15 Years Dead: Does Kurt Cobain Still Matter?

photo credit: fankyclaudio

Well music fans, today is April 8,  do you know what that means? (Other than that I’m still waiting for my birthday pony to arrive. Ahem.)

It means that Kurt Cobain has been dead for 15 years.
The suicidal Nirvana leader’s body was found at his Seattle mansion Wednesday, April 8, 1994.

However, lately, we’re not sure whether Cobain is remembered more as a musician or a dead junkie. In the years since his death, Cobain has endured all manner of abuse, including:
 
1. The unstoppable trainwreck that is Courtney Love and her blog.

2. Horrible Kurt Cobain dolls/action figures.

3. A ghoulish and tasteless book, Journals, that features Xeroxed pages of his private journal. (Seriously, when you die do you want people passing around photocopies of your diary?)

4. Being thoroughly upstaged by the surprisingly mainstream Dave Grohl.

5. Countless lawsuits fighting over his money.

6. Various episodes of Law & Order loosely based on his death.

7. A film based on conspiracy theories surrounding his death (Kurt & Courtney).

8. A pointlessly self-indulgent Gus Van Sant film, Last Days, that takes a look at the final hours of a Cobain-esque character.

9. There’s also a documentary, About a Son. (You can find extensive information about the movie, including the About a Son trailer here).

10. Nickelback. Somehow, we’re sure this band is Nirvana’s fault.

The list goes on and on…

Guitar and music magazines continue to plaster their covers with his face in order to sell copies, and Spin relentlessly milks its collection of Cobain photos (the  newly-posted shot of him snuggling with a kitten is particularly nauseating).

However, we think it’s time to take a second look at this “troubled genius” and consider whether it is his music, his money or his untimely death that makes him memorable.

Hopefully, it’s the music.

On the plus side, while many magazines are still trying to cash-in on Cobain’s suicide, several blogs have actually offered some pretty moving tributes to Kurt and his music on this so-called Cobain Day, and we think they’re worth noting on this sad anniversary. This blog’s recreation of the Nevermind cover art is interesting; if a little creepy (the original baby is, of course, a teenager in the updated version).