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LillithFlair

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Sleepy City

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stonesrule
In the great history of rock/pop music think Cobain is a minor icon.
If you ask a hundred music fans of diverse ages many of them would barely know who he is. His brief list of songs doesn't qualify him for major attention.

It depends on the age group. I think most people aged 30-35 know who he is, but probably not many teenagers or people in their 50s.

I'm a Gen-Xer so I'm biased but plenty of teens know who Cobain and Nirvana is. I've found that arguing about musical preference is a bit like arguing about religion or politics. People feel very passionately about their favorites and take it personally if they are insulted and the whole thing just becomes a circular argument.

I loved Nirvana, Kurt wrote some moving and amazing songs, he was a bright and funny guy in his interviews and reinvigorated the music industry stuck in Hair Band Hell. His influence, especially among my generation was major. In my opinion a bit part of it is generational. Boomers have mostly contempt for Gen-Xers (and we often return the favor). They often talk about how much better, cooler, more influential their generation was. Well there were more of you and you come first, duh. And we got stuck with a lot of your messes. And that is a big part of what Nirvana and those other bands expressed. Remember they came to national prominence in 1992/1993 when a lot of us were getting out of college, and there was a nice big recession and not a lot of jobs for us. Hence the whole McJob's thing. But somehow instead we got labeled slackers, when most of the people I know my age worked and went to school plus were active in other things as well.

Not trying to convert anyone to my way of thinking or to debate. It matters not at all who does or doesn't like Kurt Cobian. But just to explain from the point of view of a fan and contemporary if you will. Hope this rambly post made sense.