Hello, my name is Jordan and this is my introductory blog post about my eminent person, Kurt Cobain.

“With Kurt Cobain you felt you were connecting to the real person, not to a perception of who he was — you were not connecting to an image or a manufactured cut-out. You felt that between you and him there was nothing — it was heart-to-heart. There are very few people who have that ability.” – Lars Ulrich, Metallica (2004)

I am going to research Kurt Cobain as my eminent person for his contributions to the music world and because I have a strong connection to him and his music. Kurt Cobain was the lead singer, main songwriter, and guitarist of Nirvana, a rock and grunge band active from 1987 to 1994. Cobain heavily contributed to the formation and popularization of the “grunge” genre in music, an alternative rock genre that usually features angst-filled lyrics and music. He combined different genres and inspirations to create a new sound that was almost entirely his own and has inspired many musicians, especially in the grunge genre. His profound lyrics, interesting melodies and anti-establishment persona helped make him an icon of the grunge era and Generation X, and his music influenced and strongly connected with many people. He took risks in his lyrical content by tackling sensitive, important and current issues like rape, drug addiction, and women’s right in many of his songs, which also made them very meaningful and important additions to the genre and music world. His musical ability is very notable, as he sang and played guitar for Nirvana and wrote the lyrics and melodies for their songs, which is an impressive role for him to have had, and he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 after he passed. He advocated for the rights of women, POC, and the LGBTQ+ community, for example, a performance he did at a benefit opposing the 1992 Oregon Ballot Measure 9, the purpose of which included promoting anti-gay ideals in schools. As an example of his views and how he expressed them, in the liner notes of one of his albums, Incesticide, he included, “If any of you in any way hate homosexuals, people of different colour, or women, please do this one favour for us—leave us the fuck alone! Don’t come to our shows and don’t buy our records” (Cobain, 1992). He became extremely notable despite a messy childhood, and a struggle with depression for most of his life, up until he committed suicide in 1994. He also struggled with his eminence and fame, because he was an introvert and didn’t like the attention, and it was very difficult for him to be in the spotlight like he was, especially when he “believed his message and artistic vision had been misinterpreted by the public” (“Kurt Cobain,” n.d.). I feel I have a very strong connection to Kurt Cobain and Nirvana, even since I was younger when my parents first introduced me to his music. I can also relate to him in many ways, which can give me a deeper understanding of him throughout my research. His songwriting was an integral part of his music and rise to fame, and my interest in poetry draws me to his writing. He obviously had a very strong interest in writing and music, and so do I, as well, both of us are very creative and in tune with our emotions, meaning we try to express our emotions in creative ways. I aspire to be like him in the sense that he took initiative in his life and followed his passion, working hard to develop his skills, which is something I aim to do, especially as I progress through TALONS. Although I am different from him in many ways as well, including our religious beliefs, upbringings, and gender, I feel that I can overcome these barriers by gaining an understanding of how he felt about these aspects of his life and therefore developing a deeper connection with who he was as a person. I see Kurt Cobain as a person of eminence because of his creative and musical ability, what his music contributed to the generation and genre he was a part of, as well as his mental and vocal stance on important issues like equality, and I think I have enough interest in and connection to him to work towards gaining a meaningful understanding of who he was through my research.

In the next steps of my research, my goal is to widen my scope of research. Throughout this beginning stage, I have used a very limited number of sources to find my information. While this makes it easier because it is all in one place, I think I should be broadening my search and utilizing other resources as well. I think this would benefit me because I could find new information and other perspectives if they are written subjectively, which could help enrich my learning further. It can also provide credibility if multiple websites have the same information. Because of this, I am going to set a goal of visiting at least 3 different websites when researching a new topic to help me practice using more sources.

Bibliography:

Blabbermouth. (2004, April 1). Lars Ulrich: Kurt Cobain didn’t want to share the stage with Guns N’ roses. BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved October 22, 2021, from https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/lars-ulrich-kurt-cobain-didn-t-want-to-share-the-stage-with-guns-n-roses/#JWEozW71A6XwGAlU.99.

Kevin Allman. (n.d.). Retrieved October 22, 2021, from https://kevinallman.typepad.com/ARTICLES/MAGAZINES/Advo-Cobain.pdf.

Kramer, J. (2019). Cobain wearing headphones at a microphone. File:Kurt Cobain 1991 cropped.jpg. Retrieved October 21, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Cobain#/media/File:Kurt_Cobain_1991_cropped.jpg.

Wikimedia Foundation. (2021, October 8). Kurt Cobain. Wikipedia. Retrieved October 22, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Cobain.