...a chilling and haunting glimpse through the very eyes of one of music's most influential artists.
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Whether it was a bizarre twist of fate or purely coincidental, a strange feeling came over me when I sat down to write my review this morning and noticed today's date. If it doesn't ring any bells, April 8 marks the tragic anniversary of when the body of Kurt Cobain, the front man for the grunge band Nirvana, was discovered at his Lake Washington home in 1994 after reportedly taking his own life. The devastating news rippled around the globe and his loss is still mourned by many today.
The project for "Kurt Cobain: About A Son" began nearly fifteen years ago, back in 1992, although none of the filmmakers actually knew it yet at the time. It's no secret that Kurt Cobain didn't hold any respect towards the media, as his struggle with heroin addiction and rocky marriage to Courtney Love routinely became the main course in a feeding frenzy for the bloodthirsty leeches of the paparazzi. Understandably, the press had worn out their welcome in Cobain's world, but one determined reporter named Michael Azerrad managed to slip through the defenses and was able to convince the rockstar to be interviewed for his biographical book, "Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana." During these casual late-night sessions, Azerrad not only forged a new close friendship from the encounters, but also walked away with a box full of audiotapes documenting over twenty-five hours of their conversations.
Over the years, Azerrad turned down many offers for the tapes, becoming very protective of this piece of sentimental history. Luckily, director A.J. Schnack met with Azerrad to present an idea about creating a one-of-a-kind documentary on the late musician. The film wouldn't take the usual route of friends and family telling the historical story leading up to the eventual horrific ending of the rock legend, but rather use Cobain's own voice from the tapes as an autobiographical narrative. The result is a unique perspective revealing a chilling and haunting glimpse through the very eyes of one of music's most influential artists.
"Kurt Cobain: About A Son" is entirely about the recordings from these tapes, and Schnack does the best job possible that could be done with the arrangement in the film. Cobain's life story unfolds in chronological order, beginning with his childhood growing up in Aberdeen, and ending with his rise to stardom and newfound family life in Seattle. Linking the recordings as a finishing touch and to fill in dead spots is an almost ghostly musical score by DCFC's Gibbard and producer Steve Fisk, mixed in with clips of tracks from Queen, Credence Clearwater Revival, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, and other musicians that had an impact on Cobain's style.
The main hurdle that Schnack faced within the film was finding a set of visuals that would complement the audio without infringing on any rights, since obviously a plain black screen just wouldn't work. The director was forced to improvise with a combination of stock footage taken around the Washington area and a few aesthetic liberties thrown in to fill in the gaps, bringing the whole thing together in an eerie way. At first I didn't know what to make of the soft, screensaver-like imagery that first appeared on screen during the opening sequences and remained constant throughout the entire film, but then it slowly started to make sense. These were the actual places that Cobain had lived or visited during his lifetime, and at times it felt like I was living his experiences in a dream.
I must admit, listening to Cobain's autobiography really changed my general overall impression of someone who I had assumed was just another rebellious musician. The tapes reveal a different side to Cobain that was personable and likable, had a terrific sense of humor, and he was a lot wiser beyond his years than most of the public bothered to give him credit for. Sadly, the pressure from the media took a huge toll on him physically and mentally, so much so that when he talks about it in the film, you can almost pinpoint the flip of the switch, the turning point that pushes him over the edge and onto the fateful path towards suicide.
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