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SUPPORT ME ON PATREON\n\nWATCH MUSIC is not a GENRE VIDEOS and MORE\n\nFEATURED SONG: NICK \u2013 \u201cWater Baby\u201d (from Your EP)\xa0\n\nI\u2019ve been putting this off since the very first volume of Death is DUMB. For several reasons. It\u2019s confusing & painful. It feels too much like 1994 and yet totally not. It\u2019s laden with commentary & assumptions & prejudices. It\u2019s like what I said about Eminem\u2019s \u201ccontroversy\u201d \u2013 what possible new spin or bit of insight could I provide that would justify a whole episode? But I can\u2019t do a sub-series on major deaths in music and not include this band. That\u2019s just plain cowardice, and abdication of responsibility that should strip me of any claim to being a good music podcaster.\n\nSo fuck it. Time to reopen the old wound and spill my guts.\n\nLet\u2019s get one thing out of the way first. This is not about grunge. Death in music is everywhere, and while several grunge-related deaths have been high profile, they\u2019re no more numerous than in other kinds of music. This is about amazing music, nostalgia in its truest form (\u201cthe pain of returning\u201d), and what it all means to me. It doesn\u2019t have to be for or about anyone or anything else. No lengthy history or patchwork biography \u2013 you can find those anywhere. No rehashing old arguments or trying to come up with whys and what-ifs.\n\nIn fact, this isn\u2019t even going to be negative. Yes, death is fucking dumb whether it\u2019s self-inflicted or not, and it became a big part of Nirvana\u2019s story. But before that, the music was the story. And the more time passes, the more the story is overtaken by the music. As it should be.\n\nThe Monkees. REM. The Beatles. The Smithereens. The Pixies. Punk. Heavy metal. Pop. Harsh dynamics that often obscure the subtle intricacies and songwriting genius. The contrast of expressing the softest vulnerabilities with the loudest shouts. Nirvana did for a generation of musicians & music lovers what those other bands did for Kurt Cobain. They reminded us that in music \u2013 and in all art \u2013 there\u2019s no such thing as \u201callowed\u201d. We might seek permission by example, like Cobain did with the Pixies, but that\u2019s us battling within ourselves. The world can fuck off. As soon as you embrace that, what comes out of you is ALL YOU, ALL REAL, and ALL NEW, regardless of what came before.\n\nWere Nirvana grunge? Sure, okay. But at heart (and heart-shaped heartbreak), and as I believe they will be seen historically, they were power pop. Beautifully conceived & written pop songs, executed with primal & unopposable force. Freedom within form. Deeply conscientious creation infused with fuck-all abandon. Far too few artists \u2013 far too few people in general life \u2013 figure this out. We lean into structure & stricture, or we throw ourselves into self-centered self-destruction. We miss that sweet spot \u2013 that perfect state of giving ourselves over fully to our inner truth while still respecting forms, functions & relationships. We miss that nirvana.\n\nNo album of mine captures what Nirvana meant to me better than Your EP. Every song except one was a love letter to them. Soft & bitter. Hard & open. Especially \u201cYour Sweetness\u201d and this week\u2019s featured song:\n\nNICK \u2013 \u201cWater Baby\u201d (from Your EP)\xa0\n\nWhat\u2019s your relationship with Nirvana? What are your thoughts/feelings/memories on Cobain & his untimely death? Can you enjoy the music despite this? Do you hear the unabashed (or I guess severely bashed) pop music in their songs? What other bands do you feel expressed the beautiful heartbreak of existence? Discuss dammit!\n\n\n--- \n\nThis episode is sponsored by \n\xb7 Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app\n\nSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/musicisnotagenre/support\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices