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Seattle Film and Music Blog

KURT COBAIN HONORED WITH PATCH OF LAND

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One Thirty BPM
City Council in Aberdeen, Washington, had an atypical decision to make this week. Efforts to name a bridge where late Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain could be found sleeping in the height of his glory days were squashed; the council voted 10-1 against the proposal. Although titling the initial landmark was vetoed, his legacy still made the cut elsewhere in his small hometown. A petite patch of land in the Wishkah River, a location that inspired the title From The Muddy Banks Of Wishkah, is now named after the famed and troubled talent. Die-hard fans rejoice!

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SPIN CELEBRATES THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF NIRVANA’S NEVERMIND

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SPIN
It’s hard to believe that it’s been 20 years since Nirvana’s seminal album Nevermind was released, forever changing our musical landscape. The August issue of SPIN is a big love letter to Nevermind and gives a lengthy retrospective of how the album and the band affected both musicians and popular culture alike. It even explains Nirvana’s influence on the rap scene. Included online is a free download of a Nirvana tribute album curated by SPIN titled Newermind. It features covers from some of Kurt Cobains personal heroes like the Meat Puppets and the Vaselines, along with newer artists such as Titus Andronicus, Surfer Blood, Amanda Palmer, Seattle’s own Telekinesis, and many more.

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JIMI HENDRIX AND KURT COBAIN MEMORABILIA AUCTIONED OFF ONLINE

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The Seattle Times
The Gotta Have It! Rock & Roll Auction is auctioning off a collection of rare items from some of music’s most celebrated artists. Seattle-based rock legends Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain both have a slew of memorabilia up for sale. Hendrix’s guitar strap from the guitar he burned onstage at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival is currently going for $50,000; there are also authentic arrest documents from a visit to Sweden, signed photographs and ticket stubs, handbills and photo sets up for auction. One of Cobain’s smashed guitars from 1993 is on the block as well (for a cool $50,000), in addition to a Nirvana set list hand-annotated by the tragic frontman and original photos of the band.

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HARD ROCK CAFE SEATTLE: ROCK AMBASSADOR FOR THE CITY OF MUSIC

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Hard Rock Cafe Seattle
The Seattle Tour of Music
Seattle City of Music
In partnership with the Seattle Office of Film + Music and the Seattle Music Commission, the Hard Rock Cafe Seattle will serve as the City of Music’s Rock Ambassador. Now visitors can pick up a brochure at the Hard Rock Cafe Seattle’s Rock Shop that introduces some of the city’s top live music venues. Additionally, visitors can book The Seattle Tour of Music at the cafe. Hosted by White Moustache Urban Adventure Company, the two-hour tour takes guests through the streets of Seattle to see where legends created the music that made our city famous. Featured musicians include Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, Heart, Pearl Jam, Ray Charles, and more. At the end of the tour, guests will return to the Hard Rock Cafe Seattle and view memorabilia specific to the Seattle music scene. “We love that people who come to the Hard Rock Café will learn about Seattle’s history of music before going to see history in the making at our live-music venues,” said Mayor Mike McGinn. The City of Music Initiative was conceived in October 2008, its purpose being to honor Seattle’s rich music history, to celebrate its ongoing importance to the city’s economy and culture, and to further enhance Seattle’s renowned music culture. The initiative is led by the 21-member Seattle Music Commission and strives to grow Seattle as a city of musicians, live music, and music business by creating action that enhances the climate for the music industry. Click the links above to learn more about the Hard Rock Cafe, The Seattle Tour of Music, and the City of Music Initiative.

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CALLING FROM 1994: KURT COBAIN INTERVIEW

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Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone just came out with a book called The ‘90s: The Inside Stories from the Decade that Rocked, and you can find excerpts from the book on the website. Included in the book is an interview with Kurt Cobain shortly following a Nirvana show in Chicago, “the shittiest show on the tour.” Interviewer David Fricke speaks to the rocker about drugs, music and suicide in a disturbingly poignant interview, which took place a mere 3 months before Cobain’s own suicide. To read the piece, follow the link above. You can also read Rolling Stone’s take on EMP’s forthcoming Nirvana exhibition here.

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JESSE BERNSTEIN DOCUMENTARY “I AM SECRETLY AN IMPORTANT MAN”

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Real Change
Jesse Bernstein is often called the voice of grunge. His poetry inspired Kurt Cobain, he counted William S. Burroughs among his close friends and his words helped launch Sub Pop Records’ international acclaim. Now, 19 years after Bernstein’s suicide, filmmaker Peter Sillen is capturing that voice in a documentary called I am Secretly an Important Man. The fascinating film about a fascinating character is premiering on October 6 at 8 pm at the Moore Theatre, followed by a run at Northwest Film Forum from October 22-28. Be sure to follow the link above to read the full article about Bernstein.

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KURT: A PANEL DISCUSSION

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Seattle Art Museum
In conjunction with the Kurt Cobain exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum, a panel discussion will be held this evening to discuss the icon’s influence on contemporary American culture. This panel discussion features individuals who witnessed first-hand the evolution of the brand “grunge,” as well as artists and writers who have more recently explored this moment in Seattle’s history for artistic inspiration and cultural commentary. Panelists include artist Gretchen Bennett, music producer Steve Fisk, Director of Western Bridge Eric Fredericksen and others. The event will be moderated by EMP|SFM Senior Curator Jacob McMurray and takes place at Nordstrom Lecture Hall from 7:00-8:30pm. For more information about the event and how to purchase tickets, follow the link.

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SAM’S KURT COBAIN SHOW TRACES THE GLOBAL INFLUENCE WIELDED BY A NATIVE SON

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Seattle Times
Cobain died 16 years ago, in 1994, and Nirvana’s best-known album, “Nevermind,” was released in 1992, and yet, for many, Cobain remains a force to be reckoned with. Michael Darling, Seattle Art Museum’s curator of modern and contemporary art, recognized that Cobain is a potent symbol of the Northwest and began to identify visual artists, both locally and across the U.S. and the world, who continue to use Kurt “as a metaphor for other ideas, especially ideas about artistic struggle, trying to be authentic, trying to keep it real.” So Darling has organized an ambitious show, simply called “Kurt,” which explores the influence of this figure in contemporary art. After learning about so many works being made by artists in different places, curator Darling began to notice thematic threads that run through the work: freedom, longing, loss, desire and alienation. Check out the Kurt exhibit at the SAM now and read the full preview at the above link.

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KURT COBAIN BIOPIC IN THE WORKS

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The Hollywood Reporter
Universal is in negations with Oren Moverman (The Messenger) to write and direct a Kurt Cobain biopic. Material on the life, music and 1994 suicide of the Nirvana singer-songwriter will come at least partially from Charles R. Cross’ 2001 biography, Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain. Universal originally purchased the life rights of both Cobain and his widow, Courtney Love, who had already optioned the film rights to the Cross book. Love will serve also as an executive producer on the movie. To read the full article, follow the above link.

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SONIC YOUTH’S THURSTON MOORE WRITES TEXT FOR PHOTO BOOK ABOUT GRUNGE

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Pitchforkgrungebook
In a couple of years in the early 90s, grunge went from an exciting regional indie-punk scene to a word that you never, ever wanted to hear again. As the guy who helped get Nirvana signed to Geffen, Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore played a small but pivotal role in that transformation. Now, Moore has written the text for Grunge, a forthcoming book of photographs from Michael Lavine, due October 15 from Abrams Image. Lavine was one of Sub Pop Records’ house photographers. He took album art photos for Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Dwarves, Skin Yard, Screaming Trees, and many others, helping to shape, helping to shape the label’s stark aesthetic. Grunge will feature images of bands like Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Mudhoney, Beat Happening, and Boss Hog. For his part, Moore writes about the bands, the Seattle scene, and his friendship with Kurt Cobain. You can see a few photos from the book here.

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