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There is no contestation that Kurt Cobain is one of the most influential musicians of all time, despite the fact that Nirvana only lasted seven years before the frontman’s untimely death. One of the figureheads of the grunge genre, which emerged from the Seattle music scene, Cobain became the accidental voice of a generation, despite his unwillingness to accept this position.
Frequently exploring themes of alienation, repression, being an outsider, religion, distress, societal disgust, and desire, Cobain was raw and honest in his writing, even expressing that his lyrics show him to be “such a nihilistic jerk half the time and the other times […] so vulnerable and sincere…”
Nirvana helped to end the dominance of hair metal that prevailed over the alternative scene in the 1980s, instead combining grimy riffs with punk and indie sounds, even incorporating elements of hip hop, folk, and metal to create an entirely refreshing sound.
Cobain infamously died in 1994, aged just 27, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Although there has been much mystery surrounding Cobain’s death, there is one thing we know for certain – the music and artists that inspired the rock legend.
At various points in Cobain’s life, he listed the people that inspired him most, ranging from Sylvia Plath to Daniel Johnston to William S. Burroughs, however, he has also written extensive lists of his favourite bands and albums.
One of these albums he has referred to as getting him to “finally admit that I’m a music lover.” This would be Surfer Rosa by Pixies. The band’s debut album was released in 1988 and completely changed the 21-year-old Cobain’s view of music. He was once quoted describing the album as “a die-cast metal fossil of misplaced craft, with or without the fucking production.”
Their monumental album was a massive source of inspiration for Nirvana’s iconic Nevermind album which was released three years later, as well as greatly inspiring the likes of PJ Harvey and Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins.
Cobain described the experience of listening to Surfer Rosa as life-changing. He said: “I was completely nihilistic up until about four or five years ago, when I first heard this. It changed my attitude. It made me finally admit, after being into punk rock for so many years, that I liked other styles of music as well.”
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