danlyons76's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.25
readingrealgood's review against another edition
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
thepunktheory's review against another edition
5.0
So far I've read this book about 5 or 6 times. I really like it because it transports emotions so well. Sometimes it
feels like it's Kurt Cobain who's telling his own story and you completely forget that you are 'only' reading a book.You get inside on Kurt's life before Nirvana, you learn about everything that influenced him somehow, from his parents' divorce to the first time he heard about Punk Rock. How difficult his time at school was and how hard he was trying to start a band and keep it going. You also see how the fame changed everything for him, how much he was suffering, all the problems he was having.
Sounds a bit silly but this book touches you heart. It's so hard not to cry when you read the end and Kurt's letter. I think Michael Azzerad managed to capture Kurt's life, his thoughts and his feelings just perfectly.
Go ahead, read it :)
feels like it's Kurt Cobain who's telling his own story and you completely forget that you are 'only' reading a book.You get inside on Kurt's life before Nirvana, you learn about everything that influenced him somehow, from his parents' divorce to the first time he heard about Punk Rock. How difficult his time at school was and how hard he was trying to start a band and keep it going. You also see how the fame changed everything for him, how much he was suffering, all the problems he was having.
Sounds a bit silly but this book touches you heart. It's so hard not to cry when you read the end and Kurt's letter. I think Michael Azzerad managed to capture Kurt's life, his thoughts and his feelings just perfectly.
Go ahead, read it :)
whizalen's review against another edition
5.0
I've read this book so. many. times. the first probably the summer of 94 when I first bought it. Obviously one of the definitive stories/biographies of nirvana, I always thought Azerrad really bought the lie that Kurt wanted everyone to believe about his life.
Looking back on it now as an adult and having a much different perspective on Kurt, the image choice for the cover is really a stark look at the pathetic junkie Kurt was. Dave also looks amazingly young in that picture. And I feel like Chris is probably the best dude. I'd like to go bowling and drink pitchers of beers with him.
Fun to leaf through sitting on the john.
edit 06.17.2015
apparently 33/4 year old Tom really doesn't like Kurt Cobain too much as a person.
Looking back on it now as an adult and having a much different perspective on Kurt, the image choice for the cover is really a stark look at the pathetic junkie Kurt was. Dave also looks amazingly young in that picture. And I feel like Chris is probably the best dude. I'd like to go bowling and drink pitchers of beers with him.
Fun to leaf through sitting on the john.
edit 06.17.2015
apparently 33/4 year old Tom really doesn't like Kurt Cobain too much as a person.
lauramotta's review against another edition
4.0
Read this in light of Azerrad’s excellent New Yorker piece and it’s great. One thought — I listened to the audiobook and wish they’d just let Azerrad narrate it himself. (He does narrate the final chapter, but that’s it.) Instead, it’s narrated by Kurt Loder, who sounds like your grandfather narrating a civil war documentary.
udai's review against another edition
4.0
One of the most influential bands to ever hit mother earth is Nirvana. These three weird guys managed to come out of nowhere and dominate the music scene. This scene which became selective, commercial and anti-artistic at the time. Their album became number one even beating Michael Jackson proving that grunge, alternative and punk aren't just lousy tries to revive Rock which has been dead. Proving that Rock isn't about makeup and long hair and acting macho. Proving that rock is a way of expressing one's self, a way to communicate and "come together", a way to fight what's bothering us socially, politically and personally. They proved that people don't want the stupid pop songs that lack any meaning. They showed that the youth want music that can relate to, lyrics that they can sing along with and express their frustration with some situations.
I started listening to Nirvana in high school and it was an instant blow of the mind. The grunge-pop music had so much power, the poetic lyrics that take you to different places and make you feel related and concerned with what these guys are saying, and of course the heavenly made angel voice of Kurt that tickles the core of your sole. Ever since it's been a long and amazing love story. I listened to their songs all the time and my most played playlist consisted only of Nirvana. But in the last year I started to lose interest, was it just a fling?. But I started losing interest not only in the band but also in music in general, which is weird because I thought that music was my passion in life. I started to listen to random songs instead of specific artist "because there were no good bands but some few good songs".
This is where this book comes in – whof! Finally! I thought I'll never get to reviewing the book. I'm not going to say that it brought my passion for music to life, or it changed my view of the world or anything. But it did remind me why I liked this band so much in the first place, and it made me re-listen to all these songs and have these memories again.
This book was recommended to me by goodreads –thanks good reads! – and it was the right book to read about the band because it was written while Kurt was alive and with his approval. The writer seems to have gotten along very well with Kurt and all the band members and relatives and even Courtney!. So yeah he can't make any thing up since they read what he wrote before publishing it.
It portrayed the personality of each band member pretty well. Gave amazing insights on the life of the group. Had a lot of funny situations and of course occasional tears.
In the end of the book – not the final chapter because the final chapter was added after publishing the book – Kurt ends it with plans of the future and where he'll be in ten years which is just sad. The final chapter was a bit of a shock; I read this book knowing that it was published while Kurt was alive so I didn't see it coming and it really made me sad. I found the letter from his step uncle really heart breaking and the final fade away of the book was really poetic.
"Come as you are" was a song that Kurt wrote to someone encouraging the person to not change him/herself for him. It embraced the acceptance of other people no matter what. And I found it a really good choice for the book title because it showed the band members not as Gods or Devils it showed them as humans with their lovely flows. Great book about a really great band that I'll be stuck in their heart shaped box forever.
I started listening to Nirvana in high school and it was an instant blow of the mind. The grunge-pop music had so much power, the poetic lyrics that take you to different places and make you feel related and concerned with what these guys are saying, and of course the heavenly made angel voice of Kurt that tickles the core of your sole. Ever since it's been a long and amazing love story. I listened to their songs all the time and my most played playlist consisted only of Nirvana. But in the last year I started to lose interest, was it just a fling?. But I started losing interest not only in the band but also in music in general, which is weird because I thought that music was my passion in life. I started to listen to random songs instead of specific artist "because there were no good bands but some few good songs".
This is where this book comes in – whof! Finally! I thought I'll never get to reviewing the book. I'm not going to say that it brought my passion for music to life, or it changed my view of the world or anything. But it did remind me why I liked this band so much in the first place, and it made me re-listen to all these songs and have these memories again.
This book was recommended to me by goodreads –thanks good reads! – and it was the right book to read about the band because it was written while Kurt was alive and with his approval. The writer seems to have gotten along very well with Kurt and all the band members and relatives and even Courtney!. So yeah he can't make any thing up since they read what he wrote before publishing it.
It portrayed the personality of each band member pretty well. Gave amazing insights on the life of the group. Had a lot of funny situations and of course occasional tears.
In the end of the book – not the final chapter because the final chapter was added after publishing the book – Kurt ends it with plans of the future and where he'll be in ten years which is just sad. The final chapter was a bit of a shock; I read this book knowing that it was published while Kurt was alive so I didn't see it coming and it really made me sad. I found the letter from his step uncle really heart breaking and the final fade away of the book was really poetic.
"Come as you are" was a song that Kurt wrote to someone encouraging the person to not change him/herself for him. It embraced the acceptance of other people no matter what. And I found it a really good choice for the book title because it showed the band members not as Gods or Devils it showed them as humans with their lovely flows. Great book about a really great band that I'll be stuck in their heart shaped box forever.