Radio Friendly Unit Shifter: The Commodification of Kurt Cobain
by Derek P. Rucas
Walter Benjamin discusses the notions of “aura” and “false aura” with regards to mass-produced art in the twentieth century. The notion of “aura” relates to an authentic piece of art in the framework of temporal and spatial relations. It is the aura that is the true essence of a piece of art. For example, at the time of its creation several hundred years ago, one could visit Michelangelo’s Mona Lisa in a museum. However, with technological advancements, the notion of the “false aura” or the reproducibility of artwork is a factor that deteriorates the naturalness of the original piece of art. It is this same false aura that manufactures rock stars in consumer culture America.
Kurt Cobain was a product of consumer culture during the early 1990s. His influence elevated him to an iconic position that he had never fathomed. In fact, Cobain detested the media for turning his life into an ongoing fiasco. With the spread of controversial stories regarding his drug addiction, and his wife’s (Courtney Love) drug use while pregnant with their daughter Frances Bean, Cobain harboured a hatred for the media with some journalists particularly in mind. One of these journalists was Victoria Clarke, who wrote about Courtney Love’s heroin addiction while pregnant with Frances in her book about Nirvana. In Nick Broomfield’s documentary Kurt and Courtney, Cobain was quoted on Clarke’s answering machine as saying, “If anything comes out in this book that hurts my wife…I’ll fucking hurt you…I don’t care if this is a recorded threat, I’m at the end of my ropes.”
Kurt Cobain’s stardom was constructed virtually overnight. This excessive grunge overload put Seattle on the map as “the grunge capital of the world,” eventually leading to the rise of some of the most notable grunge acts such as Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains, while opening the door of opportunity for next-to-near-unheard-of’s such as Mudhoney, Tad and Gas Huffer. Nevertheless, Cobain did not understand why he was the one who figuratively “put Seattle on the map,” so to speak. In an interview for the rockumentary Nirvana Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!, Cobain mentions that Seattle was already put on the map in the late 60s by rock guitar icon Jimi Hendrix who was a) also from Seattle, b) also left-handed, and c) also died at the age of twenty-seven.
Why was Cobain “the chosen one,” considering there was an abundance of grunge bands emerging from Seattle during the early 1990s? How did Kurt Cobain gain rock star super status virtually overnight? And what made Generation X want to consume the infamous phenomenon of grunge? The media that constructed Kurt Cobain eventually deteriorated his music and grunge culture by commodifying and packaging him as a grunge icon. It is this sense of false aura that influenced a tremendous amount of angst-filled youth to consume grunge music and Kurt Cobain.
“With the lights out, it’s less dangerous/Here we are now, entertain us/I feel stupid and contagious/Here we are now, entertain us” (Nevermind 1991) was what the kids sang in the months following Nevermind’s debut release on September 24th, 1991. The music of Nirvana’s break though hit would mould an angst-filled generation into a Kurt-consuming empire. While regarding Benjamin’s notion of false aura, one must note that “Teen Spirit’s” widespread airplay influenced listeners because of mass-reproducibility. “…the technique of reproduction detaches the reproduced object from the domain of tradition. By making many reproductions it substitutes a plurality of copies for a unique existence.” (Benjamin 27).
Okay. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is arguably the quintessential grunge song. But here’s another question: How did it get kids off the sidelines of rock arenas and into the mosh pit? In an interview from Teen Spirit: A Tribute to Kurt Cobain, one Seattle fan says, “…the first time I heard ‘Teen Spirit’ it made me puke it was so good.” Made him puke? Could a song be that good that it could induce vomiting? I know that the first time I heard “Teen Spirit” in an era far removed from the peak of grunge, I was nowhere near vomiting, let alone bragging about it.
The media manipulated the notion of Kurt Cobain’s grungeness in order to gain a target market so that companies could capitalize on the grunge phenomenon. Rock and roll was always about rebellion and mischief, and the Gen Xers needed something to call theirs. Elvis occupied the 1950s with his provocative hip-shaking moves, while the Beatles provided teens of the early 60s with Beatlemania, a phenomenon that spilled over from Brit culture into North America. Heavy metal was present in the late 1980s and early 1990s; however the bands from misogynist and homophobic music cultures did not appeal to a post-punk, alternative rock scene.
Nirvana’s catchy, pop-punk melodic riffs were used as a prime vehicle to promote “grunge” as the media saw fit. Everything from widely ripped, faded jeans to layering shirts upon shirts (oh, and don’t forget the Doc Martens) were considered to epitomize grunge trends. The guitar equipment company DOD even manufactured the F69 Grunge pedal in the early 1990s, insinuating that it could mimic the “grunge sound of Seattle.” (“Power of DOD”, pars. 1). The media transformed Cobain’s pop cultural status into a mass-cultural money making enterprise that could be easily digested by an audience that was grunge hungry.
By this time Cobain indeed possessed a false aura. There was nothing unique about grunge music. The notion of being “grunge” or acting “grunge” was so widespread that it no longer contained pure authenticity. All of what Cobain projected to be doing and saying was itself a construction of the media. There was no true image of Kurt Cobain, just media accounts of the projected image of Cobain: The Star.
This concept is then paradox. If the media is constructing the image of “grunge” which is intrinsically linked to Kurt Cobain who is very much “anti-media,” why would the media continue to propel Cobain’s celebrity image? Since the production of Cobain was successful in getting grunge out to the masses, it would be against capitalist mentality and therefore counterproductive to ruin an easy moneymaking machine. The very fact that Cobain’s false aura has influenced a multitude of people to consume grunge culture is enough of a reason why depopularization was not an option. As Benjamin states, “…technical reproduction can put the copy of the original into situations which would be out of reach for the original itself.” (Benjamin 27) If Kurt Cobain was going to produce “grunge”, the mass market was going to consume it.
Cobain consciously even tried to depopularize Nirvana by releasing In Utero, an album that transgressed the formula of Nevermind. It was more experimental and denoted the direction in which Cobain saw Nirvana’s music going. Nevertheless, In Utero did not sell as many copies as Nevermind but it did eventually reach Billboard’s number one spot. The false aura that Cobain carried was still intact even though he intended to depopularize his band by releasing a commercial flop. Even several years after his death, Cobain continues to maintain the false aura that the media constructed for him.
The date is August 31st, 1998. My band Sassing Mackenzie was getting ready to play a show at a local club in downtown Toronto. We briefly met the soundperson Jake before the show and discussed music, a topic we could all relate to. He had been doing sound for numerous clubs in the Toronto area for about a decade, and claimed that he knew what he was doing. A bit skeptical (he had also told us what drugs were “healthier” than others and why), I questioned him on his credibility. “What bands have you done sound for?” I asked. He told me that in (pre-grunge) 1990, he had done sound for Nirvana at a small venue called Lee’s Palace. He also told me that he had met the band firsthand and that Cobain was throwing up all over the stage.
Jake’s unique experience of meeting and actually mixing the sound for Nirvana (before they were big, no less) is an authentic experience that he will remember and cherish (Benjamin 27). Jake could have told us about any band that he had done sound for in the past; however, wanting us to note his credibility as a soundperson he chose Nirvana as his example. Why? Because Nirvana possesses a false aura, whereas if he were to mention an unknown band that performed just as well as Nirvana—or even better—it would make no difference because they do not carry the same false aura that the Cobain legacy carries. It was this unique experience of Jake’s presence in time (1990, pre-Nirvanamania) and space (intimate venue, Lee’s Palace) that gained our respect for him and his sound-mixing credibility (Benjamin 27).
Let us back up to 1994, post-April 8th. My friend’s brother, Theo (in his late teens at the time) was discussing music with my friend and me. He was a fan of Nirvana (and also one of 500 who owned a limited edition collector’s copy of Nirvana’s In Utero pressed on clear green vinyl). We were discussing Cobain’s death and what a shame it was that such a talented singer/songwriter decided to kill himself. Theo got upset. “I even had the chance to see them live, but I didn’t go!” he said. His excuse was that he and his girlfriend were celebrating their anniversary, but if he had known that Cobain was going to die, he would have gone so far as dumping her for a chance to see Nirvana’s last Toronto show.
Being 11 years old, I did not know what to think. But I knew that there was something special about Cobain’s music that angered Theo enough to make such a crass comment. The unique experience of time and space that Theo could have had is now lost forever. He will never be able to replace the opportunity he had to see Nirvana play a live show. The presence of Cobain’s false aura and lack of opportunity to “buy his space in history” troubled the teenaged Theo (Benjamin 28). He has still recounted his story to others as recently as two years ago.
Kurt Cobain’s construction within a pop cultural context demonstrates how the media appropriates subcultures and transforms them to advocate consumerism. These manipulations work in accordance with Benjamin’s notion of “false aura,” and uniqueness within time and space. It also explains why technological reproducibility has an influence on mass markets and youth consumer culture. It is no doubt that Cobain had an influence on an international population of teenagers. Some were influenced out of media hysteria, others—I’m sure—legitimately felt an intimate connection to the music. Grunge was a new genre that Generation X could identify with. It was something that they could call theirs, yet concurrently and conveniently fueling the ideologies of American consumerism during the grunge-frenzied 1990s.
Bibliographical Information
Rucas, Derek P. "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter: The Commodification of Kurt Cobain." Film Articles and Critiques. 23 Mar. 2003 <https://www.angelfire.com/film/articles/cobain.htm>.
transcribed by Derek P. Rucas