About KURT COBAIN

Kurt Donald Cobain was born on February 20, 1967, at Grays Harbor Hospital in Aberdeen, Washington,[5] to waitress Wendy Elizabeth Fradenburg[6] and automotive mechanic Donald Leland Cobain. His father was of Scottish,[7] Irish and French ancestry,[8] and his mother, was of Cuban, Spanish,[7] Irish, German and English ancestry.[9] Cobain's Irish ancestors migrated from County Tyrone of Northern Ireland in 1875.[9] Further research found them to have been shoemakers, originally named Cobane, who came from the village of Inishatieve near Pomeroy, who settled in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada, and then in Washington.[10] Cobain had one younger sister named Kimberly, born in 1970.[6][7]

Cobain was raised by working-class parents, and his family had a musical background. His maternal uncle Chuck Fradenburg starred in a band called The Beachcombers, his Aunt Mari Earle played guitar and performed in bands throughout Grays Harbor County, and his great-uncle Delbert had a career as an Irish tenor; making an appearance in the 1930 film King of Jazz. Cobain was described as a happy, lively, and caring child. His talent as an artist was evident from an early age. His bedroom was described as having taken on the appearance of an art studio,[5] where he would accurately draw his favorite characters from films and cartoons such as Aquaman, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and Disney characters like Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse and Pluto.[11] This enthusiasm was encouraged by his grandmother Iris Cobain, who was a professional artist herself. Cobain began developing an interest in music early in his life. According to his Aunt Mari, he began singing at two years old. At age four, Cobain began singing and playing the piano, writing a song about their trip to a local park. He would listen to artists like the Ramones[12] and sing songs like Arlo Guthrie's "Motorcycle Song," The Beatles' "Hey Jude,"Terry Jacks' "Seasons in the Sun" and the theme song to The Monkees television show at a young age.[13]
His parents divorced when he was eight years old, an event which he later said had a profound effect on his life. His mother noted that his personality changed dramatically — Cobain became more defiant and withdrawn.[14] In a 1993 interview, he elaborated:

"I remember feeling ashamed, for some reason. I was ashamed of my parents. I couldn't face some of my friends at school anymore, because I desperately wanted to have the classic, you know, typical family. Mother, father. I wanted that security, so I resented my parents for quite a few years because of that."[15]

Cobain's parents both went on to find new partners after the divorce. His father promised not to remarry; he did, however, after meeting Jenny Westeby.[16] The two Cobain males, Westeby and her two children Mindy and James moved into a new in household together. Cobain liked Westeby at first, who gave him the maternal attention he desired.[16][17] In January 1979, Westeby gave birth to Chad Cobain.[16] This new family, which Cobain insisted was not his real one, was in stark contrast the attention Cobain was used to receiving as an only child; he soon began to express resentment toward his stepmother.[16][17] His mother began dating a man who was abusive towards her. Cobain witnessed the domestic violence inflicted towards her, and there was one incident that resulted in her being hospitalized with a broken arm.[17][18] Wendy refused to press charges, and remained completely committed to the relationship.[18]

Cobain's personality continued to change, where he would behave insolently toward adults and began severely bullying another boy at school. Eventually, his father and Westeby took him to a therapist, who concluded that he was in need of a single family.[18] Both sides of the family attempted to bring his parents back together, but to no avail. On June 28, 1979, Cobain's mother granted full custody of their son to his father.[19] Cobain's teenage rebellion soon became too overwhelming for his father however, and he was placed in the care of his differing family and friends.

While living with the born-again Christian family of his friend Jesse Reed, Cobain became a devout Christian and regularly attended church services. Cobain later renounced Christianity during early adolescence, engaging in what would be described as "anti-God" rants. The song "Lithium" is about his experience while living with the Reed family. Religion would still play an important part in Cobain's personal life and beliefs, as he often used Christian imagery in his work and maintained a constant interest in Jainism and Buddhist philosophy. The band name Nirvana was taken from the Buddhist concept, which Cobain described as "freedom from pain, suffering and the external world," which paralleled with the punk rock ethic and ideology. Cobain would regard himself as both a Buddhist and a Jain during different points of his life, including through watching late night television documentaries on both subjects.[20][21][22]

Despite not being interested in sports, he was enrolled in the junior high school wrestling team at the insistence of his father. Despite being skilled, he despised the experience because of the ridicule he endured from his teammates and coach, and allowed himself to be pinned in order to spite his father. His father later enlisted him in a little league baseball team, where Cobain would intentionally strike out to avoid having to play.[23] Cobain was more interested in art instead. He often drew during school classes, including objects associated with human anatomy. When given a caricature assignment for an art course, Cobain drew a posing Michael Jackson. When his art teacher told him the caricature would be inappropriate to be displayed in a school hallway, Cobain drew an unflattering sketch of then-President Ronald Reagan.
Cobain befriended a homosexual student at school, sometimes suffering bullying from homophobic students who concluded that Cobain was gay. In a 1993 interview with The Advocate, Cobain claimed that he was "gay in spirit" and "probably could be bisexual." He also stated that he used to spray paint "God Is Gay" on pickup trucks in the Aberdeen area. However, Aberdeen police records show that the phrase for which he was arrested was actually "Ain't got no how watchamacallit".[25] One of his personal journals states, "I am not gay, although I wish I were, just to piss off homophobes."[26]

As attributed to numerous of Cobain's classmates and family members, the first concert he attended was Sammy Hagar and Quarterflash at the Seattle Center Coliseum in 1983.[5][27] Cobain, however, claimed his first attended concert to be the Melvins–an experience of which he wrote prolifically in his Journals.[28] As a teenager living in Montesano, Cobain eventually found escape through the thriving Pacific Northwest punk scene, going to punk rock shows in Seattle. Eventually, Cobain began frequenting the practice space of fellow Montesano musicians the Melvins.

During the second semester of his sophomore year, Cobain began living with his mother in Aberdeen. Two weeks prior to graduation, he dropped out of Aberdeen High School after realizing that he did not have enough credits to graduate. His mother gave him a choice: find employment or leave. After one week, Cobain found his clothes and other belongings packed away in boxes.[29] Banished from his mother's home, Cobain often stayed at friends' houses and sneaked into his mother's basement occasionally.[30] Cobain claimed that during periods while homeless, he lived under a bridge over the Wishkah River,[30] an experience that inspired the Nevermind track "Something in the Way". However, Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic said, "He hung out there, but you couldn't live on those muddy banks, with the tides coming up and down. That was his own revisionism."[31]

In late 1986, for the first time, Cobain moved into an apartment and paid his rent by working at a Polynesian coastal resort approximately 20 miles north from Aberdeen.[32] During this period, he was traveling more frequently to Olympia, Washington, to observe rock concerts.[33] During his visits to Olympia, Cobain formed a relationship with Tracy Marander, who reportedly was the subject of the song "About a Girl", and is listed in the photo credits on the album Bleach.

After Marander had separated from him, Cobain began dating Tobi Vail, an influential DIY punk zinester of the riot grrrl band Bikini Kill. After meeting Vail, Cobain vomited due to being so overwhelmed with anxiety through his infatuation with her. This would inspire the lyric; "Love you so much it makes me sick," which would appear in the song "Aneurysm".[34] While Cobain would regard Vail as his female counterpart, his relationship with her waned: Cobain desired the maternal comfort of a traditional relationship; which Vail regarded as sexist within a countercultural punk rock community. People who dated Vail would be described by her friend Alice Wheeler as "fashion accessories."[35] They would spend most of their time as a couple discussing political and philosophical issues. Cobain's experience of his relationship with Vail would inspire the lyrical content of numerous of the songs on Nevermind. When discussing topics such as anarchism and punk rock with friend Kathleen Hanna, she once spraypainted "Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit" on his apartment wall. Teen Spirit was the name of a deodorant Vail wore, that Hanna would joke Cobain smelled like. Cobain, however, was unaware of this, and interpreted the slogan as having a revolutionary meaning. The slogan inspired the title to the song "Smells Like Teen Spirit".