According to website Nirvana Syxx, Nirvana unwillingly brought alternative rock music into the mainstream. Krist Novolselic and Kurt Cobain met in their hometown of Washington in 1985. They first started out as the Stiff Woodies. Nirvana’s first album, Bleach, was released in June of 1989. In the summer of 1990, Dave Grohl replaced drummer Chad Channing.
In summer of 1991, they opened for fellow rock band Sonic Youth while they were performing on tour in Europe. Their landmark performance was at the Reading Festival in 1991. This was the beginning of their world wide recognition. The group signed onto Geffen Records and their second album, Never mind, was released in the fall of 1991. The CD went triple platinum due to the frequent airplay of their number one hit single “Smells like teen spirit”. The song became the anthem of grunge.
As the band’s popularity grew, so did the rumors of Kurt Cobain’s heroin use. Kurt went into his own drug induced world and the band started getting questioned by the media about the persona they were upholding. Kurt’s marriage to alternative rock band Hole’s lead singer Courtney Love only added fuel to the fire of the media frenzy.
In 1992-1994 Nirvana went through many trials. Their third studio album to be recorded was delayed due to Cobain’s chronic cases of stomach pains and hospitalizations. Their European tour was cut short in 1994 due to Cobain’s drug overdose in Rome. Kurt checked into rehab about a month after his overdose, and within a month escaped and retreated to his Seattle home. On April 8th Cobain was found with a gunshot wound to the head (believed to be self-inflicted due to the suicide note supposedly found with his body). Dave Grohl and Pat Smear departed from Nirvana in the wake of Kurt’s death and formed an alternative rock band known as the Foo Fighters. The Foo fighters are now one of the most popular bands currently in the rock industry. Nirvana will forever be known as one of the best alternative rock bands of all time.
Yesterday when I woke up and started to get to work the first song that I heard played on the radio was Nirvana’s “Smells like teen spirit”. It is a song that has always got me pumped and will always be known as the teen anthem of alternative rock”. I was young when I found out about the death of Kurt Cobain, but I will never forget hearing the breaking news on MTV news. Many believe that he may have not even killed himself, that wife Courtney Love actually had him murdered. This is all a speculation in the fact that it will probably never be proven correct or incorrect. In October of 2002 when Nirvana record label holders released Nirvana’s Greatest Hits, I was in line at Best Buy buying it! No matter whether it was a studio recording or an acoustic set, Nirvana never put on a bad show. Nirvana will always be known as one of the greatest rock bands of all time.
The History of Nirvana
MTV Networks.(1991, September 29). Nirvana-"Smells Like Teen Spirit". Video posted on http://www.mtv/videos/nirvana
Nirvana Syxx(2000-2004). The Nirvana History. Retrieved October 2009, from http://www.angelfire.com/clone/syxx/history.html
Nirvana Syxx(2000-2004). Timeline. Retrieved October 2009, from http://www.angelfire.com/clone/syxx/timeline.html
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