Nirvana: The Biography
by Everett True
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Book Summary Information
Author: Everett TrueEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-03-13
ISBN: 0306815540
Number of pages: 656
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Book Reviews of Nirvana: The Biography
Book Review: An excellent addition to the Nirvana library
Summary: 5 Stars
Having read Thackray's previous book "Live Through This: American Rock Music in the Nineties," I was not sure what to expect with this book. "Live Through This" almost read like an open love letter to Courtney Love, and The Legend! seemed way too enamored with his own role in the story, so I was worried "Nirvana" would be the same. But that wasn't the case at all (or at least not nearly as much.) Perhaps enough time has passed for Thackray to look back with a more objective eye.
"Nirvana" is an excellent account of the band's rise and fall, and it is indispensable for anyone who wants the entire story. This book does not contain the entire story itself, mind you, but it contains a lot that is not in other books. It reads almost like an oral history of the band, with a lot of quotes from Seattle/Olympia/etc. insiders. I have seen and heard criticism of this book for focusing on Cobain too much, but I can't imagine writing a book on Nirvana that didn't focus on Cobain. While it seems that Grohl and Novoselic were "cooperative" with True according to his acknowledgements section, there aren't a lot of quotes from them in the book. I think if he could have interviewed the two of them extensively, he could have written the perfect Nirvana book. It's pretty cool to see extensive quotes from Channing and also some from Smear in this book though.
I would add this book to the top of the list of books every Nirvana fan must read, along with Azerrad's "Come As You Are" and Cross' "Heavier Than Heaven." If you have not done so, I would read the Azerrad book before the True book if you can. The True book references the Azerrad book fairly frequently. You won't be lost if you haven't read it or anything like that, but the Azerrad book is a good source for an introduction to the history of the band, and from my experience I think it is good to read True's account with the Azerrad framework already in place.
I really liked the Cross book and definitely recommend reading it, but I don't feel it is nearly as essential as the Azerrad book or this True book. Cross took a lot of artistic license, especially in his account of Cobain's last days which is almost entirely fictional considering that neither Cross nor anyone Cross cites was actually present for any of the events he writes about. Accordingly, Cross has to be taken with a big grain of salt. But then again, Everett True has to be taken with a pretty big grain himself. I guess the lesson is, as with anything else, you have to consider the source and the context with whatever you are reading...
Summary of Nirvana: The Biography
As the assistant editor ofMelody Maker, Everett True was the first journalist to cover the Seattle music scene in early 1989 and interview Nirvana. He is responsible for bringing Hole, Pavement, Soundgarden, and a host of other bands to international attention. He introduced Kurt Cobain to Courtney Love, performed on stage with Nirvana on numerous occasions, and famously pushed Kurt onto the stage of the Reading Festival in 1992 in a wheelchair.Nirvana: The Biographyis an honest, moving, incisive, and heartfelt re-evaluation of a band that has been misrepresented time and time again since its tragic demise in April 1994 following Kurt Cobain?s suicide. True captures what the band was really like. He also discusses the music scene of the time-the fellow bands, the scenes, the seminars, the countless live dates, the friends and allies and drug dealers. Drawn from hundreds of original interviews,Nirvana: The Biographyis the final word on Nirvana, Cobain, and Seattle grunge.
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