KURT COBAIN

Intro

In the 80s, if you stayed up until 3am there was a show called Night Flight and it would play early punk and underground music videos, live shows, interviews, rock n’ roll films, weird cartoons and cult horror classics. There were no logos in the corner of the screen, no song titles,  no “VJ”. If you missed the intro, sometimes you wouldn’t even know what you were watching. I lived in the midwest at the time, so needless to say, the only "scene" happening was that TV screen. For me, it was the only place to hear about cool music, learn about the unknown, macabre and weird, AND a good reason to stay up late. There was no internet, and I had never heard this stuff on the radio. I wanted to know more. I wrote to  fanzines, and was passed mangled up tapes that had been dubbed and re-dubbed. Night Flight: A Little Irony: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyQUm0A5QGg

 

My real exposure to punk came from new friends when I had moved from the midwest to PA, around D.C. There was a thriving punk scene with the Dischord label, that was similar to what was going on in Seattle with SubPop. There was a scene and sound of our own, and it had nothing to do with being sponsored by corporate labels. It wasn’t on the radio. It was complete artistic freedom in a way to experiment, play music, and express ourselves. Nor was it dictated by what anyone else thought was cool. It was the anti-status-quo. It was the only thing REAL I had ever found in my life because it always told the truth. It told me, that we were equal. It told me, I could do it myself. That the roles society has bestowed were not the truth. That being a non-conformist to these systems were the way to walk a righteous path. We would not live by the dictates you have created. Before "alternative" became mainstream, we did what we could. We would drive hours to see a show in someone’s basement, mechanic's garages, or a fire hall. It's hard to explain what it was like before---the whole industry and musical landscape has been forever altered by a million and one droning "alternative" copy-cats. Tattoos, piercings, blue hair - de rigeur.  History was repeating itself. It was the same in the 70s, after a decade of peace and love 60s, and increasing Prog Rock sound, punk exploded. Under the glitter, eyeliner, and hairspray tease of the 80s, something was brewing. Reagan-omics, “trickle down” economics, age of music censorship, and and increasing disillusion. The 90's broke open that lie. And it was the last decade of a certain innocence and freedom. Before the meteoric rise of the "information age" and bullshit "celebrity" culture. A new sound re-emerged from an old one. Suddenly, mainstream was now “alternative”, a journalist dubbed the sound "grunge” and everybody started cashing in. It can only be described as surreal when suddenly the stuff we were doing was "cool”. Watch the documentary Hyped! It captures an astonishing transformation perfectly (and hear the real raw unadulterated music) prior to the scene launching into orbit, and the media mayhem and pretension that dropped it's curtains afterward. From labels, to crap artists, to fashion trends, everyone crashed the party. The whole thing is on Youtube: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OepCNeWmlLQI 

 

Journalists like to pinpoint Nevermind and Nirvana as the key album and band that single-handedly broke punk-through "grunge" music, but the core music had never left. Punkers continued to play through disco, 80s syth pop, glam metal. Nirvana was just the stem that broke a massive tide when Nevermind cracked #1 eclipsing Michael Jackson. No one expected their little album to outsell the "King of Pop" himself. Kurt brought something to people who felt alienated by society’s increasing demand to fit into a box. Where was the dream we were promised. (see quote left) People looked at punks as wastes, or what my town called us, “grubs”. Social outcasts—but real punk is visceral, political, anti-big government, pro gay rights, pro women, and pro DIY and that’s why I love it so much. There was a general feeling of mass movement, that things could change. Suddenly, our music was on the radio. There were more “freaks” like us; what we were wearing became “fashionable”. I remember, back in the day, when my friend Ashley went out and got her nose pierced before it was "cool" (she drove an hour and a half to DC to get it done, there were no tattoo or body mod shops on every corner), the people in town wouldn’t serve her a piece of pie, and her mom almost shit a bird. Nowadays, its taken for granted, its just fashion, but back then, it was anathema. Yes, we were judged on appearances, and yes we were arrested and pulled over by police. Punks always were and always have been a middle finger in the face of police. Police were not very happy about the advent of punk into the mainstream and they looked at us with judgement, even scorn. They didn’t know us, they didn't WANT to know us, and they certainly didn't know what to do with us. They harassed us. So, you have to consider the attitude of the police at that time and how they looked at Kurt. An exceedingly public figure. A sarcastic figure, publicly giving "the bird" to the police and authority. And he was completely smeared and lampooned by the media whores. Remember that he hated them, and they, for the most part, eviscerated him.

 

(Check out these hilarious vintage 80s shows to see how shocking it was to even have a different hair color lmao. Warning: high-level cringeworthy cheese-factor): 
http://dangerousminds.net/comments/punk_syndrome_how_parents_can_avoid_it_legendary_abc_afterschool_special

If you are younger than say…around 35, you may not even fully comprehend the massive shift that took place following the explosion of Nevermind. It's difficult to understand the impact if you weren't living it. You grew up in a post-Nevermind world that's already in place as you know it. There was a massive shift, however. An instant "icon" status, and perception of who Cobain was, that made it that easier to lay groundwork for his murder. Nirvana and Kurt caused such mayhem that everything surrounding him became instant media fodder. This article does a pretty good job of explaining it: 

http://dangerousminds.net/comments/absolute_nirvana_new_steve_albini_mixes_push_in_utero_anniversary_set 

 

What is the methodology of the SPD concerning punks and drug users? Upon watching the show "Drugs, Inc." episode on Seattle:  Quote: "Since the days of Kurt Cobain and grunge music, Seattle has been nicknamed Junkie-town. The city's liberal laws and high demand for drugs is attracting gangsters and dealers looking to get rich." (The episode is described on Nat Geo's website. Kurt the immortal pissed off junkie, all part of the cities wondrous landscape... :( It's not fair or accurate, that this is his legacy. Did you see the horrid disgusting crying statue they erected of him in Aberdeen?? Give me a break. That’s not who he was.)

 

One of the first states to legalize marijuana, Washington State has laxer drug laws. Seattle, in particular, is known particularly for it's heroin problem. Kurt did not bring heroin to Seattle. Seattle (and Courtney) brought heroin to Kurt. Heroin is not just in the city, but spans all levels of society. From the streets, to the rich trust fund kids in the suburbs. Dealers deal openly, even in front of the court house. Dealers are brought in from Honduras and Mexico, because they aren't deported. If they get busted, they just let them back out on the street. The police are so overwhelmed, the prisons so full, they simply do not know how to solve the problem. Heroin deaths are just tossed onto the pile and written off. I'm bringing this up to point out SPD and their methodology. They have a history of dirty cops. Feel free to do your own research on that on. Especially Detective Cameron the Police Chief in charge during Cobain's murder. They made a snap decision when it came to Kurt, wrote it off due to the heroin element, and refuse to look at it again. Right or wrong, the decision was made and they won't go back. If one falls, they all fall, and no one has stepped forward to say otherwise. Those that did, or may have, most have died. El Duce, Hartshorne, Detective Terry. The electrician refuses to speak, Rosemary Carroll runs from interviews. No one close to the incident speaks anymore, except for Tom Grant, whom no one touches due to the evidence in his possession and his public appearances. It is much easier just to discredit him. SPD arrived at the crime scene and thought, “just another dead junkie”. They did NOT investigate as a possible homicide, despite their claims. Though they did collect many overwhelming pieces of evidence, they chose not to investigate. Why? Is it so steeped into Rock n Roll legend and the city's history, it is never to be re-examined? It’s easy to look at anything labeled “conspiracy theory” and roll your eyes. Especially when there are elements that make the victim appear weak, foolish and unstable after the fact. It is a nauseating suicide story. One wants to look away from that sort of sinister, dark violence toward the self. I remember when we first heard it and how much we scorned him. Who was HE that he thought he had it so bad that he just fucking offed himself? Pfft. I was pissed when they called him the John Lennon of our generation, he KILLED himself, John Lennon was murdered! People still feel that scorn toward Kurt. He doesn't deserve it. He was murdered just like John Lennon, yet his killer walks around free, living off of everything he's ever done.

 

Wouldn’t it be easy to “off” a junkie? Think about it. The oldest motive in the book is clearly obvious. A whole lot of $$$ gained from a dead "legend" whose royalties still rake in millions every year. Motive, money and method, it's all there. Why can't it be viewed logically? Because of the drugs, and the  myth of who he was? With the corporate machine and media involvement blanketing and perpetuating the lie. Tours, book signings and media appearances have been completely silenced with threats of legal action. When Tom Grant appeared on Los Angeles' KROQ Kevin and Bean morning show, calls came pouring in. The public was so interested, Grant was asked back the next morning. Instead, at 7am, Kevin and Bean read this: 

BEAN - "It's the world famous K-rock, 106.7 KROQ. Kevin and Bean here at 7:37. We do have to take care of some pressing business because we've had aah, I don't think I'm exaggerating if I say, we've had a lot of phone calls this morning..."

KEVIN - "Aah, you're not exaggerating at all!"

BEAN - "A lot of phone calls this morning who are looking for some sort of follow-up on what we devoted the entire show to yesterday which was a private investigator who was in talking about the death of Kurt Cobain...... We are being forced, 100% against our will to read this to you.'Courtney Love's representatives objected to the contents of yesterday's show. Out of deference to Miss Love, we are not going to be following up today on any subjects related to Miss Love the way we might usually do so. We may have something further to say in the future. Thanks for listening and understanding. That's basically the total, the sum of what we are being allowed to say on the air today." http://www.burntout.com/kurt/tomgrant/grant06.html

Yep! SILENCED.
 

It’s been over 15 years that I discovered compelling evidence that Kurt did not commit suicide. The evidence surrounding the case, clearly points toward the possibility of murder. The staging of the "suicide" was not even done very well, it's just that once again, money and power have bought silence. Information is spread throughout varying sites, which is why I've decided to put together reference and links. I first came across this murder theory on www.justiceforkurt.com, and Tom Grant's www.cobaincase.com both great, comprehensive sources of information.

 

My hope is that if more people and fans can become aware of the probable fact that Kurt did not kill himself, someday they will REOPEN the case and look more closely into the circumstances surrounding his tragic death and remove his martyr crown. Had this crime happened today, I believe someone, perhaps multiple people would have paid. One can dream.

 

Kurt off and on used heroin. Undeniable. That doesn't mean he was suicidal and deserved to die and have his life's work appropriated. He was a human being. Not a commodity. His death is what rock star legends are made of. Only that's just a made-up story. Forget your opinion of who Kurt was and your judgement of his drug use. Remember a time before the internet, before cell phones, before 9/11, BEFORE reality TV and "celebrity" culture. Remember a man. A man who does not deserve the legacy he's been dealt. Before you've formed an opinion, READ. He deserves the truth.