Kurt Cobain once named his 20 favourite films of all time: “I was from a different planet”
Kurt Cobain will always be one of those immortal icons whose influence on art and culture never fades away. One of the pioneers of grunge, Cobain’s unique artistic sensibilities had an unprecedented impact on the frameworks of popular culture, and he succeeded in changing the landscape of music forever. Nirvana didn’t just stand for a new genre or a new sonic construction. Cobain and his group operated as a ladder out of the cultural cesspit millions of young people perceived was swallowing them up.
The 1980s had proved to be a mesh of money-grabbing hair metal bands who seemed to assume that the amount of drugs and dollar bills they could accrue on any tour was the true mark of success. Cobain, his band and more than a few contemporaries rallied against such a notion and sent shockwaves through both music and the broader cultural sphere.
The guitarist and singer became an icon for music and a beacon for creativity in the craft. However, Cobain had other passions aside from music as well. He was interested in cinema and appreciated a diverse range of cinematic gems, from celebrated classics by revered directors like Alfred Hitchcock to cult favourites such as John Waters’ Pink Flamingos and Alex Cox’s Sid and Nancy, among others.
When asked about it, Cobain even claimed he would want to be a painter, writer or filmmaker if his music career didn’t exist. However, with time, he became disillusioned with contemporary cinema. “I don’t know,” he mused. “I like movies. I used to like ’em a lot better when I was young. I can’t think of very many movies that I like. I’m usually disappointed by them.” It’s a viewpoint one might expect from perhaps the most sardonic man in music history.
While there isn’t a comprehensive list of Cobain’s cinematic favourites, fans have collected documents from various sources over the years. Look no further if you’re searching for a more extensive list detailing the late rockstar’s taste in cinema. We have compiled a selection of his 20 favourite works, which will help you understand his artistic vision a little better, and while the man himself can’t sadly verify them, they offer up a look at the corners of his cultural map.
It contains gems by directors like Steven Spielberg, whose film Close Encounters of the Third Kind was one of Cobain’s all-time favourites. While explaining his obsession with the film, the musician commented: “I always wanted to think that I was an alien.” Cobain spent a lot of his childhood feeling like an outsider, something he would bring into his musical lexicon and transfer into the world. But it would seem that he found comfort in the movie because of this.
He added: “I used to think when I was young that I was adopted by my mother because they found me and a spaceship let me off. I was from a different planet. I wanted to be from a different planet really bad. Every night, I used to talk to my real parents and my real family in the skies.”
Another one of Cobain’s favourites was Quentin Tarantino’s seminal directorial debut Reservoir Dogs which changed American independent cinema for good. Cobain was so moved by Reservoir Dogs that he cited the film in one of his works.
While talking about the acknowledgement, Tarantino said: “The Seattle grunge bands of the day loved Reservoir Dogs. Basically, it was a good tour bus movie… Pearl Jam loved the film. Nirvana loved the film. Kurt Cobain loved the movie so much that he thanked me on [In Utero].”
The impact of Cobain on music and life at large is hard to quantify and reconcile with. It’s difficult to assume that one man could make such a difference with a comparatively small discography. But what is perhaps even more difficult to comprehend is that, underneath it all, Cobain, the mythical leader of Gen X, was also just a guy who liked going to the movies.
Kurt Cobain’s 20 favourite films:
- Paris, Texas (Wim Wenders, 1984)
- Straight to Hell Returns (Alex Cox, 1987)
- Don’t Look Back (D.A. Pennebaker, 1967)
- Over the Edge (Jonathan Kaplan, 1979)
- Sid and Nancy (Alex Cox, 1986)
- This Is Spinal Tap (Rob Reiner, 1984)
- Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino, 1992)
- Rumble Fish (Francis Ford Coppola, 1983)
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Steven Spielberg, 1977)
- Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (Allan Arkush and Joe Dante, 1979)
- Children of the Damned (Anton Leader, 1964)
- Eraserhead (David Lynch, 1977)
- Pink Flamingos (John Waters, 1972)
- X: The Unheard Music (W.T. Morgan, 1986)
- Naked Lunch (David Cronenberg, 1991)
- Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954)
- Dante’s Inferno (Multiple directors, 1911)
- Heavy Metal (Gerald Potterton, 1981)
- Jacob’s Ladder (Adrian Lyne, 1990)
- Street of Crocodiles (Quay brothers, 1986)
