re: Grohl > Cobain

If Cobain was Happy-go-lucky guy, I'm guessing his lyrics and music would have been different.

Here's what I'll give to Grohl. He was a big part of a band that completely changed music for the better.

Inside joke. I thought you read that discussion.

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Here's what I'll give to Grohl. He was a big part of a band that completely changed music for the better.

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I remember hearing SLTS for the first time. I can tell you where I was. I pulled over. I called people. I bought the album. One of the most important songs of my life.

The rest? meh. I am not telling you what you should like. I am telling you that IMHO, Foo Fighters music as a whole destroys Nirvana...for me. It's not even close. If i made a best of from Nirvana, three of the songs would be covers. Two from Meat Puppets alone. I would not get past 10 songs.

mulatto, mosquito and libido in the same line. Genius!

Nirvana will always be icons not because they were super awesome musicians and songwriters, but because they debuted their sound at the exact right time. They got lucky. They were the Beatles of our generation, though not as long lived.

Which brings me to my next point. Nirvana wasn't that great. They were just lucky. Foo Fighters aren't great either.

So I guess this is a slug match between too overrated bands.

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Grohl > Cobain

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Isn't this obvious by now?

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The reason why so many pick Cobain is because of his death. People have such a high fascination with it. If Cobain were still alive today he wouldn't have close to the recognition he has now

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Which ignores the fact that Cobain worship precedes his death, not succeeds it. Cobain was already considered this gifted songwriter before he died. He was considered the "real" artist compared to Vedder, which was rather unfair. but that was a judgment made when he was alive, not made retroactively.

Cobain's a great songwriter because he wrotepunk songs that your 13 year old sister would like as well. He wrote great hooks.

Yes, his songs were incredibly simple. THAT'S THE POINT. This how guitarists ruin rock n roll, by mistaking complexity for something good. Cobain was a lot like Keith Richards in that he wrote fabulous, catchy, simple riffs that you get stuck in your head for days.

But Cobain's greatest strength as a songwriter was not just keeping things simple and catchy, but he was brilliant at repurposing previously created works. Rape Me is Smells Like Teen spirit backwards, which is a great commentary on his own fame and the single which spawned his career. The beginning of Terretorrial Pissings does more to mock the Baby Boomers than any other song, and he doesn't change a lyric. And, yes, his version of where Did You Sleep? totally owns Leadbelly's original. He made the song his own.

But I did appreciate the emotion joke. But Nirvana was a band that was pretty much an exposed nerve. And I'm also thrilled someone other than me brought up Mudhoney.

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If they are not, I can not imagine who is.

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Mudhoney.

Has anyone else read Kurt Cobain's journals? To quote Kurt, "My lyrics are a big pile of contradictions. They're split down the middle between very sincere opinions and feelings that I have and sarcastic and hopefully, humorous rebuttals towards cliche-bohemian ideals that have been exhausted for years. I mean, I like to be passionate and sincere, but I also like to have fun and act like a dork. Geeks unite."

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The reason why so many pick Cobain is because of his death.

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Most here siding with Kurt were probably Nirvana fans before he passed, so I disagree with this statement.

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I just want one person to point out exactly where cobain showed himself to be a great songwriter.

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Some of my favorite lyrics:

"I wish I was like you easily amused
Find my nest of salt, everything is my fault
I'll take all the blame, aqua sea-foam shame
Sunburn, freezer-burn, choking on the ashes of her enemy" - All Apologies

"With eyes so dilated
I've become your pupil
You've taught me everything
Without a poison apple
The water is so yellow
I'm a healthy student
Indebted and so grateful
Vacuum out the fluids" - Drain You

"Neither side is sacred
No one wants to win
Feeling so sedated
Think I’ll just give in
Taking medication
Till my stomach’s full
Neither side is sacred
Crawling in the hole" - Verse Chorus Verse