Nirvana was one of the most successful bands of its time, but its life was cut short with Kurt Cobain's tragic and sudden death. Kurt was, without a doubt, the icon of a generation. His impact on rock music and the Grunge subculture will never be forgotten, and his music is still relevant nowadays.
His family and friends have managed to keep his legacy alive, and even though there has been a lot of drama along the way, they did their best to tell Kurt's story the way he would've wanted it to be told. However, there are some things fans might still don't know.
10 His Parent's Divorce
When Kurt was very little his parents split up. That was very hard for him, and he said his personality changed a lot because of that. He felt lost without the safety of a strong, united household, and it affected him throughout his whole life.
"I remember feeling ashamed, for some reason. I was ashamed of my parents. I couldn't face some of my friends at school anymore, because I desperately wanted to have the classic, you know, typical family. Mother, father. I wanted that security, so I resented my parents for quite a few years because of that," he said in an interview with Jon Savage in 1993.
9 Gay Rights Advocate
A lot of Nirvana songs had references to gay relationships, which were highly controversial at the time. Kurt explained a few times that the reason behind that was because he had struggled with people thinking that he was gay and getting bullied and even beaten up for it. That was because he had a best friend who was gay, and their classmates assumed they were a couple. On top of that, his homophobic mother found out and banned him from hanging out with him. After that, Kurt became an advocate for gay rights.
8 Sexism
One of the things Kurt talked about a lot was the way women were treated and how angry that made him. As someone who had been bullied because of prejudice and outdated visions, he felt women's struggles very close to his heart.
"I could never find any good male friends, so I ended up hanging out with the girls a lot, and I just felt they weren't being threatened equally and they weren't treated with respect. I hated the way Aberdeen treated women in general - they were just totally oppressed."
7 He Wanted To Be A Painter
Apparently, music was not Kurt Cobain's only passion. Another one of his artistic talents was painting. Before he became a singer and songwriter, he was planning on becoming a commercial artist and going to art school. He said he had a lot of support from his mother and teachers, who would compliment him on his work and even submit it to contests. He took many classes in school but finally decided that, although he loved painting and drawing, he wanted to do something else.
6 Meeting Krist Novoselic
As fans well know, Nirvana started when Kurt met bassist Krist Novoselic. They were both very young and had an instant musical connection. Krist recalled how they met and what he thought of him back then.
"He liked punk rock music and that piqued my interest," he said. "I noticed what a good artist he was. He was working at the time as a janitor, but he'd always have to do some kind of art — usually defacing something. He never had, like, idle hands. It just came out of him. He had to express himself."
5 Fight With Axl Rose
Fans know that Axl Rose and Kurt didn't like each other and that that evolved into a Guns 'n Roses v. Nirvana feud, but they probably don't know how it all started. Axl Rose was known at the time for being moody and snapping at people easily. At the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards, he was upset about something, and Kurt's wife Courtney taunted him. Axl yelled at the two of them and told Kurt to "keep his woman in line." That only caused Kurt to laugh and mock him, and then drummer Dave Grohl yelled at him from the stage.
4 Courtney Love
Kurt and Courtney were one of the couples in rock 'n roll that has been written about the most. Despite the rumors, no one can deny that these two artists loved each other. According to Courtney, she knew she had a crush on him as soon as she met him in a nightclub in Portland. She also knew she'd have to sacrifice her career if she wanted to marry the frontman of the most important band of the '90s.
"Kim Gordon [of Sonic Youth] sits me down and says, 'If you marry him your life is not going to happen, it will destroy your life.' But I said, 'Whatever, I love him, and I want to be with him!'" she said to The Guardian. "It wasn't his fault. He wasn't trying to do that."
3 Custody Battle
In 1992, Courtney Love gave birth to hers and Kurt's only daughter, Frances Bean Cobain. Kurt and Courtney both struggled with drug problems, and just a few days after Frances was born, a social worker went to see them because of a controversial declaration from Courtney Love, who said she'd used drugs while pregnant. She stopped as soon as she found out about the pregnancy, but the couple still had to fight a long legal battle before they were granted custody of their child.
2 The Drummer
Nirvana went through several drummers before finding Dave Grohl, and once they did, they really began their journey. Although Kurt and Krist Novoselic had been playing together for a few years, the singer said that it was the three of them that were "the original band."
"It was the first time we had a competent drummer. And for some reason, I've needed a good, solid drummer. There are loads of bands I love that have terrible drummers, but a terrible drummer wasn't right for this music. At least, it isn't right for the music that I've written so far."
1 Feud With Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam was Nirvana's number one competitor. Their first album, Ten, was released before Nevermind, and it was just as successful. That angered Kurt, not because of sales but because they were both considered alternative rock, and for him, Pearl Jam was too commercial for that. He was dismissive of them at the beginning, but in Pearl Jam's documentary PJ20, the musicians said they never felt offended by what he'd said. On the contrary, guitarist Stone Gossard explained that his criticism helped them get better. Kurt and singer Eddie Vedder made amends, and in the documentary, there's footage of them dancing and hugging at an MTV party.