Kurt Cobain
A Missunderstood Genius

About

Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994) He was born in Aberdeen, Washington, United States. American singer-songwriter, founder and principal member of the band Nirvana, an outstanding group that is deeply linked to the birth of the grunge subgenre in the early 1990s. He is widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated figures of the 20th century. Kurt Cobain started the grunge band Nirvana in 1988 and made the leap to a major label in 1991, signing with Geffen Records. After releasing the highly successful album Nevermind, Nirvana's highly acclaimed album In Utero was released in 1993 and catapulted to the top of the music charts. On April 5, 1994, in the guest house behind his Seattle home, Cobain committed suicide.

A Mysterious Genius

Through his angst-fueled songwriting and anti-establishment persona, Cobain's compositions widened the thematic conventions of mainstream rock music. He was often heralded as a spokesman of Generation X and is considered to be one of the most influential musicians in the history of alternative rock. Cobain formed the band Nirvana with Krist Novoselic and Aaron Burckhard in 1987 and established it as part of the Seattle music scene which later became known as grunge. After signing with major label DGC Records, Nirvana found global success with "Smells Like Teen Spirit" from their critically acclaimed second album Nevermind (1991). Although Cobain was hailed as the voice of his generation following Nirvana's sudden success, he resented this, believing his message and artistic vision had been misinterpreted by the public. In addition to "Smells Like Teen Spirit", Cobain wrote many other notable songs for Nirvana, including "Come as You Are", "Lithium", "In Bloom", "Something in the Way", "Heart-Shaped Box", "All Apologies", "About a Girl", "Aneurysm" and "You Know You're Right". During the last years of his life, Cobain struggled with heroin addiction and chronic health problems such as depression. He also struggled with the personal and professional pressures of fame, and had a tumultuous relationship with his wife, fellow musician Courtney Love. In March 1994, Cobain overdosed on a combination of champagne and Rohypnol, and subsequently entered an intervention and underwent a detox program. On April 8, 1994, Cobain was found dead at his home in Seattle at the age of 27; police concluded he had died on April 5 from a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head.

Timeline

• Feb 20, 1967 - Kurt was born in Aberdeen, Washington. A small, broken down city full of drug users and unemployment. His parents divorced when he was eight and he was sent back and forth between there homes for years.
• Dec 1, 1985 - Kurt moves in with a christian family after being kicked out of his home by his mother, he becomes very religious and chooses the band name nirvana because of the buddist meaning "freedom from pain, suffering and the external world" as kurt described it.
• Dec 1, 1986 - moves into his own appartment after being kicked from the home of his friend, paying his rent with a dead end job. he constantly travelled to Olympia during this time for the rock music scene.
• Oct 10, 1987 - Kurt moves to Olympia. Kurt decided to move out of Aberdeen to live with his first girlfriend Tracy. Olympia was a new start for Kurt, the music scene was fresh and exciting. Kurt had started Nirvana just before leaving Aberdeen and Olympia was where they got there start.
• Dec 1, 1989 - "Bleach" is released. SubPop agrees to record Nirvana's first album, Kurt runs into the street screaming "im gonna be a rockstar! Nirvana rules!." the album "Bleach" was released soon after, and there careers began.
• Jan 12, 1990 - Kurt and Courtney get together. Kurt had met Courntey before, but kurt hadn't been very interested in Courtney even though she had made advances. When they met again about a year later at a Portland nightclub, they bonded over family issues and drug use. They were inseperable from then on.
• Sep 24, 1991 - "Nevermind" is released. Sep 24, 1991"Nevermind" is released People were critical of there first album, but Nirvana began to build a fan base. There second album "Nevermind" was released, and they were at the hight of there fame.
• Aug 18, 1992 - Frances Bean is born. They were madly inlove and got engaged quickly, soon after, news was out that Love was pregnany with Cobains child. Frances Bean was born in August of 1992. Kurt was extatic, he spent all the time he could with her.
• Mar 25, 1994 - Concerned, Kurts friends and family set up an intervention and confronted kurt as he woke up that day. Kurt was very upset, stating that multiple people in the room besides himself were also addicts and that they shouldn't be saying anything. Courntey threatened to take Frances away if he didn't go.
• Mar 30, 1994 - Rehab. Kurt arrived at the rehab facility in LA on the 30th, agreeing to go only for fear of losing his daughter. He immediately began a detox treatment. He was there for only a short time before he escaped by sneaking over a wall in the yard. He headed to Seattle.
• Mar 3, 1994 - Near death experience. Kurt flew to Rome after a failed rehab attempt to meet back up with Courntey and daughter Frances. When Kurt arrives he checks into a hotel room where he awaits Courtney's arrival. Courtney finds Kurt on the floor when she awoke the next morning. He was prosumed to be dead at the scene but he later came back in the hospital, telling Courtney in a note to fuck off, and then asking the nurse for a strawberry milkshake. He had overdosed on Courtneys prescription pills.
• Apr 8, 1994 - Kurt is found dead in the greenhouse of his Washington home, seven days after leaving rehab. Courtney had hired someone to install lights outside the greenhouse, a man spotted Kurts body from outside.

If you have time, you should read more about this incredible human being on his Wikipedia entry.

Sources:
• Timeline
• Kurt Biography