Edition #17
Rio de Janeiro, 2011
“DKANDLE weaves swirling multi-colored vibrant unearthly soundscapes, blending fuzzy and reverberating Shoegaze textures, mesmerizing Dream Pop meditations, sludgy Grungey tones and moody Post-punk strains, heightened with soul-stirring lyricism and pensive emotive vocalizations”
The album Nevermind (1991) is a revolutionary album that completely changed the musical landscape of rock, pop, and even other genres. Nirvana managed to take a sound that was underground and bring it into the mainstream. Until then, alternative rock was a type of music restricted to a select group of followers. The audience for these bands was smaller, and their music didn’t reach the masses. What Nirvana did was take the formula of Pixies—a raw, distorted, poorly-played rock sound—and combine it with the heaviness of Black Flag and the pop of The Beatles. This mix resulted in a primal, heavy sound but at the same time with a harmonious melodic line, so much so that some Nirvana songs were covered by other artists like Patti Smith, Sinéad O'Connor, and Caetano Veloso, who made acoustic versions that turned out to be very interesting.
Nirvana was a milestone, a big exception. Have you ever seen all the No. 1 hits on the Billboard charts? Dude, the vast majority is made up of pop songs. Then in 1991, suddenly there was this heavy rock song, 'Smells Like Teen Spirit.' It was an anomaly. After that, everything went back to how it was: pop songs at the top, and it’s still like that today. Nirvana was one of the few to escape the money-driven elite's system of ensuring that only non-engaged artists make it to the top.
What I like about Nirvana is that there’s so much truth in their music. And I really miss that in music in general. Almost everything today lacks authenticity. Kurt's compositions had a lot of quality. It's no wonder Nirvana achieved what they did: they got the public's recognition. Of course, it was also greatly helped by the “basic” $50,000 support from Geffen Records to record the Nevermind album and by the massive airplay of the 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' music video on MTV. The video started playing unassumingly on MTV America, but people began calling in, requesting it more, and the video ended up making it to the Top 10, eventually reaching the number one spot. A few weeks later, the video was also number one on MTV Brazil. Despite Geffen believing in the band and betting on them, no one there imagined that the album's sales would surpass those of Michael Jackson. The initial pressing of the album was 115,000 copies; within weeks, it was selling 300,000 copies a week, reaching number one on the Billboard just three months after its release.
The first time I heard Nirvana was through the 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' music video, and when the song ended, I was literally left with my mouth open. For me, it was a huge impact. Unaware that this album would make such a global change from zero to one in the music scene, I just “dove” into it. I didn’t really like the international rock that played on the radio at the time, with bands like Guns N' Roses, Skid Row, Metallica—I thought it was all a bit over-the-top. Nirvana brought such a fresh new vibe to rock like never before.
I’m still a huge fan of Nirvana to this day. I really like their songs, and they’re my favorite band. I think Kurt was very gifted as a songwriter. I also like the distortion in his guitar and his voice, even though I don’t think he sang very well live. But that never stopped me from listening to the band. I also appreciate that he didn’t play perfectly. I don’t like guitarists who are too precise and virtuosic, doing complex solos—I find that extremely boring… I admire this low-profile thing Nirvana had going on.
When I met Nirvana, I wanted to buy my first guitar. I started playing on my own, do-it-yourself, and I learned to play a lot of Nirvana songs and songs by other bands like Ramones and Titãs. I ended up meeting some guys and we formed a band, Pregnant Felix, which was very influenced by Nirvana, at least on my part (but the other guys liked it too, maybe not as much as I did), as well as other influences. We started rehearsing for about a year; we played some covers of some bands and wrote some songs. After a year of rehearsing every weekend, we decided it was time to play a gig. We got a slot at an event that was going to take place on April 9, 1994. We were super excited. On the day of the concert, I went to an ATM in the morning, and on the way back I passed a newsstand to check the news, and there it was on the front page of O Globo: “Kurt Cobain Commits Suicide in Seattle”. At the time I didn't believe it, but when I looked at the article... yes, it was there, all in detail. It was quite a shock, and it took a while to sink in. I've always found this event life-changing, because it was Nirvana that made me want to have a rock band, and on the day of my band's live debut, I learned that Kurt had died... I played with a Nirvana shirt that I had bought in Sao Paulo.
It was a bitter end, and that’s why I don’t want to dwell on it. Just keep in mind that he had his problems, just like all of us. He was young and inexperienced. We’re all going to have miserable phases in life. Nobody is unbeatable.
I admit that I was mad for a long time—not at him, but at the situation. Anger was a shield to keep it from affecting me, which is why I couldn’t accept his choice. It took me years to accept and understand that being mad about it made no sense. Today, I try to accept his choices. I just fondly remember all the good things. Is he at peace? I believe so. Kurt was a very dignified guy.
There’s a lot of ego in the music world, and it’s hard to deal with. Even in the underground scene, you come across nasty people—imagine when you’re at the top of the world… That’s why he said he admired R.E.M., that they seemed like saints with so much serenity, while also being at the top.
John Lydon (Sex Pistols) says he liked Nirvana—he even thought about inviting Kurt to record something together—but I don't agree with him when he says that Kurt wasn't a sensitive person (as Kurt described himself in his farewell letter). He said that if Kurt had been sensitive, he would have at least thought about his 2-year-old daughter. But hey, we have to understand that depression is a disease, and when someone is in that moment, their thoughts aren’t very clear. It happens even with the most sensitive people.
I’m very grateful to Kurt. He was an incredible guy, I greatly admire him. Maybe it’s because it’s the anniversary of his death, but I’m feeling especially sad. I never used to feel this way, but now when I see a picture of him, it makes me feel sad... That’s why I put up this picture of him smiling. That’s how I like to see him.
Courtney Love once said that the only place Kurt seemed to feel truly happy was in Rio de Janeiro, where Nirvana toured in 1993 for the Hollywood Rock festival. Well, then they should have moved here! Who knows, maybe things would have turned out differently… Anyway, this is my tribute to the most special guy the alternative music world has ever seen. Long live the king!
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