Historical story

Kurt Cobain's last interview shortly before he committed suicide

It was April 5, 1994 when Kurt Cobain decided to end his life.

On the occasion of the 28th anniversary of his untimely death, we remember the most important passages from his last interview with Rolling Stone magazine.

The interview was published on January 27, 1994, a few months after the release of In Utero (September 21, 1993). Journalist David Fricke spoke with Cobain after a concert at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago on October 25, 1993, a concert at which the band had been jubilant about not playing Smells Like Teen Spirit as an encore.

David Fricke, in the first question he asks him, asks him why he didn't play Smells Like Teen Spirit at the band's live show in Chicago.

"It would be the tip of the iceberg, it would make things worse. I don't even remember the solo of the song. It would take me at least five minutes backstage to remember it. But I don't care. I love playing Smells Like Teen Spirit but on the other hand, it's kind of embarrassing. Everyone's focused on that song. Everyone's seen it a million times on MTV. It's stuck in their heads. But I think there are other songs we've written that are much better, like 'Drain You " for example. Even though this was such a hit of course, I might not have liked it. I don't pretend to have fun playing it anymore, I'd rather throw my guitar than play it."

The journalist insists on how the historical piece was written, with Cobain revealing:

"We rehearsed it for three months. We lived in different areas and went to Tacoma every night to practice it and write new songs. I was trying to write the ultimate pop song. I was basically trying to tap into a Pixies riff. I'll admit it. Me that band influenced me so much, I should be in it, or be in a Pixies cover band. The riff on 'Teen Spirit' was so clichéd. It sounded a lot like 'Louie, Louie.' When I first played it Krist (Novoselic) looked at me and said, ``It's absolutely ridiculous.'' I had them play it for an hour and a half.

"How did 'Here we are now, entertain us' come out?", Fricke asks him and Cobain replies:

"It was the line I used to say at every party I went to to break the ice. A lot of times when you're standing in the middle of a room full of people, things are so boring and not convenient at all. So I was like, 'here we come, entertain us now ".

"At first the audience was picking me up, picking me up, everyone going crazy for the track. Then it went mainstream and it was over for me. I'm tired of being embarrassed about it, I'm over it," said the Nirvana frontman.

At another point in his interview, Cobain admits that he already had a lot of money and that he didn't want to do the band's last tour. "My stomach upset was the main reason why I didn't want to tour. I was fighting these pains for five years. I was going crazy, I couldn't deal with anything. I was like a schizophrenic wet cat that had been beaten."

Still, he says that his pain contributed to the music he wrote. "However, I would give up everything to be in good health. This tour (which was still going on), is the best I've ever done, just because my stomach didn't hurt. I eat. I ate a huge pizza yesterday. It was perfect. However, I'm afraid the pains will come back. Who knows? I don't even have any tracks ready at the moment. I have no idea what tracks we'll put on the next record, we're starting from scratch".

Of particular interest is the question about I Hate Myself and I Want to Die which was "cut" from In Utero. "What do you mean here?" Rolling Stone asks him with Kurt answering:

"It's a joke, nothing else. And that's why it came off the record. We knew people wouldn't take it that way. They take everything too seriously. It was a satire, we were making fun of ourselves. I was portraying a schizophrenic guy who didn't he's satisfied with nothing. I wanted that to be the title of the album too. But I knew most people wouldn't understand it".

To a question about whether he has thought about suicide, in this last interview Cobain answers:

"For five years, while I had stomach problems, yes, I thought about suicide every day. I came very close. I'm sorry to admit it. I was on tour, I was pooping on the floor, I couldn't even stand water on myself. And then I had to play, go out on stage in 20 minutes. I was singing and spitting blood. I love music, playing, but I couldn't live like this. So I focused on my treatment."

For Peal Jam and their infamous feud, he called them a "safe rock band". "They're a nice band that everyone likes. We've been exposed too much, especially with the last record. It's easy to have one or two catchy songs and the rest are rubbish and copies. I don't care about that, if that's the case we'd leave it except for most of the tracks on Nevermind. But I can't. All the albums I really like have tracks that are perfectly one-for-one:Aerosmith's Rocks, Sex Pistols' Never Mind the Bollocks, Led Zeppelin II, Back in Black by AC/DC".

Also, he declared himself a big fan of John Lennon.

"John Lennon is my favorite Beatle. I don't care who wrote what, but Paul McCartney is disgraceful. Lennon lived in a prison with Yoko and the child, locked in a room. It's what all celebrities face, way people treat them. That needs to change. I can understand how someone who is obsessed with others feels. It's so hard to get people to tone it down. Tell them to respect you. In the end everyone is shit we are".

For the future of Nirvana he said:

"It seems inconceivable to me to look into the future and say I'll be playing Nirvana songs in ten years. Not at all. I don't want to be like Eric Clapton, who I respect a lot, but he changed the songs to fit the his age". He mentions that he would prefer to sing like Bob Dylan to protect his voice.

Finally about weapons it said: "Yes, I like guns. I like to shoot. I have a gun for protection. There are less famous people than me and Courtney who have been murdered by stalkers. We have a security system at home but I always have a gun loaded in a safe place where I can't Frances (his daughter) can go. And I have an M16 too, it's fun to aim with. Shooting is the only sport I like, I'm obsessed with it."

"Courtney was up front when I bought the guns. Look, I'm not an aggressive person. I wouldn't be able to stop a gunman, but I'm not going to sit by and watch my family get raped and killed. I wouldn't think twice about shake my head in the air. I have weapons for protection and for shooting".

You can read Cobain's entire last interview here. Nirvana's last concert took place on March 1, 1994 in Munich, just over a month before Cobain ended his life.