Nirvana was one of the first bands I had ever listened to…… Ok, I lied it was between System of a Down and A.F.I. but Niravana is only band for which I have all of their cd’s…Ok, I lied again. I pretty much own all of B2k’s cds. ( B2K were the black peoples N*Sync) Maybe I should start over.
Nirvana was one of the first bands I had listened to and became obsessed with. Yes, obsessed but it was completely innocent. It all started with the song “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. I know, I know that the song is over played but when you are coming from a household that mostly played Michael Jackson, The Isley Brothers, Anita Baker, and many others, Nirvana is as fresh as new underwear. I had heard of the band before but never took the time to actually listen to them. I’m glad however that I have an amazing BFF, who just so happen to have one of their albums (Nevermind) on her computer. I waited patiently as she burned a copies for me. I enjoyed the smell of permanent marker as she wrote the name of the band on the disc. It was a very golden moment. I walked home and put it the C D right away. After I listened to “Smells like Teen Spirit” a million times, I finally let the disc play from start to finished. I was completely shocked about how many songs I actually have heard before and had no clue it was Nirvana. Songs like ” Lithium”, “Come as You Are” and ” In Bloom” seemed very familiar. Maybe I had heard the melody in a commercial or maybe they played it on MTV. Whatever it was, I wanted more. I then used any gift certificates that I earned and tried to buy all of their albums from Amazon. ( Amazon.com is freaking amazing!) I was able to buy Bleach, Incestide, In Utero, and MTV Unplugged in New York cd’s for about 3 dollars plus shipping.
When my obsession started, I was trying to figure out what the songs meant. For Example, here are song lyrics from the song Mexican Seafood:
Ah, the itchy flakes, it is flaming
To, the gels and creams, it is pertaining
To, a fungus mold cured by injection
Hope it’s only Ah, a yeast infection
Oh well it hurts when I, hurts when I pee
Oh well it hurts when I, hurts when I see
Now I vomit cum and diarrhea
On the tile floor, like oatmeal-pizza
Fill my toilet bowl, full of a cloudy puss
I feel the blood, becoming chowdered rust
Oh well it hurts when I, hurts when I pee
Oh well it hurts when I, hurts when I see
Roll into my bed, which does consist of
Lice, bugs and fleas and yellow mucus
Stained, dirt vaseline, toe jam and boogers
Stomach acid worms, that dance in sugared sludge
At first, I thought the song written just to see how many nasty things could be put together, but after I had done extensive independent research about the band and borrowed a book at Kurt Cobain’s idea notebook, I realize that it had meaning to Kurt and it didn’t matter it I got it or not. He hated when critics tried to make sense of his songs. In the song On A Plain( Which is one of many favorite songs by Niravana), there are a couple lines that addressed this issue:
Somewhere I have heard this before
In a dream my memory has stored
As a defence I’m neutered and spayed
What the hell am I trying to say?
It is now time to make it unclear
To write off lines that don’t make sense
I love myself better than you
I know it’s wrong so what should I do?
Compared to a lot of bullshit that is on the radio, I love the lyrical freedom that this band possessed. (However I do believe this song is about his pain stomach ulcers.) After that, I bought the Live! Tonight! Sold Out! video album on VHS and absolutely loved how they performed for their audiences. It was truly like nothing I had ever seen. Nirvana was not only a heavy grunge band, they were revolutionary.
Their renditions of David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold The World” and Lead Belly “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” are haunting and beautiful.
As I started to get into the whole generic genre of “Rock” and “Alternative” music, I laid of Nirvana for a while. I always find myself going back to them and rediscovering my love for the band. One day I will finally wear my Nirvana shirt that is hanging in my closet. When I finally do, I will with a smile and maybe met fellow Nirvana lovers.
