Greetings from Laurel Canyon!
The other day I saw a blog post on Flipboard which I thought read today was the 20th anniversary of Nirvana’s seminal album Nevermind.
Not sure what had gotten into me or the blog, but it was actually the 20th anniversary of Nirvana’s third album In Utero. For some reason the “pay to read” blog, Paste asked 20 musicians to discuss Nevermind instead of In Utero. It’s ok…never mind. The point is grunge, and those of us who lived it, are now twenty years older.
It’s a trip to be twenty down the line from anything. Many of us are not really sure where the last twenty went, but I have a conclusion. Best not to complain about aging, especially while many of us should be grateful to just simply still be here! Besides, we have time for plenty more fun and rock ‘n rolling.
OK, now to In Utero. Four score and twenty—grunge, Nirvana and “chasin the dragon,” had gone mainstream. Kurt and Courtney has settled down in LA. The year and months before, they spent most of their time strung out in bed. On a few rare occasions the couple ventured out of bed for a LA night on the town.
On a couple of those nights, I had the cool fortune to hang with couple. One memorable evening was REM’s after party for the MTV Awards. Wanting to schmooze the LA scene, Courtney left Kurt with me at a table. We held court and one by one the party came to us. Michael Stipe, Peter Gabriel, etc. I introduced them all to Kurt.
Per norm, Kurt barely said a word. The guy, his music, and his old lady do the talking—ha ha! Unbelievable, but true.
OK, I’ll shut up and play some grunge. Love and hugs to all who hung at Smalls. Our hearts go out to Jimmy & Maria Sr.
The Idelic Hit of the Week:
The Icarus Line – Laying Down for the Man
