"NIRVANA - NEVERMIND" DOCUMENTARY CHRONICLES THE MAKING OF A CLASSIC

IT DIDN'T SOUND LIKE HISTORY, IT DIDN'T SOUND LIKE THE FUTURE - IT JUST SOUNDED AMAZING. - David Fricke

Need a jolt of inspiration? This Nirvana documentary is just the stuff. It does a brilliant job capturing the guttural quality of their live performances, the recording process of "Nevermind", and the band's total obliteration of what's accepted in  mainstream music.

"Kurt and Nirvana's legacy was to bring the underground overground." said Sub Pop photographer, Charles Peterson.

No one could have predicted that overnight the population at large would embrace "Smells Like Teen Spirit". At one point the record execs reveal that they were shooting for sales near the 50K mark, based on how Sonic Youth's "Goo" had performed. Later, Thurston Moore was quoted as saying, "Not only did [Nevermind] reach #1, but it just completely broadened out and changed the demographic of the rock audience in the USA - and then it went global."

The media had it all wrong: it wasn't the disparate youth that clung to Kurt's tumultous message; it wasn't a union of kids suffering from depression - people like Nirvana's music because it has a shot of life, to use the words of Susie Tennant, former DGC Records employee.

The raw power of Cobain's singing and songwriting comes through the screen, especially as record producer, Butch Vig, disects the tracks. A truly validating moment in the documentary occurs when Vig peals back the layers on "Smells Like Teen Spirit" to reveal the guitar solo mimicing the melody of the chorus until it takes an eery turn and the vocals begin again. And on the tail end of the song, Vig pulls everything out except Kurt's gravelly voice chanting "the denial/the denial". 

It gives you chills - the mark of something great.

Another standout moment of the doc. comes from "Polly". True to Cobain's dark, twisted style; the song tells the story of a girl that was abducted and tortured, but from the perspective of the villain. Watch "Nevermind" producer Butch Vig's poignant breakdown below. 

 

The documentary is currently available to stream on Netflix and runs about an hour.

KURT COBAIN: A LOOK AT WHAT HAS BEEN

You may have seen the buzz about how Kurt Cobain would have been 45 this year. All I know is the aftermath - his icon status - because when he died I was only 10 years old. So it's interesting now, to get some perspective on what the rise and fall of Nirvana really looked like.  

Last week I watched Cameron Crowe's Pearl Jam documentary - PJ20 - where  Nirvana and Kurt came up a few times. (Watch the clip below) It talked a lot about the pressures of fame, how Kurt struggled with it and the rivalry between Nirvana and Pearl Jam, which could perhaps more accurately be described as a symbiotic relationship where they make each other better and appeal to the same audience.

All the recent press around Kurt's birthday and the happenstance encounter in PJ20 has given me a sense how Nirvana was able to breakthrough and capture mainstream America's attention with their subversive message, particularly on "Smells Like Teen Spirit".

BTW - Andy Rooney's snarky, condescending social commentary on Cobain's death makes my skin crawl.