Kurt Donald Cobain :: Biography

Kurt Donald Cobain was born on February 20, 1976 in Hoquaim, a small town south-west of Seattle. When he was about six months old he moved to Arberdeen and spent most of his childhood there. His parents divorced when he was seven years old. Cobain did not handle the divorce well. Cobain said that he never felt loved or secure again (Ronson, 1996). He became anti-social and withdrawn after the divorce. Cobain was passed around to several relatives and even lived under a bridge at one point. After Cobain’s parent’s divorced, he lived with his mom in a trailer park for a year. Cobain then lived with his father in Montesano. His father made him participate in sports. Cobain would intentionally not perform well while playing sports to get back at his dad. Cobain decided to learn how to play guitar instead of playing sports. He enjoyed reading and doing other artistic activities. Cobain’s interests made him a target for bullies. (Wilson, 1996) Cobain was a sickly child. â€Å"As an infant, he suffered from chronic bronchitis and scoliosis, and, by the age of seven, he was being prescribed both Ritalin and sedatives to allow him to sleep† (Headlam, 1996). Cobain complained of burning stomach pain that kept him from participating in gym class. In 1985 Cobain started the band Nirvana. The band went through several changes before finally becoming Nirvana. In 1987 the band was playing in several locations. In 1988 the band landed their first record deal. Cobain’s music mainstreamed the grunge sound. Nirvana rose very quickly to become stars. â€Å"Nirvana was, briefly, the most popular band in the world largely because of the cult of personality that grew around Cobain† (Headlam, 1996). After Nirvana released the album Nevermind, Cobain married Courtney Love. â€Å"Love shared Cobain’s penchant for self-destruction, but none of his ambivalence about fame. Together they went on a drug taking spree that resulted a few times in Cobain nearly dying and Love taking heroin during her pregnancy† (Headlam, 1996). Cobain claimed that the birth of his daughter, Frances Bean Cobain, made him a different man. He claimed that he was a doting father and husband. It is believed that the drug use continued though. â€Å"On March 5th , 1994 Cobain was rushed to the hospital in a coma after an unsuccessful suicide bid in which he washed down about fifty prescription painkillers with champagne† (Ronson, 1996). The attempt was not made known to many people.