I was just reminded that this week marks the 15th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's "suicide." Technically, it was on April 5th, but what's a day or 5 among friends? I must've known somehow that the anniversary was coming up because I've been listening to Nevermind intermittently for a couple of weeks now on my way back and forth to work.
Even if you never liked Nirvana, it's hard to deny that they were one of the most influential and Earth-shattering bands of the 20th century. Hell, almost every song on Nevermind has reached classic status since its release 18 years ago. Plus, how many artists can you name that could've actually written any of those songs back then? "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is practically the de facto anthem of Gen Xers everywhere.
Nirvana hit the top of the charts at a pivotal time for rock and roll, bringing a much higher profile to independent music that has snowballed its way out of the underground and onto our car commercials and prime time TV dramas. (Just last night, The National's "Fake Empire" soundtracked the dramatic conclusion to the season premiere of "Southland")
On a sidenote - the process of achieving this higher profile has unfortunately been at the expense of most of the major labels, who care less and less about the art of music, and more and more about formulaic branding. It's important to note that this was really starting to take hold around the same time Nevermind exploded all over the charts. Popular music became worse and worse, while independent music became a haven for pop music lovers everywhere, which probably would not have been possible without the commercial success of bands like Nirvana.
I don't remember the day Kurt Cobain died. I wasn't allowed to listen to rock music in those days, and I really didn't know anything about Nirvana except there was a naked baby on the cover of one of their CDs, and they represented everything about young people in those days that my evangelical culture was against. It wasn't until my junior year of high school that Nirvana's songs finally took root in my rebellious/bored/angry/frustrated/ambivalent teenage heart. That root, with its thousands of augmentations, has grown into a huge part of who I am today. I wouldn't be the same without it.
And so, on this sad and necessary occasion, I leave you with this - my favorite Nirvana song. I know you remember it.
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