kurt cobain's urn plays a power chord for you all.

PS: Fear...


THE RAPEMAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Greatest post. Thanks for the onemoresolo link. Also, I have to say that the production on In Utero is magnificiently beautiful. I definitely want that particular sound and rawness if I ever release my own album. Kurt's penchant for writing songs that can shine through layers of murk and grime are made all the more obvious with the raw, abrasive sound on this record. The drums are thick, and pound relentlessly ( I heard somewhere that Dave Grohl used the larger end of the drumsticks to pound his skins - not sure if it's true), the bass grooves and slinks, twisitng and sinuous, and Cobain manages to wrench a completely tortured and naked wail from his guitar everytime, and succeeds in making it a wall of noise, melody and rhythm that constantly lurks, menancing and predatory.

The words on In Utero bite, gnaw and chew. They snarl and smirk and consume the consumer; burrowing into your soul and your intellect, until they reach your centre and propogate, until they suffocate you. This album is unsettling in the best possible way. Alienation, desolation, despair, anger - all themes that somehow Nirvana manage to rock and groove into In Utero. William S. Burroughs, when he read the lyrics of In Utero, proclaimed that Kurt "was already dead" when he wrote them.

Most people who put shit on Nirvana have terrible reasons as to why.

Welcome to the greatset place on Earth... ;)

Exactly, there is just no reason to invest emotionally or intellectually in a piece of music anymore, since the mood or style is so readily available at Hot Topic or Pitchfork. It just doesn't pay for them to put so much into something when they can buy the superficial and shallow feeling of it, which is what most people were looking for in the first place...

Hah. Thank you, it's what I feel about In Utero. :):cool:

Don't fall off your chair again... ;) Heheh...

you hit the nail in the head why this album has a big influence on people, and it also points out it's short comings.


personally, nirvana never seemed to me so revolutionary, i never really so such a big difference between them and, say, metallica at the time, just different haircuts and different ways to make music. jane's addiction kinda were the first "alternative" band i've ever heard, again they weren't that radical but they always seemed more out of it and more, and this is an afterthought, psychedelic than what i was listening to, which gave them a different angle of perception.

besides, if you read or listen to interviews at the time, they were more conscious about their impact and their intentions of fame than they later led on to.


but most morons love that fucking song!!! it's like their favorite along with smells like teen spirit. it's like one of their laziest and most self conscious songs and that combination just doesn't work. it's a dumb dumb dumb song. and to be fair, i haven't heard all or most nirvana songs, but it's certainly on the top of their worst.


yeah, i won't buy dime a dozen downloaded cd-rs there, fucking rip offs...they used to have good stuff that couldn't be found anywhere and now all they do is download that crap, print a cover and charge 10 times what they invest.

albini's method of recording is not for indie cred (if that was the case, the man would only record classic angular riff heavy indie punk of the 90's and would have been unemployed for a decade now), his method is to let the band handle the music and feel relax on their own while he gets them the most violent or lively sound they can...if anything, it's more obvious that nirvana made suggestions to albini to dirty up their sounds...i mean, listen to in utero and then listen to jawbreaker's 24 hours revenge therapy, both recorded in the same year and 24hrt sounds a lot cleaner (if just as or more vicious) than in utero.

I guess I kind of skipped Nirvana.

ahhhh i love 24 hour revenge therapy.

ashtray fucking monument..

wow, lots of tldr in this thread

but it's about Nirvana so I figure I ain't missing much

stop using the phrase GRUNGE!!!!!!!!!!!!

thats an insult to a band like nirvana... grunge is just a word to describe music to people who havent got a clue.... post rock is the same....... stop using the word, it sucks alewways has always will!

Wasn't "Rape me" actually about rapes in Bosnia ?


Good point.

nirvana's claim to fame was reviving weird al's career and changing high school fashion for a good decade.

HAHA. Dude, there's just something about Nirvana that grates you and I don't think you know what it is.

i just hate kurt cobain. i don't even hate nirvana. i thought they had some okay songs -- one of those "right place at the right time" bands. bleach and incesticide are good. i didn't like nevermind then, i don't like it now. and as i said of in utero, it's boring and is like.. a great ep's worth of songs. muddy banks is really good, except for some stinkers. unplugged is just shit.

but yeah. kurt is a fucking moron. "a hero for our generation"? right. anyone ever read that book where it talked about how he used to molest turtles with pencils for fun? dude was a fucking weirdo heroin using scum of the earth idiot who no one would give the time of day to if he wasn't in some band that happened to "blow up" at the right time. then, later, he "blew up" his head, and that just made their legend all the more legendary. lame.

I fucking love Nirvana. I don't listen to them that often but they're a band that never tires, for me. Usually the huge success of a band irritates me, but they're one band that I think the success is warranted. They just have something - Kurt was just a great songwriter - he sub-conciously knew the formula. On one of them CSI or whatever American Hollywood crime shows, it was about the 90s, so they played Nevermind basically the whole way through it, and it made me think "Fuck, this album is one in a kind", kinda spooky actually.

As for Kurt himself, from my knowledge of the man, he was far from moronic. He was actually quite an intelligent guy, especially considering his environment and surroundings. He was very creative. I've read his journals and such, a bunch of bios etc, and I've never heard this turtle accusation? The statement seems quite obsurd, too, considering the gentle nature of the guy.

Ditto.

I've read his journals and tons of bios too.

Anyway.. the book was "Heavier than Heaven". I'm not saying that's the reason to hate the guy, but I was simply pointing out how much of a fucking weirdo he was. And regardless of how clever some of his lyrics or ideas were, he wasted them all on drugs. Obvious, but true. Anyway, go ahead and read that book -- it's a pretty unbiased look at the band and the guy and it doesn't really take sides. But seriously, the dude's scum. Regardless of his songwriting ability or his "clever" interview skills or whatever. It's obvious to me that he was a businessman who was well-aware of his public image, and he wasn't blatantly moronic like some other like-minded people (that dude from the Vines, for example, is an obvious fucking retard) -- but when it comes down to it, drugs and .. whatever else .. fried his brain to the point of no return. You can defend people sitting around for days, in a daze, with a needle stuck in their arm as being geniuses, but I'm not sure.

anyway, i don't own the book, i just borrowed it, but i distinctly remember it saying something like "kurt would talk enthusiastically about how he would get bored and stick pencil's in turtle's vaginas."

HERO!!!!!!!!!!!

i wanna cry

Kurt Cobains journals is the most appalling piece of privacy-invasion in the history of popular music. Anyone who wants to read that for any reason whatsoever is a cunt.

my friend let me borrow his journals about uh.. 6? years ago.. whenever it came out. it was boring.

this is funny though:

Hahaha.

If I remember correctly, Cobain was pretty damn dissatisfied with being considered a hero. Sounds more like you're still playing the backlash game. People worship so you have to call him scum. Which is all bizarre to me because I'm pretty indifferent about Cobain.

Why borrow it at all? I wish idve been confident in it being as pointless as it was.

What?

I like plenty of people that other people worship. Cobain was scum because he was a heroin-using asshole that -- if it wasn't for his popularity -- everyone would agree is scum.

As for him being disillusioned with his popularity, go ahead and read any bio on him and you'll see that it says that he always complained that MTV didn't play Nirvana's music enough. In the spotlight, his public image was "anti-hero", but in real life he wanted that fuckin money. Who could blame him? But still: he was no anti-hero, he wanted to be loved. And he was. Somehow.

As for Journals, I dunno why she let me borrow it. It was when I was like 15 so I don't even really remember it.. cept that it was boring.

In Utero is DEFINITELY one of the best modern rock records!!! It may not have had the same impact as others, but coming from such a talented band, it shows the monumental leaps forward in their sound and style. I know it didnt shake the world like Nevermind did, bit it's a better album.

Scentless Apprentice's drums = great.

Rest of the album = "kfuc ssip tish."

Wow, what uncultured, brainless netherworld did you fall out from? You have never met Kurt Cobain and you really shouldnt comment on a person who's personality and life you really dont have any concept of.

He achieved far greater things in a couple of years of his life than you willl in the entirety of yours. Despite your glib and inaccurate description of his personality and lifestyle, Kurt was actually an intelligent, but emotionally tortured person. Sure, he was a fucked-up drug addict, but his drug use was a conscious decision on his behalf. And the consequences of his behavior were his own fault and also his own business.

What I want to know is where you get off calling someone you have no real connection to in any way, shape or form, a scumbag simply because a manic-depressive tries to self-medicate and have some control over their illness and emotions. Kurt had a fucked up life. He was depressed and sought what he thought would work for him.

You don't know him. Plain and simple. So if I were you I'd shut my mouth about him because it is ignorant of you to judge a person that you don't know. If you think his music is shit, then that's your opinion. I dont agree with it, but that is not what I'm going to debate. But dont judge a man's character based on your own personal prejudice. You wouldn't like it if the shoe were on the other foot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8wNUyDaaIE

I thought this was supposed to be an In Utero appreciation thread...

As for Kurt's 'anti-hero' stance and image, it was nothing more than that, imposed by the popular media and gobbled up by millions upon millions of un-thinking consumerist zombies. He was anti-rockstar, the very thought of becoming a rock and roll cliche terrified him and made him jittery. Contrary to popular belief, his target market was not the mindless stoner dudes or brainless junkies who seemed to enjoy his sludgy melodies so much, his fanbase included people like Thurston Moore, includes people like Chris Cunningham; his music spoke volumes and he explored themes of alienation and despair in a way that didn't end up sounding like emo. His ultimate achievement was to change the face of rock music, and to do so, unfortunately, came at the price of oblivion... The music spoke volumes and still does.

Now, people hear about Kurt all the time and they know about his legend and his image and they know everything that they have been fed by the popular media and by books like "Rock Stars Do The Dumbest Things", where individuality, creativity; even existensial angst; have become consumer cliches and people are looking for the "Next Big Thing" (what the heck? what could be next?). But, sadly, no one really pays attention to the music, to how it was crafted, how every line and beat and riff (though Nirvana pushed the boundary of the riff, they were still riff-based guitar music) were carefully and lovingly constructed. They paid attention to their music, worked hard at it, putting in the hours, the dedication, the sacrifice; and they expected to appeal to the same type of people; the ones who cared enough about the music.

Unfortunately, that was not the case, back then, and even now; though it usually only happens with teenagers who just read about Kurt and Nirvana, listened to a few songs on Youtube and declare them to be the best thing ever, in the world. That was not the point of Nirvana. They wrote deep, meaningful music, that, hey, happen to rock really hard at the same time. For all their faults and shortcomings, I miss the band and its music very much and the level of intelligence in their music that spoke directly to me, music that was cerebral and yet extremely raw. Not that far from some Sonic Youth isn't it?

Maybe the turtle liked it. A friend of mine had a kitten that went into heat prematurely (still too young to be spayed) so the vet reccommended it be masturbated with a Q-tip to calm it down. Now you know!

Anyhow, I absolutely loved In Utero when I first heard it. I guess that was 1993/4 so I was only about 9 or 10 years old, but I remember it like yesterday. I used to sit outside my brother's door whenever he would put it on and rock the fuck out (I wasn't aloud inside his room). Eventually I stole money from my mom's purse and tried to buy the tape at Target but the lady behind the counter wouldn't let me ("do your parents know you're buying this?").
I never did figure out why I liked it so much. It's strange listening to it now because it doesn't affect me at all anymore. I guess I moved past it a long time ago, but I can't deny what a big impact it had on a 9 year old hat & beard.

Don't you know that manic depressives are much more likely to become alcohol or drug addicts ?

Do YOU have a concept of his life? I'm basing my opinion on him from what I've seen, how he represented himself, and bios on him from people who did know him. No, I didn't personally know him myself, but sometimes you can judge a book by its cover(especially if you get a peak on the ugly insides).

Listen: He was shooting up heroin into his veins like a fucking SCUMBAG whiney idiot, regardless of his shitty life -- hell, his life WASN'T shitty when he was actually doing all that shit! Hah. And.. self-medication.. hahahaha.. are you fucking kidding me? Self-medication, my ass, he was a junky! Plain and simple. You know how you see homeless drug addicts on the street and you feel kinda sorry for 'em but you just keep walking by them? Well, Kurt was one of those people -- he just happened to write a song or two that was popular.

And, indeed, Kurt's decisions were of his own, and I'm glad he did what he felt he had to do. My whole argument is and always will be this: People talk of the "tragedy" of Kurt killing himself or whatever -- indeed, that's what he wanted to do. He got what he wanted, and it was his business. So, yeah, I'm glad he killed himself, because he did what he felt he had to do. That's cool. No disagreement there. On the other hand, people who portray Kurt Cobain as some kind of hero; that's what fucking sickens me -- a "hero" is someone you look up to and who you aspire to be like. Kurt Cobain was not by any means a hero -- oh shit, he can play power chords, he's mah hero nowwwww.!!! Fucking lame.

As for Kurt achieving more than I'm ever going to achieve.... I may never achieve what Kurt technically achieved, but his life is hardly one I envy having.

Sorry, the above was a reply to the poster who called me out, not the 4 or so people who replied after him.

It AMAZES me that in this day and age, people still defend Kurt. Hah.

I feel I have to 'defend' Kurt from people who call him a legend mindlessly... Not defend exactly, but just that; I feel its important they make a judgement on him based on his music; and even then, through careful appraisal, not just cursory glances, which anyone can do; I feel that that is what Kurt wanted to be judged on; his drug taking is a moot point, even I have taken drugs...

The point is, it's useless to debate the man and his life. I'm sure, adam, if Kurt was still alive, he would have a very intelligent response for you, if you said that to him face-to-face, unfortunately, he is not, and neither I nor anyone else has the right to answer for him, none of us know him, except for what other people tell us about him, so unless we were good friends with him on a personal basis, defending him is a moot point too... What he did is his own life, he only gave us the music and that's all that we can take from him, it might not have been enough for him, but it sure as hell is enough for the likes of us...

word.

i just don't like kurt very much at all. he always just came off as a dick to me. but that's just my opinion. i'll drop it.

SUPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BUT IN MY OPINION THAT BOY IS CRAZY!!! HOW HE FUCK??? CRAZY BOY!!! I LOVE LICKING PUSSY, PETTING, TONGUE TO TONGUE, PASSIONATE SEX, KAMASUTRA, HOW HE MAKE SEX??? MORE TEENSEXMOVS GIRLS!!! THANKS AGAIN!!!

I didn't even read the whole of your post. Yawn, after the first line. Yawn again for being some sort of yawinish internet yawn. Yawn.

you didn't miss much.

Yawn.