These images from the new book Experiencing Nirvana: Grunge in Europe, 1989 tell the story of how the band nearly broke up in Rome just before the most crucial show of their career.
Kurt Cobain at the Piper Club in Rome, Nov. 27, 1989
Bruce Pavitt
The new book Experiencing Nirvana: Grunge in Europe, 1989 is a collection of the personal photographs of Sub Pop Records co-founder Bruce Pavitt as he traveled with the band – as well as fellow Seattle rockers Mudhoney and Tad – on an eight-day tour abroad. The set features some of the earliest existing photos of Nirvana in action, only months after the release of their debut album Bleach, and two years before the band went on to change the course of rock history with Nevermind.
"I was going through these photos with a friend of mine, and I really wanted to share them with the general public," Pavitt told BuzzFeed. "The more I went through them, the more I realized it wasn't just a ragtag collection of photos. It actually told a story, and I thought the story was really inspiring. It's the classic story of a young, struggling artist working outside the system, facing challenges, and ultimately succeeding. It's kind of a hero's journey."
Nirvana at the Piper Club, Rome, Nov. 27, 1989. "During 'Spank Thru,' Kurt smashed his only guitar, then climbed a tall stack of speakers and began motioning that he planned to jump," says Pavitt. "Fortunately, the security staff talked him down."
Bruce Pavitt
Kurt Cobain and Sub Pop co-founder Jonathan Poneman.
Bruce Pavitt
No comments:
Post a Comment