Nirvana fans across the globe will attest to the fact that the infamous Nevermind album, released in 1991, has the most memorable album cover of all-time. The swimming baby became the easy-identifier of this incredibly popular album that was so huge it defined the band's identity and became a symbol of their success. Over the years, millions of copies of the album were sold, but unlike the way models are typically given residual payments for the usage of their image, the famous Nirvana Baby, Spencer Elden, was not.
He was only 4-months-old at the time his photo was selected for use on the cover of this album, and his parents were only offered a $200 one-time payment. Now, he's suing for big bucks, claiming that his nude image was used for sale, which constitutes as child pornography. Suddenly, the Nirvana baby is back on the map again and is rising to fame, but this time, it's for an entirely different reason...
10 He's Definitely Not A Baby Anymore
The entire world associates Spencer Elden with his nude baby photo, but he is definitely not a little baby anymore. The now 30-year-old is an artist, and he has definitely outgrown his babyface. When the photo was taken, he was just a young tot who was floating in the water at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center in Pasadena, California, and that will forever be the image that catapulted him to eternal fame.
9 He Was Photographed Nude Without His Consent
There's a sticking point to this story, and that's the fact that Spencer was just a tiny little baby when this image of him was taken, and he had absolutely no say in the matter. A friend of the family captured this quick snap, which was then edited to include the dollar bill, and from that point forward, photographer Kirk Weddle and the record labels continued to distribute his image on the cover of over 30 million copies worldwide.
8 Spencer Elden Used To Embrace His 'Nirvana Baby' Status
Growing up as the Nirvana baby brought some cool status to Spencer's life, and he absolutely embraced his image for quite some time. In fact, there were two separate occasions in which he re-created the infamous Nevermind cover by having his photo taken in a pool - with clothes on, of course. He recreated the iconic image in 2008, when he was 17-years-old. He did it again, in 2016, in celebration of the album's 25th anniversary.
7 He Eventually Got Upset That He Was 'Exposed' To The World
After some time, however, it really kicked in to Spencer that he had been 'exposed' to the entire world - truly. His private parts were on full display for millions of people to view, and the image was purchased without him ever being able to have a say in the matter. He began to feel upset, irritated, and exploited.
6 Spencer Elden's Parents Weren't Told How This Image Would Be Used
After the image of the Nirvana baby was originally purchased, Spencer's family was issued their flat fee payment, but they were never told that the intended use for the image was the cover of an album for a famous band. They were uninformed and now, looking back at the situation, Spencer feels they were intentionally misled.
5 He Says He Suffered Greatly As A Result Of This Photo
Whle it may seem incredibly fun and cool to be forever known as the 'Nirvana Baby,' Spencer says that being forever linked to this iconic album cover through an exploitative image is too much for him to bear sometimes. Media sources revealed Spencer as saying he “suffered and will continue to suffer lifelong damages” as a result of his forced involvement in this global advertising campaign.
4 He Also Admits This Image Elevated His Career
At the same time, Spencer also admits that being known as the kid on the greatest selling Nirvana album of all time has also come with some pretty decent perks. For one, there's that title. Also, he is aware of the fact that his status on that album has helped open doors for him that he would otherwise not be able to pursue. This includes working with Shepard Fairey, and of course, being able to re-enact this legendary scene for future photoshoots.
3 He Had To Seek Therapy Over This Image
Spencer claims that at times, he was so disturbed by the fact that he was constantly surrounded by people that had seen him naked that it really messed with his head. He indicates that he had to seek professional therapy to work through the issues this caused in his personal life and the various ways this affected him on an emotional and psychological level.
2 Spencer Elden Has A Very Low Net Worth
Even after all this fame, 30 million records sold, and a whole lot of ambivalent feelings about this photograph, Spencer is famous, but not at all wealthy. In fact, he has a very low net worth of just $50,000. This may be one of the reasons he decided to push this matter further and seek counsel...
1 He Has Launched A Huge Lawsuit
Spencer Eden has just named Kurt Cobain's estate, photographer Kirk Weddle, all the record labels that distributed the album, and each member of Nirvana in a lawsuit that seeks compensation for the use and distribution of child pornography. He indicates that all parties involved knowingly used, reproduced, and sold images of him as a naked, infant child, and exploited that image for millions of dollars... and he deserves a piece of that pie.