Revisit Kurt Cobain’s final interview in April 1994
Kurt Cobain tragically passed away in 1994 after a lengthy spell of depression and drug dependency forced him to take his own life. Cobain always had a sense of humour about him, whether it was in his several sarcastic interviews or completely taking the piss out of live performance TV shows like Top of the Pops. Cobain’s final interview, however, was with Madhouse magazine in April 1994, and it makes for a fascinating read.
Just hours before his death, Cobain noted that he found a previous article published by the magazine hilarious, even though it was about his wife, Courtney Love. He said: “She was a little upset when you guys posted that article about her posing for Playboy and put up a picture of a street hooker. I thought it was funny.”
He then went on to express a distaste for Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam after asking Madhouse to write a humorous article about the singer. Asked if he likes Vedder, Cobain replied: “Not really. He may be an OK guy, but his band sucks. Well, sucks is a strong word. They are a pleasant band, with a couple of good songs, but mostly they sound like cheap Bad Company rip-offs.”
On a lighter note, Cobain said that he was enjoying being a husband and a father, even though he found Love to be somewhat irritating. “Life has never been better,” Cobain said. “I love being a husband and father. Little Frances is great. Courtney is a big pain in the arse, as you can imagine, but she is a tiger in the bedroom and a bear on the toilet. You know, it’s the small things in life. Money and fancy parties don’t make you happy; it’s the small things.”
Unbeknownst to Cobain, shortly after his death in 1994, his drummer, Dave Grohl, would become one of the best songwriters of his generation. However, Cobain couldn’t believe that Grohl would even think of singing. He said: “Dave Grohl, the drummer, has been bugging me to listen to his songs and let him sing. Can you imagine that!? A drummer writing songs and singing. I told him, ‘listen buddy boy, shut up and play yer drums. Leave the songwriting to me.'”
Cobain also ironically laid claim to the throne of the biggest drug taker of the 21st Century. He commented: “I come from the Keith Richards school of drugs. Not like these pansies of today. I OD’d like an hour before we were due to perform on SNL. I made the show and performed like a pro. I OD’d again in July but still managed to participate in a full day of press interviews and a live show. I am actually OD’ing right now.”
Evidently, Cobain was in a jovial and piss-taking mood during his final interview, which is good to see, but also quite crushing, considering he was just moments away from his death. Cobain was finally asked what he would be doing if he weren’t a rockstar, to which he replied, “I am a real good swimmer; I swim like a frog. I might have been a synchronized swimmer, or maybe I would have been an Olympic swimmer. Hey, it’s not too late; I might still do that.”
