rocknroll1968: Kurt Cobain wearing different dresses (Kurt dresses)

Smells Like Teen Spirit
by Kurt Cobain

Load up on guns
Bring your friends
It's fun to lose and to pretend
She's over-bored and self-assured
Oh no, I know, a dirty word

Hello, hello, hello
How low?
Hello, hello, hello
How low?
Hello, hello, hello
How low?
Hello, hello, hello

With the lights out
It's less dangerous
Here we are now
Entertain us
I feel stupid
And contagious
Here we are now
Entertain us

A mulatto
An albino
A mosquito
My libido

Yeah!

Hey
Yay

I'm worse at what I do best
And for this gift I feel blessed
Our little group has always been
And always will until the end

Hello, hello, hello
How low?
Hello, hello, hello
How low?
Hello, hello, hello
How low?
Hello, hello, hello

With the lights out
It's less dangerous
Here we are now
Entertain us
I feel stupid
And contagious
Here we are now
Entertain us

A mulatto
An albino
A mosquito
My libido

Yeah!

Hey
Yay

And I forget just why I taste
Oh yeah, I guess it makes me smile
I found it hard, it's hard to find
Oh well, whatever, nevermind

Hello, hello, hello
How low?
Hello, hello, hello
How low?
Hello, hello, hello
How low?
Hello, hello, hello

With the lights out
It's less dangerous
Here we are now
Entertain us
I feel stupid
And contagious
Here we are now
Entertain us

A mulatto
An albino
A mosquito
My libido

A denial
A denial
A denial
A denial
A denial
A denial
A denial
A denial
A denial

Archivist's note: Has anyone else noticed what Kurt hid in here with his clever play on words? I think it's hilarious that this song got so popular, and I bet Kurt did, too.

"And I forget just why I taste. Oh, yeah, I guess it makes me smile. I found it hard, it's hard to find. Oh, well. Whatever. Nevermind."

I recall Kurt mentioning that one proposed name for what became Nevermind was "Blowjob", and that gives a hint. What did Kurt find that was hard? Any guesses? Tasting it made him smile. :3 And why was it hard for him to find? Maybe because gay and bi men aren't as common as straight men?

Hopefully I don't need to elaborate further on that verse.

I think the poetic "A mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido," is also related to this theme. What do these four things have in common? They're all things that have been treated as "unwanted", "unusual", or "outcast" by human society. Kurt feels rejected for his natural desires. The hopeless-sounding end of the song, "A denial," really says it all.

And this next idea is just a good guess, but I think the bored sounding "Hey" and "Yay" following the impassioned chorus might be Kurt's sarcastic imitation of braindead mainstream "music consumers" failing to respond in a human way to real art. Incredibly ironic that this song became the top favourite of those very braindead people, but I guess alienation is highly relatable in current American society regardless of who you are.
rocknroll1968: Kurt performing with great energy (Kurt stage)

Interviewer: If I can ask you a question just about the government and political system in USA. Are you agreeing with what's happened in USA, with government and what they're doing all the time?

Kurt: Oh, absolutely not.

Int: Yeah, I know. [laugh] Just want you to explain your view maybe a little bit.

Kurt: They're just carrying on the traditions of what they started with trying to destroy the Indians. They're totally gluttonous, they don't care about the future, they're raping the land, they're trying to get as much as they can, they don't care about the next generation, and it's completely corrupt.

It's just like most governments, though, you know? The average man gets into power, he doesn't have anything else to look forward to other than getting as much money as he can. You know? It's just a dog-eat-dog world.

-Interview with Viv Morrison and Ann Catherine
Paris, Hotel Royal Fromentin
November 1991
rocknroll1968: Kurt singing his heart out (Default)

Interviewer: Yeah, [the reservations are] terrible, because they never smile, they have a very sad face. I want to know your opinion about these people and what the government made about with these people. It's terrible for a civilized country. I can't understand.

Kurt: Well, when the colonists came over to America, they took advantage of the Indians. The Indians invited them--I mean, they didn't invite them, but they helped them, they taught them how to live off the land, and [audio missing] ...Indian people, and put them in reservations. And they did all kinds of atrocious things to them.

They tried to wipe out whole races. They gave them blankets that were infected with diseases, and they gave them alcohol, which is something they weren't used to. As a people, as a race, they're 200 years behind of having alcohol in their system, so naturally, the majority of all the Indians are alcoholics now. And they don't have much to look forward to because they're all drunk, and they're put in these little reservations and they don't even fight the white man anymore.

-Interview with Viv Morrison and Ann Catherine
Paris, Hotel Royal Fromentin
November 1991
rocknroll1968: More pictures of Nirvana being BFFs (Nirvana OT3 2)

Krist: We're not Americans! We are the children of a genocide that was perpetrated against the natives many years ago. We have inherited all of this, but we are not stupid enough to accept it.

Dave: You can't call yourself American. You know, all of us are from--Kurt and I are German and Irish, Chris is Yugoslavian. There's no such thing as an American.

Kurt: The Americans are the Indians.

Krist: That was genocide, what happened to the Indians.

Dave: They're native Americans.

-Interview with Gian Carl Chirico
Rome, 1991

Archivist's note: This interview was translated into Italian and then back into English, so some nuance may have been lost.
rocknroll1968: Kurt fellating a microphone (Kurt om nom)



(Found in Cobain Unseen by Charles R. Cross)


Archivist's note: Here is a typed transcript.

TOP TEN REASONS KURT COBAIN IS GAY
[A list by Kurt Cobain]

1. He's marrying Courtney Love.
2. "Breeder" (as in his song "Breed") is gay slang for "straight person."
3. He dyes his hair "girlie" colors.
4. All people are inherently bisexual.
5. He thinks men should be affectionate with each other.
6. He's so fucked up.
7. He has beautiful eyes.
8. He likes animals and children.
9. All cowboys/loggers are closet cases.
10. He has a K sticker on his guitar.

(AND A HOMEMADE "K" TATTOO!!)


The "K" refers to the logo of K Records, run by Kurt's acquaintance, Calvin Johnson of Beat Happening. The "K" might also be a sneaky reference to Krist's name, depending on when Kurt learned the original spelling. The fact that he includes it in this list suggests a possible double meaning.
rocknroll1968: Krist, Kurt, and Dave cuddling on a bed. (Nirvana cuddle)

"All people are inherently bisexual."

-Kurt, exact date unknown (Nov 1991-Feb 1992)
from Kurt's handwritten list "TOP TEN REASONS KURT COBAIN IS GAY"



Archivist's note: Some people claim bisexuals don't have a culture, but I contend that a big part of bi culture is claiming that everyone is bi. It's blatantly untrue, yet many bisexuals seem to believe this. XD Other prominent bisexuals who have stated this opinion include Gore Vidal, Mick Jagger, and David Bowie.
rocknroll1968: Kurt singing his heart out (Default)

"I'm a fan of rap music, but most of it's so misogynist that I can't even deal with it. I'm really not that much of a fan. I totally respect and love it because it's one of the only original forms of music that's been introduced, but the white man doing rap is just like watching a white man dance. We can't dance. We can't rap."

-Kurt, when asked his opinion on white rap, 20 Sept 1991
rocknroll1968: Kurt singing with intensity (Kurt passion)

"When the song finished I kissed Kurdt's hand then gave him a big hug it was very emotional [...] Went for a walk into town with Kurdt and Go-Go. Kurdt is unfathomable. He's friendly but introverted and I find it difficult to talk to him because I admire his group so much and I don't like talking about music with him"

-Eugene Kelly writing about singing one of his own songs with Kurt during Nirvana's Reading Festival set (from Eugene's diary of the 1991 UK tour on which Captain America opened for Nirvana, Uncut Magazine Aug 2021)


Archivist's note: This was typed as it was written (lack of punctuation, etc).
rocknroll1968: Kurt performing with great energy (Kurt stage)

Territorial Pissings
by Kurt Cobain

Intro sung by Krist:
"Come on people now
smile on your brother
everybody get together
try to love one another
right now"


When I was an alien
Cultures weren't opinions

[Chorus:]
Gotta find a way
to find a way
when I'm there
Gotta find a way
a better way
I had better wait

Never met a wise man
If so it's a woman

[chorus x2]

Just because you're paranoid
Don't mean they're not after you

[chorus x4]



Archivist's note: To read a feminist meaning Kurt gave to these lyrics, click here.
rocknroll1968: Kurt singing his heart out (Krist/Kurt)

Even In His Youth
By Kurt Cobain

Even in his youth [x3]
He was nothing
Kept his body clean [x3]
Going nowhere
Daddy was ashamed [x2]
He was something
Disgrace the family name [x2]
The family name, he was something

He was born for your crew
I've got nothing left to prove
If I die before I wake
Hope I don't come back a slave

Even in his youth [x3]
He was nothing
Kept his body clean [x3]
Going nowhere
Daddy was ashamed [x2]
He was the same, he was nothing
Disgrace the family name [x2]
Family name, going nowhere

Leave this one, for your brew
I've got nothing left to prove
If I die before I wake
Hope I don't come back a slave
Aye-Yeah!

Leave this one, for your brew
I've got nothing left to prove
If I die before I wake
Hope I don't come back again
I'm dying!

Even in his youth [x2]
Yeah, yeah


Archivist's note: For another song that uses the line, "kept his body clean" and features a dysfunctional father/son relationship, click here.

Read more... )
rocknroll1968: Krist kissing Kurt (Krist/Kurt art)

"In retrospect, my lack of skills led to lateral topics, such as ant farms and his [Kurt's] reverence for Mel Gibson, a.k.a. the Road Warrior, whom he termed "a hunk.""

-Robyn Doreian, about her second interview with Kurt dated 7 Dec 1991 (from Nick Soulsby's Cobain on Cobain)


Archivist's notes:



Also...
Read more... )
rocknroll1968: Kurt singing his heart out (Krist/Kurt)
"Friendship is one of the biggest things I can think of. Relationships are more important than anything else. I think everyone should go all the way in trying to strengthen their personal relationships. For me, it's very important to have friends who understand your needs and who'll help you in difficult times. The value of friendship is immense, and it should be thought of that way."

-Kurt, November 1991, Blast Magazine (Italy)
collected in Cobain On Cobain by Nick Soulsby
rocknroll1968: Kurt singing his heart out (Nirvana OT3)

Dave: [holds up a small glass bottle full of white liquid]

Camera man: What is that?

Dave: It's jissom.

Krist: It's jissom.

Dave: It's cum.

Buzz Osborne: I'm serious. Everyone's really hard up and it's a long drive--

Krist: We've all been masturbating...

[A bit later]

Krist: Homo-sex rules. You're not a man till you've sucked a cock. You're not. Only a man knows what another man likes.

-21 Sept. 1991, Montreal, backstage amateur footage
rocknroll1968: Kurt singing his heart out (Krist/Kurt)

Interviewer: What do you get by smashing guitars? [footage of Krist and Kurt bashing their guitars together]

Kurt: Satisfaction. Climax.

Krist: [not audible]

Kurt: [smiling] What??

Krist: [grinning] Don't have to do encores.

-1991 French TV interview
rocknroll1968: Kurt singing his heart out (Krist/Kurt)

Interviewer: First of all, love the suit. [referring to Kurt's canary yellow dress]

Kurt: It's Headbangers' Ball, so I thought I'd wear a gown. He [Krist] wouldn't wear his tux. He didn't give me a corsage, either.

Int: You hurt his feelings.

Krist: At least I asked you out, you know.

(MTV, 25 Oct 1991)
rocknroll1968: Kurt singing his heart out (Krist/Kurt)

"At that, Kurt jumped on James [Seenan] and started wrestling with him. Kurt did well for his size and height and had great wrestling technique. He was apparently on the school wrestling team. He did really well, had him on the floor, then Kurt kissed James. Krist picked up some food and started a food fight. Within 30 seconds chaos ensued, with food, beer, and red wine everywhere. Kurt then climbed up a stack of 12 function suite chairs and dived off, bringing them all down. [...] Suddenly the three of them stopped and ran through the door and went on stage. I couldn't believe it."

-Andy Bollen, drummer for Captain America, describing Nirvana-style backstage chaos on the '91 tour (Nirvana: A Tour Diary, 2013, pg. 176, written from Andy's contemporary notes of the '91 tour)
rocknroll1968: Kurt singing his heart out (Krist/Kurt)
"My name is Kurt Cobain. I'm a homosexual, I'm a pagan, I'm a drug abuser, and I like to fuck pot-belly pigs."

-Kurt at Nirvana's Newcastle gig, 2 Dec 1991
rocknroll1968: Kurt singing his heart out (Krist/Kurt)

"Homo-sex rules! You're not a man till you've sucked a cock. You're not. Only a man knows what another man likes."

-Krist, 21 Sept 1991, backstage

quote of the day


"God is gay and so am I."
-Kurt
Journals (hardcover ed.), pg. 123
.
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