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Cobain on Cobain: Interviews and Encounters (9)
Cobain on Cobain places the reader at the key moments of Kurt Cobain’s roller-coaster career, telling the tale of Nirvana entirely through his words and those of his bandmates. Each interview is another knot in a thread running from just after the recording of their first album, Bleach, to the band’s collapse on the European tour of 1994 and Cobain's subsequent suicide. Interviews have been chosen to provide definitive coverage of the events of those five years from as close as possible, so that the reader can see Cobain reacting to the circumstances of each tour, each new release, each public incident, all the way down to the end. Including many interviews that have never before seen print, Cobain on Cobain will long remain the definitive source for anyone searching for Kurt Cobain's version of his own story.
- GenresMusicBiographyNonfiction
592 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2016
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507 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 13, 2016
Feels great but also a little spooky to finish this book exactly 22 years to the day after Kurt Cobain was found dead in his home of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The last entry in "Cobain on Cobain" is his suicide note to the world, where he declared that life wasn't fun anymore. As a suicide note, the letter is bizarre - for just one example, he says, "I have a goddess of a wife who sweats ambition and empathy and a daughter who reminds me too much of what I used to be, full of love and joy, kissing every person she meets because everyone is good and will do her no harm." Doesn't this just show the confused and lost state of Cobain? Why kill yourself if you love your wife and daughter? "Cobain on Cobain" is full of interviews showing the paradoxical emotions that the musician felt about his life and career.
The book tracks Nirvana's career from inception to that last fateful day, and includes interviews with the band that sometimes don't even include the frontman. We hear more from bassist Krist Novoselic (the only other member of Nirvana from start to finish) than we do from Cobain, and we hear from early band members such as Chad Channing and Jason Everman. Thus we see Cobain not only through his own eyes, but through those who spent as much time with him as anyone and through his interactions and banter with those people (though there is extremely little from Courtney Love). With a single collection of interview after interview, it's easy to forget the image of Cobain that we are left with, the guy he himself describes as one who has "become hateful towards all humans in general." That wasn't Kurt. Kurt was funny, engaging, smart, charming, silly, sensitive, and quite loving towards most humans. The ones he hated were the ones who persecuted women or the weak. And the mainstream press! After reading this collection I fell in love with Cobain all over again.
The book is somewhat incomplete, as many of the U.S. interviews are missing. We are left with mostly the work of foreign journalists, in particular European. So there are probably more questions than normal about things like the Seattle scene and the weird events at the Brazilian shows, and fewer than there should be about touring the U.S. and other more localized questions. But that shouldn't take away from how much this interview collection educates us or just reminds us about Cobain. He fought strongly for basic women's rights - not feminist causes, just the right to not be raped! He didn't hate his record label DGC (a sub of Geffen). In fact, he was forever appreciative of the opportunity DGC provided to get Nirvana's music widely distributed and the full creative control they had and wished other bands could get the same opportunities. He believed that music should not be political, even though he had many deeply held political views. He had a love/hate relationship with MTV and he hated the music of Pearl Jam, but he liked Eddie Vedder personally. Finally, there is the affect of the Vanity Fair piece on Kurt and Courtney which suggested that they were doing heroin right up until their baby was born. You can see first-hand how that piece changed Cobain for good, made him cynical towards the press, and may have ultimately led in part to his death. The sensitive Cobain was never the same.
I highly recommend that every fan of Cobain read this collection. It's a stroll down memory lane of the greatest band of a generation. There is one other group of fans who should read this book too though - fans of Dave Grohl, whom I haven't mentioned yet. "Cobain on Cobain" could just have easily been titled "Grohl on Grohl: The Nirvana Years." It's fascinating to see the man who wasn't even an original band member, who didn't play on Bleach, and who hardly spoke in early interviews become the face of Nirvana towards the very end. I could write thousands of words about Grohl, psychoanalyzing these pre-Foo Fighters interviews in light of the performer he became. I won't do that, but suffice it to say that all of the negative things I think about Grohl in 2016 are cemented by reading his interviews from 1991-94. They may have complemented each other perfectly musically, but Grohl was everything that Cobain hated about musicians and maybe people. I don't think Cobain ever realized that. Still, if you're a fan of the man don't let my negative thoughts turn you away - both fans and haters should enjoy equally.
Ultimately, I'm not sure this book is an essential read. Is there anything new here? Possibly not. But putting it all together in this manner was a good idea, and a fun trip.
The book tracks Nirvana's career from inception to that last fateful day, and includes interviews with the band that sometimes don't even include the frontman. We hear more from bassist Krist Novoselic (the only other member of Nirvana from start to finish) than we do from Cobain, and we hear from early band members such as Chad Channing and Jason Everman. Thus we see Cobain not only through his own eyes, but through those who spent as much time with him as anyone and through his interactions and banter with those people (though there is extremely little from Courtney Love). With a single collection of interview after interview, it's easy to forget the image of Cobain that we are left with, the guy he himself describes as one who has "become hateful towards all humans in general." That wasn't Kurt. Kurt was funny, engaging, smart, charming, silly, sensitive, and quite loving towards most humans. The ones he hated were the ones who persecuted women or the weak. And the mainstream press! After reading this collection I fell in love with Cobain all over again.
The book is somewhat incomplete, as many of the U.S. interviews are missing. We are left with mostly the work of foreign journalists, in particular European. So there are probably more questions than normal about things like the Seattle scene and the weird events at the Brazilian shows, and fewer than there should be about touring the U.S. and other more localized questions. But that shouldn't take away from how much this interview collection educates us or just reminds us about Cobain. He fought strongly for basic women's rights - not feminist causes, just the right to not be raped! He didn't hate his record label DGC (a sub of Geffen). In fact, he was forever appreciative of the opportunity DGC provided to get Nirvana's music widely distributed and the full creative control they had and wished other bands could get the same opportunities. He believed that music should not be political, even though he had many deeply held political views. He had a love/hate relationship with MTV and he hated the music of Pearl Jam, but he liked Eddie Vedder personally. Finally, there is the affect of the Vanity Fair piece on Kurt and Courtney which suggested that they were doing heroin right up until their baby was born. You can see first-hand how that piece changed Cobain for good, made him cynical towards the press, and may have ultimately led in part to his death. The sensitive Cobain was never the same.
I highly recommend that every fan of Cobain read this collection. It's a stroll down memory lane of the greatest band of a generation. There is one other group of fans who should read this book too though - fans of Dave Grohl, whom I haven't mentioned yet. "Cobain on Cobain" could just have easily been titled "Grohl on Grohl: The Nirvana Years." It's fascinating to see the man who wasn't even an original band member, who didn't play on Bleach, and who hardly spoke in early interviews become the face of Nirvana towards the very end. I could write thousands of words about Grohl, psychoanalyzing these pre-Foo Fighters interviews in light of the performer he became. I won't do that, but suffice it to say that all of the negative things I think about Grohl in 2016 are cemented by reading his interviews from 1991-94. They may have complemented each other perfectly musically, but Grohl was everything that Cobain hated about musicians and maybe people. I don't think Cobain ever realized that. Still, if you're a fan of the man don't let my negative thoughts turn you away - both fans and haters should enjoy equally.
Ultimately, I'm not sure this book is an essential read. Is there anything new here? Possibly not. But putting it all together in this manner was a good idea, and a fun trip.
March 30, 2018
5-star Review:
Cobain on Cobain: Interviews and Encounters by Nick Soulsby
Ideally, I shouldn't like this book, because Kurt hated giving interviews and this book contains just that. But I couldn't stop myself -- the more I read about him and Nirvana, the more mysterious they become. This book is a compilation of several overseas and US interviews that Nirvana (and Kurt, in particular) gave in their short-lived career as a band. It demarcates each era (pre and post-Bleach, Nevermind, In Utero, and everything in between) well with running commentary from the editors and individual journalists. Although some bashed the trio and their "Nevermind" attitude, in general, most reporters had only good things to say - how congenial Kurt was, how intelligent Krist came across, and how enthusiastic Grohl was. Whatever else circulated in the media is not the band's making but a well-planned propaganda that left the band members also confounded. So much so that Kurt went on record to say, "Don't believe everything you read." I won't, Kurt.
Now, for the main review:
Jaded rockstar, voice of a generation, pioneer of the grunge movement, drunk-ass junkie, etc. are terms I'm not going to associate with Kurt Cobain anymore. They sound cliché to me. What I will remember him (and Nirvana) for is this:
"It's thanks to the ten people who applauded us in 1986 or 1987 that I am here today. I already felt like I shot the moon: I was being paid to play my songs and, what's more, people liked it! For a guy like me, it was already glorious. We were going to little lost towns and the local radio station played our single. I couldn't have dreamed of doing better . . ."
- Kurt Cobain, 1993
He was a simpleton who found happiness in little things. That was also his vision for Nirvana, to create simple tunes that people could hum incessantly. Despite all his shortcomings, in his mere 7 years of music career, Kurt left me with an oceanful of music that I can enjoy and remember him by.
There is a line that one has to draw when another says, "Don't cross this or it'll be hazardous." The media and the so-called "well-oiled" music corporations couldn't care less for Kurt or his music or his personal issues besides apprising the cash he could make them, thus, despite Kurt rebutting them in as many languages as possible, in the end, it proved to be hazardous - for him.
He is in a better place now. Rock in Paradise, Kurt.
Cobain on Cobain: Interviews and Encounters by Nick Soulsby
Ideally, I shouldn't like this book, because Kurt hated giving interviews and this book contains just that. But I couldn't stop myself -- the more I read about him and Nirvana, the more mysterious they become. This book is a compilation of several overseas and US interviews that Nirvana (and Kurt, in particular) gave in their short-lived career as a band. It demarcates each era (pre and post-Bleach, Nevermind, In Utero, and everything in between) well with running commentary from the editors and individual journalists. Although some bashed the trio and their "Nevermind" attitude, in general, most reporters had only good things to say - how congenial Kurt was, how intelligent Krist came across, and how enthusiastic Grohl was. Whatever else circulated in the media is not the band's making but a well-planned propaganda that left the band members also confounded. So much so that Kurt went on record to say, "Don't believe everything you read." I won't, Kurt.
Now, for the main review:
Jaded rockstar, voice of a generation, pioneer of the grunge movement, drunk-ass junkie, etc. are terms I'm not going to associate with Kurt Cobain anymore. They sound cliché to me. What I will remember him (and Nirvana) for is this:
"It's thanks to the ten people who applauded us in 1986 or 1987 that I am here today. I already felt like I shot the moon: I was being paid to play my songs and, what's more, people liked it! For a guy like me, it was already glorious. We were going to little lost towns and the local radio station played our single. I couldn't have dreamed of doing better . . ."
- Kurt Cobain, 1993
He was a simpleton who found happiness in little things. That was also his vision for Nirvana, to create simple tunes that people could hum incessantly. Despite all his shortcomings, in his mere 7 years of music career, Kurt left me with an oceanful of music that I can enjoy and remember him by.
There is a line that one has to draw when another says, "Don't cross this or it'll be hazardous." The media and the so-called "well-oiled" music corporations couldn't care less for Kurt or his music or his personal issues besides apprising the cash he could make them, thus, despite Kurt rebutting them in as many languages as possible, in the end, it proved to be hazardous - for him.
He is in a better place now. Rock in Paradise, Kurt.
March 8, 2016
I remember the first time I saw the MTV video(yes at one time MTV actually played music videos of "Smells Like Teen Spirit". WOW!!! was my reaction. From the time Nirvana first formed to sadly Kurt Cobain's suicide in 1994, Soulsby compiled interviews and musings of music journalists all over the world. My favorite part of the book was a section called Cobain Clips which were peppered with quotes for Cobain.
November 15, 2021
This got really stressful to read towards the end but I loved this book.
October 21, 2022
Pretty plain. All text is culled from radio/print interviews w reflections from the people who conducted the interviews. So so, written for those who love Nirvana.
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August 24, 2016
First off, the title is rather deliberately misleading (since all of Nirvana appears throughout these interviews). And I definitely could've done without the journalists' intros to their pieces. And Soulsby seems a humorless goon; that picture--of him staring off to the side with brooding self-importance--appears to sum up his presence pretty well.
September 9, 2016
How did I not know about this book ! This is amazing and once I stated reading it I went out and bought it. Fantastic.
April 10, 2017
I liked this book because it had a ton of interviews in it I had never seen or heard or read. I learned some stuff too. Things like what Kurt's favorite book was. I still miss Kurt to this day. A great man who had great talent and was, in my opinion, abused by a lot of the media. Not all media but some was so into spreading rumors like crazy. RIP Kurt.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews