The Story of Nirvana

Magazine

Has there ever been a lyric that codified the entire attitude of a generation better than, “Here we are now—entertain us”? That line, delivered amidst a cavalcade of free-associative imagery in the chorus of Nirvana’s breakout single “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” managed to vividly invoke the energy of the then-emergent wave of American humanity that was first dubbed Generation X. The result was a massive counterpunch that challenged a multitude of establishment systems—and at the center of that accidental revolution was Nirvana, a trio from Seattle led by a charismatic agent of chaos named Kurt Cobain. Their reign was brief: Three proper albums over five years, with a sudden ending punctuated by Cobain’s suicide in 1994. But e...ven though Nirvana ended far too soon, their music remains the soundtrack of young people thirsty for something to call their own, and Cobain acted as a pied piper who opened eyes to new ideas, sounds, and possibilities. The significance of the band is still relevant to the listeners that responded all those years ago. Here we are now—still talking with reverence, about Nirvana. more