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I’m currently reading Chuck Klosterman’s (so far wonderful) book THE NINETIES. I just finished his essay “The Structure of Feeling (Swingin’ on the Flippity-Flop) about Nirvana’s impact on music and culture, and amongst many observations that I couldn’t help but flag was this one:
“The public ascension of [Nirvana’s] Nevermind is where the nineties became a recognizable time period with immutable values.”
He goes into great depth about why this is the case, and I happen to agree with his argument. But if I’m honest, I have to also say I never fully got Nirvana. At least not when Kurt Cobain was alive or even in the decade he and his band became so consequential to American and, to a lesser extent, international culture. That came later for me, and it’s a subject I intend to write about at some point. But for now, I’d like to hear from you about your own relationship with the band, Cobain, and their music.
What did Nirvana – and especially Nevermind – mean to you (and why)?
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Nirvana came out two weeks after I turned 15. I was really into hard rock at the time: Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Guns and Roses, and many of the "hair bands" like Skid Row. However, I was aware of the limitations of those bands, so much so that I had written a letter that was published in one of my favorite rock magazines the year before, when I was 14. My letter was a response to Warrant's "Cherry Pie" video and the generally misogynist culture of hard rock and heavy metal at the time. It really broke my heart as a young teenage girl because the rebellious spirit of rock and roll really resonated with me and in some ways made me feel seen. When I first started getting into rock and roll at around age 12, I thought that the long hair and Glam outfits the rockers wore indicated that they were pushing back against traditional gender roles. So the misogyny of a lot of the videos and lyrics felt like a crushing betrayal to me as a teenage girl.
When I first heard Nirvana, I remember distinctly that their music was just clearly much more authentic and less superficial. I felt like the cheerleaders in the Smells Like Teen Spirit video were questioning some of those gender roles ... maybe? Honestly I wasn't sure but it was better than Cherry Pie. And when I learned that Kurt Cobain called himself a feminist and had a girlfriend in a rock band I was - relieved, really, and thrilled.
So yeah I mean the feminist angle is just one aspect of it. But in general for me Nirvana felt like really good rock music that wasn't stupid. That was serious and thoughtful.I didn't feel embarrassed or morally conflicted when listening to it.
Grunge music in general is special because for me it doesn`t have any rules. Punk in the 80`s (which I'm a big fan of) had a certain identity that one had to follow to be considered punk, and if a band didn`t follow it they wouldn`t be considered as punk (which happened with The Replacements). Grunge for me is the same thing as punk - political, subversive and thoughtful. However, it`s far more accepting, welcoming and relatable. I think Krist Novoselic from Nirvana is the ultimate grunge figure, underrated for sure. His book ''Of Grunge and Government'' says it all.
I think for a lot of people who came of age in the early Nineties, Nirvana signalled a cultural insurgency of sorts. In this there existed the possibility of forging a new identity, which was a very attractive proposition for an introspective teenager like myself. They weren't alone of course, but they were leading the charge. And Nevermind was the battering ram. It really was our 'Sgt. Pepper'. I remember it sounding so different to anything else around; different coming out of the speakers. The production was so bright, so polished, but the songs were so odd, full of anguish and rage, but still melodic, still catchy as hell, and somehow this combination did something to my adolescent brain. I can still hear this today, this oddness, and it still surprises me, to think how popular this music became. And then you wonder whether Kurt had it right about all the people who sang along but didn't really know what it meant. Because why would they? Most of us want to hold the kind of darkness that inspired those songs at bay. And yet, there's also a morbid fascination with the bleak pictures Kurt painted, a need to get into that shadow side of our being. So, I suppose what I'm trying to say is that there's a powerful dualism right at the heart of Nirvana's music. One that meant it appealed to large numbers of people, and certainly to most of us in the sixth form of a provincial school in Britain in 1991. I think that duality taught me something about music, about how good art can hold opposites together, and bring them into a kind of resonant unity. Darkness and light. And that led me to discover all sorts of other musicians I may never have bothered to investigate if it hadn't been for the thrill of this realisation. Inspired to want to emulate what I heard, I learnt to play the drums by playing along with this record on a makeshift kit that I'd made out of cushions in my living room. And that has led to a life surround by music and musicians, and that has only ever been an entirely positive thing. So, I guess I have Nirvana, and Nevermind specifically, to thank for that.
I was just talking to someone about how films (and culture to a large extent) in the 80s were very into glamour, and the rise of Grunge dethroned glamor. Grunge as a musical and fashion and behavioral aesthetic was far more accessible; proletariat to a degree. And it hasn’t let go of that stranglehold.
I can’t say I was a Nirvana (or Grunge) fan, it took flight concurrently with rise of West Coast rap and hip-hop going full mainstream.
It was later that listened to Cobain and Company; I think after that Van Sant film ELEPHANT.
I’ve really enjoyed reading everyone’s comments here. This has been such a thoughtful discussion. “Never Mind” was the soundtrack to my sixth form years but I have to confess to never thinking too deeply about the sentiments behind the music at the time. I recently read this article which may be of some interest though.
I felt pretty snobby about music at that time and didn’t love anything contemporary until I heard Nirvana. But for me Soundgarden was what really spoke to my soul. I remember where I was when I first heard them and specifically Chris Cornell screaming, “What’s in this for…ME???” I was like WHO IS THIS. I was drawn to the combination in both bands of the vulnerability + anger.
I remember listening to U2’s Achtung Baby for instance at the time… and suddenly grunge and specially Nirvana broke in, it really felt authentic, super energetic. At the moment I embraced it, but I was never full into Grunge, I think I like it more now, but the point is that it truly was disruptive. Afterwards it’s been a sad story basically the one of Kurt Cobain, I have something in an energetic level that I can’t make my head around in terms of how and why he died, I hate the rockstar clichécliché of drugs and abuse.
Nirvana meant a bit of local pride and rebellion. I grew up in the Seattle area and Kurt was born and raised in Washington state too.
The band's hay day was during my middle school years and that time was absolute hellish with the constant physical and verbal bullying from my peers. Some of their most popular songs was a brief escape for me to "head bang" my frustrations and hurt, away.
I was the right age, 13 in 1994, but they didn't hit with me the same way Green Day or Pearl Jam did. I really loved Unplugged, but Nevermind or In Utero just never really grabbed be the same way.
I wasn’t a huge Nirvana fan but I enjoy them and can appreciate how influential they were as a grunge ban. Also, what they contributed to rock music in general.
I really like Klosterman. His Raised in Captivity is quirky and fascinating. He’s also very insightful in his interviews.
Among observations he’s given in interviews: "To me, the most important things about writing are to be entertaining, to be interesting, and clear.”
And: "The only things that you can control are how hard you work and how willing you are not to quit. Everything else is just random.”
I was a big fan of Nirvana back in the day. I had Nevermind and Bleach on one dubbed cassette, and I'd play the albums back to back on my walkman. I think for me, it was a bridge between the metal I was listening to into something more introspective and messy.
Nirvana came out two weeks after I turned 15. I was really into hard rock at the time: Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Guns and Roses, and many of the "hair bands" like Skid Row. However, I was aware of the limitations of those bands, so much so that I had written a letter that was published in one of my favorite rock magazines the year before, when I was 14. My letter was a response to Warrant's "Cherry Pie" video and the generally misogynist culture of hard rock and heavy metal at the time. It really broke my heart as a young teenage girl because the rebellious spirit of rock and roll really resonated with me and in some ways made me feel seen. When I first started getting into rock and roll at around age 12, I thought that the long hair and Glam outfits the rockers wore indicated that they were pushing back against traditional gender roles. So the misogyny of a lot of the videos and lyrics felt like a crushing betrayal to me as a teenage girl.
When I first heard Nirvana, I remember distinctly that their music was just clearly much more authentic and less superficial. I felt like the cheerleaders in the Smells Like Teen Spirit video were questioning some of those gender roles ... maybe? Honestly I wasn't sure but it was better than Cherry Pie. And when I learned that Kurt Cobain called himself a feminist and had a girlfriend in a rock band I was - relieved, really, and thrilled.
So yeah I mean the feminist angle is just one aspect of it. But in general for me Nirvana felt like really good rock music that wasn't stupid. That was serious and thoughtful.I didn't feel embarrassed or morally conflicted when listening to it.
Grunge music in general is special because for me it doesn`t have any rules. Punk in the 80`s (which I'm a big fan of) had a certain identity that one had to follow to be considered punk, and if a band didn`t follow it they wouldn`t be considered as punk (which happened with The Replacements). Grunge for me is the same thing as punk - political, subversive and thoughtful. However, it`s far more accepting, welcoming and relatable. I think Krist Novoselic from Nirvana is the ultimate grunge figure, underrated for sure. His book ''Of Grunge and Government'' says it all.
I think for a lot of people who came of age in the early Nineties, Nirvana signalled a cultural insurgency of sorts. In this there existed the possibility of forging a new identity, which was a very attractive proposition for an introspective teenager like myself. They weren't alone of course, but they were leading the charge. And Nevermind was the battering ram. It really was our 'Sgt. Pepper'. I remember it sounding so different to anything else around; different coming out of the speakers. The production was so bright, so polished, but the songs were so odd, full of anguish and rage, but still melodic, still catchy as hell, and somehow this combination did something to my adolescent brain. I can still hear this today, this oddness, and it still surprises me, to think how popular this music became. And then you wonder whether Kurt had it right about all the people who sang along but didn't really know what it meant. Because why would they? Most of us want to hold the kind of darkness that inspired those songs at bay. And yet, there's also a morbid fascination with the bleak pictures Kurt painted, a need to get into that shadow side of our being. So, I suppose what I'm trying to say is that there's a powerful dualism right at the heart of Nirvana's music. One that meant it appealed to large numbers of people, and certainly to most of us in the sixth form of a provincial school in Britain in 1991. I think that duality taught me something about music, about how good art can hold opposites together, and bring them into a kind of resonant unity. Darkness and light. And that led me to discover all sorts of other musicians I may never have bothered to investigate if it hadn't been for the thrill of this realisation. Inspired to want to emulate what I heard, I learnt to play the drums by playing along with this record on a makeshift kit that I'd made out of cushions in my living room. And that has led to a life surround by music and musicians, and that has only ever been an entirely positive thing. So, I guess I have Nirvana, and Nevermind specifically, to thank for that.
I was just talking to someone about how films (and culture to a large extent) in the 80s were very into glamour, and the rise of Grunge dethroned glamor. Grunge as a musical and fashion and behavioral aesthetic was far more accessible; proletariat to a degree. And it hasn’t let go of that stranglehold.
I can’t say I was a Nirvana (or Grunge) fan, it took flight concurrently with rise of West Coast rap and hip-hop going full mainstream.
It was later that listened to Cobain and Company; I think after that Van Sant film ELEPHANT.
I’ve really enjoyed reading everyone’s comments here. This has been such a thoughtful discussion. “Never Mind” was the soundtrack to my sixth form years but I have to confess to never thinking too deeply about the sentiments behind the music at the time. I recently read this article which may be of some interest though.
https://open.substack.com/pub/songsthatsavedyourlife/p/in-bloom-nirvana?r=1pwf0t&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
I felt pretty snobby about music at that time and didn’t love anything contemporary until I heard Nirvana. But for me Soundgarden was what really spoke to my soul. I remember where I was when I first heard them and specifically Chris Cornell screaming, “What’s in this for…ME???” I was like WHO IS THIS. I was drawn to the combination in both bands of the vulnerability + anger.
I remember listening to U2’s Achtung Baby for instance at the time… and suddenly grunge and specially Nirvana broke in, it really felt authentic, super energetic. At the moment I embraced it, but I was never full into Grunge, I think I like it more now, but the point is that it truly was disruptive. Afterwards it’s been a sad story basically the one of Kurt Cobain, I have something in an energetic level that I can’t make my head around in terms of how and why he died, I hate the rockstar clichécliché of drugs and abuse.
Nirvana meant a bit of local pride and rebellion. I grew up in the Seattle area and Kurt was born and raised in Washington state too.
The band's hay day was during my middle school years and that time was absolute hellish with the constant physical and verbal bullying from my peers. Some of their most popular songs was a brief escape for me to "head bang" my frustrations and hurt, away.
I was the right age, 13 in 1994, but they didn't hit with me the same way Green Day or Pearl Jam did. I really loved Unplugged, but Nevermind or In Utero just never really grabbed be the same way.
I wasn’t a huge Nirvana fan but I enjoy them and can appreciate how influential they were as a grunge ban. Also, what they contributed to rock music in general.
I really like Klosterman. His Raised in Captivity is quirky and fascinating. He’s also very insightful in his interviews.
Among observations he’s given in interviews: "To me, the most important things about writing are to be entertaining, to be interesting, and clear.”
And: "The only things that you can control are how hard you work and how willing you are not to quit. Everything else is just random.”
I was a big fan of Nirvana back in the day. I had Nevermind and Bleach on one dubbed cassette, and I'd play the albums back to back on my walkman. I think for me, it was a bridge between the metal I was listening to into something more introspective and messy.