“There is nothing in the world I like more than pure underground music.”
— Kurt Cobain, Sassy magazine, 1992
Kurt Cobain’s influence with Nirvana is well-documented. Fronting one of the most renowned and innovative rock bands of the 20th century, Cobain inspired generations of fans with his evocative, searing music that took punk from the underground to the top of the charts and to fans all over the world. But Cobain’s influence went well beyond just the music he created. Forever an arbiter of under-appreciated music, Cobain was constantly putting the masses on to some of his favorite artists in interviews and as supporting acts for Nirvana’s world tours. One particular document from his journals has been instructive to many fans – his top 50 albums.
Each week, with the help of hosts Martin Douglas and Dusty Henry, The Cobain 50 podcast will dig into albums from this famous list and how they may have influenced Cobain and Nirvana. In doing so, we hope to gain deeper insight into Cobain’s taste and perspective on how he approached his own music. It’s also a chance to dig into the individual histories of the albums on the list, spotlighting both artists on the fringes and some of the biggest groups of all time. The list will take us through the legacies of acts like Sonic Youth, Pixies, The Breeders, Public Enemy, PJ Harvey, Black Flag, Mazzy Star, The Shaggs, Shonen Knife, and more.
Additionally, we’ll explore Nirvana's relationship with Latin American rock and culture in El Cancionero de Kurt, a fully Spanish-language series available on the El Sonido podcast feed starting on February 1st. Each month, Albina Cabrera, host of KEXP's El Sonido radio show and podcast, will recap the albums discussed on The Cobain 50, focusing on the impact that Nirvana's music, Kurt's persona, and his personal songbook had on Latin American music scenes. We’ll delve into Cobain's admiration for the Brazilian psychedelic legends Os Mutantes, how Nirvana influenced an entire generation of young Latin '90s music enthusiasts, and the ways Cobain’s impact can still be seen today, across artistic movements throughout the continent.
2024 also marks the 30th anniversary of Cobain’s death. While this was not the impetus of the series, it feels like a fitting tribute to celebrate Cobain’s life by lifting up the bands he loved and contending with his legacy from a different angle than we’ve seen before.
Kurt Cobain’s influence went beyond just the music he created with Nirvana. He also put the masses on to some of his own favorite artists. One particular document from his journals has been instructive to many fans – his top 50 albums. Each week, The Cobain 50 podcast digs into albums from this famous list and how they may have influenced Cobain and Nirvana. While learning the individual histories of the different albums on the list, we gain new insights into artists on the fringes as well as some of the biggest groups of all time. The podcast takes us through the legacies of acts like Sonic Youth, Pixies, The Breeders, Public Enemy, PJ Harvey, Black Flag, Mazzy Star, The Shaggs, Shonen Knife, and more. Episodes drop weekly starting January 10, 2024.
