Kurt Cobain’s mother Wendy O’Connor discussed hearing Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” for the first time in a new video.
“They practiced in my garage, so I got to hear all of that first, whatever that was. Then the first time I heard the music, he had come home to visit. He went to the bathroom door and said, ‘Mom, can I put a tape on the stereo?’ It was a Sunday. I said, ‘Of course. What is it?’ He goes, ‘It’s my recording.’ ‘Of your record?’ He goes, ‘Yeah.’ I go, ‘You’ve been here for three days, I’m just hearing that you have this now?’ He says, ‘I’ll keep it quiet.’ And I said, ‘Why? Turn it up.’
I was in the bathroom finishing up my makeup and all of a sudden Smells Like Teen Spirit came on. I just went flying out of there, and he was sitting in his whity tighties in the front room at the end of the sofa. I sat on the edge of it, and I could remember that like it happened just a few minutes ago. The hair on my arms stood up, and I got this heaviness in my chest. I said, ‘Oh my god Kurt, how are you going to handle this?’ He said, ‘What?’ I said, ‘This is going to change everything.’ I just warned him, ‘Honey, I don’t think you’re ready for this. How are you going to do this? This is going to be huge, this is going to be big, and I don’t think you can handle this.
I was scared to death for him. He goes, ‘Oh, you’re just my Mom.’ His stepdad looks over and goes, ‘No, Kurt. This is gonna be huge. You better get yourself a lawyer.’ I’m poking him and bamming him on his arm: ‘You better do this, you better do that. You better be careful! You can’t handle this!’ That was that, it just exploded.”
Watch the video below.
