When I’m not listening, watching or posting about music, I’m probably reading about it in a memoir or biography. Like this one:
Nirvana: The Amplifications
By Michael Azerrad
Everybody wants a do-over. It’s true in life. It’s true in rock. And it’s the driving force behind Nirvana: The Amplifications, veteran music scribe Michael Azerrad’s absorbing, admirable and deeply personal sequel to his acclaimed 1993 bio Come As You Are: The Story Of Nirvana.
The backstory: In 1992, after Azerrad penned a Rolling Stone cover story on Nirvana, Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love asked him to write a book about the band, saying they trusted him to “just tell the truth.” But Azerrad now believes he was something of a dupe / stooge / useful idiot. He thinks “Kurtney” actually saw him as a sympathetic, easily led novice who could help whitewash their reputation, counteracting media reports of drug use and neglectful parenting that threatened their custody of infant daughter Frances. And he admits he unknowingly did their bidding by being too trusting, failing to fact-check their claims due to a tight deadline — and even ignoring negative stories to stay on their good side.
Here, in a labour of love crafted with 20/20 hindsight and brutal honesty, he re-examines the whole sorry and sordid affair over the course of 320-plus pages. In addition to setting the record straight with the help of newer information and publications — coupled with his own recollections, self-recriminations and regrets — he uses the opportunity to complete his chronicle of Cobain’s tragic story (the original book was published before his 1994 suicide). As you would expect, Azerrad pulls no punches when it comes to his subject’s laundry list of lies, manipulations, contradictions and hypocrisy. But to his credit, he doesn’t try to deny (or even downplay) the man’s positive qualities, personal magnetism and musical genius either. And obviously, he doesn’t let himself off the hook for his role in the whole mess either.
So instead of some bitter, one-sided takedown from a disgruntled former friend, you actually end up with what might be the most fully rounded portrait of Kurt Cobain to date — written by someone who loved him despite his myriad failings and self-destructive nature. We should all be lucky enough to get a do-over like that. (Note: I reviewed the e-book, which concentrates on the new material; the print version — which weaves Azerrad’s new material in with the original text — is Nirvana: The Amplified Come As You Are, pictured below.)
Watch my interview with Michael Azerrad HERE.
