Interesting news from the music business; "LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Shipments of full-length compact discs in
the United States reached an all-time high in the first half of 2000, up 6 percent from the year-ago period to
420 million units, said the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). CDs comprise 86 percent of the
total music purchasing market and the dollar value grew 9.9 percent to nearly $5.7 billion, the RIAA said.
The strong data come amid a raging legal battle between the RIAA and Internet sites such as song-swap company
Napster Inc., which are accused of facilitating copyright piracy and undermining sales for music companies and
copyright holders." - "Shipments of cassettes, which make up 8 percent of all product shipped to manufacturers
in the first two quarters, fell 31.5 percent while both CD and cassette singles also fell. Shipments of vinyl
albums and singles also declined." So while the RIAA are busy suing everyone with an MP3 file on their computer,
the record sales are higher than ever. Interesting twist of irony. Story courtesy of Yahoo! and Reuters. View
the full story.
Note that the chatroom is currently not working due to a problem with the IRC host, AfterNet.
We are working on a solution. Also, most of the links in the movie gallery are still not working
as Geffen's Nirvana site is gone for some reason.
Jack Endino recently put up his "online Garage sale" again, offering a lot
of rare items from the time Nirvana's career began. This includes issues of
the magazine "Backlash", the first magazine to ever interview Nirvana. You
will also find a lot of stuff related to Jack's old band Skin Yard. Get a
glimpse of the past at Endino's
garage sale. Link courtesy of Jack Endino.
"In the August Issue of 'Uncut' magazine, there is a picture of Kurt on the
cover, and the headline of the magazine is, 'Lost boys and fallen angels
Kurt Cobain and the rock stars who had it all...and blew it'. There's a one
page article about Kurt and his death, and then several smaller articles
about other passed-on rockers. This is not really important but I'll tell
you that this was by far the most offensive piece I think I've ever read
about Kurt. The author does nothing but throw insults at Kurt, calling him
a 'Whiney, self-pittying little asshole' among other things. If you haven't
already, check it out (if you want to, it's a depressing yet very angering
article; and I think the author of that article should be beaten with a
large peice of frozen meat). That's it." Thanks to Bowen and a couple of
others for this story. It was also briefly mentioned in the news section last month.
My e-mail software has compiled a little list of e-mail addresses sending
junk and other unwanted spam. You may view it
here. Some e-mail software will allow you to import a list such as this
one, and block all incoming mail from the addresses on the list.
Here is a little review of the VH-1 special that aired last night, including
a segment on Cobain; "It was only one segment (the first segment), and it just
featured some commentary from the authors of [the book] 'Who killed Kurt Cobain'.
It was hardly very original, and it featured some pretty lame rationale 'Kurt
Cobain had everything to live for. He told Rolling Stone he had never been happier,
he had dramatically cut back on his drug use (hello?), etc' . The show tidily
forgot to mention Kurt's suicide attempt in Rome. Anyway, the show left me feeling
really sad, maybe because it was done in such a clinical way (one of the responding
medical examiners was on the show). The saddest part was when they highlighted the
part of the suicide note, which they showed a couple of times in close-ups, where
Kurt said that Frances would have a much happier life without him. If his death isn't
a concrete example of depression as a physical disease just like cancer, I can't
imagine one exists." Thanks to Stephen for this review. If you caught the special
and want to add a comment, please feel free to e-mail it. In case you missed the
special it will be repeated on THU 8/24 at 6pm/5c, SAT 8/26 at 12pm/11c, SAT 8/26
at 6pm/5c and SUN 8/27 at 10pm/9c. Thanks to Stephen for the dates.
The British Channel 4 will be airing a rare Kurt Cobain interview soon;
"Rock Babylon features Shaun Ryder and his manager dad; Supergroupie Pamela
Des Barres; Marilyn Manson; an exclusive interview with Kurt Cobain conducted
a short time before his death and Cynthia Plastercaster, the notorious groupie
who spent 30 years lovingly taking plaster casts of rock stars' penises. Rock
Babylon is a compendium and celebration of the moments when the high and mighty
get caught acting low down and dirty, a mixture of celebrity interviews, never-
before-seen archive footage and testimonies from the backroom boys and girls who
make all the excess possible." The show 'Rock Babylon with Graham Norton' airs
August 26 at 11:20 PM, local time. Thanks to Rich and Channel Four for the story.
Frances Bean Cobain, the daughter of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, turned
eight years old today. Happy birthday, Frances!
Speaking of Courtney, she is apparently being sued by a film production company;
"COURTNEY LOVE is being sued by a film production company for non-payment of work
they did on 'BEAT', a film about the life of the late author WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS.
The company, Background Productions, filed the suit in Los Angeles Superior Court
on Wednesday (August 16) alleging that Love and associates behind the film were in
breach of contract, committed fraud, defamation and inflicted emotional stress.
According to US website Wall of Sound, the company is claiming the $740,000 it was
to receive for looking after 'Beat's' day-to-day production was $100,000 shy of the
figure contractually agreed. Background production supervisor Alexandra Cardenas is
also suing the Hole frontwoman for defamation, claiming the stress that Love caused
her on-set has led to a hernia and prevented her from returning to work. She claims
Love accused her of 'being a spoiled rich girl, of stealing money, of exploiting and
treating her crew badly, of being a 'puta' — a whore'. " Story courtesy of NME online.
It is worth to mention that Kurt Cobain worked with Burroughs on a 'song' entitled
"The Priest They Called Him".
Some interesting news about a show coming up on the US Music Channel VH-1;
"NEW YORK, Aug. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Rock 'n' roll is good times, great sounds and
unforgettable performers. It's also chilling circumstances, bizarre coincidences and
untimely deaths. The new series 'VH1 Confidential' delves deep into our culture's
hidden files to probe the mysteries, myths and urban legends of rock 'n' roll when it
premieres Tuesday, August 22 at 10:00-11:00 p.m. (ET/PT), followed by new one-hour
episodes debuting every Tuesday at the same time. Investigating and illuminating topics
like rock records' hidden messages, shock rock deaths, missing-in-action musicians and
more, each episode of 'VH1 Confidential' explores several tales from the turbulent history
of popular music, featuring historic film and video footage and photographs, plus new
interviews. In the series premiere episode, 'VH1 Confidential' examines: Kurt Cobain,
Suicide or Murder?: The leader of Nirvana, a hugely influential artist who changed the
conventions of rock music, was pronounced dead at his home of suicide-by-shotgun on April
8, 1994. 'It's a classic textbook example of suicide,' says Dr. Nikolas Hortshorne, medical
examiner of King County, Washington. But Ian Halperin, co-author with Max Wallace of the
book 'Who Killed Kurt Cobain?' claims 'there is a lot of compelling evidence that points
to a possible murder.' " The premiere episode also includes segments on Charles Manson
and The Beatles. This show is actually somewhat revolutionary as it represents the rare
event of a major respected media talking about the murder theories, something MTV for
example have never done. So, make sure to keep your TV tuned to VH-1 on August 22 at
10 PM ET. If you are able to tape this, please
let me know as I am unable to watch it myself. Thanks a lot. Check the full press
release about the show here.
"In this months edition of Circus Magazine, with Head from Korn on the cover,
there is a nice little thing about Nirvana in it. It has Nirvana's C.A.T.
(Circus Aptitude Test) in it. It gives some Nirvana information then tells
favorite songs, videos, concerts, albums and member voted in by fans on their
website. Its a nice little piece, considering they haven't been a band in 6
years". Thanks to Tom for this story.
The CGI script handling the quiz was re-written to make it process a little
faster. Basically the script was written in June 1998 and as my programming
skills back then were rather poor, the script consisted of 424 lines. The new
version is just 192 lines, and could probably get even shorter. The questions
in the quiz are the same, though. A new quiz with some new questions will be
put up soon.
The latest section of NFC, "The Vault", is coming along nicely but we still
desperately need YOU to submit some interesting material. For a list of what
exactly we are looking for, please read this. For an
example of what the vault is (probably) going to look like, you can check out
a few screenshots; #1 -
#2. If you would like to submit something to this section, please e-mail:
vault@nirvanaclub.com. Thanks a lot.
I recently decided to host a website made by a friend of mine, Khris 'Boddah'
Jensen. The site is very nice, offering touching as well as entertaining
segments. There is even a little Nirvana stuff too :) You can check Boddah's
site here.
A website called "Throttlebox" are soon going to offer what they claim to be
one of the final interviews done with Kurt Cobain. "He was one of the most influential
artists of the 20th century -- the voice of a generation, the soul of a subculture.
But by March '94 -- just three years after the release of 'Nevermind' -- Kurt Cobain's
struggle to survive fame and fortune had begun to take its toll. In one of his last
American interviews, Cobain talked with rock writer Jim DeRogatis about recording
'In Utero,' the media's treatment of Nirvana, and life as a husband and father.
Soon after, Cobain's struggle was over, his voice silent. Download this historic
interview in 12 free segments, complete with audio, text and images." The interview
should be available at Throttlebox.com
sometime in September. Thanks to Chris for the news
Here is a rather amusing story about an exorcised Lap-top computer; "An Essex woman
has had her lap-top exorcised after dead rock idol Kurt Cobain appeared on her screen
and pleaded: 'Give us a kiss love.' Bar manager Gemma Franks, 24, from Colchester, thought
the apparition of the former Nirvana singer was a computer virus when he first appeared
on her Compaq Presario lap top. But a week later Kurt's apparition appeared again crying,
'Help me' and 'Give us a kiss love'" - "'I was sat at the screen and it blanked out then
Kurt's face appeared filling the screen.' 'There was a distorted strange noise, Kurt was in
pain screaming Help me, Help me. Then he stopped and he just said, Kiss me, so I put my lips
to the screen and kissed him. Kurt said Mmm, you're a good kisser, then the screen went blank.'
Gemma had the hard drive checked by a computer expert - but there was no virus. She then brought
in paranormal investigator Jim Chisholm. He burned candles and sprinkled holy water during the
exorcism ceremony - but the computer now refuses to boot-up." Well there you have it. Thanks
to Ananova for the story and Tommy
for sending it.
"Kurt Cobain was in the 'Heroes' column of the October issue of Guitar Player magazine. The
small article detailed his equipment and his reluctance to be a spokesperson for a generation,
leading to his 'self destruction' " Thanks to Tom for this one.
"Eyewitness Nirvana: The Day-By-Day Chronicle" is a brand new book, written by
the journalist Carrie Borzillo. The book literally covers almost every day of
Nirvana's career, beginning with Krist's birth in 1965 to April 1994, the month
of Kurt Cobain's death. Of course the major emphasis is on the years 1987 to 1994
when the band was active. The book provides facts and funny stories about a ton
of Nirvana concerts, and chronicles every important date of Nirvana's career; "With
a day-by-day account of Nirvana's incredible career, Eyewitness Nirvana is
the most complete telling of their story, not only tracking all of the band's tour
dates, recording sessions, and release dates, but looking behind the scenes at after-
show parties, the workings of their record label and management team and what life
was like in those final months of Cobain's life."
The book also includes a small but very nice gallery of Nirvana photographs taken from various sessions and concerts. Carrie told me that two versions of the book have been published; a US version called "Nirvana: A Day-By-Day Eyewitness Chronicle" and the UK version mentioned earlier called "Eyewitness Nirvana: The Day-By-Day Chronicle". Only the UK version comes in a hardcover but the content of both books is the same. I have not had a chance to read the entire book yet, but my initial impression is very good, and I would strongly recommend picking up a copy of it. It is also worth to mention that this website is mentioned as one of the first in the book's credits :) To finish off here is a small random example from the book: November 3, 1991; "Nirvana-mania is setting in and Kurt Cobain is a bit uneasy with it. In a story in the Chicago Tribute on this day, Kurt says, 'All this attention is getting to be a bit unrealistic. I hardly have any time for my life anymore. I don't have a life. It's Nirvana, Nirvana, Nirvana. It's a bit exaggerated. We just want to play music.' " (quote: "Eyewitness Nirvana: The Day-By-Day Chronicle. © 2000 Carrie Borzillo and Carlton Books Ltd.)
The book should
be available online from the British Amazon. The
UK version's ISBN is: 1-84222-024-1. For the record, the correct spelling of the
author's last name is Borzillo :)
"What do Frank Sinatra, Nirvana and Leonard Cohen have in common? They made
some of the most morose albums of all time, the British music magazine NME says.
The Top 10 list of misery and tortured souls runs from Big Star's 'Sister Lovers'
and Billie Holiday's 'Lady In Satin' to two offerings from Joy Division." The
Top 10 also includes Nirvana's 'In Utero' on spot #4. I'm not sure how songs
like "tourette's" and "Rape me" can be the 4th "best [pieces of] music to accompany
a bout of the blues", but I'm sure those nice journalists do :) Thanks to Yahoo!
and NME for this story.
From Jeremy; "This does not really pertain to Nirvana, but I was watching Rock
Show on VH-1, the 'Bad Girls' episode. And, of course, Courtney Love was chosen
along with Janis Joplin, Patty Smith and many other bad girls. It told a little
bit about her career before it started talking about her marriage with Kurt. They
stated that her fame "sky-rocketed" when she married him. I just thought that was
kind of funny that VH-1 would say that when a lot of people want to deny it." Thanks
to Jeremy and VH-1 for this one.
From Beans; "The Meat Puppets recently got signed to Breaking/Atlantic Label, which
means we can expect a new album and a tour. I just thought it would be nice if you
could mention it in other news. There is a brief and obvious NIRVANA mention on their
page too." The Meat Puppets are featured on Nirvana's "Unplugged in New York" album.
Scheduled to open around October 1st, 2000, is a new section of this
website called "The Vault". The intention is to get as many Nirvana
fans as possible to submit something original, such as an article they
have written about the band, a picture they have taken of them, a poem
or something like that. Depending on how many people submit material the
section should be quite interesting. If you want to learn more about this
project please go here. The section will mostly
consist of material submitted by all of you out there, so any contribution
is greatly appreciated, and you will obviously receive full credit if you
send something to The Vault at:
vault@nirvanaclub.com. Again, find more details here.
"A series of Platinum Series albums were launched and Nirvana's MTV
Unplugged in NY was one of them. It's basically just a silver box with
the CD inside and the tracks are exactly the same. Other than Nirvana,
there was also The Cure, Janet Jackson, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and
many more." Thanks to 'uh' for this story :)
In the July issue of Yahoo! Internet Life magazine there is a hilarious article
about
Napster that you ought to check out. The same issue also features an interesting
article about
internet addiction.
Unfortunately, most of the movie gallery is reporting dead links at the moment
as Geffen's Nirvana site hosting the clips is not available at the moment. It
will probably return soon. All files in the sound gallery, apart from most of the
MP3's, are now back online as well. MP3's will be up soon.
Not so long ago, a song called "Rocked by Rape" turned up on Napster -
labeled as a Nirvana track while it was obviously not. Even so, a few
gullible Nirvana fans thought it was Kurt playing on it (god knows why).
Here is some more info; " The song you mention in your Nirvana Song List,
Rocked By Rape, is by The Evolution Control Committe. I went to their
website and I didn't really take a good look around, but it is mentioned
there a few times and that CBS threatened them" The Evolution Control can
be visited here. Someone else
submitted some more detailed info a few weeks ago; "It is actually by a group
of 'Electronic musicians' called Evolution Control Commitee (ECC for Short).
They released it on Napster as what they call a Napster bomb. Basically they
mislabel it and hope people download it thinking it is Nirvana. The reason they
did this was [that] it is in the process of being banned by CBS news. Oh and the
weird music in the background is AC/DC as far as I recall, I cannot remember what
track. They have also released this under different band names but Nirvana seems
to be the only one that appears regularly on napster." I would put up the "song"
here but I don't want to give it more attention than it has already received.
Thanks to Stephen Paulger for the last bit of information. So just to make it
clear: "Rocked by Rape" is NOT a Nirvana song and has nothing to do with the
band. Fortunately, a list of fakes like these will be available on a Nirvana
website opening soon.
In case you cannot access the website Digital Nirvana at the usual address,
you may find it at this
URL for now. Note that the sub-domains are located in folders instead. So the
bootography, for example, is at: http://digitalnirvana.finesthost.com/bootography
From Bertan; "Turkish monthly music magazine 'Blue Jean' gave away this month a
Nirvana Best-of CD containing Nirvana videos. The cd included SLTS, Come as you
are, In Bloom, Heart-Shaped Box, Sliver, Man who sold the world, All apologies
(unplugged) and About a girl (Unplugged). It also included Lithium and About a
girl from the 'Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!' video."
The popular NFC Discussion Board is also back now. It should be noted that
the forums were completely reset when the board moved to the new server, and
this time around the messages posted prior to the site moving have not been
saved. But I am sure the board will be filled with posts again after a few
days. Also notice that if you registered a username on July 22 or later, you
must register it again. At the same time, all updates made to your existing
profile after July 22 must be made again. Otherwise the board should be back
to normal. I cannot guarantee at this time that the host will allow enough
bandwidth and CPU for the board to continue undisturbed, but let's hope so.
On a final note, most of the archive should be available again in a few days.
By complete accident I linked to a temporary UBB at novogate.com, from the
main page, instead of to the real board at this server. I have no idea how
this could happen but sorry for the mistake. Please do not use the forum at
novogate.com and instead use the real board which, of course, is located
here. Sorry for
the confusion.
After a little more than a week of downtime, The Internet Nirvana Fan
Club is finally back online. We are terribly sorry about the site being
unavailable but the problem was out of our hands. Unfortunately, the host
which we'd only used for two months turned out to be a bunch of amateurs.
Now the site has switched to a more professional host and we now have a
semi-dedicated server at our disposal. This should hopefully mean that
the site won't be down for a while. But after transferring host about
seven times now, who knows what happens. As it turns out, another very
popular Nirvana site - Digital Nirvana - was also disabled by the very
same host I used. Fortunately this great site is also back now, courtesy
of a different host. Though it should be noted that the sub-domains no
longer exist. Instead the bootography for example is located in a /folder.
Essentially the only one to blame for shutting down the two most visited Nirvana
sites on the net is the company Communitech
and their subsidiary Canaca. If you
ever find yourself looking for a virtual webhosting provider, make sure
to stay as far away from these as possible. Note that certain sections of
this site are not back yet, such as the sound gallery. Please have patience
as the whole site is being re-established. Thanks for your patience, and
again sorry for the long downtime. By the way, all @nirvanaclub.com e-mail
addresses should also be working once again.
Archive of past months news and website updates:
1999:
[ Oct | Nov | Dec ]
2000:
[
Jan | Feb |
Mar | Apr |
May | Jun |
Jul | Aug |
Sep | Oct |
Nov | Dec ]
2001:
[
Jan | Feb |
Mar | Apr |
May | Jun |
Jul | Aug |
Sep | Oct |
Nov | Dec ]
2002:
[
Jan | Feb |
Mar | Apr |
May | Jun |
Jul | Aug |
Sep | Oct |
Nov | Dec ]
2003:
[
Jan | Feb |
Mar | Apr |
May | Jun |
Jul | Aug |
Sep | Oct |
Nov | Dec ]
2004:
[
Jan | Feb |
Mar | Apr |
May | Jun |
Jul | Aug |
Sep | Oct |
Nov | Dec ]
2005:
[
Jan | Feb |
Mar | Apr |
May | Jun |
Jul | Aug |
Sep | Oct |
Nov ]