Post by GPS on Jun 20, 2008 10:44:59 GMT -5
I just finished reading this account from the British Journalist who basically broke Nirvana and became a close personal friend of the band. My honest thoughts on the book is that it dispelled tons of unnecessary myths that have sprung up surrounding the band. Having said that, it's amazing how Kurt Cobain turned into a narcissistic teenage death kid who made some really stupid choices, thus becoming a giant not a very nice person in the process. I think him and Ian Curtis (singer for Joy Division) just became total wastes of their talent no matter how confused they were internally or likable. It definitely is a nice warning tale on how to not betray your friends and stay grounded. The book definitely cements my low opinion of Courtney Love, who just seemed like an opportunistic vapid vampire. You just feel sorry for everyone in the story but Kurt Cobain, unfortunately. I'd say the last 200 pages are filled with stuff that just makes you frustrated due to the amount of idiotic choices he made. It was depressing and I'm looking forward to reading something else now that I'm finished with this. If you are really into Nirvana, I definitely recommend this one over any other book.
Stay as far away from "Heavier Than Heaven" if you can, since it's the Courtney Love sanctioned, melodramatic revisionist history of the whole thing. Yes, it's the one they chose to make into a movie, unfortunately.
