Nirvana is the stuff of legends. They fathered the grunge grit of music and began a rock revolution that still today “smells like teen spirit.” After 25 years the world still hears their beginning rebel cries echoing out of Seattle, Washington. They bred not only a musical genre that paved the punk rock road of royalty for bands, such as Green Day and Smashing Pumpkins, but they also bore a lifestyle and fashion to couple their angsty tunes.
The three-man band shook the world with their songs that sent messages on fighting the mans conservative nature and revolting all that is expected. Nirvana is the quintessential soundtrack to teen angst. Waving their rebel flag throughout the 90s, they became the popular choice of music for the lost youth who were never destined to be cookie cutter but rather fated to shatter the picture perfect frame of idealistic life.
Every person has a rebellious side itching to be unlocked from constraint, and it was Nirvana who held the key to unleash this desire. With the exception of “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” which lead singer Kurt Cobain called a “clichéd riff,” their songs were not written with the intention of bringing them fame and money. Rather, their songs expressed raw emotion and hidden thoughts that society had so long shamed and oppressed.
Fans were not used to this realness that Nirvana unveiled in their harsh riffs and candid lyrics. Their shocking approach spiked the popularity of hits such as “Come As You Are,” “Heart Shaped Box,” and “Drain You,” making the bands constant shying away from fame a lost battle. Nirvana quickly transitioned from an underground band of punk rock fusion into pop music that blasted onto radios. It was this contradiction of punk and pop that caused a struggle for Kurt Cobain.
In a 1994 Rolling Stones interview Cobain spoke about one of Nirvanas many pop hits saying, “But once it got into the mainstream, it was over. I’m just tired of being embarrassed by it. I’m beyond that.” This obvious distaste for the celebrity status many bands could only dream of, makes me wonder whether the now deceased Cobain is celebrating or cringing with mortification on Nirvana’s timeless fame that is even more obvious now that they are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as of April 2014.
Nirvana deserves to feel accomplished, not blush with its crowning into rock royalty. And it seems that drummer, Dave Grohl, and bassist, Krist Novoselic, were thrilled at the bands induction. They celebrated with a concert that had artists such as Joan Jett and Lorde paying tribute to Nirvana and the late and great Kurt Cobain through renditions of the bands classics. This celebratory procession is expected when a band such as Nirvana reaches such a milestone as this.
Being a member of the Hall of Fame that houses the best of the best, such as The Beatles, Alice Cooper, and The Doors, is far from an award to be ashamed of. A place in there means you have made it. It means you are someone. It means you are the epitome of rock star. However it is this rock star status that the grunge movement is totally against.
Grunge holds much of the same qualities as the hipsters of today. The style is rooted in very nihilistic ideas that are against all things mainstream. However, Nirvana contradicted the grunge music scene when their music actually became popular. They made it trendy, which goes against the founding principles of all things grunge. Nirvana played at sold out concerts, received floods of fan letters, and stood at the helm of a rebel’s rock revolution. But in true grunge fashion, Kurt Cobain did not want the popularity bestowed upon his music. He did not want to become the icon that he is looked up as today.
Whether he would have liked it or not though, Kurt Cobain’s name is going down in history due to Nirvanas recent induction. His name has not and will not dissipate into the dismal existence of the forgotten famed. He will forever be dominating our hearts as our favorite bad boy. And regardless of the status’ obvious contradictory quality, he will always be the grunge god to our punk rock heaven. And though it can only be a mere figment of our imagination, we can hope Kurt has finally found his Nirvana in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
So Mr. Cobain, are you celebrating with us yet?