nirvana_slash_archive | Entries tagged with topic:homosexuality

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.

Interviewer: So, how did you guys meet? Come together?

Krist: Well, Kurt and I originally lived in this small community in Washington, and we just kind of found each other, because, uh...

Kurt: There's not too many people in that small community that like punk rock.

Krist: Yeah, yeah.

Kurt: It isn't too hard.

Krist: Yeah, yeah, it's like, you meet somebody and: "Oh, this is just another one of those fuckin' geeks." [makes chronic geek face] Then we fell in love. Yeah. It's been great. We're married.

Kurt: [sarcastic] Then we fell in love with each other's father's. [shakes head]

Krist: Yeah, it's like, father and son--fathers' and sons' relationships are really heavy. We like, swap fathers and stuff.

Kurt: We were part of the man-love-boy association.

Krist: We met through our fathers. Our fathers were kind of notorious in our town.

Kurt: [grins]

-18 Apr 1990

Archivist's notes: I love how Kurt finishes Krist's sentence here. Two black sheep sharing a vibe and a brain, apparently.

Just want to make note of the heavy sarcasm, black humor, and bullshittery going on here in the comments about their dads, since sarcasm doesn't translate well by text. For full body language cues, watch the complete interview on YouTube.

""I don't think he [Kurt] had a hell of a lot of friends," [Matt] Lukin recalls. "He was always trying to start bands, but it was hard to find people who wouldn't flake out on him." [Buzz] Osborne introduced him to Novoselic, a shy youth so tall (he's six feet seven) that he bumped his head on the beams in Cobain's house. Cobain formed a band with this kindred spirit two years his senior. [...]

A vandal with a cause, Cobain loved to spray-paint the word "queer" on four-by-four trucks, the redneck vehicle of choice. Other favorite graffiti included "God is gay" and "Abort Nirvana Christ." In 1985, Novoselic, Osborne, and 18-year-old Cobain wrote "Homosexual Sex Rules" on the side of an Aberdeen bank (Osborne swears it said "Quiet Riot"). While Osborne and Novoselic hid in a garbage dumpster, Cobain was caught and arrested. A police report lists the contents of his pockets: a guitar pick, a key, a beer, a mood ring, and a cassette by the militant punk band Millions of Dead Cops."

-16 Apr 1992, Rolling Stone magazine

Archivist's note: Kurt listed Millions of Dead Cops as one of his top 50 favourite albums. Check out the lyrics to "America's So Straight" from the album Kurt had in his pocket.

( Read more... )

"Novoselic and Cobain come from rural Aberdeen, Washington. [...] One of the more popular bars in town is actually called the Pourhouse, which is where two young men about Cobain's age, Joe and James, sit down for a pitcher of beer--each. [...]

"Yeah, I know the Cobain kid," says James, "Faggot."
He's a faggot?" asks Joe, taken aback. Recovering quickly, he declares, "We deal with faggots here. We run 'em out of town."

This is where Cobain and Novoselic grew up. That's why they kissed each other full on the lips as the Saturday Night Live credits rolled. They knew it would piss off the folks back home--and everybody like them.

"I definitely have a problem with the average macho man--the strong-oxen, working-class type," Cobain says wearily, "because they have always been a threat to me. I've had to deal with them most of my life--being taunted and beaten up by them in school, just having to be around them and be expected to be that kind of person when you grow up.

"I definitely feel closer to the feminine side of the human being than I do the male--or the American idea of what a male is supposed to be," Cobain continues. "Just watch a beer commercial and you'll see what I mean."

Of course, Cobain was miserable in high school. [...] [He] was a sensitive sort, small for his age, and uninterested in sports. "He was terrified of jocks and moron dudes," recalls Cobain's old friend, Mudhoney bassist Matt Lukin.

"As I got older," says Cobain, a fan of Beckett, Burroughs, and Bukowski, "I felt more and more alienated--I couldn't find friends whom I felt compatible with at all. Everyone was going to become a logger, and I knew I wanted to do something different. I wanted to be some kind of artist.""

-16 Apr 1992, Rolling Stone magazine article by Michael Azerrad

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

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.

"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... )

Kim and Kurt

"Kurt was always protective of his little sister. Some eighteen years after this picture [above, left] was taken, Kim came out to Kurt, and he immediately expressed concern for her safety in Aberdeen--a town not known for tolerance towards homosexuals."

-Chris Molanphy, Kurt Cobain: Voice of a Generation (2003), pg. 18 (the author interviewed Kurt's family for this book)

Interviewer: What do you guys think about this No On 9 thing?

Krist: The trend--fascism is just rising and rising, you know, I watch the news and I see skinheads firebombing refugee centers in Germany, and to have it materialise so close to home is outrageous. You gotta fight back. You know? If you don't care, you're worse than the conservative fanatics that are implementing this on everybody. And you gotta choose sides.

Interviewer: What do you say to people out in rural, outskirt part of Oregon, who may not be as politically aware of what's going on as the people in Portland?

Kurt: It's so surprising that it started in Springfield, I mean, just my first reaction was that Oregon's such a liberal state, I couldn't believe it, I mean, isn't Springfield really close to like, Eugene? It's amazing. It's just--it's perfect proof that it can happen anywhere and will keep spreading, and it will start in small, obscure towns like that.

Interviewer: Like Colorado.

Kurt: [nods]

Krist: Yeah.

Interviewer: [unintelligible due to loud background music]

Krist: I mean, homosexuality is a natural thing and to meddle with nature is going to cause a lot of friction, like in society. You just can't repress something like that, you can't repress a person's feelings.

-10 Sept 1992, No On 9 pre-gig interview

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: Krist feels married to Kurt (1990)
rocknroll1968 - Quote: Homosexual Sex Rules (1992)
rocknroll1968 - Quote: The Cobain kid is a faggot (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 - Quote: Kurt on the AIDS crisis (1992)
rocknroll1968 - Excerpt: Kurt's preferred type of man (1991)
rocknroll1968 - Excerpt: Kim comes out to Kurt (1994?)
rocknroll1968 - Quote: Fascism & Homosexuality (1992)

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NIRVANA SLASH ARCHIVE

homo sex rules

Entries tagged with topic:homosexuality

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: Krist feels married to Kurt (1990)

Quote: Homosexual Sex Rules (1992)

Quote: The Cobain kid is a faggot (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)

Quote: Kurt on the AIDS crisis (1992)

Excerpt: Kurt's preferred type of man (1991)

Excerpt: Kim comes out to Kurt (1994?)

Quote: Fascism & Homosexuality (1992)

quote of the day

links

page summary

tags

January 2024