Kurt

Today at work, a kid proposed “Flannel Fridays” as a work team-building activity. He went on to describe flannel shirts in the historical context of the 1990s music scene. To be honest, it was a well-written proposal given that this kid was maybe 7 or 8 years old back then. This spiel was notable to me because yesterday marked 18 years to the day that Kurt Cobain died. I still remember being at work in Seattle when someone came into our office to tell us that she heard on the radio that a body had been found in Kurt's house. As this was pre-Twitter and pre-TMZ, it took a while to confirm what had occurred up in that attic.

This event has become a milestone for a lot of us who came of age during those years. What I appreciated about Kurt Cobain was his ability to really hone in on moods rather than statements. His lyrics had a stream-of-consciousness vibe that seemed to come out so effortlessly. One of my favorites:

I'll start this off without any words

I got so high that I scratched 'til I bled

I love myself better than you

I know it's wrong so what should I do?

The finest day that I've ever had

Was when I learned to cry on command

I love myself better than you

I know it's wrong so what should I do?

And then the end:

And one more special message to go

And then I'm done and I can go home

As much as he's been touted as a generational statesman, he wasn't trying to make sweeping epic commentaries. He told us how he felt and he did it with a combination of raw punk energy and the the catchiest of pop hooks. If you don't think Kurt was a fan of more mainstream pop music, listen to the version of “About A Girl” from the MTV Unplugged album and just try to deny the obvious Beatles influence.

Perhaps one of the reasons I keep hanging onto memories of the Seattle 90s music scene is that it was the last time I can recall being truly moved by rock music. I don't know if it's my age, but it seems that a lot of what's out there today just goes through me without sticking to my gut. I'm not saying I don't like a lot of the newer bands; it's just that I don't see myself 18 years from now contemplating much of it or listening to it with any regularity. What keeps me in the game is the thought that somewhere in a basement, there's a kid with a crappy guitar and a beat-up amp who is on the brink of making me stand up and take notice once again.