nirvana_slash_archive | Entries tagged with topic:bisexuality

KEEP IT CLEAN
by Dave Grohl

Keep it clean
My momma said, keep it clean
Keep it clean
My momma said, keep it clean

Driving all night
Got a hankering for something
Think I'm in the mood
For some hot man muffins

Mmm, sounds so fine, yes indeed

Keep it clean
My daddy said, keep it clean
Keep it clean
My daddy said, keep it clean

Ain't looking for a fight
Ain't looking for trouble
Howdy Mr. Right
Have you met Mr. Bubble?

Hey, put 'er there, ain't she sweet

Rubbin' and a-lovin' and a-scrubbin' and a-truckin'
Maybe if we're lucky just a little bear hugging
Know what I mean?
Keep it clean!

[Spoken]
Ladies and gentlemen
God bless America
Land of the free
Home of the brave
It takes all kinds
I don't care if you're black or white or purple or green
Whether you're Pennsylvanian or Transylvanian
Lady Gaga or Lady Antebellum
It takes all kinds
Men loving women and
Women loving men and
Men loving men and
Women loving women
You know we all like to watch that
But what I'd like to say
God bless America, y'all

Rubbin' and a-lovin' and a-scrubbing and a-truckin'
Maybe if we're lucky just a little bear hugging
Know what I mean?
Keep it clean!

Archivist's note: This song was Dave's counter-protest to the Westboro Baptist Church (the "God hates fags" people), who were picketing his gig with the Foo Fighters in 2011 in Kansas City.

It was also used in a spectacularly gay promotional video for the tour, "Hot Buns" (NSFW).

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.

(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.

"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.

Kurt: I always wanted to move to the big city. I wanted to move to Seattle, find a chicken hawk, sell my ass, and be a punk rocker, but I was too afraid. So I just stayed in Aberdeen for too long, until I was 20 years old.

SPIN: Forgive me for being uneducated, but when you said "chicken hawk"--

Kurt: A chicken hawk is, like, an older gay man.

SPIN: Okay.

Kurt: Who sells children, like in Oliver Twist, you know.

-Spin Magazine, December 1992

Archivist's note: For a song by Kurt on this topic, click here.

"I'm just happier than I've ever been. I finally found someone that I am totally compatible with. It doesn't matter whether she's a male, female or hermaphrodite or a donkey. We're compatible."

-Kurt on Courtney, Rolling Stone magazine, 16 April 1992

Archivist's note: This sentiment is commonly expressed by bisexuals.

Marigold
By Dave Grohl

He's there in case I want it all
He's scared 'cause I want
He's scared in case I want it all
He's scared 'cause I want

All in all the clock is slow
Six color pictures all in row
Of a marigold

He's there in case I want it all
He's scared 'cause I want
He's there in case I want it all
He's scared 'cause I want

All in all the clock is slow
Six color pictures all in row
Of a marigold

He's there in case I want it all
He's scared 'cause I want
He's there in case I want it all
He's there 'cause I want

All in all the clock is slow
Six color pictures all in row
Of a marigold

Archivist's note: Compare the above lyrics of the Nirvana release with Dave's original solo demo lyrics recorded in 1990:

( Read more... )

Interviewer: "Well, are you [gay]?"

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

-11 Sept. 1992, Monk Magazine

Archivist's note: This quote shows that Kurt viewed sexuality and its labels as more of a verb than an adjective--something that he does, not something that he is. He frames his sexuality in terms of his current activities: He is currently monogamous to Courtney, so his bisexuality doesn't currently apply.

Many bisexuals nowdays complain about this assumption: that they have "gone straight" just because they are currently in a monogamous straight relationship. This shows the opposite mindset from Kurt's: that a sexuality label is a descriptor of a fixed state of being, rather than an activity that happens in the present moment.

To me it looks like Kurt was deliberately reassuring Courtney about his intentions, since she was present at this interview. She sounded jealous, as she immediately threw a homophobic slur at him after he declared his bisexuality.

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... )

Son Of A Gun
Written by The Vaselines

Up, up, up and down
Turn, turn, turn around
Round, round, round about
And over again

Gun, gun, son-of-a-gun
You are the only one
Who makes any difference
What I say

The sun shines in the bedroom
When we play
The rain it always starts
When you go away

Archivist's note: Notice the difference between Kurt's lyrics and the original song.

( Read more... )

Laminated Effect
(Fecal Matter tape, 1986)
By Kurt Cobain

Johnny was a homo
Kept his body clean
Moved to San Francisco
Caught a big disease
Raped by his Daddy
Told he was at fault
Living life unhappy
Covered up his soul

We're living in a time of change
Too many things you feel afraid
Doing things against the will of God
Maybe someday soon they'll realize they're wrong

Lucy was a lesbian
No, no fun in the sack
Moved to Acapulco
Nothing goes in her hole
Then she met Johnny
They dated, went to formal
He and she got naughty
Found out that it's normal

We're living in a time of change
Too many things you feel afraid
Doing many things against the will of God
Maybe someday soon they'll realize they're wrong

Made not born
Made not born
Made not born
Made not born

Archivist's note: For another song featuring the lyrics, "kept his body clean", click here.

This song appears to be written from at least two different points of view: the narrator, who simply tells the story of Johnny and Lucy in the verses, and a moralising, judgemental voice that condemns the protagonists of the song in the chorus.

When teenage Kurt was homeless and living at a classmate's house (sleeping on their sofa as the father of the family recalls), he attended church with them, and was briefly enthusiastic about the experience until he realised they were preaching hate.

This song is likely repeating some of the things he heard at that church in the chorus. As for the verses, they seem to illustrate Kurt's confused understanding of bisexuality: he describes both characters, male and female, as homosexual, but then depicts them discovering an attraction to each other by the end of the story.

The first verse is interesting in that some of the themes in it are repeated in Even In His Youth, a song that reads as more autobiographical than Laminated Effect. In both songs we see a father and son pair with a highly dysfunctional relationship, and in this song the relationship is much more vividly abusive than in the other.

This is typical of Kurt's lyrics; in a number of cases he wrote demos with much more painful lyrics than the finished songs ended up being (Something In The Way and Sliver being two other examples which were toned down for the final recording). In each of these mentioned cases, the lyrics Kurt changed had to do with child abuse or neglect, both of which he experienced in his own family.

The topic of incest is also repeated very blatantly in the album title, Incesticide.

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.

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.

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

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

Interviewer: At what point did it seem to you that he was not--can you describe the men in Aberdeen? In general?

Wendy O'Connor (Kurt's mother): No. [laughs]

Int: Well, Kurt seems very, like, different. At what age was it clear that he was not going to be a logger?

Wendy: Ok, I was thinking the other day about how I guess he thought at one point he might be gay, which is fine, I mean, it runs in our family, but I kind of felt that he was kind of questioning himself. He would ask me questions about girls. And trying to figure out how to get one, I think. That's what I thought.

And I think he was really kind of like, wondering--because he was artistic... and so I started thinking about this the other day, and he was really--he and I were really best friends. I mean, when he died I lost one of my best friends. We had so much fun talking about the world and politics and life and music and just everything. We talked all the time.

And he was very aware, especially when I was with three not-suited men, how that made him feel. He didn't like the way his dad talked to me. He didn't like the way my boyfriend after Don treated me. [...]

He and I were so close, and he was very respectful, he was very courteous, good, really good manners. I made sure of that. Because Don had none. [...] We were just really close, and I think that is what makes the difference in these roughhouse boys, you know, jocks--they're more bonded to their dads, I think, than they are to their mothers. I prefer men that love their mothers. They're just gentler, they understand women a little bit better.

And then just being an artist, he--everywhere in school, except for English and art, he felt like the jocks were--you know, I don't know. He never came home and said he was being bullied. Or that he was being picked on. He never said that. I just assumed that because he wasn't into sports [...] that Kurt probably felt a little left out that way.

And as he got older he got a little more shy. Just maybe less confident. When he was young he didn't care what people thought. And then as he got older he became aware that he wasn't like the regular guys. But it didn't mean that he didn't have guy friends, he had a lot of guy friends, but they were very much similar to him.

-2015, Montage of Heck film outtakes

"Luckily, I found a gay friend, who basically saved me from wanting to kill myself half the time. Apparently everyone in high school knew he was gay, they just didn't bother to tell me, or I just didn't bother to notice, you know, until he decided to make a pass at me one night. And I just flatly told him that I wasn't gay, but I'd still be his friend. After that I started to realise that people were looking at me even more peculiarly than usual. And then I started to get harrassed by some of the people, especially in gym class. They felt threatened because they were naked and I was supposedly gay, so they'd either better cover up their penises or punch me. [laugh] Or both.

But then after that I started being proud of the fact that I was gay even though I wasn't. I really enjoyed the conflict. Pretty exciting. Because I almost found my identity. I was a special geek, you know? It wasn't quite the punk rocker that I was looking for, but at least it was better than being the average geek."

-Kurt (About A Son, audio recorded 1992, film released 2006)

Interviewer: Because people thought you were gay and you had gay friends, did you ever wonder if you might be gay?

Kurt: Yeah, absolutely. See I've always wanted male friends that I could be real intimate with and talk about important things with and be as affectionate with that person as I would be with a girl. Throughout my life, I've always been really close with girls and made friends with girls. And I've always been a really sickly, feminine person anyhow, so I thought I was gay for a while because I didn't find any of the girls in my high school attractive at all. They had really awful haircuts and fucked-up attitudes. So I thought I would try to be gay for a while, but I'm just more sexually attracted to women. But I'm really glad that I found a few gay friends, because it totally saved me from becoming a monk or something.

I mean, I'm definitely gay in spirit, and I probably could be bisexual. [...] If I wouldn't have found Courtney, I probably would have carried on with a bisexual life-style.

(The Advocate 1993)

"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

"Did you know that I'm gay? Then I got married to a hermaphrodite [referring to rumors about Courtney]. But if somebody tried to take away my gay rights it would have been really bad, because I really like to buttfuck. It's fun. It feels good."

-Kurt at the No On 9 gay rights benefit gig, 10 Sept 1992

quote of the day

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

page summary

rocknroll1968 - Lyrics: Keep It Clean (2011)
rocknroll1968 - Lyrics: Smells Like Teen Spirit (1991)
rocknroll1968 - Photo: TOP TEN REASONS KURT COBAIN IS GAY (1991/2)
rocknroll1968 - Quote: "Everyone is bi," said the bi guy (1991/2)
rocknroll1968 - Quote: Kurt considered "selling his ass" (1992)
rocknroll1968 - Quote: It's not the body, it's the personality (1992)
rocknroll1968 - Lyrics: Marigold (1993)
rocknroll1968 - Quote: Kurt is bisexual when he's single (1992)
rocknroll1968 - Lyrics: Even In His Youth (1991)
rocknroll1968 - Lyrics: Son Of A Gun (1992)
rocknroll1968 - Lyrics: Laminated Effect (1986)
rocknroll1968 - Lyrics: Spank Thru (1989)
rocknroll1968 - Lyrics: Pay To Play (1990)
rocknroll1968 - Quote: The Queer Vandal strikes again (1992)
rocknroll1968 - Lyrics: Moist Vagina (1993)
rocknroll1968 - Quote: Kurt thought he was gay as a teen (2015)
rocknroll1968 - Quote: Not gay, but proud (1992)
rocknroll1968 - Quote: Kurt's bisexual lifestyle pre-Courtney (1993)
rocknroll1968 - Quote: Krist on giving blowjobs (1991)
rocknroll1968 - Quote: Kurt isn't straight & enjoys gay sex (1992)

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NIRVANA SLASH ARCHIVE

homo sex rules

Entries tagged with topic:bisexuality

Lyrics: Keep It Clean (2011)

Lyrics: Smells Like Teen Spirit (1991)

Photo: TOP TEN REASONS KURT COBAIN IS GAY (1991/2)

Quote: "Everyone is bi," said the bi guy (1991/2)

Quote: Kurt considered "selling his ass" (1992)

Quote: It's not the body, it's the personality (1992)

Lyrics: Marigold (1993)

Quote: Kurt is bisexual when he's single (1992)

Lyrics: Even In His Youth (1991)

Lyrics: Son Of A Gun (1992)

Lyrics: Laminated Effect (1986)

Lyrics: Spank Thru (1989)

Lyrics: Pay To Play (1990)

Quote: The Queer Vandal strikes again (1992)

Lyrics: Moist Vagina (1993)

Quote: Kurt thought he was gay as a teen (2015)

Quote: Not gay, but proud (1992)

Quote: Kurt's bisexual lifestyle pre-Courtney (1993)

Quote: Krist on giving blowjobs (1991)

Quote: Kurt isn't straight & enjoys gay sex (1992)

quote of the day

links

page summary

tags

January 2024