The Legacy of Kurt Cobain

The Olympian (Olympia, Washington)
April 20, 1994 Wednesday

The Legacy of Kurt Cobain

BYLINE: BRETT R. OPPEGAARD, The Olympian
SECTION: LIFESTYLES; Pg. d1
LENGTH: 838 words

    At a concert by The Breeders a year and a half ago, Dave Foster hardly noticed the shadow slip into a Capitol Theater seat near him. Loud music from the stage held the attention of the crowd, but Foster glanced over, recognizing Kurt Cobain.
    After exchanging hugs, the former bandmates started to catch up on old times. But the reunion was cut short when a young woman interrupted – demanding to know who this familiar figure was.
    He vanished. Before the alarm went out and the mob started to gather, he was gone.
    "He never wanted that," said Foster, the first in a number of drummers teamed with Cobain in Nirvana. "It’s too bad people can’t enjoy what you do and leave you alone."
    Almost two weeks after Kurt Cobain committed suicide, the ripple effects are still spreading. The 27-year-old singer’s death has sparked generational conflict (even Andy Rooney weighed in with his opinions last Sunday on "60 Minutes"), as well as continued debate on the proliferation of guns and drugs.
    In addition, Cobain’s suicide – when he was seemingly at the height of a bright career – has generated new discussion on the price of fame.
Cobain, who grew up in Aberdeen and lived in Olympia in the late ‘80s, was an integral figure on the local music scene, and his influence – in life and in death – can still be felt.
    Social critic and an inspiration to the alienation generation, Cobain used his last moment to make one blaring judgment on the state of the union, said Win Vidor, owner of Positively 4th Street.
"Kurt was a real premeditated person," Vidor said about the man who had frequented his store before his band and the grunge movement virtually took over the music industry in 1991.
    By using a shotgun to end his life, Cobain sent a message to the world about gun control – not drug abuse – in the United States, Vidor said.
    "Imagine what would have happened if he would have overdosed again," Vidor said. "The nation would be in an uproar about drugs. He chose to make his last statement on guns. Just as he detached himself from his music by breaking his guitar at the end of a concert, he detached himself from life without the fans, destruction of his ax or option for an encore by leaving a message."
    Another message Cobain might have been trying to pass on was to beware of fame – it is seductive and can be destructive, Foster said. Foster’s band suckerpunch immediately met after hearing the news and made a pact to quit if success ever forced anyone to consider suicide, he said.
"I don’t ever want to be a spokesman for my generation," he said. "I don’t ever want to be put in those shoes."
    Cobain, who wore the spokesman tag like an albatross, fought his messianic image in interviews and in song lyrics. He never wanted to be elevated above the people who enjoyed his music – a foundation of the grunge and punk rock ethic.
    "I just remember how dedicated he was to his music," said Gary Kohler, who knew Cobain when he lived in Aberdeen. "Everyone said he was a great guitar player but his music sucked. He kept playing what he wanted to play and proved them wrong."
    Kohler is working on starting a new band after his old group, Attica, broke up.
    "I think I’m the same way," he said. "I don’t care about fame and money. As long as the music sounds good, it’s good to me. That’s the way Kurt was. He just wanted to play his music."
    Kohler said a lot of local bands have been inspired by Cobain to play for feeling and the purity of music.
    "They learned to stick with it," he said. "Nirvana and The Melvins inspired me and just about everyone in Aberdeen who’s in a band to work harder because they’ve shown you can make it."
    Despite the history of tragedy with over-night successes, not all local band members fear hitting it big.
    "I wouldn’t make bad music to make money," said Kevin Bunce, who plays guitar for Olympia’s Bad Lindas. "But being famous wouldn’t suck. Mostly it would be nice to make a living at it. I could handle the pressure."
    B.B. Eyes drummer Sam Leighton agreed.
    "It would be great to tour and get my music to people," he said. "Why does anybody play music? To be famous. If you can handle things responsibly, you’ll be fine. They should have put a little more restraint on (Cobain). If you have that many people around you, you should be able to take care of yourself."
    After Nirvana’s, and grunge’s, breakthrough album "Nevermind" sold more than 5 million copies, Cobain said he felt impotent – the stardom and wealth meant nothing.
    He sang of his desire to regain his childhood and that innocence throughout Nirvana’s latest album, "In Utero," and the desire to leave his present life behind: "Teen-age angst has paid off well, now I’m bored and old."