Courtney Love is known for her feuds with various people in the industry. But the worst and most infamous one is still her longtime beef with the bandmates of her late husband Kurt Cobain. The death of Nirvana's lead vocalist in 1994 sparked a lot of controversies surrounding the band and his personal life. On top of this, he left his bandmates, drummer Dave Grohl and bassist Krist Novoselic with a complicated estate battle against his own wife. It was distressing, especially with fans blaming Love for Cobain's death.
But before this, Courtney Love and the two surviving members of Nirvana used to have a cool relationship. When Love and Cobain got married in Hawaii in 1992, Grohl was one of the eight people in the ceremony. None of the guests were family. Grohl even happily held the bride's hand in the pictures. Novoselic refused to attend because of the late singer's heroin use and the Hole vocalist's bad influence on him. But even with his disapproval of the couple, the falling out didn't happen until after Cobain's death.
It Started With A Shady Interview
The official beginning of the feud was when Foo Fighters' lead singer Dave Grohl did an interview with Howard Stern in 1999. He was asked what his favorite Courtney Love song was, to which he answered, "Teenage Whore, because I know she wrote it." The statement quickly progressed into a heated exchange. When Love dropped by Howard Stern's show, she made an explosive response saying that Cobain "hated" Grohl's guts.
Love also told Spin Magazine, "That motherf---er. He knows exactly what I wrote, he knows exactly the input I had on [Nirvana's] third album. Kurt came [by the studio] to play with [Hole] more than he did with Nirvana because he liked us better. But, hey, it wouldn't be Spin if I wasn't slagging anybody." The Celebrity Skin singer had officially declared war.
They Went On A Legal Fight Over Nirvana's Legacy
In 2001, Love blocked Grohl and Novoselic from releasing Nirvana's final track, You Know You're Right. Cobain wrote the song and the band recorded it three months before his suicide. The two wanted to include the song on a Nirvana box set to commemorate the singer's memory. But this only made Love sue them for control of the band's legacy. A Seattle judge had granted a preliminary injunction that prevented the release of the song.
Love wanted to terminate Nirvana L.L.C., a business partnership she entered with Grohl and Novoselic. She argued that the band "could never be a partnership because it was the living manifestation of the creative vision, personal will and life force of a single unique individual." The two reacted, saying that Love is "a complete alien to Nirvana's music and success [who is trying to] prohibit the remaining members of Nirvana from any commercial exploitation of the music they created."
In September 2002, both parties had reached a settlement and avoided trial. "We have settled our lawsuit," they said in a joint statement. "We are pleased that these issues have been resolved positively and we can move on." Love's attorney O. Yale Lewis said that the settlement also provides for Love and Cobain's daughter, Frances Bean Cobain. He said the settlement "recognizes the unique interests of Frances in the long-term management and preservation of the music written and recorded by her father."
Fans were delighted to hear the news. Love, Grohl, and Novoselic had agreed to release the track. It was included in a box set released in 2004 and they'd made a music video for it featuring unseen footage of the band. The song was leaked on the internet a week before they announced the settlement. It immediately began playing on radio stations.
Courtney Love Accused Dave Grohl Of Hitting On Her Daughter
In 2009, it appeared that Love and Grohl hadn't actually resolved their problems yet. That year, Kurt Cobain was included in the video game series, Guitar Hero. Plenty of musicians like Bon Jovi were horrified by the digital character. Love responded with a tweet urging critic Everett True to "ass rape" Grohl. Novoselic and Grohl weren't associated with the project. "We want people to know that we are dismayed and very disappointed in the way a facsimile of Kurt is used in the Guitar Hero game," They said in a statement.
"The name and likeness of Kurt Cobain are the sole property of his estate, we have no control whatsoever in that area," they added. The feud continued to escalate three years after the video game's release when Love ranted on Twitter. She accused Grohl of hitting on her then 19-year-old daughter Frances Bean. "I hear from Frannie's roommate that @davegrohl hit on Frances, and that she was curious. I’m not mad at her, him I am about to shoot, dead," Love wrote. She also tweeted that Grohl was "sexually obsessed" with Cobain.
Frances defended Grohl on the matter. "While I’m generally silent on the affairs of my biological mother," She said in a statement released with the help of Foo Fighters' publicity firm. "Her recent tirade has taken a gross turn. I have never been approached by Dave Grohl in more than a platonic way. I’m in a monogamous relationship and very happy." She also ended the statement with this line: "Twitter should ban my mother." Love quickly took to Twitter to apologize to her daughter, saying "Bean, sorry I believed the gossip. Mommy loves you."
They All Buried The Hatchet In 2014
In 2014, Love and her daughter attended the ceremony for Nirvana's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. There, Love met with Grohl and Novoselic twenty years after feuding and not seeing each other. The year prior to the event, Love thought that it would be uncomfortable to see her late husband's former bandmates. But that night turned out differently, and for the better.
Love and Grohl hugged it out on stage, ending their over two-decade-long rift. "This is my family I'm looking at right now," Love said. "I just wish Kurt could have been here. Tonight he would have really appreciated it." Novoselic also tweeted, "Nice words from @Courtney tonight." It was as if Cobain's spirit was there to bring everyone together. Love, Grohl, and Novoselic are now on good terms. The Hole singer even posts Grohl appreciation photos on her social media.