Be sure to tell him who sent you :)

Some more stories on the Nirvana box set; MTV, Las Vegas Mercury and Richmond Times Dispatch.

The Kurt Cobain Memorial Committee recently received permission from Aberdeen to do a sign that commemorates the late singer in his hometown. The familiar 'Welcome to Aberdeen' sign that greets visitors in the eastern edge of town will be expanded to also say 'Come As You Are'. You can view a photo of the old sign here and the new one here. Thanks to Paul for the info and pics. See previous news stories for details on the Kurt Cobain Memorial Committee and their efforts.

News about the Nirvana box set (see Sept. 3 story) is slowly starting to circulate in the media. Here are some more stories about it, many quoting this website: Billboard, Contactmusic, Live Daily, NME, Gigwise, Pitchfork, Seattle Times and Metal Hammer. You can also view this thread on the NFC Discussion Board which is used by fans to talk about what they hope for the box set to include. Finally, I've just added a new poll to the main page; "Do you plan on buying the forthcoming Nirvana box set?" Check the result of the previous poll in the "misc" section.

A new issue of NME Originals is out - focusing on the 'gods of rock', including Nirvana: "148 pages packed with some of the greatest rock n' roll stories ever, reprinted from the archives of NME and its sister publication, Melody Maker. Full of rare photos and salacious interviews, GODS OF ROCK includes Lynyrd Skynyrd's Ronnie Van Zandt telling you how to stomp a guy half to death in a barroom brawl, Ted Nugent insisting that 'Anyone who digs adventurous music would get off sleeping in a dead sheep', and Ozzy Osbourne getting arrested for pissing on the Alamo. Freddie Mercury boasts that his slacks are so tight that one lady writer rightly guessed his religion, Axl Rose does his damnedest to get a riot going, Perry Farrell shows you videos of himself shooting up and Lemmy claims to be a 'reincarnated Nazi'. Johnny Rotten gets beaten up by the cops, Eddie Van Halen pummels a wall until his knuckles bleed, Kurt Cobain denies doing smack, Johnny Thunders chucks up on the tarmac at Paris Airport, Slipknot punch each other in the face, Stevie Nicks refers to cocaine as a little more-ish, like 'Sarah Lee Cheese Cake' and Courtney Love is dragged screaming and kicking from somebody else's stage. Featuring Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy, The Rolling Stones, The Cult, The Runaways, New York Dolls and many, many more, NME ORIGINALS: GODS OF ROCK is the most lairy, lewd, ludicrous and life-affirming read on the planet. On sale now: £5.50." Last year, in the NME Originals series, they released a superb issue about Nirvana with some 150-pages of interesting articles. Thanks to Aimi for the news.

In the August 25 story I reported that a DVD in the "Classic Albums" series, detailing the recording of Nirvana's Nevermind album, would be released in October. This news was mainly based on the fact that a handful of online stores had it listed for pre-order and indeed named this release date. One of those stores now changed the release date to March 7, 2005. At the same time, other sources have indicated to me that the DVD will not be released this year. So, until some sort of official statement on this thing is out, don't expect to get it this year. The March date could be correct but it is not possible to say at this time.

This is it, guys. The best news I've been able to post since this website started some eight years ago ... A Nirvana box set will be released on November 23, 2004. This is the box we've been waiting for since the rumours about it first started more than six years ago. It will include 3 CD's and one DVD, featuring "previously unreleased rarities and b-sides. Over 50 unreleased recordings including Kurt Cobain's demos". The DVD will also contain unseen footage and live performances. And, the whole thing comes with a 60-page booklet! I know this sounds just about too good to be true but here is the official info and all I know about the project right now:

NIRVANA BOX SET - 3 CD & 1 DVD

The News Tribune in Tacoma, WA published a story about Kurt's hometown of Aberdeen and the efforts to create some sort of memorial there. "No trace of Cobain is evident in Aberdeen. Fans from as far away as Europe ask locals for directions to the modest house on First Street where he lived. They tag the underside of the Young Street bridge, where Kurt once slept. But, as a recent editorial in the local paper, The Daily World, noted, fans 'wander (the) town aimlessly before giving up and heading back to Seattle to spend time at the Experience Music Project.'

All that is about to change, if a nonprofit group calling itself the Kurt Cobain Memorial Committee has its way. Brainchild of Daily World arts and entertainment editor Jeff Burlingame and City Councilman Paul Fritts, the group is pushing for three projects to recognize Cobain, his roots in the community and his impact he has had on youth culture. They are starting small, with a sign saying 'Come As You Are: Birthplace of Nirvana' that will hang alongside the 'Welcome to Aberdeen' structure planted on the bluffs at the eastern edge of town. Eventually, they want to erect 'Kurt Cobain Memorial Park,' complete with a graffiti wall for Nirvana fans to express themselves and an all-ages rock club and meeting place." Read the full story here.

Jeff and Paul of the committee actually used the discussion board at this website to gather suggestions from fans, and largely used that in their decisions on how Aberdeen could best pay respect to Cobain. They have been very insisting on getting Nirvana and Cobain fans behind this initiative and want to ensure that nothing disrespectful is being done. More info here and here.

Jay Mohr who once appeared on a Saturday Night Live with Nirvana as the musical guest recently spoke to CNN: "It was fascinating and I wasn't enjoying it, even when it was going well," Mohr said. "I watched Nirvana perform, I talked to Kurt Cobain, I talked to (Eric) Clapton, I got to work with (Chris) Farley every day." Read here.

I recently added a bunch of new material to the Facts and Information section. Most of this comes from a website called The Nirvana Information Archive which has been around for a number of years. The webmaster of the site was kind enough to let me publish a lot of his work here. Check the Facts and Information section to view the new update. Thanks to Brian for his kindness and exhaustive work.