Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana by Michael Azerrad
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Book Reviews of Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana
Book Review: A captivating tale of Kurt Cobain...
Summary: 5 Stars
I read this book, Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana, awhile ago, and reread it again because of my enjoyment of it the first time, and it didn't let me down the second time around. The book kept my interest and gave me a new perspective on a few parts of Nirvana and Kurt. I have read other books, such as "Who Killed Kurt Cobain?" and "Kurt Cobain" and a few other shorter biographies and compiled books. I know a great amount about our legeng, Kurt Donald Cobain, and yet I still love reading his biographies over and over, especially Come As You Are. CAYA takes you through Kurt's life, starting with Day 1. It leads you right through about 1993, very early 1994, and the new editions have an after-chapter about his death, although not nearly as much about the ending as we would have liked. A good thing about the book is the quotes. The biographer wrote the book based on a series of many interviews with Kurt, so Kurt says a lot. A possibilty of biasism is because of one theory. A bad review was written about Kurt and Courtney in Vanity Fair magazine, leading to trials about custody and having their new baby, Frances Bean, taken temporarily away from them, and making them turn in weekly urine tests. Kurt wanted to quickly create a "good, nice" buzz about him so the aftermath of the article would vanish. They wanted to protect Courtney's name, so they hired a biographer. The book may try to make Courtney seem better than she is. Read "Who Killed Kurt Cobain?" afterwards and compare the Courtney in each book. For new Kurt fans, or un-Kurt-ly-educated fans, I would suggest this book, it is simple to read and extremely captivating.Book Review: The most complete Nirvana/Cobain book out there....
Summary: 5 Stars
Nirvana was a great band. This book is almost as good as the band itself. It is literally perfect when it comes to Nirvana.Now, recently, another Kurt Cobain biography was released, "Heavier Than Heaven", by Charles R. Cross. While the book is good, it was written after Kurt's death, and most of the people paint a negative portrait of him, which is unfair, since Kurt cannot speak for himself. Also, most of that book seems to be the "Courtney Love is a wonderful person" story, as the author time and time again paints a wonderful picture of her. Is it any coincidence that Courtney was one of the main people interviewed for the book? Hmmmm......
With that aside, here is why, if you seek information on Kurt and Nirvana, that you should read this book and not "Heavier Than Heaven." It's real simple. It was written with Kurt. Whereas HTH was written with people who knew Kurt (who could make him any type of person they wanted to) CAYA is written with interviews with the man himself. That alone makes this the Ultimate Nirvana/Cobain book.
Aside from that, the book is very thorough and leaves few details out. It's probably the best bio on a musical group I've ever read. Intimate, up front, and candid. You can't ask for much more than that.
So, to sum it all up, if you're looking for a biography on Kurt Cobain, this is the book. If you're looking for information on Nirvana, this is the book. If you're simply looking for a good book to read, THIS IS THE BOOK!
I don't think I can recommend it any more than I have already.
Book Review: Required reading for all Gen Xers.
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is required reading for all Generation Xers. Nirvana was the band that, to use a cliche, changed the world. And not only the music world, but the world in general. All the music that exists up to the present day is classified as pre-Nirvana or post-Nirvana. And there is one inescapable fact: Nirvana either made or broke all the bands of their time.As far as Nirvana changing the world, they gave voice to Generation X. They forced the world to see, through Cobain's anguished wails, that Gen Xers weren't the reviled group the baby boomers and older generations had made them out to be. Gen Xers were, and still are, vicitms of circumstance. They were born in the wrong time and entered adulthood and the workplace just in time to watch the recession, AIDS, and a host of other wrongs sweep away from them the lives and the careers for which they had so ardently prepared themselves.
This book is keen and unapologetic; even the final chapter, added after Cobain's death, is not an exercise in sympathy. It merely caps the life of a world-changing musical group and its unforgettable leader. We can all learn something from Kurt Cobain: he was a man of integrity who created what he thought good music should sound like, caring little for the notions of conventional wisdom. He remained true to himself, and because of that the world will remember him forever.
Readers will delight in the variety of pictures and graphics scattered throughout the book and at the clever chapter titles. This is a book about the band and the person who gave voice to Gen X.
Book Review: "about a band"
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is buy the far the best book of Nirvana you can find. From starting out in Aberdeen Washington to the being the greatest band ever. Michael Azerrad (author) tells the true story of Nirvana through interviews, photos, and early lyrics sheets. The band themselves (even Kurt) read this book and liked it so that's how you can tell these facts are real. First Azerrad talks about the early day with Aaron Burckhard, Dan Peters, Chad Channing, Dale Crover, and then eventually Dave Grohl. He also talks about the difficult process it took to record Nevermind and In Utero. Through Kurt meeting Courtney, Krist meeting Shelli, to Dave meeting Kurt and Krist. This book got everything you need to know about Nirvana. This book now includes a new chapter about Kurt's death and where the book left off. The beauty of this book is that Michael didn't get this information from Courtney so you know that all of this is true. All the information is through interviews and the people who were really there. This book is the book you need for Nirvana. This book is better from Charles Cross's "heavier than heaven", or "Nirvana: the day-by-day eyewitness chronicle" by Carrie Borzillo. I haven't read the new book "The Chosen Rejects" by Troy Smith and Kurt Thomas, but I still know this book is way better than any of those books. For any Nirvana fan, you will not be disappointed.Book Review: EXTREMELY informative and well-written, with one hitch.
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is most definately the best Nirvana book I have come across in my career as a grunge-hungry Kurtomaniac, and it is owed to the fact that it was written before Kurt Cobain's tragic death in 1994. Because of that, instead of the usual dark, "Why oh why!" fare that prevails in most all Nirvanagrophies, you get a bright, energetic account of Nirvana as they really were. Unfortunately, this book is the only biography authorized by Nirvana, and was done by a man who tends to flatter Courtney Love a little too much. This is mainly because the author was a friend of the band's, and felt an obligation to protect Ms. Love's name. On top of that, there are many intimate details in the book that many of us would not care to know, such as the personal escapades between Courtney and Kurt. You know what I mean, but I really do not have any desire to know when and where they... Well, back to the review. Yes, If you only buy a single Nirvana book, buy this one. It may deem Courtney Love a "fiercly intelligent, witty woman with great charisma and pathos", but what the heck? It is an amazing book nonetheless.