Kurt Cobain's diaries

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This thread isnt about if they should've been published or not. I just want to know, if you've read them, what do you think?

My friend let me borrow the book, I found it very interesting. My favorite part was when he said hardcore punk was the jocks version of punk, and when he said that after 30 years rock was tired, and hip hop was still fresh, but was going to be tired soon. Weird for a rock musician to say. He did contradict himself a lot. Even the first page, which is pretty much "dont read my diaries. read my diaries," and his politics were pretty obvious, mostly RACISM IS STUPID, but then, this was before the whole P.C. movement moved in an wore out its welcome, so I wont call him on that. Shit, he may have never wanted anybody to see this, so I cant really call him on anything.

Also, a friend told me he insulted Pearl Jam in the book... I didnt see this. Anyone know where it is/what he said?

― David Allen, Wednesday, 4 December 2002 20:14 (twenty-two years ago)

The diaries should be titled "Stoned Confessions of a Moderately intelligent Man." Largely uninteresting, and I don't know why they bothered putting in some of those "drawings". Fucking doodling, for crying out loud. One of the basic rules in life is "don't read another person's diaries". I broke that, and feel sligtly guilty. His loved ones should have made sure this didn't happen. I don't think Kurt would have wanted it, to be honest.

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Wednesday, 4 December 2002 20:36 (twenty-two years ago)

I haven't read the book proper (only Sunday Times excerpts) so I can't comment on the overall quality of the writing or indeed the "doodling", but one particular strip concerning the desire of a gun-club Dad for his wife to deliver a suitably macho son was, IMHO, extremely well executed. Kurt was obiously a fan of Crumb.

Moderately intelligent! What a diss! Who's intelligent in your books then Killian? You've just turned 20 haven't you?

― chris sallis, Wednesday, 4 December 2002 20:57 (twenty-two years ago)

We got them here at the library and to be honest, I don't want to be seen reading them, so I've snuck peeks at it here and there and "read" parts of it when no one was around. I found it difficult to read - I mean *visually* difficult. It's not even good in any voyeuristic sense - it's just like finding your fucked-up roommate's diary, only much less interesting.

― Kerry (dymaxia), Wednesday, 4 December 2002 20:59 (twenty-two years ago)

You can't possibly judge a person one way or another based on something they wrote that wasn't meant to be read.

― dave225 (Dave225), Wednesday, 4 December 2002 21:00 (twenty-two years ago)

that seems like the perfect way to judge a person.

― d k (d k), Wednesday, 4 December 2002 21:18 (twenty-two years ago)

The perfect way to judge a person = bust size.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 4 December 2002 21:43 (twenty-two years ago)

countdown to the googlers: T minus three days

― J0hn Darni3ll3 (J0hn Darni3ll3), Wednesday, 4 December 2002 21:44 (twenty-two years ago)

let's give them perry and buy ourselves time

― mark s (mark s), Wednesday, 4 December 2002 21:49 (twenty-two years ago)

BRING IT ON FUX0RS!

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 4 December 2002 22:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Hey, Googlers: Dave killed Kurt.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Wednesday, 4 December 2002 22:56 (twenty-two years ago)

* "kurt cobain" + "bust size" + "macho" *

HEY DOES ANYONE WITH A LARGE BUST SIZE KNOW WHAT KURT IS SAYING IN THAT SONG IT SOUNDS LIKE "FREMME NEPPA U R ALL THANT" AND ITS' MACHO

― random, Wednesday, 4 December 2002 23:14 (twenty-two years ago)

got through this in two long-ish sessions at my local bookshop (didn't think it was worth purchasing at $50 australian). no blinding revelations, though i did enjoy his musings about the music biz at large, predictable though most of them were.

― angelo (angelo), Thursday, 5 December 2002 00:40 (twenty-two years ago)

My wife got me this book for my birthday (not something I wanted, but that's fine because she got me the KORG MS2000 for Xmas ROCK ON!! or would it be, VOCODE ON!!!), and seeing as I was a pretty big Nirvana fan 7th-9th grade during the Bleach/Nevermind years, it was OK reading. Not something I'd specifically sit down and absorb (like The Ultimate Illustrated Encyclopedia of Wines, Beers, Spirits, and Liqueurs), but O.K. reading for sitting on the can.

I do kind of agree with the "not meant to be read, shouldn't read it" thing, but fuck it, he's dead, right.

― Helltime Producto (Pavlik), Thursday, 5 December 2002 01:21 (twenty-two years ago)

"Moderately intelligent! What a diss!"

Not a diss, as such. But he's not a genius like some would have you believe. In truth, I haven't read the thing in its entirety, because I was largely unimpressed with the parts I did read. Kurt wrote great songs, but his ability with words was always a tad overrated.

"Who's intelligent in your books then Killian? You've just turned 20 haven't you?"

Are we talking pop stars only? If not, we could be here a while! I turned 20 in July, but I fail to see the significance...

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Thursday, 5 December 2002 01:50 (twenty-two years ago)

These diaries = unadulterated genius.

― Mary (Mary), Thursday, 5 December 2002 05:00 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm tempted to say that the fact that they're available for public consumption is a sign these journals are TOTALLY adulterated, and while I did just say it, I'm not sure why I feel like this - it's not like the journals of other artistes who met their end in tragic fashion haven't found their way into people's living rooms. Seems way too soon for them to be published, though, and VERY opportunistic & crass to release them right now (just in time for Christmas!) (like, duh).

Yeah, I snuck a peek @ the local Borders. I found myself asking "Why?" numerous times while idly flipping through the book.

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 5 December 2002 05:29 (twenty-two years ago)

What David said. The published diaries are probably the most uninteresting part of the complete diaries. Only the stuff which Courtney and his family accepted to be published are in this book. I think the book is just a money-milking machine and feel sorry about the people who actually pay to buy it.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Thursday, 5 December 2002 15:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Had a quick flick through it and was surprised that we are required to cope with his handwriting. How will the translators cope? But I'm sure it's better than Sylvia Plath's Journals.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Thursday, 5 December 2002 21:13 (twenty-two years ago)

i know the link to richie manic's blog

― mark s (mark s), Thursday, 5 December 2002 21:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Sylvia Plath's Journals also = grebt

― Mary (Mary), Thursday, 5 December 2002 21:32 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm still stuck in Benidorm.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Thursday, 5 December 2002 21:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Do not read if you hate Razzle.

― Justyn Dillingham (Justyn Dillingham), Friday, 6 December 2002 00:34 (twenty-two years ago)

The early entries are kind of fun if you know all the personalities he writes to/mentions/pans (his love/hate relationship with the Olympia scene is at least partially revealed); and I like the inclusion of his recording set-up data and ideas; not to mention his "Kurt Cobain custom guitar."
I also like that they reproduced the actual diary pages (bad handwriting and all) in the form of photos (something they should have done with the Plath diaries; in addition to putting the countless endnotes in as footnotes!).

Because they are (quite clearly) excerpts (he claims many of his journals were stolen...I wonder how many years before those surface); there is not a great deal to be gleaned from them if you grew up caring about Nirvana and/or reading almost any of the better researched biographies.

― Ryan McKay, Friday, 6 December 2002 03:44 (twenty-two years ago)

frida kahlo's diaries piss emasculated vaginal whoreings punctuated by metal rods all over kurts

― Queen G (Queeng), Friday, 6 December 2002 06:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Had a quick flick through it and was surprised that we are required to cope with his handwriting. How will the translators cope?
The excerpts printed in les inrocks about a month ago were already translated into French, so...

"Kurt's Top 50 albums of all time were soooooo predictable, man."

― Jeff W, Friday, 6 December 2002 10:42 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...

Over thanksgiving, I saw this at my cousin's house, and much to my surprise, i found it thoroughly engaging, and a unique and unusual read. It's filled with hysterically funny and surreal humor, insightful rants, bizarre stories, amusing personal anecdotes, and strange stream-of-consciousness ramblings. I'm pretty well read, so I don't say this as casually, but I feel that if this had been compiled and printed as a book of commentaries, essays, and letters (instead of a book of notes), this could have been a very influential and widely read work (even outside of the Nirvana connection). I'm not going to say it's a great piece of essential literature, but in some ways, it has all the makings of a successor to The Catcher in the Rye. Of course, it's much weirder and less suitable for mass consumption, but I think many of you out there who would otherwise dismiss this book without even reading it might be very surprised by the level of intelligence and humor displayed.

― King Kobra (King Kobra), Monday, 29 November 2004 19:34 (twenty years ago)

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