Monday, March 26, 2012

Reaching Nirvana

*This post is being made by "KIT212" guest blogger, Frank Anthony Polito

So I’m in the home stretch of publishing my third novel, LOST IN THE '90s -- the tale of a teenage boy from 2012 who travels back in time to April 1994 where he meets his teenage parents. Think of it as Back to the Future meets Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist with a bit of Reality Bites thrown in. (Ok, maybe not -- but it’s the first “classic” early-90s movie I could think of.) Most of the action takes place on 4.7.94, the eve of the announcement of the death of Nirvana lead singer, Kurt Cobain, an event that plays an integral part in the story.

To help promote the book, I’ve started reaching out to journalists and bloggers who have covered the anniversary in the past, asking if they might make mention of my novel, which serves as a tribute to the legacy that was Kurt Cobain. From everything I’ve read, Nirvana/Cobain fans are extremely loyal – even after 18 years. I’m hoping they will enjoy the book – but first I have to make it known to them. What better way than on this particular day, 4/5?

One said journalist I reached out to is a guy by the name of Kevin Allman. KIT212 readers may remember Allman from the 1992 interview he conducted with Kurt Cobain and his wife Courtney Love in The Advocate. Surprisingly, I received an email reply from him just yesterday! No planned coverage of Cobain’s death anniversary, sadly. Allman now works for The Gambit in New Orleans, and they keep things locally focused. But to think, I am now TWO degrees away from Kurt Cobain… Dude!

If you’ve never read Allman’s candid conversation with the “King of Grunge Rock,” I highly recommend you check it out here.

I know that a lot of us gays (myself included) weren’t the biggest fans of grunge music -- “You can’t dance to this!” But in reading about Kurt’s views on the gay community, and how he, himself, was beaten up and called “fag” as a teen growing up in Aberdeen, WA, I’ve gained a new respect for the man. How could you not love a dude who spray-painted “GOD IS GAY” on the side of people’s pick-up trucks just to piss them off?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I lived in Seattle during this time (still do) and my friends and I were HUGE grunge fans. I actually paid Courtney Love's late fee at Broadway Video just because LOL. Good luck with the book.