Nirvana Bassist Details ‘Demons’ Chris Cornell & Kurt Cobain Fought: ‘I Told Kurt, Courtney Was There’

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Founding Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic recently made a Facebook post linking to a Seattle Times article. Read Novoselic’s post below:

Read this article in the Seattle Times about drug abuse, healthcare and a slow economy in Aberdeen, Washington. Below are some quick thoughts the piece conjured in my mind.

I have a deep connection with Aberdeen. As a teenager and young adult, I lived there, mostly from 1979 to around 1988. During that time, I was of meager financial means—if not broke. I found that Aberdeen could still provide opportunities. I worked at a Taco Bell, Pietros Pizza, Sears Warehouse at South Shore Mall, painting contractors, tree planting and on slash burns. I left my last job in 1988 making $6.00 per hour. That was my top hourly wage before the music industry put me where I am today.

I am sorry to hear about the drug abuse in Aberdeen. Indeed, as a young person on the harbor I indulged mostly with alcohol and pot. That said, I never let it interfere with work. I always left jobs because I was burned out on them—and not burned out on chemical dependency. I look back on my time in Grays Harbor as mostly good. There were, and still are, a lot of great people there. Some, sadly have passed on, but I had a good network.

I am sorry to hear about the suicide in the article—a mother, struggling with addiction, took her own life. I could not help but think of people I knew that killed themselves who also were also fighting the demons of drug abuse.

Kurt Cobain lived in a mansion on Lake Washington Boulevard. Chris Cornell had a luxury condo in Miami beach, among other places. Like the suicide in the article, these people were parents too. The Times’ article shows the fellow shooting smack under the bridge, however, mentally, how far is he, and the mother who killed herself, from the friends whom I lost?

I think the souls fighting with drug addiction are spiritually empty. I told this to Kurt once and he did not have a response. Courtney was there at that moment, and she agreed with me!!!

I thank God there is something inside me; some kind of spiritual sense, that keeps me propped up. For instance, back in the 80’s, and to this day, I see how Spruce and Hemlock trees hang over muddy water. I love this. A ceaselessly cold and wet winter? I love coming into a warm house or apartment with the scent of pasta sauce or something on the stove. There were also those Black Sabbath, John Fahey and Flipper records to get lost in. I started playing in a band in Aberdeen.

Yes, there has also been trauma in my own life—I think heavy enough to have affected me cognitively. And it took years to mostly overcome this. My point is Aberdeen is like life—it’s what you make out of it.

Here is a second point. The article also mentions how these sick, drug abusers depend on Medicare or their ACA insurance to get treated. The author gives an example of $90K to treat one junky alone to cure hepatitis. I admit, I have limited knowledge of these matters, however, healthcare as a current affair has me learning more. And also asking questions about why it is so expensive. $90K, really?

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) also known as “Obamacare”, is a point of contention in the partisan divide—and that is about as far the issue seems to go in public discourse. President Trump himself said, “Who knew how complicated healthcare could be?” Once the campaign was over, the empty slogans had to be contextualized. The Times article tries to do this—and it is a good piece—however, it seems to leave more questions open. (This is understandable as it is indeed complex.)

Are Trump and federal spending responsible for saving drug addicts in Grays Harbor from the hole these sick people dug for themselves?

I think there could be another article written about how the $90K was spent on a treatment and why do insurance companies pay out this kind of money? I would like to know if the health care provider that billed this individual’s treatment is a “non-profit”? Most providers in the US fall under this kind of tax status. Under the ACA, these providers have to submit a Schedule H (Form 990) to the government to show how much money-losing care they dispense. They also have to list the free work they’ve done to better their communities.

Investigative reporting like this would provide good information to the public as it looks past the smoke screens painted by the partisan major parties; who are using the issue of healthcare only to wrangle voters into their respective camps. This kind of reporting would also hold medical providers who enjoy the tax benefits of non-profit status accountable.

Aberdeen may be in an economic slump, however, there could be a boon to the medical providers who service drug addicts. As I mentioned above, drug addicts can be found anywhere, but this article offers that Aberdeen could host a convergence of this type of person. Is this true?