Thanks for Something

I was watching Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged session the other day and it hit me how good it was. I used to be a total Nirvana fanboy but this time I wasn’t obsessed with Kurdt’s shoes or anything. I was merely there for the music and it’s, dare I say, more impactful than it was when I was in the 9th grade. But Nirvana didn’t just represent music to me; they still don’t really; sadly I can’t separate the two; so I still see Nirvana as my favorite band even though I never listen to them anymore. But “Why,” I hear you cry.

Nirvana sparked the first thought in my head that different was cool and that the norm was lame. They exposed me to a world that was un-thought of at the time. A world where slackers succeed and yuppies died by the dozens; a world where music was more important than sex; a world where Mr. Rogers sweater are a fashion statement; a world where the Stooges are greater than the Stones; a world where ethos mean more than money; a world where the loud, fuzzy, distorted, out-of-tune electric guitar is dance music; a world where equality is achieved; a world where long hair is cool and crew cuts are not; a world where football is stupid and fast cars are for losers; a world where poetry is true art; a world where Mark Lanegan is Jim Morrison but not a wannabe poet; a world where the Gregs (Sage and Ginn) are better than the pair of Jim(i/my); a world where mail order was the new Amazon; a world where the club scene wasn’t full of hipster fucks and instead full of Mark Arm’s; a world where life touring in a van is a more look forward to than a huge condo and a executive job; a world where J Mascias is president and Thurston Moore is Ambassador of Cool; a world where the 80s did produce good music; a world where life is lived not thought about.

Nirvana didn’t really say anything like this and neither did their music. It’s just the feeling I got from them. But the thing that they did that was more important than opening my mind (and this will tell you about where I stand as a person) is that they, and Kurt specifically, turned me onto really fucking good music. Without them I’d probably be listening to the Von Bondies or some other psuedo-indie band. But when I learned Kurt sold his record collection to buy tickets to a Black Flag show, I went and bought Damaged. When I saw Raw Power constantly as his favorite record, I purchased that monster too. Those two records had more impact on my musical life than any others. When Kurt wore that homemade Flipper, I downloaded “Sex Bomb.” When the Meat Puppets appeared on Unplugged, I went and bought the album those songs came from. When Kurt listed the first three Wiper albums in this favorite, I bought the box set that contained all three. Nirvana got me into the blues thanks to that Leadbelly cover on Unplugged. Kurt wore a Scratch Acid shirt and I have their complete discography. Nirvana recorded a split with the Jesus Lizard and I surprisingly enough love the Jesus Lizard. Pat Smear was Nirvana’s guitarist toward the end and he was also in the Germs and well… you probably know where that leads. The Melvins were Nirvana’s mentors early on and I have several Melvins albums.

I’m sure there are many more examples but the whole things is that there was, and still is, more to music than “big Harley ridin’ rock bands,” as Krist Novoselic put it. The struggling usually have more to say and I like to listen. Nirvana helped to show me this.

As an added bonus I've put two pictures up for you to cherish. Krist is the coolest guy ever.