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Nirvana: Feminists, Gay icons, "The last great rock stars"
Nirvana pop culture legacy lives on.
Kurt Cobain has often been referred to as the last great rock star, a musical genius with an angry and altogether winning growl. Nirvana, in their short time together, enjoyed enormous and dizzying success before the internet changed how we communicate and consume. With their album Nevermind, they zipped to the top of the charts — and challenged established acts including Michael Jackson and Guns N' Roses.
What was remarkable about Cobain, however, was his determination to carve out a new role as a rock star. Cobain sharply mocked the old-school sexism in rock and forced attitudinal changes, particularly towards women and gays. In their pivotal Smells Like Teen Spirit, the band eschewed leggy models for tough, anarchist cheerleaders
Motley Crue may have sung about Girls, Girls, Girls but Cobain instead vaunted outspoken actress Frances Farmer, who battled mental illness and alcoholism. One of the first rockers to appear on the cover of the LGBT magazine The Advocate, Cobain often wore dresses while performing. He and his bandmate Krist Novoselic freely kissed, riling up homophobes in conservative pockets of the U.S.
Cobain’s ultimate undoing was rapid. In the months before his death, he suffered drug overdoses and fell in and out of rehab. Never one to pander, Cobain seemed at times contemptuous of his fans and bored of the spotlight. News of his death reverberated and the grunge movement slowly spun out. Now, on the 20th anniversary of Cobain’s death, we explore how Nirvana influenced popular culture and pushed against the tide of mainstream convention.
Their fan base was diverse. Geeks and outsiders identified with the rebel band but so too did cheerleaders and frat boys. Fashion designers tried to emulate Cobain’s Pacific-Northwest-hardscrabble chic, making cardigans and flannel shirts essential style items. And, other bands predictably imitated Nirvana’s sound. None though ever managed to carry the alt-grunge mantle forward to its second act in the 20 years that have passed since Cobain’s suicide.
Kurt Cobain maintained a great friendship with Kathleen Hanna, singer of the band Bikini Kill and feminist leader. Many say that this must have been his first approach to feminism and those ideas of gender equality and diversity, which led him to be poorly understood and even ridiculed.
“Since I couldn't find male friends, male friends with whom I felt compatible, I ended up spending time with many girls. I always felt that they were not treated with respect. Especially since women are totally oppressed, ”he said in dialogue with PBS.
In addition, he had assured: “I definitely have a problem with the average male, the hard-working guy, they were always a threat to me. They beat me at school. I was expected to be like them when I grew up ... I feel closer to the feminine side of humanity than to the masculine side, or to the American idea of what a man should be. Look at a beer propaganda and you'll see what I'm talking about. ”
Kurt wrote a lot in his diaries and, when they found them after his death, some of his feminist quotes came to light. "Women must rule the world," he said in one of its pages.
Kurt Cobain and his feminist struggle: against the culture of rape and homophobia
The artist often appeared publicly in dresses, to make fun of the gender roles imposed and set aside labels. Even when he married Courtney Love, his greatest love and with whom he had his daughter Frances Bean, he said: “I finally found someone with whom I am fully compatible. It doesn't matter if it's a man, woman, hermaphrodite or a donkey. ”
Kurt Cobain and his feminist struggle: against the culture of rape and homophobia
Very often he used to challenge male roles, looking for an androgen aspect, such as in the "In Bloom" video clip, where the whole group dresses as a woman. Something unusual at that time. Kurt Cobain often went to interviews dressed as a woman: "putting on a dress that I can show as feminine as I want."
One of Nevermind's songs, "Territorial Pissing" "" "I've never met an intelligent man, and if he was, he was a woman" "" is a sign of his disappointment with male behavior.
Even when his popularity reached very high, Kurt made something clear to all Nirvana fans. “If you are sexist, homophobic or basically a jerk, don't buy our records. I don't care if you like me, I hate you, ”he said.
But of course, in his music he also represented his ideals. "Polly" was one of the most controversial songs of the band, in which Kurt decided to tell the true story of a minor girl who had been raped, but told from the perspective of the rapist.
Rape was always an issue that caused him a lot of pain. In this regard, he said: “Rape is one of the most terrible crimes on earth and happens every few minutes. The problem of groups fighting against abuse is that they try to educate women to defend themselves, but what is really needed is to teach men not to rape. Go to the source and start there. ”
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Years later, he released “Rape me” and, although many women were offended by the issue, he explained that his intention was different: tell the story of a woman who was raped and then that man ends up in jail, where he also ends being raped "I define that as justice," he explained.
“Very Ape” is a song that, more than singing to the injustice that women suffer, criticizes the masculine stereotype that he hated so much: “I am proud as a king of illiteracy. I am very ape and very nice. If you ever need anything please do not hesitate to ask someone else first. I'm very busy acting like I'm not innocent. ”
His concern for this problem was so real that he gave charity concerts several times to help rape victims. He even managed to stop an abuse situation during one of his concerts in 1993 in Oakland, California. He was playing a cover of “Jesus don’t want me for a sunbeam” and realized that a man from the audience was mistreating a woman, so he decided to stop the issue and came to stop what was happening there.
When Nirvana first came to Argentina, he also demonstrated his feminist side. In 1992 at the Vélez Stadium, they brought Calamity Jane, a Portland band made up of girls only. The Argentine public booed the girls during their presentation and Kurt could not stand it, to the point that he was going to refuse to play that night in Buenos Aires.
Instead, he decided to go on stage and sabotage his own concert. He did not play "Smells Like Teen Spirit", hit of his album "Nevermind" which at that time was the most anticipated by all and was completely disconnected throughout the show, according to those
Kurt Cobain maintained a great friendship with Kathleen Hanna, singer of the band Bikini Kill and feminist leader. Many say that this must have been his first approach to feminism and those ideas of gender equality and diversity, which led him to be poorly understood and even ridiculed.
“Since I couldn't find male friends, male friends with whom I felt compatible, I ended up spending time with many girls. I always felt that they were not treated with respect. Especially since women are totally oppressed, ”he said in dialogue with PBS.
In addition, he had assured: “I definitely have a problem with the average male, the hard-working guy, they were always a threat to me. They beat me at school. I was expected to be like them when I grew up ... I feel closer to the feminine side of humanity than to the masculine side, or to the American idea of what a man should be. Look at a beer propaganda and you'll see what I'm talking about. ”
Kurt wrote a lot in his diaries and, when they found them after his death, some of his feminist quotes came to light. "Women must rule the world," he said in one of its pages.
Kurt Cobain and his feminist struggle: against the culture of rape and homophobia
The artist often appeared publicly in dresses, to make fun of the gender roles imposed and set aside labels. Even when he married Courtney Love, his greatest love and with whom he had his daughter Frances Bean, he said: “I finally found someone with whom I am fully compatible. It doesn't matter if it's a man, woman, hermaphrodite or a donkey. ”
Kurt Cobain and his feminist struggle: against the culture of rape and homophobia
Very often he used to challenge male roles, looking for an androgen aspect, such as in the "In Bloom" video clip, where the whole group dresses as a woman. Something unusual at that time. Kurt Cobain often went to interviews dressed as a woman: "putting on a dress that I can show as feminine as I want."
One of Nevermind's songs, "Territorial Pissing" "" "I've never met an intelligent man, and if he was, he was a woman" "" is a sign of his disappointment with male behavior.
Even when his popularity reached very high, Kurt made something clear to all Nirvana fans. “If you are sexist, homophobic or basically a jerk, don't buy our records. I don't care if you like me, I hate you, ”he said.
But of course, in his music he also represented his ideals. "Polly" was one of the most controversial songs of the band, in which Kurt decided to tell the true story of a minor girl who had been raped, but told from the perspective of the rapist.
Rape was always an issue that caused him a lot of pain. In this regard, he said: “Rape is one of the most terrible crimes on earth and happens every few minutes. The problem of groups fighting against abuse is that they try to educate women to defend themselves, but what is really needed is to teach men not to rape. Go to the source and start there. ”
+
Years later, he released “Rape me” and, although many women were offended by the issue, he explained that his intention was different: tell the story of a woman who was raped and then that man ends up in jail, where he also ends being raped "I define that as justice," he explained.
“Very Ape” is a song that, more than singing to the injustice that women suffer, criticizes the masculine stereotype that he hated so much: “I am proud as a king of illiteracy. I am very ape and very nice. If you ever need anything please do not hesitate to ask someone else first. I'm very busy acting like I'm not innocent. ”
His concern for this problem was so real that he gave charity concerts several times to help rape victims. He even managed to stop an abuse situation during one of his concerts in 1993 in Oakland, California. He was playing a cover of “Jesus don’t want me for a sunbeam” and realized that a man from the audience was mistreating a woman, so he decided to stop the issue and came to stop what was happening there.
When Nirvana first came to Argentina, he also demonstrated his feminist side. In 1992 at the Vélez Stadium, they brought Calamity Jane, a Portland band made up of girls only. The Argentine public booed the girls during their presentation and Kurt could not stand it, to the point that he was going to refuse to play that night in Buenos Aires.
Instead, he decided to go on stage and sabotage his own concert. He did not play "Smells Like Teen Spirit", hit of his album "Nevermind" which at that time was the most anticipated by all and was completely disconnected throughout the show, according to those
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