In a new MOJO article about Nirvana’s Reading 1992 performance, Melvins frontman Buzz Osbourne discussed Kurt Cobain’s drug addiction and marriage to Courtney Love.
Buzz Osbourne: Nirvana were pretty isolated from everything. They had already changed quite a bit from what they had been earlier – which I guess isn’t surprising…I’d known Kurt since he was a little kid and went from nothing to having a lot of money – that’s quite a headfuck for anyone. But he was also into drugs, and that was before Courtney [Love] was around, but she didn’t help matters.
Dave Grohl: [On Nirvana’s ‘curation’ of the Saturday lineup] When you’re given the opportunity to take control of a bill you’re only going to invite your best friends, bands you love, or bands we thought would open other people’s minds. We thought Bjorn Again was hilarious, this Australian band speaking in terrible Swedish accents and nailing the songs…it sounded like Abba! We immediately thought, we have to take these guys on tour – because who fucking doesn’t like Abba?
Rod Stephen: We were playing a show in Richmond [Melbourne, Australia] and Nirvana were down the road [at The Palace, January 31-February 2, 1992]. They caught the tail end of our set, bought all our T-shirts and buggered off. The next thing, they’re on MTV and Dave Grohl is wearing a Bjorn Again T-shirt. Then we got the call: ‘Nirvana wants you to play with them at Reading. Moreover, Kurt has said, unless Bjorn Again are playing, they’re not doing the gig.’ I thought, oh God, we could get bottled up there.
Buzz Osbourne: The best part for us was realizing that we were [being invited] at Nirvana’s request. But opening for an Abba covers band? That wouldn’t be the benchmark for our career.
