We already brought you part one of our list of 15 things you probably didn’t know about Kurt Cobain, and now we’re back with part two! Check out eight more fascinating details about the ex-Nirvana frontman’s life that very few people know. You might be surprised by what you learn!
Number Eight: The Sign Entering His Hometown Says “Come As You Are.” Cobain was born and raised in Aberdeen, Washington. In 2005, the phrase “come as you are” was added to the welcome sign in the town. It was created by the Kurt Cobain Memorial Committee.
Number Seven: He Was Almost in the Navy. Cobain was notorious for doing poorly in school. In an effort to convince him to get his stuff together, Cobain’s dad had him meet with a recruitment officer. Cobain completed the recruitment process in 1984, but when the officer came to complete the process, Cobain decided to get stoned and walked out instead.
Number Six: He Recorded While Homeless. Cobain was able to successfully record Nevermind while he was homeless. He was forced to sleep in his car; meanwhile, Nevermind went on to sell two million copies.
Number Five: He Liked Al Yankovic’s Parody. Though Cobain was notorious for having a disdain for just about everything, he was a big fan of Weird Al Yankovic. When the parody artist called him to see if he could do a parody of “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Cobain agreed. Cobain apparently said that he thought Yankovic was a “musical genius.” He saw “Smells like Nirvana” as a sign that the band had officially made it in the big time.
Number Four: He Was Not a Fan of Stragglers. Rather then get excited about all of the attention he was getting, Cobain was not a fan of his fans who only liked him because his band was really popular. He said, “Most of the fans are people who don’t really know very much about underground music at all.”
Number Three: He Did Not Like Spending Money, But He Did Not Mind Earning It, Either. Though Cobain notoriously shunned a decadent lifestyle, he didn’t mind making money. by the time “Smells Like Teen Spirit” skyrocketed to popularity, Cobain argued with his band members that since he wrote the music and lyrics, he should get a 75/25 split of the money. His band members agreed after he threatened to disband Nirvana.
Number Two: He Had a Passion for R.E.M. Cobain liked the band R.E.M. so much that it’s rumored he was listening to them when he died. Just before his death, he was working on a project with Michael Stripe. It is rumored that R.E.M.’s album Automatic For The People was playing on a loop when Cobain’s body was found.
Number One: His Final Letter Was Written to His Imaginary Childhood Friend. The final letter Cobain wrote was addressed “Dear Boddah,” who was Cobain’s imaginary friend from childhood. Whenever Cobain got in trouble as a child, he would blame it on Boddah.