'Heavier than Heaven' by Charles R. Cross

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Hello Hivers and Book Clubbers,

I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up the writing-frequency with which I started two weeks ago of putting out reviews. You need to be in a certain mood to write (at least I do), and reading the books themselves takes a good while too. So it's been about two weeks since the last one; let's get into it.

This review is of a non-fiction book, though it doesn't have much to do with my regular reading. The book I'm talking about is titled 'Heavier than Heaven', a biography of Nirvana guitarist and lead-singer Kurt Cobain, written by Charles R. Cross. Originally published in 2001, I recently bought the 2019-edition, which includes an extra afterword on the years in between, cultural impact etc.

Trouble can start early

The story is in chronological order overall, but starts one chapter in the middle of the 'action', that action being Cobain's first overdose in 1992. It puts the entirety of Cobain's early life in perspective. Of course, everyone who knows Cobain's story knows that the book won't end well. For those that don't know Kurt Cobain or Nirvana (perhaps the VERY young), Cobain died at 27, as a chronic addict and, shown throughout his writings (a lot of it published now) a chronically depressed man also.

This stands in some contrast with his years as a child. He's described as a happy kid, easy going, often smiling. All qualities he would lose throughout his teenage years and into adulthood.

One of the main 'events' that shaped his young life was the divorce of his parents at age 9. Broken homes always lead to instability and uncertainty for the children that are involved, but in Cobain's case it spiralled out of control. At one point in his teens he lived at 10 different addresses in two years, being bounced around between family members, neighbours and other acquaintences of the family. Both his father and mother re-married (and re-divorced), bringing him in contact with step-families, a structure often notorious for arguing/squabbles etc.

Cobain got his interest in music from an early age, but he was also into other forms of art. He wrote a lot, drew/painted as well, and even the occasional sculpture (albeit amateuristic) is mentioned. But music came first, as his family noticed him becoming increasingly good at the guitar.

A humble start

Cobain played in several small bands, with several line-ups, before founding Nirvana in 1987. He met bass player Krist Novoselic in high school, who was his closest friend at the time. There would be several drummers before Grohl definitively stepped in in 1990.

One could say that the Grunge music scene happened due to geography. Seattle and its outer towns (like Tacoma, Olympia and Aberdeen, which all figure in the story) were not often places that tours by national/international bands would visit. Thus, the Pacific Northwest was left to play to itself, which became the wellspring for a heavy, punk-infused rock sound.

A do-it-yourself attitude was also developed in the business of selling music, and Nirvana would release its first album on Sub Pop, a local underground label that would soon become one of the biggest things in the country. Nirvana's 'Bleach', released in 1989, got some minor success, but did not mean fame even remotely close to what would come next.

Fame and its discontents

'Nevermind', Nirvana's second 1991 release, would shake the world of music. It destroyed all trends in heavy music that dominated the 1980s, mostly the tropes of hair-metal; it was out with the guys in make-up and leather outfits, the party-all-day attitude, and in with a more introspective, 'real' form of music, where presentation became a bit of an afterthought.

Cobain became a voice of a generation, seemingly at odds with society at large, and struggling with himself too. Cobain actively sought fame, although he would deny this in interviews. Once he has it, it had its advantages and disadvantages; at the time of album-release, he lived in his car. Now, he could buy a house quite easily.

However, his private life was obliterated overnight as well, which meant that his now-started relationship with Courtney Love and his drug addiction became the stuff of tabloids, tv etc.

One ever-remaining point of light in his life would be the birth of a daughter, Frances, in 1992. Kurt adored her, but he would become increasingly more incapable of playing a role in her life due to his drug abuse. His heroin-addiction would start to spiral from 1992, where overdoses would become a regular occurrence. Addiction, depression and a stomach ailment which never really got solved led to his suicide on the 5th of april, 1994. Cobain was 27 years old at the time.

Towering legacy

In the introduction of the book, Cross remarks how the period between Nevermind's release and Cobain's death was less than 1000 days long. Between those dates, Cobain was the biggest name in rock (and perhaps overall) music in a large part of the world. I would argue that there has not been a rockstar since then that had as a big an impact as he did.

As to why that would be, I'm not sure. Some say the internet has made everything a niche. Some say that rock as a mainstream phenomenon has simply died. Though one could argue that Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl did very well for himself in this 21st century with his next band, the Foo Fighters.

The book delves in many complex issues along the way; the importance of family, and the troubles one has when this isn't there. The determination it took (and still takes) to 'make it' in music. How drugs, when abused, are able to distort and destroy lives. A view into Cobain's writing, lyrics etc. is often taken into account. Cross did hundreds of interviews to complete the story from all angles.

I can heartily recommend the book, which is still in print and available on, among other places, Amazon. I'll see you all in a next review,

-Pieter Nijmeijer

(Top image; self-made photo of book cover)

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Sheesh
This gave me the shivers. Not out of fear, but the dangers of bad parenting and broken homes.
I need to look him up too

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