grunge: Last News

Kurt Cobain has gone on auction, described as “maybe the most expensive packet of cigarettes ever”.The variety of memorabilia is the latest of Cobain’s items to go on auction. It’s set to see various items owned and used by the late Nirvana vocalist and guitarist sold off to those who want to own a part of the grunge icon’s possessions.Among the latest round of items hitting the auction block at Julien’s auctions next week is a pack of cigarettes owned by the musician, which are predicted to become “the most expensive pack of cigarettes ever” when sold (via Associated Press).“American Spirit menthols were the preferred brand of the late rock star,” reads the official lot description of the item.

Raw Power to the hairstylist as a template. “An hour later I walked out with an embarrassing feathered shag, like the kind John Travolta had in Saturday Night Fever a few years later,” he writes.

Silverchair‘s Ben Gillies and Chris Joannou have opened up about the battles with drug addiction and mental health that existed within their band.In 2011, the Australian rock band split up and went into what they described as an “indefinite hibernation”, having formed in 1992.Speaking in a new interview with ABC Australiain which they reflected on their career, Joannou remembered that around fourth album ‘Diorama’, former frontman, guitarist and songwriter Daniel Johns – with whom they’ve had little contact with since the band broke up – began to take creative control.“Ben probably struggled with it the most,” Joannou said. “He might have felt that his friend didn’t trust his musical judgement anymore.

Nirvana merchandise and, needless to say, fans aren’t happy.The new selection comes under the brand’s new “Vintage” range and sees various Kurt Cobain-inspired t-shirts for sale, priced between $990 and $4,450 (£770 and £3,857). The most expensive of which is a faded black tee, which bears the artwork of their 1992 compilation album, ‘Incesticide’.While it is unsurprising that anything from Saint Laurent is going to have a much higher price point than any garments found on the high street – or in this case, the merch stands – it is important to note that the Nirvana t-shirts aren’t actually manufactured by the brand.Instead, each of the garments is an actual piece of Nirvana merchandise, which has been acquired and upsold by the fashion house.Highsnobiety discussed the range on Instagram and explained that while the price tags may seem shocking, some vintage merchandise is becoming more collectable and capable of fetching a lot of money.A post shared by HIGHSNOBIETY (@highsnobiety)“In Saint Laurent’s defense, some vintage T-shirts are worth their weight in gold,” the post read.

Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna has announced details of a new memoir, titled Rebel Girl: My Life As A Feminist Punk.Set for release in May next year via HarperCollins imprint Ecco, the book looks to discuss the emergence of the ’90s feminist punk movement, and detail the life and relationships of the artist.It also explores how Hanna became a founder of the Riot Grrrl movement and went on to inspire the likes of Kurt Cobain and Sonic Youth with her attitude and work as a musician, as well as her struggle with Lyme disease. Pre-order the book here.“In Rebel Girl, Hanna’s raw and insightful new memoir, she takes us from her tumultuous childhood home to her formative college years in Olympia, Washington, and on to her first years on tour, fighting hard for gigs and for her band,” reads the description.

Kurt Cobain has sold for just shy of $600,000 (£480,000) at auction.The instrument in question is a black Fender Stratocaster, which was reportedly broken by the frontman around the same time that Nirvana were releasing their now-iconic second album, ‘Nevermind’.Hosted by Julien’s Auctions, it sold on Saturday (May 20) at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City, and exceeded all expectations by reaching 10 times the expected value. Originally, the axe was thought to bring in between $60,000 and $80,000 at the event, namely due to the period the musician used it and the details it included on the body.Not only was the Stratocaster reportedly used by the musician around 1991, but it also features signatures from all three band members – Cobain, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic.

Courtney Love has shared some unpublished lyrics that Kurt Cobain wrote for Nirvana’s biggest hit ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’.The Hole frontwoman was taking part in Rob Harvilla’s podcast 60 Songs That Explain The ‘90s when she shared anecdotes about her relationship with Kurt Cobain, and some lyrics that the singer had written for Nirvana‘s most famous track.The episode in question was Harvilla’s first one back, following a three-month hiatus. Taking part as a guest for the episode, Love explained how she came to be a fan of the podcast, and provided fans with an insight into the Nirvana frontman’s writing process.Alongside numerous anecdotes — including how Cobain wrote his 1993 track ‘Dumb’ in just 20 minutes when the pair were in Amsterdam — Love also shared some of his unpublished lyric ideas, originally written for what would soon become ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’.“Some of these were in these journals, and some of them are unpublished,” she explains, proceeding to recite some lyrics.

Billy Corgan has recalled his reaction to the news of Kurt Cobain‘s death — explaining that it felt like he had lost his “greatest opponent”.The Smashing Pumpkins frontman discussed the impact Cobain and Nirvana had on his own success in a new interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1, and expressed how he missed the sense of competition he had with the grunge icons.Reflecting on the numerous influential rock groups of the ’90s, Corgan took a moment to speak on the late Nirvana frontman — explaining how his success challenged the Smashing Pumpkins to continuously improve.“When Kurt died, I cried because I lost my greatest opponent,” he told the host. “I want to beat the best.

Keanu Reeves‘ grunge band, Dogstar, are gearing up to release their first new music in 23 years.The band released two albums, 1996’s ‘Our Little Visionary’ and 2000’s ‘Happy Ending’, before calling it quits in 2002. Reeves played bass in the band and interest in them grew as his acting career began to take off.The band reunited last summer, as confirmed on a newly-created Instagram, and since then, they’ve been posting behind-the-scenes photos and video updates of their time in the studio.“Thank you everyone for the kind comments. We are overjoyed to see such a response,” the band wrote alongside a new promo photo.