In his time, Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain raved about a host of different acts, ranging from the world of rock and punk to that of pop music. This varied sonic taste imbued his work with a substance that eclipsed most of their peers within grunge and broader 1990s rock. A multifaceted outfit despite the usual tag, there are many influences to be found in the trio’s work.
Let’s not fool ourselves; Kurt Cobain also hated a lot of music. When speaking in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, in 1993, he outlined what he believed is one of the “grossest periods of music”. Although he didn’t name anyone specifically, he said it was when metal and punk crossed over in the 1980s, which can only mean hair metal acts such as Mötley Crüe.
The Nirvana leader opined: “I think one of the most grossest periods of music in history is right around the mid-1980s when this crossover metal and punk rock thing started happening where it wasn’t cool to write songs that had melody anymore, it had to be total noise and aggression all the time, and I just got really sick of that.”
While Cobain could be cutting about the bands he hated, he was particularly effusive when it came to those he loved. In his time, Cobain mentioned various acts as his favourites, including The Wipers, The Vaselines and even influential outsider artist Daniel Johnston. However, there was another he had such great respect for that he categorically called them “the best band in the world”.
Cobain’s revelation came when the band spoke to Spaceshower TV at Reading Festival in 1991. When they were asked to shed more light on their forthcoming tour of Japan, bassist Krist Novoselic started by saying: “What’s about these drift nets? [Laughs] But we can’t talk… our countries are big bombers. Anyway, I dunno… Japan, good electronics! I’ve owned a Toyota for the past three years and put on about 30,000 trouble-free miles on it… Shonen Knife, Japanese band…”
After Novoselic mentioned the cult Japanese punk band, Cobain replied, “Shonen Knife?” Then, drummer Dave Grohl asked the interviewer if they’d heard of the trio. Following this enquiry, Cobain gave his definitive account of the Japanese group, simply saying: “Shonen Knife are the best band in the world… So if you’re in Japan and you get to see ’em, you should go see ’em!”
After the group echoed his sentiment, the frontman added: “Have you heard of Shonen Knife? They’re wonderful! You will hear of them soon. You will!” After reaffirming this by saying that the whole world will soon hear of them, Cobain concluded with a slightly sinister sentiment, “Beware of the Shonen Knife!” Notably, this was not the only time the Nirvana leader praised the punk trio; he included their 1983 debut album, Burning Farm, on his list of his 50 favourite albums of all time.
