By 1991, Nirvana was just about ready to break into major commercial success. They played Reading Festival that August, just a month before Nevermind came out and catapulted them to the top of the charts. Speaking to MTV News at the festival, Kurt Cobain claimed Nirvana would become a household name “in no time.”
Of course, there’s an obvious air of sarcasm and even mocking in his tone as he suffers through a journalist asking about the meaning behind the band’s name. How many times did he get that question? Clearly way too many, if his disheveled look of dismissal is anything to go by.
The MTV reporter started by recalling the meaning of the word “Nirvana.” He said, “‘Nirvana’ means freedom from pain and—.” But before he could finish, Cobain finished for him, saying, “and pain and the external world. That’s just the Webster’s Dictionary,” Cobain added with obvious disdain. “That’s just straight out of the Webster’s Dictionary.”
Kurt Cobain Had Sarcastic Quips at the Ready When Asked About the Meaning of Nirvana as a Band Name
The MTV reporter would not be deterred, however. Perhaps it’s easier to struggle through difficult interviews when your job depends on it, but there aren’t many people who would persevere if Kurt Cobain sighed with obvious annoyance in the middle of their question.
“You said, as far as you could tell,” the reporter continued, “That’s what punk means to you. So it’s the perfect name.”
With a sarcastically ponderous expression, Cobain replied, “Yeah.” To which the reporter asked, “That’s not why you chose the name then?” Cobain replied with a shrug, “Now I remember. Yeah, that’s why. Sure.”
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“I don’t want to harp on the name,” the reporter said, apparently gaining a moment of clarity from Cobain’s disinterested reactions. “Yeah, it doesn’t matter,” Cobain said. “It’ll be a household word in no time.”
While he was clearly being sarcastic, obviously fed up with asinine questions, Nirvana did actually go on to become a household word. And, really, in no time, too. After Nirvana played to roughly 35,000 people at Reading, they released Nevermind, which sent them into the stratosphere. From there, for better and worse, we know how the story goes.
The post Kurt Cobain Accidentally Predicted Nirvana Becoming a ‘Household’ Name, but He Was Just Being Sarcastic appeared first on VICE.
