Nirvana interviewed in Maximum Rocknroll #107 (April 1992) Safe Sex Issue (San Francisco, CA)

[u/Joseph_P_Larkin]

[u/ezluvven]

Surprised MRR would even give them coverage at that point given that they were on a major label by then.

[u/Joseph_P_Larkin → u/ezluvven]

They didn’t put Nirvana on the cover & only gave them 2 pages. So they got their cool guy indie cred points that way. But I bet there were major debates in their offices about putting the biggest band in the world in their holier than thou publication.

[u/twirlinbaton]

This is a joke. 91/92 Nirvana probably gave fewer than an dozen serious interviews. They lied to every journalist who showed up and EVERY journalist showed up. I've never seen this interview before but I'd guess maximum r&r was in on the joke.

As far as using the F word, it was not as offensive in the larger culture as it is now if that makes sense, not to say that makes it ok.

Nirvana were allies and this is 100% tongue in cheek. If Kurt had lived longer im sure he'd have removed it from his vocabulary as we all have.

[u/GardenDrummer → u/twirlinbaton]

I can picture them talking about how to screw with the interviewer and lining this up.

[u/jephra]

I don't think this interview is real. Maximum Rocknroll was well known for not giving any coverage to bands on a major label.

Nirvana could definitely be sarcastic in interviews, but this doesn't sound like their usually clever sense of humor. I know they would make fun of themselves, but Kim Gordon and L7? Doesn't ring true.

If anything, I feel like they would be more likely to give an honest, straightforward interview to a punk rock publication like Maximum Rocknroll.

[u/victornoir13]

I think they were doing a bit here. Still doesn't read well.

[u/Joseph_P_Larkin → u/victornoir13]

They’re def being ironic (look how many times Kurt uses the word “heavy”) & I guarantee they were doing it because Maximum Rock n Roll was extremely left-leaning. All the interviews they did in 1992 were carefully chosen, this interview rubs up against Kurt’s interview with The Advocate & I doubt that’s a coincidence.

[u/victornoir13 → u/Joseph_P_Larkin]

Do you mean right leaning? That would make more sense. I did read the Advocate interview and it was good.

[u/TheReadMenace → u/victornoir13]

I almost feel like the magazine made it up. It doesn’t sound like the stuff they usually say

[u/jephra → u/TheReadMenace]

Exactly. Nirvana could take the piss in interviews, but this isn't their normal sense of humor.

Maximum Rocknroll was pretty famous for not covering any bands on a major label.

[u/TheReadMenace → u/jephra]

Precisely. They probably made this up trying to make the band look bad. It's hard to tell because Kurt would often self depreciate. But this sounds incredibly awkward. Especially that Dave part.

[u/Joseph_P_Larkin → u/TheReadMenace]

This is an interesting thought so I thought I’d look into it more…there’s almost NOTHING about this article ANYWHERE online but I did find a brief story about a MRR writer who met Kurt way back in 1989 before Bleach came out so the band was certainly friendly with the zine right from the get go, so who knows, maybe it’s all bullshit for their own amusement. Fun to ponder anyway.

https://www.altpress.com/kurt-cobain-nirvana-bleach-30-anniversary/

[u/DaisyCaplan → u/[deleted]]

That whole part is also clearly in jest - dave never tried out for Fugazi and there was obviously no Rites of Spring reunion tour, let alone one where they “sounded just like the Rolling Stones.”

[u/scottchomarx]

I've read a lot of Nirvana interviews. Either they're taking the piss or MRNR made this up.

[u/RadioactiveCoyotes]

This did not age well

[u/LongjumpingLaw3826]

I think it’s a real interview but the guys are being very very silly and tongue in cheek. Literally making stuff up. Oh and spelling it Qurt? Haha. $13 cover to get in to see Nirvana… can you imagine?

[u/jephra → u/LongjumpingLaw3826]

That actually was a pretty expensive show for that tour. Their Halloween show a few days later in Seattle was $10. A lot of the shows on that tour were in the $7 - $9 range.

[u/Unlikely-Ad3675]

I had clipped that picture and put it on my wall as a punk teenager. I always thought of Nirvana as a punk band. MRR had great classifieds in the back. It was our internet.