This book can inspire a generation of very sad children.In Charles Cross' narrative, Kurt Cobain's life is tragic and amusing. A talented boy who grew into a tortured soul, somehow always incorporated gloominess as part of life.
That attitude inspired some music-making and obsession with art that celebrates grotesque forms, and ultimately cultivated a fear of being seen as a phony. Go-betweens like Cobain become insecure, fearful that success through mass appeal is both fortuitous and insipid, possessing a quality of being neither here nor there.
Cross presents more than the two-dimensional junkie people have come to know. There is a bit of fluff in here as well, but that is what makes it a compelling story.
With all the talk about how dark Nirvana is, the ferocity of Cobain's music is nothing to shout about, because death metal is probably a thousand times heavier. But they are dank, wallow in pity and yet very hummable.
Besides telling a coherent story about what made Cobain, well, Cobain, Heavier Than Heaven also speculates on the final moments of his life before he blew his head off with a shot gun sending fragments of his skull splattering all over the upholstery and walls.
Reads like Neil Gaiman in fact. Inspiring.
All modern music is nothing but
a footnote to The Beatles. Please read:
If you prefer dark fiction without
the real-life characters, do read:
the real-life characters, do read:
