Kurt Cobain remembered in new book as April marks 25th anniversary of his death
NEW YORK (WABC) -- This month marks the 25th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's suicide. The singer, songwriter, and lead guitarist for the band Nirvana was just 27 years old.
In the years since, much has been written about him, but few knew him as well as Nirvana's former manager. Danny Goldberg is remembering Kurt Cobain in a new book, and he remains torn between the sadness of his friend's passing at such a young age and the joy of having known such a unique artist.
His music still resonates a quarter century after Cobain's death. On YouTube, Nirvana's video of the group's first big hit, "Smells Like Teen Spirit," has been viewed almost 900 million times!
"It has to do with the way he empathized with adolescent alienation and pain, the feeling of being an outsider," Goldberg said. "Somehow in his poetic lyrics, and the raw emotion in his voice just transcends time."
Goldberg signed on as Nirvana's manager just before the band broke through, and he remained friends with the front man until Cobain took his own life.
In his office, Danny points to a photo saying, "This is taken backstage after a show in LA about 6 months after 'Nevermind' came out."
Below that is a fax Cobain wrote by hand to another rocker.
"We are very lucky to know Danny Goldberg," it reads. "He is the most honest man in showbiz, and as long as we know him, we'll be in good hands."
Goldberg has collected his memories in a new book, "Serving The Servant," which takes its title from a Nirvana song that Cobain wrote.
The former manager said his charismatic pal "could be very dark at one moment and very sunny the next." He was a complex person who was hard to understand.
"You never knew which Kurt you were going to get on any given day ... There was definitely a part of him that no one else could see, including me," he said.
And, like other famous musicians before him, Cobain was a heroin addict. He hated being one, Goldberg said.
"He didn't want to be that stereotype, but he ultimately didn't find the pathway out of it. And, to care about somebody like that is to be frustrated."
In so many ways, Kurt Cobain was ahead of the curve. He embraced feminism and gay rights and brought that perspective into the macho world of rock and roll. He married a woman who became a star in her own right, Courtney Love, and he left music that has stood the test of time.
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