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Two decades on and Nevermind still resonates with fans.
The album launched the band into the stratosphere of superstardom and cemented Kurt Cobain as one of the most mesmerising and intriguing lead singers ever.
In memory of Kurt and to celebrate the re-release of the 20th anniversary edition of Nevermind, Purple Revolver has compiled the Top 20 cool, weird and interesting Kurt Cobain facts.
So put on Nevermind, listen and remember the man who took teen angst to new levels.
1. Kurt’s favourite movie of all time was the Matt Dillon drama, Over the Edge.
2. The day Nevermind was released Kurt was evicted from his apartment and forced to live in his car. The album went on to sell over 26 million copies worldwide.
3. REM’s Let Me In was written about Kurt. Michael Stipe was a close friend of his and is the Godfather to Kurt’s daughter Frances Bean.
4. The Beatles and The Melvins were Kurt’s two favourite bands. His favourite Beatles’ track was the John Lennon penned Julia.
5. Kurt once auditioned for the Melvins, but was (thankfully) turned down.
6. Born in Aberdeen, WA, the town’s welcome sign now reads; Welcome to Aberdeen, Come as you are.
7. Kurt and Guns N’ Roses front man Axl Rose had a long running feud, stemming from Kurt’s refusal to open for Axl’s band on numerous occasions.
8. At the 1992 MTV Music Awards Kurt spat on a piano he believed was Axl Rose’s, he later found out that the piano belonged to Elton John.
9. Growing up a young and lonely Kurt Cobain had an imaginary friend called Boddah. His suicide note was addressed to his old friend.
10. Kurt had a fascination with the human anatomy and foetuses.
11. NIRVANA’s lead man said that the band’s name should always be written in capitals.
12. Kurt’s Dennis the Menace style red and black striped jumper was taken from a fan after Kurt saw him wearing it outside a show.
13. Cobain got the name for Smells Like Teen Spirit from a woman’s deodorant brand. Bikini Kill drummer Tobi Vail wrote, Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit across his hotel room wall, after he had an argument with Bikini singer Kathleen Hannah.
14. He was over the moon when Weird Al Yankovic asked to parody Smells Like teen Spirit, believing this meant Nirvana had truly made it. In his diaries he referred to Weird Al as a ‘musical genius’.
15. In 1993 Kurt accidentally overdosed on heroin prior to a show at the New Music Seminar in New York. Courtney Love injected him with Narcan and punched him in the heart. Back from the brink Kurt went on to perform that night.
16. Kurt wanted Nirvana’s fourth album to be a more acoustic affair and move the band away from Grunge. He was heavily influenced by their MTV Unplugged appearance and had recently discovered American folk and blues legend, Lead Belly.
17. Kurt Cobain’s suicide was once the feature of an episode of Unsolved Mysteries.
18. His suicide was placed at No. 1 on NME’s list of Top 100 Rock Moments of All-Time.
19. Kurt was listening to R.E.M’s Automatic for the People when he took his life at his Lake Washington home.
20. In 2008 Kurt’s ashes were stolen from Courtney Love’s house.