Top 10 Facts You Probably Did Not Know About Kurt Cobain

Here are some interesting facts about the late singer-songwriter and Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain (1967-1994).

The Top Ten

  1. He hated "Smells Like Teen Spirit"

    Kurt Cobain said that the song was meant to be a joke and to rip off the Pixies, but when it became a huge hit, Cobain got sick of it and refused to play it in his concerts. He did play the song occasionally, but it was often butchered, especially from BBC's Top of the Pops performance.

    Funny this is first because quite a few people seem to know this. It's just ironic because SLTS is their most popular song, but I can understand Kurt, the lyrics for this song are gibberish and nonsensical and the solo is very simplistic.

  2. He had a tattoo

    This is mostly known by huge Nirvana fans, because Cobain's image usually consisted of jeans, plaids, and cardigans. Well, he did have one small tattoo on his forearm, which is a small "K", the logo for the indie record label K Records.

  3. He had a homosexual friend back in high school

    So, Cobain was not gay, or even close to bisexuality, but had a gay friend back in his high school days. He was bullied for being "gay", and according to Blank on Blank, his mother did not want him to be friends with the homosexual person because she was homophobic.

  4. His family had a history of mental illness

    According to Cobain in an interview, his two uncles committed suicide. He is very open about his own mood swings, stress with fame, drug addiction, and depression. It is suspected that bipolar disorder may have led to Cobain's suicide.

  5. He attempted suicide several times

    According to his then wife Courtney Love, Cobain attempted suicide three times. In March 1994, he locked himself in a closet full of guns and medication. Love called the police and removed the items immediately. Cobain successfully committed suicide the following month. What would have saved him is that he would need help right away, or let a baby come out from a time machine at his home and give him ice cream (can you find that reference?)

  6. He was fascinated with fetuses and vaginas

    This has to be the strangest fact about Cobain, which he uses in his music and art, because he was also fascinated with anatomy. To those who don't know what fetuses are, they are unborn babies. And no, Cobain did not own any real ones like he is an Ed Gein-psychopath, but it was reported that he purchased models of them.

  7. He quoted Neil Young in his suicide note

    "It's better to burn out than to fade away," a lyric from Neil Young's "My My Hey Hey (Into The Black)", is one of the final lines of Cobain's suicide note.

    I don't really know the music of Neil Young, but I have heard he was a big influence on grunge music in general.

  8. He hated Pearl Jam

    Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The founding lineup included Eddie Vedder, Mike McCready, Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament, and drummer Dave Krusen. The band is best known for its debut album Ten, which features the songs "Even Flow," "Black," and "Jeremy" and was... read more

    Although Kurt Cobain had a friendly relationship with Eddie Vedder, he always hated his band's music.

  9. He hated Axl Rose

    William Bruce Rose Jr., better known as Axl Rose, is an American singer born on February 6, 1962, in Lafayette, Indiana. He is the founding member and lead vocalist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, which rose to international fame with their debut album Appetite for Destruction (1987). Known for... read more

    Kurt Cobain was very open about his feelings for Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose. They became rivals from the 1992 MTV VMAs to Cobain's suicide.

  10. When Nirvana was on the rise, they received a fax from Metallica that read, "We really dig Nirvana. Nevermind is the best album of the year. Let's get together."

    11. The Contenders

  11. He wanted to name Nirvana's final album "I Hate Myself and Want to Die"

    When asked how he was doing, Kurt often joked "I Hate Myself and Want to Die" with a sarcastic sense of humor. He originally named Nirvana's third album that, but bassist Krist Novoselic said it was a bad idea, so they named it "In Utero."

  12. He was a substance user from a very young age

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