20 Year Anniversary of Nevermind to Chris Weitz's About a Boy

On April 5, 1994, Kurt Cobain took his own life at his home that he shared with his estranged wife, Courtney Love. Considered to be one of the most iconic musicians of all time, twenty years later we reflect on the album that most of us Gen X'ers remember fondly; Nevermind.

As with any album so prolific, many articles showing appreciation this week will probably analyze the fuck out of the album, the fact that Cobain hated its marketability and who best produced a better version.

I'm not even going to subscribe to that madness. What I will share is my experience with an album that completely captures a very poignant time in my life. For me, this album is something that will always be near and dear to my heart, something that will always remind me of my troubled young adult years. As Kobain had a love-hate relationship with the album, I too, share the same sentiment.

Growing up in So. California, the late eighties were eclectic. Hip hop was defining itself (yes, in Junior High I remember Egyptian Lover being the hit!) and NWA was supreme (of course there was Boogie Down Productions, EPMD and a slew of other great acts, but this is not an essay on Hip Hop).

When I graduated from High School, I was introduced to the world of funk. Considering I loved Hip Hop and Alternative music (or back in the old school days, we called it New Wave. *I cringe at the name*), I had no problem accepting Red Hot Chili Peppers. It was 1991 and Blood Sugar Sex Magik had come out and I was being introduced to their back catalog of hits; songs like Higher Ground and Knock Me Down (Mother's Milk Album) had profound influences on me. I had found my calling, and it was in the form of four eclectic, tattoo'd band members. I soon found myself obsessed with their world and wanted nothing more than to move to Venice Beach and see them play at every Hollywood venue. I was a bit of a wild child back then.

But, during that same year something else emerged from the music scene. A more somber, darker music (if you really listen to it). It was raw and organic and called to another side of me. It was Nirvana's Nevermind album and the beginning of a short lived trend, we all remember as grunge (though technically grunge had been around in the Pacific North West for several years by this time). If you ask my husband who grew up in Orange County, he'd tell you he had been listening to Sonic Youth and Mudhoney before Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Nirvana made it palatable. But coming from LA County, that was not the case for me (Plus there were way more hippy wannabes in Orange County than LA: Stinky,Patchouli, smelling rich kids that followed the Grateful Dead Circuit. And no offense if you were one of them, my husband dated one so I could give a shit about smelling like Humble County Weed.) But I digress.

The Nevermind album really sort of snowballed on my pysche. It was the perfect balance to all the Goth rock (Danzig, Jesus and Mary Chain, etc), and funk punk being put out in LA. (Plus, we will not speak of the early raves; that's a whole different type of music, but if you must know, NWA had a song that literally gave the directions one night to a hidden rave in LA. Quite a unique era, I must add.) There's something tragically sad in Cobain's voice, but something that also draws you in. I had found my ying, to the Chili Pepper's yang. Not to mention that I certainly had my share of partying, good and bad, and at times I found that the Nevermind album was very relatable. (I can remember just playing Nevermind on repeat, listening to every word of that album like it were the tick tocks of a clock.)

I think most of us that come from that era are disheartened when we think of it. For all the good music that came from that period, we lost a lot of talented musicians in the aftermath. Specifically speaking of grunge and its decline, I can just think of a few: Shannon Hoon from Blind Melon, and much later, Layne Staley from Alice in Chains and of course, Cobain himself. It makes me sick thinking about it.

But if Cobain were alive today, I'd like to think that he would be extremely proud of Nevermind. I think being older, I can certainly look back myself on the album, and say, "That was one of the fucking best albums ever made." For me, it has an emotional impact. It defines who I am now and the sweet son that I raised as a young mother. It's a part of my history and a part of my heart, and that's the bottom line. Now that my children are old enough to appreciate music, I am happy to be able to introduce to them Nirvana and the beautiful music they made together. My girls love Teen Spirit (of course they would. Right?)

Uniquely, I thought I'd add a little known fact here. About a Boy is a novel written by Nick Hornby and later adapted to film, by Chris Weitz (New Moon). In the book version, Will introduces Marcus to Nirvana's music which has a profound impact on the young boy whose mother is suicidal. In addition, his teen girlfriend also pays homage to Cobain by wearing a Kurt Cobain jumper. The title of the book and film, are modified versions of Nirvana's About a Girl song.

And speaking of About A Girl (off the Bleach album-I know, you'd think that I would choose a song of Nevermind), I think I will leave you with this.

It's very hard to put in to words how much I love this band and their music without sharing intimate details of my youth. But, I don't think I have too. All I can express, is the fact that the Nevermind album touched me and I hope for some of you younger ones, you'll be inclined to go back and discover it as well.