The guitarist Kurt Cobain was desperate to replicate: “What more can I say?”
Looking back on the most groundbreaking and influential artists of the past 40 years, it is impossible to ignore the impact of Kurt Cobain. Alongside Nirvana, the songwriter helped to break Washington’s grassroots grunge scene into the musical mainstream, providing a voice for outcasts, misfits, and punk obsessives all across the globe. Throughout it all, though, Cobain was always indebted to his extensive record collection and the influence bestowed upon him by a litany of obscure grunge outfits.
After all, grunge began its life as an archetypal DIY music scene in Seattle, punctuated by tiny, no-budget shows and an endless array of young bands, most of whom never found the same mainstream success as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, or Mudhoney. Particularly during its early days, the grunge scene was heavily influenced by the world of punk and hardcore; Black Flag’s various visits to the Northwest during the early 1980s, for instance, were essential in influencing the likes of Steve Turner, who went on to found Green River and, later, Mudhoney.
Although Cobain certainly bore the marks of these influences, too, his tastes always seemed to lean further into the obscure and forgotten. Some notable highlights within his record collection included Scottish alt-rock duo The Vaselines, London post-punk pioneers The Raincoats, and the formative outsider artist, Daniel Johnston. The diversity of these influences was certainly felt within the output of Nirvana throughout their tenure. At the same time, however, Cobain maintained a healthy appreciation for the architects of the grunge revolution.
Namely, Cobain worshipped the Portland punk outfit Wipers, who first emerged during the peak of punk’s presence back in 1977 under the leadership of Greg Sage. A true DIY hero, Sage had been playing the guitar and cutting records since his teenage years, and the punk explosion of the mid-1970s seemed perfectly suited to his sensibilities.
Pioneering the use of harsh guitar distortion, along with tempo changes and intriguing rhythms that were alien to the rest of the punk scene, the abrasive sounds of Wipers were incredibly influential during that first age of punk in Portland. What’s more, Sage’s own independent label, Trap Records, was a haven for the local scene.
Cobain was a natural disciple of the Portland punks, particularly Sage’s staunch DIY ethos and resistance to the mainstream music industry. He wasn’t the only one, either. Speaking to Melody Maker, he once shared, “The first two [albums] were totally classic and influenced the Melvins and all the other punk rock bands.” In turn, Melvins were an unavoidable influence on the development of grunge, and they were always close to Cobain’s heart, too.
According to the Nirvana songwriter, he spent many months attempting to recreate the sounds of Wipers, hoping to capture their enigmatic energy and abrasive defiance. “They’re another band I tried to assimilate,” the songwriter admitted. Seemingly, though, it was Sage who Cobain really looked up to during his early days. “(He) was pretty much the romantic, quiet, visionary kind of guy,” he said. “What more can I say about them? They started Seattle grunge rock in Portland, 1977.”
Wipers might have kicked off the grunge revolution, albeit unknowingly, but it was Cobain and Nirvana who dragged the grassroots style kicking and screaming into the musical mainstream. Even during the band’s commercial peak, following Nevermind, there was still a little part of Kurt Cobain which was attempting to emulate the trailblazing genius of Greg Sage.
