subject: If Kurt Cobain Were Still Alive, How Would His Music Have Evolved Over the Past 15 Years? [print this page] If Kurt Cobain Were Still Alive, How Would His Music Have Evolved Over the Past 15 Years?
It's quite possible that he would have continued his musical career if not for these unfortunate circumstances. Had he, it is conceivable that he could have become a profound musical great. Most notably would have been his commercial success, accessibility to the disenfranchised masses, and even more than annoying clone-like fashion trends proliferated through all class levels worldwide. His intentions may have been genuine, but they would have been awash amidst the vast myriad of advertising slogans generated by his profitability. It's a real shame, but he probably did the right thing by offing himself. It kept him seeming genuine.
Having little, if any say in the production of their music, Nirvana, displeased with the production work of musical genius,Steve Albini, attempted to object to the recording of their last album, in a feeble attempt to grasp control of their lives that were rapidly spinning out of control. The problem wasn't becoming too famous too fast, it wasn't chemical imbalance or depression, and it wasn't even just the advertising executives. The problem was complex, disingenuous, and insidious. The hollow gnawing at Kurt's soul drove him to madness. It was the great artist's struggle. One's harshest critic is always one's own self.
Flash forward, to now. If Kurt Cobain were still around, to find his music all one would have to do is typemusic download iPod or something similar intoGoogle, and all of his albums would show up. His newsolo projectwould headline Burning Man, or Coachella, and you wouldn't go an hour onMTVwithout seeing him pop up somewhere. His music would probably have gone through several evolutionary stages, he would have changed his singing voice, written books, and perhaps cameoed in a few movies. He would have disappeared for a few years, and there would have been rumors of Kurt spottings. The divorce would have been very traumatic on him, but he would have found someone else a year later or so. He would have channeled that into his writing, and eventually the alienated, misanthropic tone to his lyrics would have softened. 15 years would have shaped him into a mature, and while still mainstream, prolific songwriter. It's impossible to say whether his music 15 years later would have been good or bad definitively, but it is quite easy to say with inadmissible accuracy that it would be different.
He would have lost fans, gained new ones, and perhaps even faded into obscurity - though the latter is less likely. Either way, it would have been interesting to see the evolution of Nirvana, Kurt Cobain, and the music they made that millions of people still adore to this day. The opportunity to turn Kurt Cobain into a shame would have been a welcome one, if for no other reason than he would have at least made a few new songs.
Jansen Simmons is a big music fan and writes on some of his favorite topics. His tastes run eclectic from bands like Jimmy Eat World to singer-songwriters like Patty Griffin.
