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taylortummons's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
dustilane's review against another edition
5.0
I was born after Kurt had died. I couldn't see them live and I wasn't around to go buy the cds when they were released. And even with those facts... Nirvana is still one of my most respected bands. The lyrics, the sound, the iconic way they went against the norm. This book isn't a biography, which the author states. This is just the impact one man made on the world, ways which some of us may not even realize.
Awesome book. Highly recommend.
Awesome book. Highly recommend.
lexxluthor's review against another edition
4.0
It opened my eyes to why Kurt Cobain has such an effect on today's pop culture, and why he will continue to affect us. People who were growing up when Nirvana became popular are adults now, controlling the trends. People growing up now are discovering the music. Nirvana continues to captivate generations.
booksuperpower's review against another edition
4.0
Here We Are Now by Charles R. Cross is a 2014 Harper Collins publication. I was provided a copy of this book from the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
"When you wake up from your dream, that haunting red Line One button is still flashing, still waiting for you. And he's still gone"
It has been nearly twenty years since Kurt Cobain's death. With the group , Nirvana, about to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, it is fitting that this book takes us back to the time when music changed forever and how Kurt Cobain's influence is still pertinent today.
In the late 1980's the music industry was all about cheesy videos, hair metal, and synth pop music. When Nirvana broke through the underground music scene to take the music industry by storm, no one could have imagined what an incredible and long term influence the group, their music and their front man Kurt Cobain was have.
This book explores the beginning of "grunge" music , Kurt's sudden success and the impact it had on an already fragile personality. We study the impact on fashion- the flannel shirts and ripped up jeans, which Cobain never intended as a fashion statement, culminated with a six thousand dollar trench coat. The influence this style would have on Eddie Vedder ( Pearl Jam) and Layne Staley ( Alice in Chains) who mimicked Cobain's low key clothing choices.
Naturally, the drug addictions and the suicide had to be touched upon. Cobain was sensitive and had physical ailments and a predisposition to suicide. He had a hard time with fame . None of that is news, but you can't talk about Cobain and leave that out.
The main focus of this book is to remind us of the huge and long lasting effect that Cobain and Nirvana had on music, lifestyle, fashion and still holds a special place on the heart and minds of a generation. Fans, to this day, do not have a sense of humor about Cobain and do not like anyone using his image for something he never represented in any way. Take for example the Doc Martens ad that sparked such controversy. It's telling that people felt so very strongly about it.
The Last Rock Star?
The author speculates that Kurt Cobain was perhaps the last rock star. With you tube, MP3s, streaming, downloads all having an impact on the way people experience music, "Never Mind was one of the last albums that had such an enormous impact. Cobain was the last person that put a face and voice to a new generation. Since then, no one has come along that has made such ripple. I would have to agree with the author on this one.
I enjoyed reading the statistics the author pointed out about Never Mind, Nirvana, and Kurt Cobain. It was an eye opening observation for me. I didn't really jump into the grunge movement at the time it was so popular. I was married and raising two small children. Music in my house was tame and benign and it wasn't until my children started to listen to rock music that I really listened to Nirvana. Again, that is really telling. Kurt has been gone for some time by then and my son was really into this group and to this day is one of biggest Alice in Chains fans. It wasn't until I read this book that I really understood the impact Nirvana had on our culture.
I recommend this book to fans of Nirvana, and Kurt Cobain, but also to those that enjoy reading pop culture history, performance arts books and books about music in general.
"When you wake up from your dream, that haunting red Line One button is still flashing, still waiting for you. And he's still gone"
It has been nearly twenty years since Kurt Cobain's death. With the group , Nirvana, about to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, it is fitting that this book takes us back to the time when music changed forever and how Kurt Cobain's influence is still pertinent today.
In the late 1980's the music industry was all about cheesy videos, hair metal, and synth pop music. When Nirvana broke through the underground music scene to take the music industry by storm, no one could have imagined what an incredible and long term influence the group, their music and their front man Kurt Cobain was have.
This book explores the beginning of "grunge" music , Kurt's sudden success and the impact it had on an already fragile personality. We study the impact on fashion- the flannel shirts and ripped up jeans, which Cobain never intended as a fashion statement, culminated with a six thousand dollar trench coat. The influence this style would have on Eddie Vedder ( Pearl Jam) and Layne Staley ( Alice in Chains) who mimicked Cobain's low key clothing choices.
Naturally, the drug addictions and the suicide had to be touched upon. Cobain was sensitive and had physical ailments and a predisposition to suicide. He had a hard time with fame . None of that is news, but you can't talk about Cobain and leave that out.
The main focus of this book is to remind us of the huge and long lasting effect that Cobain and Nirvana had on music, lifestyle, fashion and still holds a special place on the heart and minds of a generation. Fans, to this day, do not have a sense of humor about Cobain and do not like anyone using his image for something he never represented in any way. Take for example the Doc Martens ad that sparked such controversy. It's telling that people felt so very strongly about it.
The Last Rock Star?
The author speculates that Kurt Cobain was perhaps the last rock star. With you tube, MP3s, streaming, downloads all having an impact on the way people experience music, "Never Mind was one of the last albums that had such an enormous impact. Cobain was the last person that put a face and voice to a new generation. Since then, no one has come along that has made such ripple. I would have to agree with the author on this one.
I enjoyed reading the statistics the author pointed out about Never Mind, Nirvana, and Kurt Cobain. It was an eye opening observation for me. I didn't really jump into the grunge movement at the time it was so popular. I was married and raising two small children. Music in my house was tame and benign and it wasn't until my children started to listen to rock music that I really listened to Nirvana. Again, that is really telling. Kurt has been gone for some time by then and my son was really into this group and to this day is one of biggest Alice in Chains fans. It wasn't until I read this book that I really understood the impact Nirvana had on our culture.
I recommend this book to fans of Nirvana, and Kurt Cobain, but also to those that enjoy reading pop culture history, performance arts books and books about music in general.
kristinmarta's review against another edition
3.0
This a slim book with chapters focusing on different aspects of Kurt Cobain's legacy, including: music/influence, grunge/culture, style/fashion, Aberdeen/Seattle, addiction/suicide. In the last chapter the author also posits that Cobain was the last rock star partly that he died at the beginning of major shifts in the music industry and in technology and the advent of the Internet.
I enjoy analyzing the impact of music, books, movies, TV, fashion and the people that create it. I'm a voracious consumer/lover of popular culture so maybe I'm just trying to legitimize or elevate the importance of it all. This book satisfied my curiosity but each chapter probably could have been its own book. This an overview, not a deep dive.
I enjoy analyzing the impact of music, books, movies, TV, fashion and the people that create it. I'm a voracious consumer/lover of popular culture so maybe I'm just trying to legitimize or elevate the importance of it all. This book satisfied my curiosity but each chapter probably could have been its own book. This an overview, not a deep dive.
denouements's review against another edition
4.0
A legacy of such irony. Fashion being one of them.
"Low-priced flannel shirts saw a boom, moving from the confines of army-navy surplus and outdoor hunting emporiums into trendy youth-oriented boutiques in the mall.
Many styles of jeans began to exhibit the “distressed look” as a premium finish, not a sign of age or wear. People paid extra to get jeans that looked like what Kurt had bought in a thrift store.
Not long after the Grunge look...“heroin chic” came into fashion advertising. Epitomized by model Kate Moss and an ad campaign launched by Calvin Klein in 1997, a series of advertisements made use of underweight models who appeared drug-addicted, with sunken cheeks and pale skin. In other words, the female Kurt Cobain, circa 1992.
Kurt Cobain['s]... thinness made him appear sexy in a society where skinniness was valued, but it was one of the greatest sources of shame for him. Because of his natural thinness, Kurt was accused of being a junkie for years before he became one. Kurt had Calvin Klein's heroin-chic look down, and it was part of what made him a fashion icon, but there was almost nothing about his life he felt more embarrassed about."
"There were three central factors that influenced what clothes Kurt wore, and that in turn would shape his particular fashion influence: the climate in western Washington, where he lived (wet and cold); his financial situation (dire); and his shame about being thin (large enough that he wore layers of clothes to try to mask his physique)."
"Low-priced flannel shirts saw a boom, moving from the confines of army-navy surplus and outdoor hunting emporiums into trendy youth-oriented boutiques in the mall.
Many styles of jeans began to exhibit the “distressed look” as a premium finish, not a sign of age or wear. People paid extra to get jeans that looked like what Kurt had bought in a thrift store.
Not long after the Grunge look...“heroin chic” came into fashion advertising. Epitomized by model Kate Moss and an ad campaign launched by Calvin Klein in 1997, a series of advertisements made use of underweight models who appeared drug-addicted, with sunken cheeks and pale skin. In other words, the female Kurt Cobain, circa 1992.
Kurt Cobain['s]... thinness made him appear sexy in a society where skinniness was valued, but it was one of the greatest sources of shame for him. Because of his natural thinness, Kurt was accused of being a junkie for years before he became one. Kurt had Calvin Klein's heroin-chic look down, and it was part of what made him a fashion icon, but there was almost nothing about his life he felt more embarrassed about."
"There were three central factors that influenced what clothes Kurt wore, and that in turn would shape his particular fashion influence: the climate in western Washington, where he lived (wet and cold); his financial situation (dire); and his shame about being thin (large enough that he wore layers of clothes to try to mask his physique)."
francomega's review
3.0
Cross, author of the definitive Cobain bio, looks back on the twenty years (!) since Cobain's death and the singer's impact on everything from music, obviously, and general culture to fashion, the cities of Aberdeen and Seattle, suicide and addiction treatment, and the people he left behind. Definitely a worthwhile read for fans, if for no other reason than it will make you break out In Utero again.
Nirvana hit at the right place, right time and because of the momumental changes in music consumption, we may not see an equal phenomenom again. Not only would Nirvana not have been "Nirvana" ten years later, but, as Cross points out, a lot of Kurt's influences were unadulterated pop: "Would that pop influence have soaked in if Kurt read Pitchfork and realized how unhip his then-favorite band was (the Knack)? Would Kurt have even written 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' if he'd searched the name on Google and realized he was writing an anthem to a teenage girl's deodorant?"
Timing...
Nirvana hit at the right place, right time and because of the momumental changes in music consumption, we may not see an equal phenomenom again. Not only would Nirvana not have been "Nirvana" ten years later, but, as Cross points out, a lot of Kurt's influences were unadulterated pop: "Would that pop influence have soaked in if Kurt read Pitchfork and realized how unhip his then-favorite band was (the Knack)? Would Kurt have even written 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' if he'd searched the name on Google and realized he was writing an anthem to a teenage girl's deodorant?"
Timing...
squidbag's review
4.0
Insightful and delivered from a first-person front row seat to most of the proceedings, Cross's book will make you miss Kurt, make you re-frame your opinions of Courtney, and maybe take down this stupid conspiracy theory once and for all. Most importantly, though, it does what it says on the tin; evaluates the lasting effects of Cobain's short life on music, fashion, pop culture, drugs (and how we deal with them) and suicide (and how we goddamn well deal with that). Short tand to the point, a solid and punchy book not about Kurt's life per se, but about his legacy.
jodiwilldare's review
2.0
I recently read Here We Are Now: The Lasting Impact of Kurt Cobain by Charles R. Cross (who helped write my much beloved Heart memoir). I sought the book out not only because the author had done so well with Heart, but because I was curious. I was seeking something that could explain why the legend of Cobain and Nirvana endures, while so many of their cohorts have been relegated to a 90s timepiece sort of how Duran Duran will forever be the 80s, nothing more, nothing less. read more.
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