Nirvana was the first band that I decided all on my own that I like. I think I was in fourth grade at the time, and it was only a few months later that he died. I remember sitting in in-school suspension at age 10 drawing portraits of Kurt. Over the years, my opinion of them has changed, and they went from being my favorite band to being a band I will occasionally listen to. As I got older my tastes changed, etc, but I still remember seeing the video for "Smells Like Teen Spirit" on MTV and in contrast with the crap they were rotating then (Boyz II Men, Janet Jackson, stupid mushy R&B crap) and it was awesome. I still remember every time MTV, in their pre-TRL days, decided to air a best 100 videos of all time special, I would make sure I would catch Lithium, Come As You Are, Heart Shaped Box, and Smells Like Teen Spirit at #1.
They may not have invented grunge music, but they certainly brought it to everyone's attention and changed the way music sounded in the 90's. That is undeniable. Nirvana is one band that I think would be just as successful had Kurt lived. Nevermind sold millions before Kurt's suicide. They probably wouldn't have all the teeny-boppers riding the trend and buying all their records though, because that only seems to happen when a band is no longer around. (Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, etc... not to take anything away from them, especially Led Zeppelin, but it's the trendy thing to do to like them. Anyone who replies with something along the lines of "I like them for a reason other than because it's trendy" is an idiot.)
And I don't really think Courtney Love killed him. My friend steadfastly claims that she did, but I don't buy it. Most people don't know that when Kurt arrived home to kill himself, he was leaving from a hospital where he stayed recovering from a suicide attempt (I think a heroin overdose) a few days earlier. Maybe if there is a book on the subject I'll pick it up, but for now I'm going to have to go with the mainstream story that it was a suicide, as unhip as that is for me to do. :tongue:
