What if Kurt Cobain Hadn’t Committed Suicide?

One of those questions I ponder frequently (having been a tween of the early 90’s and having frequently used his music as benchmarks in my life):

Nirvana – The In Utero Concert 1993 – Full Length Film

Mrs Loosemore has taught me that it’s good to have a list of things not understandable.

8 Replies to “What if Kurt Cobain Hadn’t Committed Suicide?”

  1. Are you asking what if he didn’t really take his own life or are you saying what would have become of him if he was still around?

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    1. What would have become of him (and pop music) if he were still around?

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      1. I sort of wonder if he had already put out his best work by then?

        Commercially, I think Nirvana was on a decline. I saw them in November 93 at American University and in an arena that could fit 4,000 or so, I think it would be generous to say it was half full.

        I loved the show, but few others in the area came out. It was only days before the MTV Unplugged album was recorded – while that’s one of my favorites from any band, I doubt it would have sold like it did if he was alive for the release.

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        1. I don’t know… between the drugs and record label frustrations, Kurt was definitely not in focus towards the end. However, the bootlegs of demos and box set extras from the post-In Utero sessions point to the kind of growth that could have been interesting artistically. That’s not to say Nirvana wouldn’t have gone the Stone Temple Pilots route and Kurt would have gone through rehab 3 or 4 times, but I like to cling to the idea that his artistic compass was stronger than what eventually happened to grunge.

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          1. Yeah, I think he/they were bigger than grunge. I would have been curious to see him go solo. Maybe it’s good he left us wanting more, because other groups at the time like Pearl Jam became an absolute bore to me.

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        2. I don’t know… between the drugs and record label frustrations, Kurt was definitely not in focus towards the end. However, the bootlegs of demos and box set extras from the post-In Utero sessions point to the kind of growth that could have been interesting artistically. That’s not to say Nirvana wouldn’t have gone the Stone Temple Pilots route and Kurt would have gone through rehab 3 or 4 times, but I like to cling to the idea that his artistic compass was stronger than what eventually happened to grunge.

          Reply

          1. Yeah, I think he/they were bigger than grunge. I would have been curious to see him go solo. Maybe it’s good he left us wanting more, because other groups at the time like Pearl Jam became an absolute bore to me.

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    2. Modified the title to better reflect the intention (although there is a healthy skepticism about the event given the scant details).

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