54 years ago today: The late great Kurt Cobain was born

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_color=”mulled_wine” icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-quote-left”]I’d rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not.
― Kurt Cobain

Nobody dies a virgin… Life fucks us all.
― Kurt Cobain[/vc_message][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Smells Like Teen Spirit (Live at Reading 1992):

Nirvana – Rise And Rise Of Kurt Cobain – VH-1 Documentary (~20min)

Wikipedia:

Birth name	Kurt Donald Cobain
Also known as	Kurdt Kobain
Born	February 20, 1967 Aberdeen, Washington, U.S.
Died	April 5, 1994 (aged 27) Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Genres	Alternative rock, grunge
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, artist
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, drums
Years active	1982–1994
Labels	Sub Pop, DGC/Geffen
Associated acts	Nirvana, Fecal Matter

Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994) was an American musician and artist, best known as the lead singer, guitarist and primary songwriter of the grunge band Nirvana. Cobain formed Nirvana with Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1985 and established it as part of the Seattle music scene, having its debut album Bleach released on the independent record label Sub Pop in 1989.

After signing with major label DGC Records, the band found breakthrough success with “Smells Like Teen Spirit” from its second album Nevermind (1991). Following the success of Nevermind, Nirvana was labeled “the flagship band” of Generation X, and Cobain hailed as “the spokesman of a generation”. Cobain, however, was often uncomfortable and frustrated, believing his message and artistic vision to have been misinterpreted by the public, with his personal issues often subject to media attention. He challenged Nirvana’s audience with its final studio album In Utero (1993).

About a Girl (Live Hollywood Rock, 1993):

During the last years of his life, Cobain struggled with heroin addiction, illness and depression. He also had difficulty coping with his fame and public image, and the professional and lifelong personal pressures surrounding himself and his wife, musician Courtney Love. On April 8, 1994, Cobain was found dead at his home in Seattle, the victim of what was officially ruled a suicide by a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head. The circumstances of his death at age 27 have become a topic of public fascination and debate. Since their debut, Nirvana, with Cobain as a songwriter, has sold over 25 million albums in the U.S., and over 50 million worldwide.

All Apologies (Live at Reading 1992):

Legacy:

• He was ranked by Rolling Stone as the 73rd greatest guitarist and 45th greatest singer of all time
• and by MTV as 7th in the “22 Greatest Voices in Music”
• In 2006, he was placed at number twenty by Hit Parader on their list of the “100 Greatest Metal Singers of All Time”
• In 2005, a sign was put up in Aberdeen, Washington, that read “Welcome to Aberdeen – Come As You Are” as a tribute to Cobain.
• In 2006, Cobain took the place of Elvis Presley as the top-earning deceased celebrity, after the sale of the Nirvana song catalogue. Presley reclaimed the spot in 2007.
• Controversy erupted in July 2009 when a monument to Cobain in Aberdeen along the Wishkah River included the quote “…Drugs are bad for you. They will fuck you up.” The city ultimately decided to sandblast the monument to replace the expletive with “f—“, but fans immediately drew the letters back in.
  

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Album of the day:

Nevermind (1991)