Scenes From America I: The Kurt Cobain Tour

Well, I'm back after 11 weeks in the United States and here is my first themed photo megapost, and it really has nothing to do with illustration or design – rather, it's about Nirvana, and Kurt Cobain. As a huge fan of Kurt as a songwriter and musician, it was a unique experience to visit the city of Seattle where he lived, and the small town of Aberdeen where he grew up – not to mention the amazing Nirvana exhibition at the Experience Music Project in Seattle. So, here are some Kurt-related things I was able to see on my trip.

(Thanks to Joe Cooper for taking me to Bellevue and Aberdeen. The EMP's Nirvana exhibit was curated by Jacob McMurray; no copyright infringement is intended!)

When you enter Aberdeen from the eastern side you are greeted by this Welcome sign. To commemorate Kurt, a smaller sign was later added bearing a Nirvana song title which has since become Aberdeen's unofficial motto.

This is 1210 East 1st Street, Kurt's early childhood home in Aberdeen. His family moved here in 1968, the year after he was born.

When Kurt visited his aunt, Mari Earl, who was herself a musician, he would play this guitar, which is now on display at the Hard Rock Cafe in Seattle.

This star has been set into the footpath outside Rosevear's Music Store in Aberdeen where Kurt got his first guitar (or took his first lesson; I forget which). The store has since moved a short distance away since Kurt's time.

And right outside that same store I found this cool decorative mural on a tree railing.

Kurt's mythmaking Young Street Bridge, immortalized in the Nirvana song "Something In The Way". Some say he lived under this bridge when he was homeless, or at the very least spent the odd night here. The sign says "In Memoriam – From The Muddy Banks Of The Wishkah", and yes, they are indeed muddy. It's like slippery clay under the bridge. Watch your step!

In Riverfront Park, a small patch of green next to the Young Street Bridge, is this sign featuring a drawing of Kurt and the lyrics to "Something In The Way". The other side (facing the road) gives a description of Kurt's history with this location.

And just below the sign is this plaque in the ground, featuring some of Kurt's quotes.

This is cool – a guitar statue entitled "As You Were", mounted on a platform. The curved metal strip bears the words "Just one more special message to go, and then I'm done, and I can go home", a line from the Nirvana song "On A Plain". You can see the bridge in the background. The whole small park is well kept and is definitely a place true Nirvana fans must see; it made me think Aberdeen has done more to commemorate Kurt than Seattle has, but at least there's the Experience Music Project.

Speaking of which...

If you're a Nirvana fan and plan to go to Seattle, go and see this. It costs $18, and $15 if you get one of those tourist brochures with coupons. My hostel got me in for $11. Worth every cent (and there are plenty of other great exhibits as well). There's plenty of time, it'll run until April next year. I'm not going to post photos of everything there, there isn't enough space. And Jacob McMurray wouldn't be too happy.

But here's something I really liked – a photo of Nirvana with Shonen Knife, in the early '90s. Two of my favourite bands in the same room together. Awesome.

This was my favourite item on display: Kurt's T-shirt he wore in the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video. I don't know how much thought Kurt put into what he was going to wear in that video, but this unassuming brown and green long-sleeved T-shirt he chose unwittingly became an iconic piece of clothing. It's still in great condition too (unlike Kurt's canned meat)!

Kurt's final residence (seen from the side) on Lake Washington Boulevard East in Bellevue, just outside Seattle – apparently the sixth-most expensive street in the United States. Kurt was found dead here in 1994; fans still come to the tiny park next door. Its name is Viretta Park, but the name sign was missing.

Viretta Park has two wooden benches covered with messages from fans...

...and the second time I went there, I added my own. Nothing profound came to mind, so I kept it simple.


And finally – the nearby city of Tacoma paraphrased a certain song title on one of their souvenir postcards.