Last week it was announced that a collection of unheard music created by Kurt Cobain will be released Nov. 13. The unscrupulously sourced collection will be titled “Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings,” and will feature music that Cobain undoubtedly would not want released to the world.
Although it is not fully known why Cobain committed suicide, it is clear that his reasoning was highly influenced by his distaste for the entertainment industry. He is cited multiple times as feeling overwhelmed and upset by constant pressure to be part of the commercialized world of music.
He said in multiple interviews that he never intended for Nirvana to become as big as it did, stating once that he “really miss[ed] being able to blend in with people” as a normal person. He has also explicitly talked about his stress associated with fame, which went far enough to cause him terrible stomach issues.
He shared, “My body is damaged by music. I have a red irritation in my stomach. It’s psychosomatic, caused by all the anger and the screaming.” This is believed to have led to his choice to self-medicate with heroin, and ultimately to commit suicide.
Yet, we’ve still managed to exploit him and the little privacy he maintained at the time of his death. Work that he specifically chose not to deliver to the public has been released over the years. His journal has been copied and mass produced for every person who desires to see it. Demo tapes he created in his own spare time have been ripped and given to the masses. He has his own display at the Experience Music Project (EMP). His face is screen-printed on shirts left and right. Even his suicide note is on the Internet for optimal Googling purposes.
As much as I hate to say it, I’m probably the guiltiest of anyone at this. I own a copy of that journal, have listened to those demos, have been to the Cobain exhibit at the EMP at least three times, own three Nirvana shirts (one of which has Cobain’s face on it), and I also find myself completely fascinated by his suicide note. I’ve become attached to the Cobain culture.
Part of this Cobain culture involves the recent documentary, “Montage of Heck,” which premiered this past April. Created by director Brett Morgen and Cobain’s widow, Courtney Love, the documentary is an incredible compilation of Cobain’s many forms of creativity. But it is also a problematic record of the pains endured by Cobain, broadcasted to the world, without the consent of the man who created the content and inspired the project.
As an information-hungry fan and journalist, Cobain would detest me. I would be part of the problem. I am an enabler because I’m infatuated by his mind, but I am also disgusted by myself and those similar to me who have been exploiting that tortured mind for 25 years.
In a quote to Pitchfork, Morgen addressed possibilities of criticism related to publishing unfinished work. He stated that the release of Cobain’s unfinished work is “furthering our understanding of one of the most significant artists of our time.”
I don’t doubt that he is correct, however, I do know that what we — and Morgen especially — are doing is completely and utterly disrespectful to Cobain.
We are being discourteous to a dead man, as well as an ingenious mind. We are forgetting that Cobain wanted so deeply just to blend in when he was alive, but instead we have made him an infinite martyr to stand out for eternity. We can’t let him rest in peace; I don’t doubt that he is currently turning over in his grave because even in his death he hasn’t been able to escape the disgusting fame he tried so hard to eliminate from his living years.
Kurt, you have every right to haunt every single one of us. I apologize for the masses, and I vow to protest the release of “Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings,” because it’s what I think you would want most, and I know it’s what you deserve.
Reach writer Rebecca Gross at arts@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @becsgross
