The good news? The new line of Kurt Cobain-inspired Converse sneakers is the first time the late singer’s estate has ever collaborated with a brand. Considering Cobain’s choice of footwear, it’s an appropriate one. The bad news? It’s not in the best of taste. The Nirvana front man was — very famously, in case you’ve forgotten — discovered dead while wearing a pair of Converse sneakers. At the time, the image of Cobain’s splayed feet came to represent the end not only of the singer, but also an era in American music and culture. Now that we fetishize these momentos and totems of rock ‘n’ roll become increasingly untethered from their original contexts (have you been to a Hard Rock Cafe lately?), not to mention musicians who use their celebrity as an opportunity to diversify into different fields to both hedge against their inevitable irrelevance and maximize their media exposure (where are the Kanye West sneakers, we’d like to know), such partnerships are absolutely run-of-the-mill. Thing is, you’d have to be a pretty depressing kid to own a pair of these suckers, we think. And if you’re an adult, clearly there’s a problem. For reference, see Jason Bateman’s character in Juno.

[Via Nirvana Club]


Tags: Kurt Cobain Nirvana Music

After several rumors and many delays, the upcoming Kurt Cobain biopic may have finally found its star. Scottish actor James McAvoy, who first caught Hollywood’s attention in the Oscar-winning Last King of Scotland, is the suspected frontrunner to play the reluctant voice of a generation. The film will be based on the Charles Cross biography Heavier Than Heaven, with Cobain’s widow Courtney Love producing and Troy (yes, that Troy) screenwriter David Benioff writing the script. Months ago, Love stated that the film would “of course be A-list and high-end.” We’re betting it’ll at least be better than that t.A.T.u. flick.

Is McAvoy a good match to play Cobain? Any thoughts on who should play modern day Yoko Courtney Love?


Tags: Nirvana Courtney Love [2] James McAvoy Music

Dead rock stars shilling shoes? That’s the idea behind Saatchi & Saatchi’s U.K. campaign, which features Kurt Cobain, Joey Ramone, Sid Vicious and Joe Strummer as they might appear in the afterlife, wearing Docs (Kurt had a preference for Converse One-Stars, but hey!, Photoshop is amazing). Said the campaign’s writer, Andrew Petch: “We wanted to communicate that Dr. Martens boots are ‘made to last, and we discovered that these idolized musicians wore them. Showing them still wearing their Docs in heaven dramatized the boots’ durability perfectly. And, as images, they feel very iconic." Wondering how such a thing is possible? The images are legally cleared for use in the U.K. Courtney Love’s not too pleased about it. Her rep told People that she "did not, and would not, approve of such a use of Kurt’s name and likeness." She did, however, license Cobain’s music to CSI: Miami. People in glass houses and all that. See the rest of the campaign after the jump.

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Tags: Courtney Love Kurt Cobain Nirvana Music

Nirvana was always threatening to go highbrow, and now Seattle’s Spectrum Dance Theater is taking them there. Called Nevermind, the theater’s new contemporary dance show debuts March 31st. Based on the 1991 record that changed everything forever, the production will feature the band’s music and dancers playing roles that represent Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love. The complicated choreography - how, exactly, do you block interpretive steps for addiction, being shredded by the press and suicide? - is by Donald Byrd, who has worked for Broadway (The Color Purple).

"It’s about how the sense of unconditional love, that someone loves you, is what makes the difference between life and death," he told The Seattle Times. Here’s the million-dollar question (literally): Does this show do more to honor Cobain’s memory than Courtney Love licensing Nirvana songs for use in CSI: Miami? Serious question, people. Think about it.

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Tags: Nirvana Music