Listen To Kurt Cobain’s Haunting Interview About Alienation & Identity

As part of their Blank on Blank digital series, PBS released this "lost" interview that Kurt Cobain did with music journalist Jon Savage on July 22, 1993. Listen to the haunting interview as Cobain talks about alienation and identity. 

To no surprise when Kurt was asked if he had problems in high school, he said yes:

"Yeah. You know, I just felt so different and so crazy that people just left me alone. I always felt that they would vote me most likely to kill everyone at a high school dance, you know?"

 

He describes his parents divorce as a significant life changing experience:

"I had a really good childhood until the divorce, and all of a sudden my whole world changed. I couldn't face some of my friends at school. I desperately wanted to have the classic typical family. Mother/father."

 

Cobain says he hung out with girls because he couldn't find any male friends that he was compatible with. He says that he felt they were oppressed, and sexism was a big problem. He even realized it in the music he listened to like Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin. When he was introduced to punk rock is when it all made sense to him.

"And I was just starting to realize what was pissing me off so much. Those last couple of years of high school, and then punk rock was exposed and it all came together it just fit together like a puzzle...it was the anger that I felt. The alienation."

 

Kurt's stomach problems were something that was pretty well publicized. He mentions this in explaining how he sings, and why he has that pain.

"Most of the time I sing right from my stomach. Where my stomach pain is. Doctors, every time I've had an endoscope they find a red irritation that's all from anger and screaming."

 

Scoliosis caused him pain as well. But, at this point in time, he looked on the bright side of it.

"I'm always in pain too, and that really adds to the anger in our music. I'm kind of grateful for it in a way."

 

One thing in this interview that is a sad look into the death of Cobain is how happy he says he is with his marriage and child being born, and the state of their family.

Listen to the whole interview here: