On this day, February 20th 1967, Kurt Cobain was born in Aberdeen, Washington. As we all know, Kurt would go on to start the band Nirvana. And Nirvana, would spawn an entire movement and culture that would overtake the mainstream in 1991, creating a demand for underground music, that hadn't existed since the Sex Pistols reached stardom in the late 70's. No longer would rock bands who sang about muscle cars, woman and partying, like Motley Crue, Poison etc. dominate the airwaves, but now a new breed of unique, less polished rock, from tangible artists who looked more like their audience than they did rockstars. I still remember the shift that Nirvana's
Nevermind created in popular culture, which came shortly after the video for
Smells Like Teen Spirit was aired. The classic 80's movie jock, football star, muscle headed, alpha males were not cool anymore and the long haired scrawny, ripped jeans wearing, slackers were. For one year in middle school, I was "cool". It was a huge shift, the world was turned on its head. To be into sports was shunned, to be rich meant you were a douchebag, and I realized that my blue collar, guitar playing, flannel shirt, ripped jeans wearing father was cooler than I thought.
