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Kurt - Dead but not forgottenLisa PichotIn the last issue of Student Xpress, there was an article about suicide. Many people all over the world commit suicide or attempt suicide and the numbers are rising alarmingly. This article is dedicated to the memory of Kurt Cobain who died seven years ago this April. His death struck a chord with millions of people all over the world and people still grieve at the loss of a genius. For me Kurt’s death was never justified and it caused a lot of heartache and confusion. He was born in Seattle in 1967 and had a hard life from the start. His parents separated when he was only eight years old and he didn't get on well with his stepfather. When he was fifteen he was kicked out of his house and he spent many nights sleeping rough under a bridge that is immortalised in his song 'Something In The Way'. A teacher took him in and Kurt stayed there for a year during which his mother never made contact with him or his 'new' family. He started writing music at the age of 15 and at the age of 20 he was writing music for Nirvana's first album, 'Bleach'. The song, 'About A Girl' is written about Tracy, a girlfriend for three years and, he claimed, his one true love, despite Courtney Love. In 1991, Nirvana's most successful album hit the shops. 'Nevermind' featured the most famous song in Nirvana's career, 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' which he wrote in his car whilst living with Tracy. Soon Nirvana was a name known by rockers all over the world. But the fame became got too much for Kurt. He couldn't handle all the attention and tried to remain out of the public eye as much as possible. When he had time to hang out with friends he was embarrassed about the bodyguards, the limos and the people pestering him for autographs. In a way it was a relief when he met Courtney Love, lead singer of Hole. She was the opposite of Kurt; she was loud, she grabbed the spotlight and she was aggressive. She was also addicted to heroin when she met Kurt, a habit developed in her teens. Kurt also became addicted to heroin and the two of them tried to hide their habits from each other. In 1992 they got married in Hawaii and had a little girl called Frances but the pressure was becoming too much for Kurt. People close to him eventually persuaded him to go into rehab for his addiction but he checked himself out after a short while. In 1994 Courtney and Kurt were getting a divorce. She was openly cheating on him and he was severely depressed. The last straw was when he came home after being on tour and his daughter didn't recognise him. He was very hurt by this and on the fourth of April Kurt Cobain took heroin, put a loaded gun to his head and fired. His body was found four days later by an electrician who was installing security lights. There are many stories surrounding Kurt’s death, some implying that Courtney had him murdered but I believe that Kurt was desperately unhappy and suicide was his release. Kurt’s last words were 'it is better to burn out than fade away' and he will never fade away! |