Before all else, Kurt Cobain was a lover of great music. In his time, the Nirvana leader shared many of his favourite artists and albums, revealing not only his refined taste but just how critical his opinion could be.
When he loved music, Cobain was open about its full-bodied effect on him. Notably, he believed that the Japanese punk trio Shonen Knife were one of the world’s most underrated band, to the extent that he once even definitively called them “the best band in the world“. In fact, Cobain valued their work so much that when Shonen Knife joined Nirvana on tour in 1991, they had such an effect on him that he told MTV: “I was emotional the whole time. I cried every night.”
This was the kind of passion that the Nirvana frontman greeted all the music he treasured. When he was really fascinated by an artist, he would be so enraptured by their work that he would want to share their brilliance with the rest of the world. This was something fans experienced on numerous occasions, with his list of favourite bands also a well-known one.
Cobain’s love of specific music was also something Darcey Steinke encountered first-hand when she interviewed Nirvana for SPIN in July 1993. At one point during the extensive discussion, the grunge pioneer started showing off his record collection, which included the likes of Royal Trux, Daniel Johnston, The Beatles and Black Sabbath’s Born Again.
Elsewhere, Cobain mentioned PJ Harvey, Meat Puppets and even The Shaggs’ Philosophy of the World amongst his favourites. However, the most enlightening part of the conversation came when it moved on to the work of punk pioneer John Lydon. Of 1981’s The Flowers of Romance by Public Image Ltd, Cobain said: “This is a great record, it’s just totally uncompromising. It’s a bunch of drum beats, Johnny Rotten yelling over it all, but it works somehow.”
Following this, Cobain discussed the album that introduced John Lydon – then known as Johnny Rotten – to the world. This was the 1977 debut by Sex Pistols, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols, the album many consider the ultimate offering from the first wave of punk. Full of praise for the album, Cobain believed the record was still one of the best examples of studio work despite being nearly 16 years since its release. He even said he wanted to work with its producers, Chris Thomas and Bill Price, on the next Nirvana offering.
“This is still the best-produced record in the world. I want to work with the guys who produced this on our next record,” Cobain said. “But if they’ve been progressing with technology, their production might suck now.”
