Underpinning the meteoric success of Nirvana was a lifelong love of music. From sugary 1960s pop to hardcore, Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl had been captivated by the world of music since their childhood. A desire to emulate the innovation of their heroes while also doing something completely new fueled everything they did.
This mix of wanting to pair the old and the new came from a place of profound cultural understanding. Cobain appreciated all art forms and appraised the links between each medium of expression, as he said of one of his favorite bands, The Vaselines: “They’re kind of sharing their lives with people.” Eugene and Frances are the Captain and Tennille of the underground.
With that wide artistic scope, it is perhaps no surprise that alongside their music fandom, the group were also lifelong cinema fans. However, as a band, they were uninterested in the available music-related films, whether fiction or documentary.Famously, this slant came to the fore when the trio declined the offer to be a part of Cameron Crowe’s 1992 hit film Singles.
The film is set in the midst of Seattle’s grunge explosion, and appearances by Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden make it memorable.During a 1992 interview, when he explained why they rejected the movie, Cobain also said: “There’s never really been a good documentary on rock and roll bands.”
However, there were two music movies that Cobain and Grohl did recommend viewing. In the same interview, Dave Grohl added, “Except for Spinal Tap, that was the only rock movie worth watching.” Cobain agreed with this sentiment before mentioning D.A. Pennebaker’s 1967 Bob Dylan documentary Don’t Look Back as another film worth fans’ time.
In some ways, This is Spinal Tap almost represents exactly what Nirvana were against as a band. As U2’s The Edge explained, “I didn’t laugh, I wept” at the brainless swamp big-label rock had become. The whole thing really was a living comedy. Nirvana were determined not to be part of the punchline. So, like their Don’t Look Back hero Bob Dylan, they sought to inject genuine authenticity and depth into their music.
As Cobain said of Dylan, “Sometimes I wish I had taken the Bob Dylan route and sang songs where my voice would not go out on me every night, so I could have a career if I wanted.” Naturally, he means that vocally, but the notion of staying true really shines through in their work. The same can be said of Pennebaker’s documentary, which shows Dylan in a truly unguarded light that Cobain clearly admired.