Friday 8 April 1994: An electrician finds 27 years-old Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain
with his head no longer operating.
Nothing new so far. The only difference was that the head was quite burst into pieces
and Kurt Cobain could only be identified by his fingerprints. He actuallly shot himself dead.
Undoubtedly a tragic loss for the world of rock.
What followed though was inevitable. It was the same as it was with Jim Morrison
some 23 years before:
A dead man - good for the media! A dead celebrity - even better for the media!
A deseased idol - sensational!
Imediately the photo showing Cobain, sitting around with his band
mates Kris Novoselic and Dave Grohl,
sticking a gun-barrel (which was unloaded, by the way) into his mouth,
circulated the world. Some kind of announcement?
The story of that photograph was hardly mentioned or not mentioned at all: Kurt Cobain
was known as a weapon freak, so they gave him that gun for a photosession in February 1994.
He should just do anything with it. So Cobain played with the gun, first pretending to shoot the
camera but then sticking the barrel into his mouth and the photographer triggered the shooting -
of the photograph actually. It was not even that good a photograph, there had been better ones taken.
But if someone who is photographed in such a postion just happens to do a simliar thing some two months
later with the only difference that the gun is now loaded and he pulls the trigger this time the photograph
gets even four times as interesting. This is just mainly because such actions happen to be rather
lethal under normal circumstances. Lucky photographer!
One coloured magazine from Germany imediately printed quotes from Nirvana songs which should be understood as some kind of
announcements as well: "I hate myself and want to die", "I'd rather
be dead than cool" (Don't worry Kurt, you're both of it!) and others.
It's always fascinating how clever media are - After.
There is one thing that remains to be clarified though: If Kurt Cobain really had announced his
planned suicide in public (e.g. in his songs), why would the other band members just stand around
without doing anything against it? Why did not do anyone anything to get Kurt Cobain under
psychiatric treatment? If the songs had really been announcements the others would be guilty
not to have prevented him from killing himself despite of the fact that they knew about what he was up to!
The whole thing seems rather strange apart from that there could be hardly any reason why someone
should announce his suicide, wait until as many people as possible have listened to his announcements just
to carry out his plans months later. It's understood that Kurt Cobain was through with life on a psychic level.
Eventually he comitted suicide. The fact that he was hopitalized having taken an overdose in early March 1994
could mean he had tried to kill himself before. Or not!
It is a well known fact that drug abuse is rather popular in celebrity's circles.
It is almost as well known that lyrics that deal with death and suicide are rather popular
with some auhors from the world of rock. Cultivation of image. Bad image? Right, but it sells.
Kurt Cobain did sell himself. Just as Jim Morrison and Elvis Presley had done before.
And just like them he was one of those who could not handle the glory and the madness
that went on around him. What he has done against it was not that glorious though.
But in the end he was just a human, wasn't he?
Cheers Kurt, or whatever! Happy 5th anniversary!
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