Music Box: Nirvana

The Seattle Times remembers how it covered Kurt Cobain's suicide 17 years ago this week as Jared Leto channels the Nirvana singer, with a spooky cover of "Pennyroyal Tea."

 

Being more a child of the '70s/'80s, I have to say that his death was not the landmark moment that it was for some. (Generation X: too young for John Lennon and too old for Kurt Cobain?) My brother was a huge fan and seemed pretty shaken, but as a more casual one, I just remember it seeming all too predictable. (Who knows, maybe it had more to do with my level of fandom than my age?)

I recently saw the new documentary about Hole drummer Patty Schemel, "Hit So Hard," and while I thought the film needed some MAJOR EDITING -- her journey in the band was cool, but her drug addiction is not THAT interesting, especially if you're going to completely gloss over a lesbian turning tricks with men to feed it -- Schemel's unseen video footage of Kurt (and Courtney Love) hanging around the (tree)house with newborn Frances Bean was very captivating, even if I question if his legacy will be as lasting as the film's makers seem to think it will. "Everyone remembers where they were when they found out Kurt Cobain died," someone says in the film, "This was our John F. Kennedy." Um, I don't.