Kurt Cobain
Year: 1994; Age: 27
iconz
For Generation X, he was their
most tragically fallen angel.
The Aberdeen, Washington-
raised Cobain spent his
childhood feeling trapped
and disillusioned by his small
town ruled by hyper-masculine
boys he didn’t fit in with. He
found punk rock, relocated
to Olympia, then Seattle, and
soon had formed a grunge
band with his childhood
friend Krist Novoselic that
would end up being called
Nirvana. Nevermindand the
opening riffs of the angsty,
loud “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
were the beginning of a new
era, knocking Michael Jackson
off the charts and putting the
Seattle scene on the map,
paving the way for bands like
Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and
Alice in Chains. The brilliant
way Cobain channeled his
feelings of being a misfit in his
music – through despondent
lyrics, visceral screams and
volatile performances –
resonated for many itching
to break free from the
social constructs of older
generations.
Though he once dreamed
of becoming a major rock
star, Cobain claimed publicly
how much he loathed fame,
especially after his heroin
addiction and tumultuous
relationship with wife Courtney
Love turned him into a tabloid
staple. “Unfortunately, Nirvana
became too big too quick,”
bandmate Dave Grohl reflected
in a 2016 interview. “Bands are
like families that go through
uncomfortable growing pains,
and if it happens all at once,
it’s just too much to handle.”
Even after the birth of his
only daughter Frances Bean
Cobain, Cobain’s addiction
worsened – a dependency
he blamed on a lifelong and
cripplingly painful stomach
ailment – and he found
himself briefly in rehab before
committing suicide with a
shotgun in his Seattle home
at age 27. “I don’t have the
passion anymore,” he wrote in
his suicide note before quoting
Neil Young. “It’s better to burn
out than to fade away.” BS
iconz magazine