The drummer Kurt Cobain said “blows away John Bonham”
In his time, Kurt Cobain made it clear that he was not the typical ‘rockstar’. Yet, undeniably, there were similarities between him and the prominent musicians he loathed. While living hard is the closest parallel, in a stardom sense, his influence has permeated culture since his emergence. Cobain’s tendency to be outspoken also evoked images of the loudmouths that grunge had in its crosshairs.
In contrast, when Cobain opened his mouth, it wouldn’t be to spout narcissistic bile like those of the classic rock and hair metal eras. Instead, it would be to spread the message of righteous causes such as anti-racism and anti-misogyny, take down acts that his punk ethos did not align with, which would stoke a feud with Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose, or otherwise, create surreal havoc for the mainstream media.
This meant that in his short time in the limelight, Cobain not only established himself as one of the most vital musicians of all time but as one who championed progressive causes and took rock back to what mattered: the music. He had no time for the glitzy trappings of the industry and simply wanted to write good songs, all the while spreading the gospel of the punk spirit.
That said, the impish frontman was also prone to making big statements every so often. This often left the media and fans baffled. All of this was done in the name of musical purity. He would occasionally provide an opinion that went so against the grain it distilled his nature as a true innovator who paid no mind to tradition or expectations.
Of course, after Nirvana burst onto the scene in late 1991 with their masterpiece Nevermind, and they dealt with being catapulted from a cult act in alternative circles to the hottest name in the major leagues, they started to change attitudes with their refreshing outlook. This also encompassed how they viewed the canon of rock music.
During a 1992 interview with Kurt St. Thomas, Cobain provided one of his hottest and most divisive takes, which seemed to go under the radar at the time, given how visible Nirvana were and the mass of media covering them. As the discussion turned to drummer Dave Grohl entering the fold in 1990 and his role in the band taking their operation up a gear, their frontman had some high praise for their incumbent rhythmic hero.
The wry Cobain opened his account with, “He’s the most well-adjusted boy I’ve ever met.” However, he then seriously analysed Grohl’s talent and even said he “blows away John Bonham”, the late Led Zeppelin pioneer the Nirvana drummer deems one of his ultimate influences.
Cobain explained: “He’s totally easy to get along with, everyone loves him, he plays drums better than any drummer I’ve ever heard. I mean he blows away Jon Bonham, if I had, If y’know if I had the choice of like, bringing Jon Bonham back to life, or to choose of any drummer of any band I could even think of, they wouldn’t be better than Dave.”
It wasn’t just Cobain who had strong praise for Grohl; bassist Krist Novoselic was quick to echo this point and dub him the backbone of the band.
It’s telling that the Nirvana leader had such great praise for Grohl so early on, with there still much to come over the band’s remaining two years. Remarkably, for the drummer, he was only getting started during this period. Foo Fighters and Songs for the Deaf were still years away from materialising, but those close to him knew the sky was the limit.
