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 Kurt dead in home, from an apparent

self-
-inflicted gun shot wound to the head.