Given the stuff I post here at Insomnia it’s not surprising that my social media feeds and suggestions on November 27 were full of notices about Jimi Hendrix’ birthday on that day in 1942. What was surprising is that I was also alerted to lots of notices about Bruce Lee’s birthday on the same day in 1940. I had no idea these two heroes shared that special day, and a bit more snooping revealed that they both attended the same high school in Seattle. Jimi and Bruce combine to represent the perfect embodiment of the characteristics that we’ve been talking about on the Art Fight Club podcast: the fight to make great art and the great art that can inform fighting. Both were revolutionary innovators who defied artistic traditions and racial barriers to become bold and vibrant pioneers who continue to inspire and motivate artists and warriors across a spectra of disciplines.

Happy birthday, boys!

Here’s a fun fan video that rather remarkably highlights the parallels between their two paths…

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As we continue to remember Kurt Cobain 20 years after his suicide, let’s take this opportunity to look back even further to the beginnings of what was to become “grunge.” While bands like Green River, Melvins and Mudhoney all had music released by 1988, their mixing of punk and metal mostly set the scene for grunge’s mainstream success.

While 1991 has become dubiously known as “the year punk broke” because of the success of Nirvana’s Nevermind, it’s 1989 that I find most interesting. We generally think of grunge as a ’1990′s phenomenon, but its roots dig back into the middle 1980′s and that decade’s last year looks like the high water point before the damn burst.

Let me explain…

Mudhoney’s self-titled 1989 debut album is considered disappointing in light of the singles and EP’s that came before it, but it marks a milestone in grunge music: Mudhoney boasted members from both Green River and the Melvins, tying them back to the very beginnings of the Seattle sound, and Kurt Cobain acknowledged them as a major influence on Nirvana. In 1989 Mudhoney was straddling the first and second waves of grunge in a manner that makes their debut album seem much more important 25 years on.

Soundgarden’s Louder than Love came on the heels of their definitive debut LP, Ultramega OK. Louder was the band’s major label debut and the record most fans heard first as the band screamed toward mainstream success.

Mother Love Bone’s first release was the 1989 EP, Shine. While the story of the band’s tragic lead singer, Andrew Wood, has earned MLB a place in grunge history, his overdose death cut short the band’s musical impact. However, MLB’s Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament (who both traced their roots to Green River) would quickly go on to form two successful projects out of MLB’s ashes: Temple of the Dog and Pearl Jam.

Nirvana’s debut album, Bleach was released in 1989.

These albums aren’t necessarily my favorite grunge records. In fact, one can argue that the genre hasn’t held up particularly well. That said, grunge was a wide cultural phenomenon — one that happened to have a great soundtrack. The music still speaks to a particular time in our collective history and it always will. 1989 is the year when it all comes together for the Seattle sound. That’s the tipping point.

Stay Awake!

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There’s a fine line between the truth and a good story when it comes to celebrities. And when it comes to the death of a celebrity like Kurt Cobain, there is a fine line between the findings of the police investigation that ruled his demise a suicide and the conspiracy theories that insist the singer was the victim of a murder.

This week that line got even thinner as stories about police in Seattle re-opening their investigation into Cobain’s death began to appear and new, never-before-seen photographs of the scene where the singer’s body was discovered hit the internet. Here’s the story via COS…

Now, 20 years later, Seattle police have found new evidence, prompting them to re-open the case. Reportedly, four rolls of 35 mm film had been sitting for years in the department’s evidence vault. Last month, the film was processed by King County Sheriff’s Office photo lab “under high security”. Police told KIRO that the film more clearly shows Cobain’s death scene than earlier photos taken by investigators. Why the photographs are only being developed now is unclear.

KIRO has reportedly obtained one of these photographs, which it will show during its broadcast tonight. Additional details regarding the investigation are also expected to be shared during the telecast.

Police plan to release the photographs and will answer questions on the anniversary of Cobain’s death next month.

Technically speaking, the new photos constitute a re-examining of the case, but not an official re-opening. Here are two of the newly-discovered photos…

Kurt Cobain’s heroin kit

Cobain’s belongings at the scene of his death

It’s unlikely that questions about Cobain’s death will really ever abate, after all, folks are still claiming that Elvis is alive and well. For me, the circumstances of the singer’s death aren’t as interesting as the culture surrounding those who continue to question the findings of police and coroners. Conspiracy theories aren’t necessarily as interesting in and of themselves as they are as part of a storytelling, myth-making culture that insists that things simply aren’t as they may so plainly seem.

When it comes to Cobain’s death, the queen mother conspiracy theory is supplied by Nick Broomfield’s documentary Kurt and Courtney. Watch it for yourself and see what all the fuss is about.

Stay Awake!

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