This is the story of Kurt Cobain, from his birth in Aberdeen on February 20th, 1967 up until his untimely death in Seattle 27 years later. Based on more than 20 years of personal interviews with Cobain’s predecessors, contemporaries and heirs of punk rock as told to Danish author and rock journalist Henrik Tuxen – who was also an active musician who toured throughout the European punk rock underground from 1984–1997.
In this new book, Tuxen invites you to listen in on some of his conversations with the biggest icons in music and explore the soul, the sound, the story and the relevance of Kurt Cobain 25 years later, alongside these giants of history.
Tuxen explores how rage and physical outbursts are central to understanding the concept of freedom in punk rock as well as how the spontaneous improvisation that emerges from the gut contributes as well. The self-assured, hardcore punk ethic of the United States in the 1980s goes hand in hand with the birth and concept of DIY culture. You will feel how Cobain made his spectacular breakthrough within this world and the way it speaks to the issues of the day.
“Punk rock is freedom” is a mantra which Kurt Cobain scribbled down repeatedly in his journals and often proclaimed in interviews. Originally bred on The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith and contemporary radio, he “saw the light and found his true home,” when his friend Buzz Osbourne of The Melvins introduced him to the world of punk rock in 1984. When he saw a Henry Rollins-fronted Black Flag playing live in Seattle at the age of 18, his path and destiny were sealed.
You will feel the rush of freedom in all of its forms that were explicitly expressed by Cobain. But he was far from the only one. The duality of punk rock and freedom runs like a red thread throughout the history of the genre, from 1969 up until the present. “For me punk is the free space,” Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat, Fugazi and Discord Records says in the excellent documentary Punk of this year (2019). As the executive producer of the documentary and godfather of the genre, Iggy Pop, opens up his latest album Free from 2019, he echos the same idea declaring “I wanna be free.”
Kurt Cobain called punk rock the true home for people from broken backgrounds. Punk rock at its core comes from the bottom, from the streets, the working class. From Michigan trailer parks in 1969 and underground clubs in NYC in the mid-70s, to East End London in 1977; from Washington DC, to run-down neighborhoods in L.A. and the underground of Seattle.
The liberating, colorful and flowery history of punk rock also reveals a number of recurring dilemmas and pitfalls. The most significant being the fatal abuse of drugs— mainly heroin—causing the deaths (whether it be suicide or overdose) of Sex Pistols’ Sid Vicious, Johnny Thunders from the New York Dolls, Darby Crash of The Germs, Andrew Wood from Mother Love Bone, obviously Kurt Cobain and more recently Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell.
Equally the core concept of freedom has tended to be bent to various degrees, and has frequently resulted in highly dogmatic and judgmental moral codes, leading to fierce internal fights. Condemnation and shaming: the DNA of the music police.
“All of a sudden it was like there was this rule book of punk rock, what the fuck is that?” is the fierce accusation of Keith Morris (Black Flag and Circle Jerks) in the Punk doc, followed by Josh Homme saying “If you’re free to do whatever you want, inside this box. Then you’re not free to do anything.”
Tuxen believes all of these aspects and dilemmas were crucial to Kurt Cobain. Tuxen believes that punk rock was a blessing and a curse for Cobain, and a key to understanding the power and the impact of his words, music and actions. As well as explaining how his life ended up so tragically and why he was struggling so hard with the success he both aspired to and detested.
The story of Kurt Cobain and the history of punk rock also deeply reflects Tuxen’s own personal history, beliefs and the choices and ideas of his own life. Kurt Cobain and Nirvana has been a strong force in him since he heard Smells Like Teen Spirit for the first time on MTV in 1991. It still continues to grab him today.
Tuxen believes Cobain was an early advocate for gender equality and demanding honesty and sincerity from art. Some of his art and the way he expressed it has a power which has survived the test of time, connecting with people across gender as well as across time and borders, which is especially important when you’re a young frustrated teenager dying to get a breath of air.
That is a huge part of Cobain’s legacy. Equally, the suicidal romance that has developed, praising his “Club 27” lifestyle, which Tuxen takes a strong stand against, and believes it does not equal authentic rock’n’roll. But again, a huge percentage of crucial art, expressions of anger, fear, doubt and rage, is created by artists living on the edge. One of many dilemmas and themes in the book.
The book is black & white bleed on cream paper, 16 chapters, approx. 310 pages + all your names printed inside.
The book is based on conversations with:
Conversations not quoted:
Since 1996, rock journalist Henrik Tuxen has penned nearly 100 cover stories for Denmark’s leading music magazine, Gaffa. Tuxen has a great amount of deep personal insight into everything about Seattle grunge and for 13 years he played bass in the band The Sharing Patrol with two guys from Seattle, basically the same age as Kurt and Nirvana. The band was based in Europe, but recorded an album in 1996 in Seattle, which involved many of Cobain’s peers. Tuxen has visited the city eight times, twice as recent as in 2018. Tuxen’s other books include:
Greg Bennetts is an editor, writer and musician in New York City. Having worked with Henrik on his previous book, Pearl Jam: The More You Need – The Less You Get, Greg jumped at the chance to help check, refine and smooth out the manuscript of Kurt Cobain: Punk Rock Is Freedom. While the music he plays these days tends more towards free improvisation and experimental electronics, punk rock is always a fundamental influence on his music. He still remembers the exact moment when a friend of his put him in front of a stereo to hear Nevermind for the first time.
The book is published by the Captain Kidd Books, an independent publishing house founded by Marie Rose Siff Hansen and based in Detroit (US). This book is the second publication in English with more books already in the works. Their first book in 2018 had 250 Kickstarter backers who helped to successfully launch: PEARL JAM The More You Need – The Less You Get. While the band never wanted to publish an official biography, they approved the release of this book; an in-depth and very personal alternative Pearl Jam biography.
The risks and challenges of publishing include the possibility of delay from the editor and layouter. But with your help and support, we are confident you will receive your copy of the US edition of this new book about Kurt Cobain early 2020. After pledging your support, please help to spread the word by sharing this project with a fellow Kurt Cobain fan. THANK YOU