10 Years Without Curt Cobain

[irock]

It's been a decade now.  I thought it might be a good time to mention our thoughts about him on this sad anniversary. :'(

[Keith3000]

There's really nothing I can say that hasn't already been said about him. He's a legend and one of rock's greastest. He's up there with John Lennon, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen. What he and Nirvana did for rock, grunge, and alternative in the '90s just cannot be ignored.

With the excption of "Smells Like Teen Spirit", I really knew nothing about the band when Cobain died -- I was far from a rock fan at the time. Since then I've listened to every album of their's and countess other tracks as well (though what I've heard is probably not exhaustive).

Thanks, Kurt!

[Jeffster]

Keith3000 said:

There's really nothing I can say that hasn't already been said about him. He's a legend and one of rock's greastest. He's up there with John Lennon, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen. What he and Nirvana did for rock, grunge, and alternative in the '90s just cannot be ignored.

Couldn't disagree more. One of the most overrated, overhyped artists of all time. I have no problem with people saying they liked Nirvana's music, even though I didn't but I get so sick of people saying things about Cobain like "he was the voice of his generation" and crap like that. No, he was the voice of himself, he did a lot of drugs and killed himself. I don't ever wish harm or especially death on anyone, but the consolation I took from it was there would hopefully be no more Nirvana albums and people would shut up about them. Boy, was I wrong. They turned Cobain into some sort of martyr-like hero figure instead. Definitely NOT "one of rocks greatest" and to put him in the same sentence with Dylan and Springsteen is an insult to them.

[irock]

Cribbins, your comments sound almost verbatim like Rush Limbaugh's opinion of Cobain. I thought he might have shut up with such nonsense since it turns out that he likes to trip on drugs himself, but apparently not. I hope that you would at least agree with me that Rush is the supreme hypocrite.

Like Cobain or not, he has had more influence on rock and especially alt-rock in the 90s and 00s than probably any other single artist. His talent goes far, far beyond that of formula-rock "artists" like Springsteen.

[Keith3000]

Cribbins said:

Definitely NOT "one of rocks greatest" and to put him in the same sentence with Dylan and Springsteen is an insult to them.

Lol, dude you're obviously not a fan and it's obvious you don't listen to Nirvana's music. If you did, you'd realize the great depth and variety in their songs (and I'm not just talking about "Teen Spirit" here). It may be true that the band tends to be over-worshipped by their die hard fans and overplayed by rock radio, but I still feel they're underrated by the mainstream. Anyone who knows anything about rock understands how important a role Kurt and Nirvana played in the genre's history. They started the whole grunge movement in the early '90s, and even though that style died out, it paved the way for the continued interest in alternative music for the rest of the decade -- that interest still exists today. If it weren't for Nirvana, many of the biggest '90s bands wouldn't have shot to fame, and I'm not just talking about Pearl Jam.

It's perfectly fine not to be a fan of the group...they certainly may not be the best band of all time, but give the group and its frontman the credit they deserve.

[Hervard]

Keith3000 said:

It's perfectly fine not to be a fan of the group...they certainly may not be the best band of all time, but give the group and its frontman the credit they deserve.

OK; they suck and that's supposed to be your opinion, too! ;)

No, seriously, I just wasn't really into them.  I did like "About A Girl", though, but not their other songs.  I guess I can see why people would like them.  I guess it's one of those bands that you either love or hate. 

[Deleted]

Guys, remember, whether you agree or not, don't go challenging someone's opinion. It doesn't lead to anything but a big argument.

[Keith3000]

The said:

Guys, remember, whether you agree or not, don't go challenging someone's opinion. It doesn't lead to anything but a big argument.

I absolutely agree. Chill dude...no one was trying to start an argument here. At least I know I wasn't...sorry if I gave the wrong impression..

[Slinky]

Well, I must be in the tiny minority here, but I neither love nor hate Cobain/Nirvana.  On the one hand, I view his music as incredibly powerful.  He really did revolutionize the rock of the 90's and I have tremendous respect for his talent and ability to lyrically express his feelings of alienation.  On the other hand, I never felt a personal connection with Cobain's music.  I enjoyed a lot of his songs, my favorite being the studio version of "About A Girl", but I didn't feel that they spoke to me the way other people obviously do.  They were just songs that I liked, they didn't change my musical tastes, or my views on the world, they didn't open my eyes.  To me, they were just songs, that were good, but that's it.  To this day, I don't have a single Nirvana song in my music collection. 

Of course, the great irony of Cobain's music is that it was a reaction against conformity and the mainstream, that evolved into the mainstream and became the music other rock bands conformed to.  Perhaps that's why I never got into the bands of the "grunge revolution".  There was just something contradictory about the whole idea.  I knew a lot of people in middle school that worshipped Nirvana, because of the idea that they were rebelling against the herd.  I didn't see it that way at all though.  I just saw those people as a herd that were doing things slightly differently from the other herd.  The herd mentality was still there.  I wasn't really in either herd, and I will never understand people who essentially conform themselves to a lifestyle of non-conformity.  It's quite possible that I let my perception of Nirvana be tarnished by those who worshipped them, which is a shame, but being so young when Nirvana first hit, it's hard for me to separate the band's music from the memories I associate with the people at the time.

[tico]

Remember when Guns N' Roses were thought to be the saviors of rock? I think that label can now be given to Nirvana. Alternative music would not what it is now without them.

One analysis I've heard as to why they were so popular because they tapped into a well of teen angst that had no outlet to be expressed. America was in an economic downturn and for the first time in a long time, the generation of teens that would eventually be labeled Generation X were predicted to not do better than their parents. I'm not sure if the economy had anything to do with Nirvana's success since I believe they would've done well whether boom or bust.

[Hervard]

Keith3000 said:

I absolutely agree. Chill dude...no one was trying to start an argument here. At least I know I wasn't...sorry if I gave the wrong impression..

Um, didn't you see the winky face after my comment? ;)

[halo19]

Wow, I agree with a lot of what Slinky said, although I am enough of a fan of Nirvana, but they are way overrated I must say. I agree that they are more like a band with good songs than anything else. They weren't the first grunge band, or alternative band, although some sadly think so. I personally thought that Soundgarden were superior in that style.

I actually do like GNR a lot, they are just their own brand of rock 'n roll from how I see it.

Some people argue that Nirvana's songs sound a lot alike, and I see that. "Polly" is pretty much a softer, slower version of "Lithium", and those two songs are even simultaneous on the album. I agree that his and the band's influence can't be denied, though. And I still think that each Nevermind track is great, although they are way overplayed on the radio still. Maybe even more than in 1994 (tho I didn't listen to rock yet).

[Jeffster]

irock said:

Cribbins, your comments sound almost verbatim like Rush Limbaugh's opinion of Cobain. I thought he might have shut up with such nonsense since it turns out that he likes to trip on drugs himself, but apparently not. I hope that you would at least agree with me that Rush is the supreme hypocrite.

I've never heard Limbaugh talk about Cobain, I really very rarely hear anything Limbaugh says, so I can't really comment on that.

Like Cobain or not, he has had more influence on rock and especially alt-rock in the 90s and 00s than probably any other single artist.

Yeah, I would probably agree with that, though I would say Pearl Jam was a huge influence on many artists also. It's just in my opinion, Cobain's was a *bad* influence.

His talent goes far, far beyond that of formula-rock "artists" like Springsteen.

irock, I usually have great respect for your opinion, even when I disagree with it, but I think that statement is utterly ridiculous.

[jimmy74747]

golden said:

One analysis I've heard as to why they were so popular because they tapped into a well of teen angst that had no outlet to be expressed. America was in an economic downturn and for the first time in a long time, the generation of teens that would eventually be labeled Generation X were predicted to not do better than their parents. I'm not sure if the economy had anything to do with Nirvana's success since I believe they would've done well whether boom or bust.

I've heard that theory myself. As the economy boomed in the 80's, rock music was fun (Bon Jovi, Poison, Motley Crue, etc.), and Nirvana came in just as the times were changing.

Actually, it was oversaturation of hair metal that led to Nirvana's success more than anything else. People just wanted something different. I mean once we hit Trixter and Danger Danger, it was just becoming too much.

I do think they are overrated. "Teen Spirit" was a catchy song, but without that big hit, I don't think they would have been noticed. Another similar band would have come along to give people the change they wanted in rock music.

[irock]

Cribbins writes:

irock, I usually have great respect for your opinion, even when I disagree with it, but I think that statement is utterly ridiculous.

Then we simply disagree.  I still respect your opinion in spite of that.  I didn't mean to sound confrontational, but I cannot see where Springsteen has had any influence on anybody, except maybe pop musicians.  Since I don't wish to denigrate pop music (even though I usually don't like it much) I will just say that if that's true it's fine with me.

However, since you've given me the opportunity I will elaborate a bit on my opinion of Springsteen.  His first few albums, up to and including 'Born to Run', were excellent, first-rate discs with lots of new sounds and penetrating, sometimes disturbing but always eloquent lyrics.  The quality of his lyrics remained high for many years, but the music started to sound (at least to me) like recycled material from his early years.  He lost his edge. 

To this day, my favorite Springsteen tune is Blinded by the Light, the first cut on his first LP.  Manfred Mann's cover (a huge pop and rock hit in the mid 70s) is equally great.

[Guy LeDouche]

Nirvana made great music, no question.

However, I think that without Kurt Cobain's suicide, today they would be regarded much like PJ or Soundgarden are today, not in the almost mythic awe that surrounds them.

He just ended up being this generation's Hendrix or Morrison, I guess.

[johnnywest]

Jack FM certainly has a thing for Nirvana. They love to play Nirvana, especially "Smells Like Teen Spirit."