Kurt Cobain's suicide 24 years ago.
Twenty-four years ago, Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain shocked the world with his suicide. It's well documented that Kurt struggled with the pressures of fame and expectations of being called the voice of a generation, but few would dispute that he was. His guitar, his songwriting, his public persona, and even his sudden death shifted the flow of popular culture. So how has the world changed since Kurt shook arenas and dorms with his own sound and raw emotions?
Kurt Cobain
Nirvana popularized the sound of Seattle known as grunge music and opens the door to alternative rock to reach a wider audience. Kurt's highly personal songwriting paved the way for more raw introspection in music and has influenced artists across a wide range of genres, from alternative metal band Linkin Park to pop-rockers Fall Out Boy to hip-hop MC Lil Wayne, all of whom have credited Kurt as a influence. With his punk education, Kurt never completely changed the machinations of the music industry. He even appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone in a t-shirt that says, “Corporate Magazines Still Suck.” The same year he died, Aerosmith ushered in a change by introducing the internet's first free downloadable track. The subsequent rise of file-sharing systems provided an outlet for bands of all stroke.
Kurt Cobain Nirvana
Kurt would undoubtedly have enjoyed the freedom to release tracks in his own excitement, as well as the opportunities offered to the lesser-known bands he had often hooked up. Rockers have long doubled as activists and Kurt's stance on societal issues was manifested by his calls for equality. His attitude is best summarized in the liner notes for Nirvana's compilation album Insecticide (1992): “If any of you hate homosexuals, people of different color, or women, please do so as a favor for us: Let us get the f Only ***! Don't come to our shows or buy our records.”
