Today's Evil Beet Gossip

Frances Bean Cobain doesn’t like Nirvana or think Kurt was a hero

frances bean cobain

Frances Bean Cobain has seemingly escaped the bullshit that her parents created. She stays out of the spotlight and out of trouble, seems pretty level-headed, isn’t a drug addict… all in all, I’d say she’s doing pretty well, wouldn’t you? Now she’s talking even more sense in a rare Q&A with Rolling Stone, in which she admits that she doesn’t like Nirvana all that much (join the club) and that her father, Kurt Cobain, wasn’t really all that.

Do you remember the first time you heard a Nirvana record – and knowing that was your father? I’ve talked to Sean Lennon about this. He had a few more years with his dad that you did. But for him, the records were a road into understanding his father after he was gone.
I don’t really like Nirvana that much [grins]. Sorry, promotional people, Universal. I’m more into Mercury Rev, Oasis, Brian Jonestown Massacre [laughs]. The grunge scene is not what I’m interested in. But “Territorial Pissings” [on Nevermind] is a fucking great song. And “Dumb” [on In Utero] – I cry every time I hear that song. It’s a stripped-down version of Kurt’s perception of himself – of himself on drugs, off drugs, feeling inadequate to be titled the voice of a generation.

“There is, with any great artist, a little manic-ness and insanity. Tropic of Cancer is one of my favorite books. And [author] Henry Miller had this work ethic, where he would get out of bed every day and force himself to write five pages. It taught me that if you do the work, you progress. So many people are content to settle. My dad was exceptionally ambitious. But he had a lot thrown on him, exceeding his ambition. He wanted his band to be successful. But he didn’t want to be the fucking voice of a generation.”

The entire Q&A is worth reading, and Frances does seem pretty chill, if a bit disillusioned, which is to be expected, I suppose, given all she’s been through in her life. I also find it interesting that she refers to her father by his first name rather than just “Dad”. But again, she never really knew him, so I can’t blame her there, either.

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3 CommentsLeave a comment

  • She basically grew up w\o parents so she had to fend for herself very early in life which either screws you up or brings in strong maturity levels. For her its obvious which one belongs to her.

  • Believe it or not, I knew Courtney in ’82 when she was my then g.f.’s roommate. Anyhow, I concur with all your observations. I hope she does really well. She seems super super smart.