The sometimes rocky relationship that Aberdeen has with its most famous son, Kurt Cobain, is explored in an article in this month’s issue of Sunset Magazine, a national publication that focuses on travel, cooking and gardening in the Western United States.
The piece is in the magazine’s travel section, and discusses Aberdeen’s recent attempts to incorporate Cobain and his legacy into a tourist attraction for fans of the late songwriter and his groundbreaking band, Nirvana, who catapulted to the top of the Billboard charts in the early ‘90s with their clever combination of heavy guitar riffs and catchy melodies.
Freelance writer Bill Donahue took a trip to Aberdeen in September, when the “Nirvana and Aberdeen” mural on the side of Moore’s Interiors was unveiled on Sept. 20. Donahue, who admits to being a Nirvana fan himself in his younger years, studies the relationship Aberdeen residents have with Cobain and his legacy.
He traveled to the Young Street Bridge memorial, while also mentioning last year’s first-ever Kurt Cobain Day and the “Come as you are” motto that was added to Aberdeen’s welcome sign on State Route 12 in 2005.
Although these new additions have lessened the visible discomfort between some residents and Cobain’s often misinterpreted legacy as “just another drug addict,” Donahue’s article makes clear that it wasn’t easy to get to this point. He mentions that when Randi Hubbard tried to display the sculpture she made of Cobain after committed suicide in 1994, the City Council turned down the offer. That statue is now in the Aberdeen Museum of History.
Even so, Donahue said everyone he talked to was happy to chat about Nirvana and Cobain, even if they weren’t fans.
“I think everybody in Aberdeen has an opinion about Kurt Cobain and they were happy to tell it to me even if it was negative,” he said.
Ultimately, though, the article is about reparations, rather than grudges. Donahue speaks of Aberdeen’s acceptance of Cobain as a form of forgiveness, a realization that the grunge rocker wasn’t much different than any other teenager navigating through the obstacles of young adulthood in the Pacific Northwest.
Donahue points out that Cobain almost always mentioned Aberdeen when giving interviews, and once told a friend how much he enjoyed the area’s natural landscape after taking a trip back to his hometown after being away for a while.
Kelly Peterson-Lalka of Grays Harbor Tourism said the connection to Cobain is something that helps, not hurts Aberdeen and the surrounding area.
“From a tourism perspective, we consider it a very positive relationship. We see a lot of return on investment anytime that we publicize something having to do with the legacy of Nirvana and Kurt Cobain. There’s a very dedicated following the music and to the history,” she said.
For Donahue, he hopes Aberdeen continues to build up efforts to remember Cobain and the way he transformed popular music. “I hope that there’s talk of a Kurt Cobain museum (in Aberdeen). I hope these things come to fruition. It seems that there’s great potential there and I think it would help the spirit of Aberdeen,” he said.
He also pointed out that remembering the famous front man has spawned inspiration, something that any artist, including Cobain, could be proud of.
“New forms of creativity are springing out of that love that Aberdeen feels for Cobain, most notably the mural. His creativity has engendered new creativity,” he said.
The story can be found in the January issue of Sunset.
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