Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was born on February 20,1967 in the town of Aberdeen, Washington.
Aberdeen is on the west coast and is about 108 miles southwest of Seattle. Aberdeen is a
dreary place with about seven feet of rain a year. Kurt was born to Mrs. Wendy Cobain
and to Mr. Donald Cobain. Wendy was a homemaker. She had a very tight bond with Kurt.
He was her first born. She had another child three years after she had Kurt. Her name
was Kim. Donald was a mechanic. He was very into sports. He often tried to push Kurt
into sports but Kurt just didn't like them. Even though the Cobain's didn't have much
they seemed to do all right. Wendy dressed her children in the best clothes she could
afford. They always looked like the best dressed kids in Aberdeen.
Kurt was an extremely happy child. He would wake up everyday so happy. He was always
filled with joy and always had a smile on his face. Kurt once said his upbringing could
be decribed as "white trash posing as middle class". His mother told him to stay away
from the poor kids. She said they were dirty. So Kurt did and he also would beat the
up. Then in 4th grade he realized he liked them better. Around that time people started
to notice that Kurt was very good in art. Most of Kurt's friends didn't really like
things like art and music. He loved these things so much he stopped making friends
because he was different.
Kurt was not such a health kid. His whole life he suffered chronic bronchitis. At age
of seven he was diagnosed hyperactive. He was put on Ritalin. This seemed to make him
stay up until four in the morning. They soon put him on sedatives. This did not work
either. They made him fall asleep in school. Doctors told Wendy to try subtracting
sugar and Red Dye #2 from his food. This was the right prescription for Kurt. Sometime
during the 8th grade Kurt was diagnosed with scloiosis. In his later years the weight of
his guitar made it worse. Suicide also ran in his family. In 1979 a great uncle
committed suicide and in 1984 an uncle also committed suicide.
Kurt was in love with music since the age of two. He was brought up in a musical family.
One of Wendy's uncle had some records out in the 40's and 50's. Her brother was in a
Rock and Roll Band. Her sister was in a country band and played the guitar. Almost
everyone had some sort of musical talent.
Kurt had always wanted to be a drummer in a rock and roll band. His first drum set was a
Mickey Mouse drum set. He played with it everyday until it was broken. At the age of
seven he got a bass drum along with some Beatles and Monkees records. In 3rd grade Kurt
started taking drum lessons. He also played the drums in his grade school band. When
Kurt was fourteen he got a guitar for his birthday and decided not to play the drums
anymore. He wrote his own songs and wanted to start a punk rock band.
At the age of 8, Kurt's parents got a divorce. Kurt was destroyed. He no longer was
happy and smiling. He became very inward and was always frowning. About a year after
the divorce Kurt went to live with his dad. He had many new changes to cope with. Donald
had remarried. His new wife had a son and a daughter. Kurt did not get along with any
of them. As a result he was moved out of their home. Between 1975 and 1984 Kurt moved
two times a year. He was shuffled between three sets of aunts and uncles, grandparents
and sometimes back to his dad. To have somewhere to fit in Kurt started hanging around
some older kids. This is also when he started to become a little stoner kid. From 1984
to1985 Kurt lived with his mom. She soon kicked him out because he dropped out of high
school. He was a senior in high school and just weeks short of graduation. For one year
he lived in friend's houses, cars and even under a bridge.
In the winter of 1985 Kurt formed his first band with Krist Novoselic and Aaron Burkhard.
They went through a series of names before finally deciding on Nirvana. Some of them
were Fecal Matter, Skid Row, Ted Ed Fred, Pen Cap Chew, and Windowpane. Their first live
performance took place in Olympia in the summer of 1985. This same summer Kurt tries
heroin for the first time. He loves Olympia so much that he decides to move there in the
fall of 1987. Also in 1987 Kurt feels a burning pain in his stomach for the first time.
This pain haunts him for the rest of his life.
In January of 1989 Sub Pop Records hears a 10 song demo of Nirvana. They offer to put
out a single. That summer Aaron Burkhard is replaced by Chad Channing. Nirvana's Sub
Pop single is "Love Buzz" and "Big Cheese". In October of 1988 1000 copies are
distributed. Also that same month Kurt smashes his first guitar which later becomes his
trademark.
Sub Pop asks Nirvana to record an album. They add a 2nd guitarist around this time. His
name is Jason Everman. In June of 1989 Bleach is released. Nirvana goes on a month long
tour. At the end of the tour Everman is kicked out of the band. In October of 1989
Nirvana goes on another tour. This one is in Europe and is six weeks long. They are
accompanied by the group Tad. They rest a few months when they get back from this tour.
Their next tour started in May of 1990 and lasted until April. At the end of this tour
Channing is kicked out of the group. Soon they meet a man named Dave Grohl. He replaces
Channing. Once again Nirvana goes on a tour. This time with Sonic Youth.
In April of 1991, Nirvana is asked to sign with Greffen DGC Records. After long battles
between Sub pop and DGC Nirvana finally signs. That May and June Nirvana goes into the
recording studio with producer Butch Vig. They record the album that makes them stars.
It is Nevermind. This album is released in September of 1991. The first day it is out
it is #144 on the Billboard Charts. On October 20,1991 Nevermind goes gold. Nirvana is
sweeping the nation. MTV plays the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video constantly. By
November of 1991 Nevermind goes platinum. On January 11, 1992 Nevermind hits #1 on the
Billboard Charts. Then again it hits #1 on February 1, 1992
During this whole time that Nevermind is being listened to Nirvana is touring. They have
three U.S. tours and four European tours. They also have a tour taking them to
Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Hawaii. On one of the U.S tours they get to play
Saturday Night Live. They also play at the Reading Festival on one of the European
tours. During the tours they play with different bands. Some of them were Dinosaur Jr.,
Sonic Youth, Pearl Jam, and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Along the way of life, Kurt falls in love. He marries Courtney Love in Hawaii on
February 24,1992. He first met Courtney in 1989. They kept meeting up with each other
through the years on tours and other rock shows. So it seems they were meant to be
together. In November of 1991 Courtney Love becomes pregnant with Kurt's child.
Sometime in August of 1992 Courtney does an interview for Vanity Fair magazine. It is
all about her life, Kurt Cobain, her music, and of course the pregnancy. Vanity Fair
prints that Courtney did heroin during her pregnancy. Their child is born healthy on
August 18, .1992. They name her Frances Bean Cobain She becomes everything that Kurt
lives for. She is the light of Kurt's life.
There were many rumors floating around that Frances Bean was born addicted to heroin.
None of those rumors were true. That same day that Frances was born the Los Angeles
County revokes custody of her. This was all a result of the Vanity Fair article. They
later give custody back and the Cobains then have to be supervised while taking care of
their daughter. Almost seven months later the Cobains can finally take care of Frances
Bean by themselves without supervision.
Life between Kurt and Courtney was hard. They always had rumors fling about them.
Things about drugs and arguments and how they were raising their daughter. One story
that was not just a rumor happened in June of 1993. Courtney called the police after a
huge argument with Kurt. The police came into their home and took three guns. They then
took Kurt to jail where he stayed for three hours.
In December of 1992 Nirvana put out a new album. It was entitled Incesticide. This
album was a collection of b-sides and rarities. Their next real album was recorded in
February of 1993. This time Nirvana goes into the recording studio with Steve Albini in
Cannon Falls, Minnesota. The art work on the covers of Incesticide and In Utero are done
by Kurt. The In Utero album is released in September of 1993. Also in September of 1993
Nirvana wins an MTV Music Video Award for Best Alternative Video.
One of the songs cut from In Utero was titled "I Hate Myself and I Want to Die". Kurt
says that this was not to be taken literally. He says he wrote it to make all the people
in the world hear what they wanted to hear. Everyone was saying that he was a moody,
depressed man and that he always wanted to kill himself. He was sick of people saying
that about him and wanted to make fun of himself. He decided to cut it from In Utero
because everyone would take it the wrong way.
In Utero takes Nirvana on more tours. The first one is a U.S tour. They begin their
tour in October of 1993. This tour is their first U.S. tour in almost two years. While
on this tour the play MTV Unplugged. In February on 1994 they start a European tour. On
March 6, 1994 Nirvana is in Rome for a show. This same day Kurt is rushed to the
hospital. He had gone into a coma from overdosing on Rohypnol and champagne. He had
taken 50 doses of Rohypnol, which is like the drug valium. The press goes wild and says
it is all a suicide attempt. Kurt wakes twenty hours later and denies it was an attempt.
At this time Nirvana decides to cancel the rest of the tour and take a rest. Through
all of the tours their are rumors that tensions are high between the group members. The
press says there is constant fighting. There is even a rumor that the group is going to
break up. To add to the cancellation of their tour they also cancel all their
involvement in Lollapalooza.
Then on March 18,1994 a startling thing happens. Kurt locks himself in a room of his
house. He will not come out and he has a 38 caliber revolver with him. He threaten to
kill himself. Courtney Love once again calls the police. The police come and take
control of the situation. They take the gun away.
Some time around March 30,1994 Courtney calls for an intervention to get Kurt off of
drugs. She realizes he really does need help. On March 31,1994 Kurt checks in to the
Exodus Recovery Center. It seems as though Kurt wants help. This doesn't last long.
The day after he checks in he jumps a wall and it is the last anyone sees of him. He is
missing
On April 8th an electrician finds K
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