Quote: Kurt on his moral & political views (1992)

[rocknroll1968]

Interviewer: "Are you going back [to Seattle] to vote in the elections?"

Kurt: "Yeah, I'll vote for Clinton."

Int: "Do you think he's the true change that he says he is?"

Kurt: "No, he's a Democrat, and the Democrats are not close either morally or philosophically to what I think. The Democrats are very conservative, but at least they're not as conservative as the Republicans. Republicans are the incarnation of Satan. I hate them. For me, the word 'Republican' is a bad word; when someone says 'Republican' they are saying, "cheat". It's the most offensive term you can say to someone. But in America there's nothing beyond these options."

Int: "Ross Perot?"

Kurt: "Nah, the guy sucks. He's rich; I don't trust him as president. In the end, though, I would risk it with someone who is not a professional politician, someone who does not follow the guidelines for being a certified politician. I'd prefer to vote for Perot, but he's not going to win; he is well behind. I don't want to waste my vote, and I prefer to make sure Bush doesn't continue. Obviously, the way the guy is doing things doesn't work." *

-31 Oct 1992, Argentina

*Archivist's note: This interview was translated into a foreign language and then back into English again, and it seems clear some nuance was lost due to awkward/imprecise translation.

Quote: Kurt on the AIDS crisis (1992)

[rocknroll1968]

Kurt: "Obviously it's a tragedy, something terrible. A lot of artists are sick and don't think the government cares a fuck. In twelve years, the Republicans have preferred to see people with AIDS, homosexuals, as people of a lower class and have preferred to see the genocide of these people. Imagine if we still put people in gas chambers; they still have that shit working. They ignore it and haven't contributed funds to stop the disease. It's very sad.
There was so much promotion that you would have to be an idiot not to know that today you've got to use condoms or not share a needle. That promotion had the effect of slowing AIDS. You attempted to lower the number of patients by means of promotion. After that, they talk about conspiracies and stuff. I don't know enough to just give an opinion." *

-31 Oct 1992, Argentina

*Archivist's note: This interview was translated into a foreign language and then back into English. It seems clear that some nuance was lost due to awkward/imprecise translation.

Lyrics: Moist Vagina (1993)

[rocknroll1968]

Moist Vagina
Lyrics: Kurt Cobain

She had a moist vagina
I particularly enjoy the circumference
I've been sucking the walls of her anus
Analingus
I prefer her to any other

Marijuana
Marijuana
Marijuana

She had a moist vagina
I prefer her to any other

Marijuana
Marijuana
Marijuana
Marijuana

Quote: The Queer Vandal strikes again (1992)

[rocknroll1968]

Interviewer: "Was there an incident that really pushed the button that got you and the town [Aberdeen] at loggerheads, as it were?"

Kurt: "Well, what started the witch hunt was I decided to take some acid one evening and spray paint "queer" on the side of four-by-four trucks, the local rednecks' trucks. And so one of them saw me from his window and started screaming, "There's the queer vandal!" I'd been doing it for a while. But that night I decided to really go for it and do a lot, a lot of vandalism. So they caught me and chased me around."

Int: "The cops caught you or just some of the local toughs?"

Kurt: "The locals. The local toughs, right. [he laughs]

Int: "And did they know who you were?"

Kurt: "No. Just that crazy skinny kid who never went to school. Who was probably gay."

Int: "Well, are you?"

Kurt: "If I wasn't attracted to Courtney, I'd be a bisexual."

Courtney: "Faggot!!" [laughter]

Int: "So they ran you out of town?"

Kurt: "Yeah."

Int: "Did you ever go back?"

Kurt: "Well, um, every time I've gone to Aberdeen lately I've felt a real big threat. Actually, Chris was beaten up at a Denny's one night. Some locals were giving him the eye and I don't think it was sexual. They started beating him up in the men's room saying, "Some local hero you are."

-11 Sept 1992, Monk Magazine

Lyrics: Pay To Play (1990)

[rocknroll1968]

Pay to Play
Lyrics: Kurt Cobain

Monkey see, monkey do
I don't know why I
Walk around, follow you
I don't know why I
Pull it out, keep it in
I don't know why I
Have to have poison skin
I don't know why I

Pay
Pay to play
Pay to play
pay to play

Move an inch, take a mile
I don't know why I
Never faded, never smiled
I don't know why I
Nevermind, eat and run
I don't know why I
Fuck your ass for the fun
I don't know why I

Pay
Pay to play
Pay to play
Pay to play

-6 Apr 1990 (recording date)

Archivist's comments: These lyrics were eventually sanitised and published as "Stay Away" on Nevermind. The original lyrics are pretty obviously about Kurt's experiences with male street prostitutes. Seattle has long been infamous for rampant street prostitution in certain districts, and one of these areas, Aurora Avenue, has been documented as a favourite hang-out for Kurt.

( Read more... )

Edit Sept. 2021: I found a quote from Kurt that confirms that these lyrics are indeed gay.

For two other songs that use the word "faded", click here and here. Kurt and Krist seem to have had their own special meaning for the term, which appears to be used as slang for orgasm.

Lyrics: Spank Thru (1989)

[rocknroll1968]

Spank Thru
Lyrics: Kurt Cobain

And as the soft pretentious mountains
Glisten in the light of the trees
All the flowers have gingivitis
And the birds die happily

We'll be together once again my love
Need you back, oh baby, baby

I can't explain just why
We lost it from the start
Living without you, girl
You only break my heart

I can feel it, I can hold it
I can bend it, shave it, mold it

He can cut it, he can taste it
Spank it, beat it, ejaculate it

I've been lookin' for Day Glo
Always hearing the same ol'
Sticky boredom with a book
I can make it do things you wouldn't think it ever could

I can feel it, I can hold it
I can bend it, shave it, mold it

He can cut it, he can taste it
Spank it, beat it, emasculate it

I've been lookin' for Day Glo
Always hearing the same ol'
Sticky boredom with a book
I can make it do things you wouldn't think it ever could

-22 Nov 1989 (live recording)

Archivist's note: An older working title (around 1987) for this song was "Breaking The Law", which gives us a strong hint as to what the song is about. Both gay sex and LSD were illegal in the USA at the time the song was written, and both were of interest to Kurt and Krist at this time. The song appears to be about both.

It should be noted that Kurt frequently changed the lyrics of this song to use different pronouns for the other person he sings about, sometimes "he", sometimes "she", and sometimes both.