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Kurt Cobain

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Submitted By GBeuning
Words 729
Pages 3
Greg Beuning
Board of Trustees Scholarship Essay
1/31/2010
Smells like Kurt Cobain “Come as you are, as you were, as I want you to be.” These lyrics, from the Nirvana song Come as You Are, are some of Kurt Cobain’s most famous and they provide a quick glimpse into the mind of a very complex man. It has been written that “NO ONE more exactly personified America's 'slacker' generation than Kurt Cobain, Nirvana's leader and songwriter.” Kurt Cobain is one of the people who have had such an impact on the music of his era that it could be said that he changed music. Cobain wasn’t known for singing or for shredding up and down the fret board with his guitar. He was great because of his ability to make his listeners connect with his songs. Kurt Cobain, a music icon, is one of my favorite artists of all time. His unique personality and the mystery surrounding his death would make for an afternoon of interesting conversation. First I would like to write a song with Kurt Cobain. One of the obvious reasons for meeting him is that I would love to hear him sing and play. As an aspiring artist, I would also like to ask Cobain questions. I would like to talk with him about how he was able to convey his emotions so well through his songs. Cobain liked to include themes from society into his songs, and he used his music to expose problems that he saw and criticize the people responsible. In a line from Come as You Are, Cobain satirically comments on society’s gun control problem with his lyrics “And I swear that I don’t have a gun.” Cobain had an uncanny ability to write about real problems that people faced. The fact that he wasn’t one of those artists’s who just wrote songs to get radio play is another thing that endears him to me. His songs and lyrics were obviously very close to his heart and something he was very protective about. Cobain was sensitive as to how his songs were portrayed and interpreted. He was unwilling to ‘sellout’ his music for more money, and his fans (me included) hold a great deal of respect for him because of this. Cobain seems to care so much that his listeners can’t help but feel his emotions through his music. Passion for music is obviously something that Kurt Cobain and I have in common. Kurt Cobain was not afraid to do things his own way. As a man Kurt Cobain was somewhat of an enigma, and he was willing to stand up for the unpopular throughout his life. Cobain was married to fellow musician Courtney Love, and their marriage was a source of increasing tension for him and the band. Cobain didn’t care what people thought of him and his relationship with Courtney Love was an example. His unwillingness to give up on her just because everybody else didn’t like her I find respectable. He even told his band that he was done and was giving up making music for money. He was willing to throw all his success away in return for a life in which he was happy and it takes a lot of courage to try to be happy, when you have to give up global success to do it. The last reason why I would like to meet Kurt Cobain is that I would like to figure out the real story behind his death. Cobain’s death was one of the saddest things to happen to the music industry since the death of John Lennon. It took the world by surprise, and how he actually died has never been determined. In the months leading up to his death, Cobain was severely depressed, addicted to Heroin, and having trouble with his wife. Some people believe that Cobain’s wife had him killed because he was wanted to give up music and therefore, his income. Others believe that Cobain couldn’t handle the pressure of fame and committed suicide. I would ask him what actually happened. “So, Cobain you’ve been immortalized into one of the greatest musical icons of all time. For a long time your death has been surrounded by questions, so what actually happened? Just like the lyrics to Smells like Teen Spirit: Here we are now, entertain us.”

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