Remembering Kurt Cobain: Nirvana's music wouldn't resonate with today's materialistic teens

Recently, a co-worker asked me if I am a big Nirvana fan.

"Well, of course I listened to Kurt Cobain's music when I was 13 and 14," I told her. Cobain's lyrics and demeanor were formative to my adolescent identity.

I still have most of Nirvana's albums, but I don't play them anymore. What once sounded revolutionary and eloquent to me sounds sad and played out now.

Not only was Cobain's life a verifiable tragedy by the time I was old enough to be influenced by him, but when I hear the hollow, acoustic sounds of his music today, it seems almost ripped from the pages of history.

I see little left in the youthful culture of Seattle that mirrors Cobain's heyday and that of the subsequent grunge generation.

Where nihilism was once the reaction of a population that felt misplaced vocationally and lied to by politicians and their ex-hippy parents, today's youth has a unique set of struggles.

Rather than focusing on Cobain as a timeless musical genius, it's important to point out why his art was so widely acclaimed. I believe it was because of the climate in which it was released.

Nirvana would not necessarily be given the same fanfare today.

In our post-9-11, post-Columbine atmosphere, I'd be willing to bet there are fewer 13- and 14-year-olds listening to angst-ridden guitar music than at the time Cobain shot himself 10 years ago. It seems in the aftermath of the suicidal values and heroin-chic attitudes that my age bracket glommed on to, a more "upbeat" and defiantly materialistic culture has taken root.

The music most influential now is hip-hop, electronica and pop. A wider range of ethnic music has been given play on airwaves and in clubs, too. Hard rock still exists as a popular genre, but is not generally considered very innovative.

And there is little left of the subversive lyrical anthems from Cobain's era and that of his peers.

Shortly after the song "Smells Like Teen Spirit" came out, a Seattle Times music critic quoted Cobain, already in his mid-20s, as saying that he and his friends "still feel as if we're teenagers because we don't follow the guidelines of what's expected of us to be adults.

"We still screw around and have a good time," Cobain said.

He went on to describe how the title of his break-out song creatively came into being while he and a friend were in his bedroom drunk, breaking things and throwing art supplies all over the wall.

During the clamor, Cobain's friend wrote, "Kurt smells like Teen Spirit" on the wall, and the idea stuck.

It seemed odd to me, even at age 14, how so many of my role models — Courtney Love, Trent Reznor, Greenday, Cobain and others — could relate to me and my peers so perfectly. Weren't they all adults? How did they so accurately understand what it was like to be bored and self-destructive, marginalized or rebellious?

Today, several talented young artists, such as Alicia Keys, seem to be going in the opposite direction lyrically. Barely 20, Keys was already exploring levels of maturity and depth beyond her age group when she released her first album, "Songs in A Minor," a couple years ago.

The face of music has changed undeniably during the past decade, and even more noticeably during the past five years. Young people still get frustrated and bored like previous generations, but they've learned to cope with it in different ways — whether by satiating themselves with possessions bragged about by mainstream hip-hop artists, dancing to international beats spun by trance DJs, or by mimicking the overly sexed-up style of singers such as Britney Spears.

Some have argued that Kurt Cobain is the clearest voice for young people and that no one has come along to replace him. I think what stood out most about him was the timing with which we were introduced to his songs.

They truly did define the struggles and uncertainties that young people were facing at that time.

But even if a band similar to Nirvana came out today, I believe few would hear them. The cultural climate has moved on.

And while Cobain's impact will remain in my memory and on the shape of music forever, today's generation should be allowed to produce its own revolutionary voice.

Sharon Altaras is an '03 UW graduate. E-mail: NEXT@seattletimes.com