pm ET, THU 9/13 at 10pm ET, SAT 9/15 at 2:30pm
ET, SAT 9/15 at 10:30pm ET, SAT 9/22 at 5pm ET.
"I was watching Much Music the other day (Canadian version of MTV) and they just
launched a side station called 'Much Loud' playing only rock music and they were
showing the debut of it, and the very first song to be played on the station happened
to be 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' by Nirvana." Thanks to 'Cobainela' and Kushmin for this one.
"Throughout the Labor day weekend, the radio sation in my hometown 'The Rock
94.3' played the Top 500 Rock Songs of all time ... most of these were voted
on by the fans ... just thought you would like to know how Nirvana did:
The #1 song was 'Stairway to heaven' by Led Zeppelin. If you want to see the complete list of the top 500 songs go to www.therock943.com and click on the top 500 songs link." Thanks to Richard Dezso for this one.
Don't forget that Charles Cross, author of the new Kurt Cobain biography "Heavier
Than Heaven", will be signing copies of his book and doing a reading at the 'Book Soup'
store in Hollywood, CA today (Sept. 7) at 8 PM. The store is located at 8818 Sunset Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069. Check previous updates for the full schedule of his book tour.
Thanks to Jen Ramos of Book Soup for this information.
Yesterday, MTV had another of their entertaining MTV Video Music Award shows. This year's
highlights included tributes to the late Aaliyah and Joey Ramone and a surprise appearance
by Michael Jackson. There were also some funny moments such as Ben Stiller making fun of Sean
Combs, a plastic toy dog talking about Jennifer Lopez' ass, U2's performance getting screwed
up by a power problem, and more. Finally, the show included some nice live performances by
Staind and Linkin Park as well as a saucy show-closer by a half-naked Britney Spears. The
best part of the show, however, was the fact that Eminem and Gorillaz didn't win any awards.
Thank god.
"At rollingstone.com there's an article on Jennifer Aniston in the new movie 'Rock star'.
She goes record shopping during the interview: Jennifer Aniston is record shopping because
a) she lost her copy of Nevermind, but more important because b) we want her to talk about music.
After all, she is now starring in Rock Star as the girlfriend-slash-manager of a Judas Priest-like
metal god played by Mark Wahlberg. 'I'm totally musically ignorant,' Aniston notes. 'I'm going
to humiliate myself.' " Thanks to Dave.
"Asked about a fitting way for Kurt Cobain to be honored by his home town, the author of the
new biography of the star crossed rocker said; 'Personally, if I was on the Aberdeen City Council,
I'd name a bridge after him.' Charles Cross of Seattle was at the Aberdeen Timberland Library - a
fitting place to debut 'Heavier Than Heaven'. To Cobain, the library was one part magic carpet, one
part home. We saw him there often, scrunched in a corner. The best way to honor Kurt Cobain's memory
is not by naming a bridge or a park after him or just erecting a statue. The best way is for the city
of Aberdeen to establish and operate a youth center in a reborn Neutral Zone; a safe place where teens
from all over the Harbor can go hear their music; play their music; hang out, maybe generate the next
Nirvana with a happier ending. No drugs, no alcohol, no weapons except guitars and drum kits. One of
Kurt's most evocative songs gives us the perfect slogan for the Kurt Cobain Youth Center: Come as you
are." This was from the The Daily World, Aberdeen Washington, August 16. Thanks to Angie for passing it on.
As mentioned before, there is a lengthy Nirvana feature in the September 13 issue of
Rolling Stone magazine. As I only now had a chance to read through the mag myself, I
thought I would go over the feature in more detail. Focusing on the 'Nevermind' album
- having a 10 year anniversary later this month - the article is introduced with a
re-creation of the legendary cover photo. The now 10-year old Spender Elden is pictured
chasing after the infamous $10-bill once again, as he was when doing the photo shoot
for the album's cover, some ten years ago. The article features interesting interviews
with Krist Novoselic, Dave Grohl and Butch Vig. When asked how 'Nevermind' sounds
to him today, Krist notes; "It's so strong. There are no weak moments in it.
I don't ever skip over a song. Each song has something to say. We were well rehearsed - we went
in and just knocked it out. It wasn't self-conscious. It poured out." Grohl talks about
the much-debated song 'You Know You're Right' from the last recording session the band did;
"It's pretty melodic. But it has probably the most feedback I've ever heard on a Nirvana
track. With Nevermind, we wanted to capture the raw energy of the band but with
optimum performance. In Utero was all about capturing the vibe on tape. This song
is somewhere between the two - but stranger." He also talks a little about the session;
"We had been touring America and we had this new song we had been fucking around with
in sound checks. The first two days [in the studio], it was just Krist and me messing
around. Kurt came in on the third day, and we did the song in one take. Then he sang
three vocal tracks. That was it." Butch Vig, producer and engineer of 'Nevermind' also
talked a little about some of Nirvana's rare outtakes following the question - There
aren't many outtakes from the album: "Old Age", "Sappy", and something called "Song in
D". Vig: "I wanted Kurt to finish the words to that one. It was like
'On a Plain' or 'About a Girl', this jangly arpeggio thing in the key of D. I thought I could
turn it into another single. At the end, Kurt said he didn't want to finish it because it was
too much like R.E.M. For "Sappy", he had some lyrics, but he wanted to change it. The
band tried to record it on numerous occasions. It was one of those songs Kurt heard
in his head, but they never got it right. But he kept taking a stab at it."
Next, the
article describes "Ten scenes from the year that catapulted Nirvana from underground
punks to rock & roll kings" [1991]. The scenes are; " 'Nevermind' cover shoot"; " 'Smells
Like Teen Spirit' video"; "Tower Records in-store performance"; 10/12/91 show in Chicago;
10/16/91 show in St. Louis; 10/19/91 show in Texas with the infamous battle; 10/30/91
show in Seattle; " 'Nevermind' goes platinum"; Saturday Night Live on 01/11/92 and finally
the Rolling Stone cover shoot in January 1992. These events are described, using comments
from those who were there. The final bit of the feature is an article on the best Nirvana
bootlegs. The picks are as follows: 04/17/87 Olympia radio show; 1987-1988 home demos;
12/28/88 Seattle show; 11/22/89 Vienna show; BBC Radio Sessions 1989-1991; 08/17/90 Hollywood
show (with Dale Crover on drums); 01/10/92 New York show for MTV; 08/30/92 Reading Festival
in the UK; 10/23/93 show in Chicago, featuring the only live performance of "You Know You're
Right" and finally the popular and highly bootlegged 02/22/94 show in Rome, Italy. The choices
are perfect - and do indeed pretty much represent ten of the best Nirvana bootlegs. The article also
mentions this site in the credits, which is quite flattering.
In general, the whole feature
is excellent and offers a wealth of interesting information - along with some great photos.
Kudos to David Fricke and Rolling Stone for a very well done tribute to the 'Nevermind' album,
and celebration of it's 10-year anniversary. On a sidenote, they are currently running a
competition where you can win all of Nirvana's CDs. Check this scan
for info. If you don't get a chance to buy a copy of the magazine, you can also read the Nirvana
article here.
Thanks to Jessica for the link.
Don't forget to tune into MTV tomorrow evening at 8 PM Eastern for this year's MTV Video
Music Awards show. The show will feature live performances from Alicia Keys, Linkin Park,
Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Staind and U2. Among the presenters are Christina Aguilera,
Jon Bon Jovi, Destiny's Child, Janet Jackson, Mandy Moore, Ozzy Osbourne, Jessica Simpson,
Will Smith, Gwen Stefani, Christopher Walken and many others. You can get more information,
including a list of the nominees, at the MTV website.
Another story about Courtney from NME; "COURTNEY LOVE has told NME.COM she is considering the
possibility of an exhibition of KURT COBAIN's 'paintings and sculptures', as well as other writings,
in LONDON. As previously reported on NME.COM, Love gave writer Charles R. Cross access to Kurt
Cobain's personal diaries as part of his research for a new biography of the late Nirvana star,
titled 'Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain'. The 28 handwritten notebooks are said
to document his life from a teenager, through to his suicide in 1994. Now, in an exclusive interview
to be published in next week's issue of NME (September 15), Love said that plans were in the pipeline
for an exhibition of Cobain's non-musical work in London. She commented: 'I've spoken to someone in
London about showing funny poetry, sick boy cartoons, beautiful prose and his paintings and sculptures
which are amazing... There are just tons and tons of diaries. He was very prolific and a good, if not
sometimes great, evocative writer.' " Story
courtesy of NME.
"Over Labor day weekend, LA's KROQ, arguably the biggest modern rock station in the US
(maybe the world?) played the 300 biggest songs of the 90's as voted by its listeners via
its website. Just thought I'd let you know where Nirvana stood in all of that. Here goes:
With 12 songs, Nirvana had the most by far." Thanks to Bob Meinke for this story. It's nice to see that, even today, Nirvana goes to number one when people are asked to name their fav songs of the 90s. And this time around, the chart was compiled by one of the biggest radio stations in the world.
The Norwegian 'Nettavisen' published an article about the "Heavier Than Heaven" book. You
can read it here.
Many, many newspapers around the world - including the Danish Berlingske Tidende and Extra
Bladet - have done reviews of the book recently. Thanks to Reidar for the link.
An interesting story from NME; "COURTNEY LOVE has given a world exclusive interview to NME
about the legacy of her late husband KURT COBAIN, following the publication of extracts from
the NIRVANA songwriter's diaries. Courtney spoke to NME following publication of 'Heavier Than
Heaven', a new biography of Cobain which includes previously unpublished entries from his
diaries. Courtney granted the biographer, Charles R Cross, access to Kurt's diaries most of
which she has in her possession. With the tenth anniversary of Nirvana's landmark album
'Nevermind' due later this month, Courtney agreed to talk to NME about her reasons for allowing
Cross access to the diaries, her own memories of the period and her future in music. The full
interview will appear in next week's edition of NME (September 11)." Story courtesy of NME.
Today we enter the month where the fabled Nirvana box set was initially planned to
be released. The September 2001 release date, marking the 10th anniversary of the
'Nevermind' album, was first spread in early 2000. Eventually, several official
sources - including Krist and Dave - backed it up. The rumors of a planned box-set
started spreading sometime in '98, and for a long time September 24 2001 seemed to be the
date where it would finally be released. Apparently, later it was changed to October
23. Unfortunately, neither of these dates are likely to mark the release of the box,
as it was stopped by a injunction that Courtney Love launched earlier this year.
"Love claims that a preliminary injunction was necessary to protect her legal rights
and an immediate infringement upon them with the release of the box set." So, the
matter is currently stuck in the legal system, and unless the parties settle things
soon, a release this year is quite unlikely. Time will tell what happens ...
In the August 28 issue of the British NME magazine there are a couple of articles on
Nirvana. One goes over the same stuff as a recent CNN article; mostly focusing on the
HTH book and the fact that the author got access to Kurt's journals. It also mentions
the discovery of a recording of Nirvana's first show. The issue of NME also includes
a comment from Jason Wade, vocalist of the band Lifehouse, talking about how much Cobain
influenced him. Apart from NME, recent issues of the British Q and Mojo magazines also
include articles on Nirvana. Thanks to Mic Wright.
"The Channel ABC's (Australian TV) music program, Rage, will be screening all of Nirvana's
video clips from approximately 3:00 am to 3:45 am on Sunday the 2nd of September. You can view
Rage's online play list here."
Thanks to Chris McCubbin.
"I am a fan of the band Harlow. They were on the Bands on the Run thing and on the last
episode when all members reunited to announce the winner, Pat Smear (everybody's buddy!)
accompanied them. Harlow just finished recording their debut album 'Harlowland', and Pat
Smear produced it!" This was also mentioned in a recent Harlow newsletter. Thanks to Matt
for the news on Nirvana's former 2nd guitarist.
"Courtney Love and Don Henley are putting their voices together, but it's not for song, it
is for artist rights. Love and Henley will testify before a California Senate Committee on
Sept 5 at a hearing to discuss the release of artists from long-term contracts. A 56 year old
Californian law states that artists cannot be held under a contract for longer than 7 years,
but an industry amendment passed in 1987 makes artists still liable for any albums not produced
under the terms of the contract after the 7 year period expires. Kevin Murray, a former music
agent and now State Senator will be chairing the hearing and admits he is not sure the current
law is even good for the record industry." Full
story. Thanks to Steve Harries for the link.
A new Nirvana site recently opened, offering some interesting multimedia files. Most of all,
these include Nirvana's music videos and live clips. These movie files can be difficult
to find elsewhere. Check out the site here.
New Yorker magazine also did a review of the new Cobain book that you can read
here. Thanks to Maria for the link.
The unsorted pictures section was updated with some great photos from a recent trip
to Seattle and Aberdeen. They include brand new pictures of the home where Kurt Cobain
lived in his final days, and the small park next to it. Check out the pictures here.
Special thanks to tbe beautiful Maria for these.
The Montreal Gazette and Ottawa Citizen newspapers recently ran an interesting story
about the battle between Courtney Love and Nirvana's remaining members over rights to
Nirvana's music. The article includes comments from a member of The Clash. Check out a
transcript of it here. Special thanks to Alex Vance.
Article courtesy of Mark Lepage and the Gazette.