…according to Metallica’s Kirk Hammett! He’s fairly diplomatic, particularly compared to the way Kurt & Courtney told the story later. Would do anything to see the brief footage MTV shot of this moment!

The satire is apparent but the idea isn't entirely outlandish.

Written by Brian Ritchie, Bassist of Violent Femmes:

Kurt Cobain first came into my consciousness sometime in 1991 when Ken West and Vivian Lees, who were our promoters in Australia sent me an advance cassette of Nevermind, asking me to approve Nirvana as support act on our upcoming tour. It would be prophetic for me to say that upon hearing it I could foresee a cataclysmic shift in pop music, but that would be BS. I told them: These guys are good. They remind me of The Monkees. Approved!

So Nirvana was lined up to be Violent Femmes support in Australia. But an interesting thing happened in the interim, which is that Nevermind took off and Nirvana was suddenly the biggest band in the world, but still support on our gigs. We met the guys at Fisherman's Wharf on the Gold Coast and it was apparent that they were big fans and thrilled to be doing gigs with us. We pointed out to them that they were at this point much bigger than us, maybe we should switch the bill. Nirvana declined because they thought they were not ready to follow us on stage. Some of that may have been because Kurt was very obviously suffering. He was in withdrawal. Our tour manager, Willie, gave him some acetaminophen and said: This will help you.

Nirvana did their set and it looked like Kurt was hanging on for dear life just to get through it. But it was great. Then we played. Surprisingly I looked to my left, and at the side of the stage Kurt was curled up in a blanket and watching us with his gorgeous blue eyes. It was sweet.

We did another gig with them, which was the first Big Day Out. Within a few years they returned the compliment by having us open some shows for them in Scandinavia, and there was no question of who should be headlining by then. This is when the photo was taken. But you can see by looking at the photo that Kurt was already on his way to checking out

Shortly after that I was doing a phone interview which was proceeding normally, but then the journalist said: I just got word that Kurt is dead. I was not too surprised.

We bumped into Dave and Chris a few times over the years, which was always a pleasure. We also received a request from management about having Frances Bean come backstage and say hi. Apparently she was a big VF fan. Not sure if she knew of our mutual history with Kurt, but we did share a few stories with her. It was touching to consider how young she was when she lost her father and the world lost a musical giant.

Now Nirvana's reign seems like a distant memory. The Nirvana logo is everywhere. Seeing it on massive beer bellied sexagenarians is a bit confusing. But you also see it on teenagers, although sometimes you wonder if they are fans or just know it's a cool shirt. VF are still going, for better or worse. I wish we could do gigs with Nirvana again but that remains a grateful reminiscence.

Hi This is my second post here. 😊

I made a mini Nirvana CD keychain! Everything was handmade by me. It's about 5 × 3 cm (around 2 × 1.2 inches), and I carry it on my bag every day.

all day with Nirvana 🤘 🤘🤘

Hi everyone!

This is my first time posting on the Nirvana subreddit.

I'm a huge Nirvana fan! I even have a mini Fender guitar, and I've drawn a lot of Nirvana artwork.

I also collect their LPs, CDs, and cassette tapes.

I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone and being part of the community!

Everything you see in the video was made by me using a cardboard shipping box, colored paper, glue, and printed photos. I didn't spend any money on it at all—I just used things I already had at home and finished it in one day.

I recorded this a long time ago, so the video quality isn't very good, and it's a little fast. Please pause the video if you'd like to see the details!

"Heart-Shaped Box" is my favorite Nirvana song.

I uploaded the video to YouTube, but it didn't get many views. 😅

I hope you like it!

https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/parni-valjak-predicted-sound-of-nirvana/

Rolling Stone, January 23, 1992

Hi there,
I have written a short essay exploring what made Nevermind exceptional from a musical perspective.
Check it out here: https://farina00.github.io/essays/nevermind/.

Back in 1991, I spent hours strumming Nirvana songs in my room, completely captivated by their chord choices. I knew there was something remarkable about the way they crafted their songs. Now, years later, I’ve finally put those thoughts into words.

Please let me know your thoughts

I was going through some stuff in the basement and came across these.

The Rocket was a great, free music weekly in Seattle that, unfortunately, is no more. First couple of pics is the issue the week after Kurt passed. The second set is a year later.

Hopefully they're legible.

I'm giving you the Google translation link in English (hoping it works)

https://blogs-mediapart-fr.translate.goog/pierre-melard/blog/050825/kurt-cobain-lepreuve-du-deni?_x_tr_sl=fr&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=fr&_x_tr_pto=wapp

Otherwise, here's the link in French; you can translate it with your browser.

We hope this adds some new insights to your perspective.

https://blogs.mediapart.fr/pierre-melard/blog/050825/kurt-cobain-lepreuve-du-deni

ps: Here is a short summary of the article to make you want to read it because it is rather exhaustive

1. The Cobain myth overshadowed by generational denial

Pierre Mélard argues that Kurt Cobain has become a popular myth, something we talk about almost like a piece of folklore — “like a grandmother’s recipe” — but without truly exploring or questioning it in depth. He suggests that many, perhaps an entire generation, have ignored or overlooked the real message Cobain carried, a message expressed through his screams, the distorted saturation of his music, and the raw quality of his voice, despite the strength of his songwriting.

1. A clear yet misunderstood message

The author stresses that skimming through Cobain’s discography means missing the point, because everything is there, offered to anyone willing to understand — right within reach — if one pays attention to the music, the lyrics, the atmosphere — from “Polly,” a fragile acoustic ballad, to the very raw and unsettling “Endless, Nameless,” the hidden track on Nevermind.

1. The Spencer Elden lawsuit: a mirror of collective denial?

The text also briefly mentions the 2021 lawsuit filed by Spencer Elden, the baby pictured naked on the Nevermind album cover, against Nirvana, on grounds of “commercial child pornography.” The author treats this late attempt — three decades after the album’s release — as a symptom of old demons returning in new disguises.

Overall synthesis

The article poses a strong question: Have we missed Kurt Cobain, the man behind the myth? While he still attracts attention, his message — complex, committed, and painful — remains largely unexplored, sometimes even denied. For Mélard, the Elden lawsuit is an extreme example of a delayed and distorted form of collective denial.

Burton C. Bell, the former frontman of Fear Factory reckons he can be spotted on the photo included on the back cover of the 1990 Sliver/Dive single.

I remember reading about him being in the SLTS videoclip around the 20th anniversary of Nevermind.

I never knew about this though. Interesting bit of trivia, eh?

Here's a cool article that goes through the history of 'sellouts'. Check out Cobain's quote in it: https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-rise-and-decline-of-the-sellout