Adolescents and young adults have been disregarding the rules of the older generation and sparking up arguments since time could tell. One of the forerunners for this teen-angst filled defiance was none other than the king of outcasts, Kurt Cobain, lead singer and songwriter for Nirvana. Cobain was a trailblazer ready to defy the Baby Boomers and all that the tired generation saw to be important; Cobain pushed against many traditional structures but few more relevant than sexism and the mainstream music industry. Cobain rallied his army of misfits, labeled Generation X, to also stand against the sexists and the money-grubbing music bosses. Although Cobain didn’t do so by leading rallies or picket-marches, he found his rebellious essence through writing strange, contentious, and confusing music. With this in mind, it’s easy to say that Kurt Cobain was a model for Generation X; however, he is most notable as a rebel writer that expressed his resistance to sexism and to the music industry through his unconventional writing, mixed-music styles, and controversial songs. Before diving into Cobain’s musical rebellion, it is important to be briefed on his background to understand his reason, his ability to relate to teens, as well as his essence, of resistance. Cobain grew up in the small down of Aberdeen, Washington where his parents raised him until their divorce when Cobain was only eight. After the divorce, Cobain was shuffled between family members and he soon started exhibiting signs of rebellion-such as his use of drugs- that he later expressed through his music (Spirit Interviews). In high school, Cobain was seen as an outcast because he couldn’t fit the masculine jock persona. Cobain even reflected on his inability to relate to... ... middle of paper ... ...nda. “Nirvana’s ‘Secret Feminism.” The Daily Beast.com. Sept. 2001: N.P. Web. 28 Feb. 2014. Mazullo, Mark. “The Man Whom the World Sold.” Musical Quarterly. Winter, 2009: 713-737. Web. 03 Feb. 2014. Nirvana. “Been a Son.” Incesticide. DGC, 1992. CD. Nirvana. “Come as You Are.” Nevermind. DGC, 1991. CD. Nirvana. “Dumb.” In Utero. DGC, 1993. CD Nirvana. “Polly.” Nevermind. DGC, 1990. CD. Nirvana. "Rape Me.” In Utero. DGC, 1993. CD. Nirvana. "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Nevermind. DGC, 1991. CD. Savage, Jon. Interview with Kurt Cobain. “Lost Interview.” PBS Digital, 1993. YouTube. True, Everett. “Ten Myths About Grunge, Nirvana and Kurt Cobain.” The Guardian. Aug. 2011: N.P. Web. 12 April 2014. Wood, Jessica. “Pained expression: metaphors of sickness and signs of ‘authenticity’ in Kurt Cobain's Journals.” Popular Music. Oct. 2011: 331-339. Web. 03 Feb. 2014.
Kurt Cobain was the singer and guitarist for Nirvana. He was born in Hoquiam (population 9,000) and after six months of life moved to Aberdeen (pop. 16,500), an old lumber town at the eastern-most point of Grays Harbor. The town is about four miles wide and three miles long. On the northern and eastern sides of town are steep hills where the richer families live in Victorian-style houses. At the foot of the hills is the poorer part of Aberdeen where Kurt grew up. (Gilmore 44)
1. The sociocultural history of rock & roll during the 1950s created a metamorphosis of teenage mannerisms against the older generation. Shumway (118) emphasizes how the rock & roll periodization represses the nature of normal convention illustrated in “Blackboard Jungle”; through the deviant nature of boys against adults. The boys are malicious towards each other, sneering at one another just as Vince Everett did in “Jailhouse Rock”. While the post-war generation tried to discipline the baby boomers into their known demeanor, the recalcitrant teens rebelled against all means of adult intervention. Similarly Szatmary (50) expressed the generation gap between the baby-boomer and their parents fueled the fear of delinquency in their children. Shumway (125) refers to “Blackboard Jungle” to reiterate the essence of the song “Rock around the Clock” to define the conception of foreseen dangers of youth and the behaviors associated with rock & roll as a transformative cultural practice. In reference to the integration between African Americans and whites during the rock and roll era thr...
In closing, the undoubtable influence of music, more specifically of Rock ‘n’ Roll on American society is responsible for a number of changes to the status quo. These range from sexual liberation and racial desegregation all culminating with other influences to create an intergenerational identity. Despite the desperate attempts of older generations to smother these influences, these changes ultimately shaped the years that followed, molding the country into what it is today. Along the way these changes as well as individual involvement in them has also eased the lives of many through empowerment and a feeling of community and purpose. Despite a lull and renewal Rock ‘n’ Roll continues to serve as an agent of influence and change in today’s youth culture and continues to burn in the heart of past generations of loyal fans.
He also said that I would rather be hated for who I am than be loved for who I am not.Meaning that he does not care what people think of him.The textual evidence is “Even though he was heroin drug addict he inspired a lot of people”. Our definition is shown in Kurt Cobain because of all the great things that he accomplished. Kurt Cobain is a hero because of him being an activist, and he lived his dream as becoming a rock star. He has made many good songs that have inspired people, and since he did all of this, this shows us that he tried to make the most of his life in the short years that he
The subject of this writing, is on a man who changed music; a man on the level of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison. This individual is Kurt Donald Cobain from the revolutionary grunge/rock band, Nirvana. While some people would never consider Cobain to hold a major role in the shaping of our music and culture today, they haven’t taken the time to look around. Many people overlook the fact that music played a huge role in the lives of Americans during the 90’s. Someday history books will probably
The ‘60s were the age of youth, as millions of children’s from post World War II became teenagers and rebelled against the conservative fifties. Denying civil rights to African-Americans and liberation to teenagers in previous decades and Vietnam War, created a vortexes which lead to massive rebellion against the status qua. Music of the 1960s was characteristic of the revolution that was going on during the decade. It was a time of rebellion and counter-culture in which the teenagers and college students were critical of government, business, religious institution and other various aspects of life. Era marked by civil rights movement, Vietnam War, environment of drug abuse and sexual freedom formed new music like: folk rock, soul and psychedelic rock. These genres starkly contrast the teen idol music of ‘50s pop mainstream. Writes John Covach; “World was exploding, and rock musicians were listening more closely than ever.”(Covach, 152) Such stark contrast in pop music directly relay to changing social culture in America, which further echo’s the relationship between music and culture.
Cobain’s childhood was not a pleasant one. His parents constantly fought and finally got a divorce when he was 9 years old. This caused a lot of emotional problems for baby Kurt. After the divorce, Kurt lived with his mom but eventually moved in with his dad and his stepmother Jenny. Kurt hated his stepmother and her children because he felt that his father only took Jenny’s side and never gave Kurt enough attention. He spent a lot of his childhood feeling alienated and angry and when he was 14 his uncle gave him a guitar which he used as an outlet for all his anger. Kurt’s childhood had a huge impact on the person he became (socialized him) due to the emotional trauma of the divorce and also constantly feeling ignored or inadequate compared to his
By the end of Nick Broomfield's controversy-plagued documentary Kurt & Courtney, I think I knew as much about Broomfield himself as I knew about Kurt Cobain or Courtney Love. The film might have begun as a biographical study, exploring the tempestuous tives of Nirvana lead singer Cobain and Courtney Love both before and after their 1992 marriage, but that's not the story it ends up telling. Instead, it becomes the tale of Broomfield's ongoing battle with Love over the making of the film -- her successful efforts to persuade MTV to withdraw funding, her objection to the use of
As individuals we are taught to devote ourselves to singularity: that we all have one talent, one “true” love, one “best” friend, one favorite book, the list goes on. This black and white mentality is the reason people with double majors are viewed as masochists, and when a parent says they love their children equality the response is a storm of skepticism. However, in Kingsolver’s case this mentality manifests in her reluctance to join the Rock Bottom Remainders because “Why should good writers play mediocre music?” (129). In “Confessions of a Reluctant Rock Goddess” Kingsolver utilizes her rock band experience to emphasize the importance of being oneself especially when it deviates from societal expectations with regard to what is “right.”
By 1965, Americans were already familiar with the notion that youth were on the march, inspired by the moral clarity of the civil rights movement. Student protesters seemed to be everywhere… Though rock had always been associated with rebellion, folk music was, of course, the traditional music of political protest. When folk and rock began to converge—thanks in large part to both the Beatles and Dylan—rock began to acquire much of the edge and relevance that folk had carried in American culture, even if the newer genre weren’t nearly as pointedly political as those of folk music had been
Nick Broomfield’s 1998 documentary Kurt and Courtney is arguably his most well known film for both the controversial reactions to its subject and the subject itself in equal measure. The documentary explores Kurt Cobain’s life and the possible causes of his untimely death, particularly the involvement of his then wife Courtney Love. Over his filmic career Broomfield has built a repertoire of varying and experimental documentary techniques. In Kurt and Courtney Broomfield becomes as much a character in the documentary as its namesakes through his active involvement in the film’s narrative. This has lead critics question the Broomfield’s impartiality, and by extension the credibility of the documentary.
In high school Cobain befriended a gay student and had to endure bullying from people who though he was gay. Cobain later admitted that he was “gay in spirit” and “probably could be bisexual” (“The Dark Side,” 1992). He dropped out of high school two weeks before graduation because he did not have enough credits, and became a janitor. It was in high school, however, that the beginnings of Cobain’s career were formed. He met Krist Novoselic, and later co...
Kurt Cobain soon realized that in the media he was considered as the “spokesman of a generation” and the band was often referred to the “flagship band of...
“I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix,” This opening line of Allen Ginsberg’s 1955 poem Howl truly depicts what the Beat generation was really like. He writes that his ‘generation was destroyed by madness’ meaning that the people of his generation became the victims of drug abuse, alcohol addiction, and violence. The Beat generation, or beatniks for short, consisted of some of Americas most celebrated writers including William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Neal Cassidy, and of course its leader, Jack Kerouac. The beats were a unique group of writers who strongly opposed social norm. They were very independent people who were known for breaking the law whenever they needed to. They were also drifters who spent most of their lives on the road, a motif which especially fascinated Jack Kerouac.
To say that the Beat generation has affected modern culture seems at first to be no great revelation; it is inevitable that any period of history will affect the time that follows. The Beat generation is especially significant, though, because of its long lasting impact on American culture. Many aspects of modern American culture can be directly attributed to the Beat writers, primarily Allen Ginsburg, William Burroughs, Neal Cassady, and Jack Kerouac. (Asher) Their influence has changed the American perception of obscenity, has had profound effects on American music and literature, and has modified the public’s views on such topics as sex and drug use.