Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Kurt Cobain Conspiracy Theories by Austin Taylor


 In 1994, the world was shocked to learn that Kurt Cobain, the singer for “Nirvana”, had committed suicide. There was no question that the singer was troubled; Cobain had many personal problems as well as drug issues (“Kurt Cobain”). This was expressed in his lyrics and interviews as well. However, were these problems enough to drive Cobain to suicide, or was there foul play? Many people seem to suspect that the singer was murdered by his wife, Courtney Love (1). Kurt Cobain’s story must be revisited to discover how this theory could be true.
Kurt Donald Cobain was born on February 20, 1967, and grew up in a small working class logging town of Aberdeen, Washington (“Kurt Cobain Biography”). Cobain was interested in music at a very young age, he sang and played piano at the young age of only four years old (1).  He was known as an extremely happy child who loved art and music (1). However, everything changed when his parents were divorced when Cobain was only eight years old (“Kurt & Courtney). This event had an extremely negative impact on Cobain’s childhood. Cobain was subsequently passed around to various relatives and friends while his parents were separated (1). He even lived under a bridge for a span of time, this was immortalized in Nirvana’s track, “something in the way” (1). He developed a rebellious demeanor that would later be illustrated in his music.

            At the age of 14, Cobain acquired his first guitar. This provided an escape for the artist from all melancholy in his life (“Kurt Cobain Biography”). His home life was still extremely turbulent, with an abusive step-father on his mother’s side, and bitterness towards his father for remarrying another woman with children (1). The young musician felt extremely isolated in his home life. Furthermore, he was bullied by kids at his school for pursuing art and music instead of sports (1). Cobain was even bullied for being extremely skinny, which led to him wearing ridiculous amounts of layers to his clothing (Kurt & Courtney). By his senior year, Cobain decided to drop out and completely commit himself to his music (1). After befriending bass player Krist Novoselic, the two musicians formed the band Nirvana in 1987 (1). The band would later be joined by drummer, Dave Grohl. By 1989, the band would release their first album, Bleach, and would be on their way to fortune and fame in the early 90’s.

Kurt Cobain was described as a quiet, down to earth, and a great listener by those close to him (Kurt & Courtney). One of Kurt’s friends said “He is one of the few people who actually want to listen when you’re having a conversation with him” (1). He is described as being introverted, and never wanted attention drawn to him (1). Cobain is even described as being embarrassed when it came to his success (1). Cobain felt as if the glamorous lifestyle was phony, and just simply not him. The more famous the artist became, the more he felt isolated according to those close to him (1). It seemed as if the isolation he felt at the height of his career reflected the same isolation he felt as a child. The life of a famous rock star never represented who Kurt Cobain was as a person.

            During the late 1980’s, Cobain developed a heroin addiction. He claimed that heroin helped cure his stomach pains, which apparently kept him in pain for days (“Kurt Cobain Biography”). However, when he met female rocker, Courtney Love, his addiction spiraled out of control (1). There are many who say Love is the one caused his habit to continue to grow. Their heroin addiction began to be scrutinized by the media after Nirvana’s success (1). There were many allegations that Love was using heroin during her pregnancy with Cobain’s child, which caused much negative attention towards the couple and their exploits (1).

            Love and Cobain’s relationship baffled those who were around them because they seemed to be polar opposites (Kurt & Courtney). Kurt was an introvert who wanted simple things and a simple lifestyle. Courtney on the other hand, was extremely social and seemed as if her only goal was to steal the show (1). The reason Cobain was probably drawn to her is her ability to draw attention away from him and unto herself, because Kurt never wanted the attention.
 


Once the news made its way out, nearly the entire world was brought to tears. On April 8, 1994, Kurt Cobain’s body was discovered at his residence in Seattle, his body having laid on the floor for four days (Kurt & Courtney). A fired shotgun and a suicide note rested by his side (1). The investigation that followed quickly ruled the case a suicide. The Seattle PD determined that Cobain took three times the lethal dose of heroin before shooting himself in the head with a shotgun (The Kurt Cobain Conspiracy).  Cobain was a beloved celebrity rock star, who inspired millions of people through his musical talent. When someone with such a high profile suddenly dies, a great number of people begin to ask questions, and conspiracy theories surrounding the rock star’s death quickly emerge. There is a substantial amount of theories about Cobain’s death, however, there on only really two worth mentioning. The first is the theory that Courtney Love hired a hitman to murder Kurt Cobain. The second theory is that the lead singer for “Nirvana” actually faked his own death.

            The conspiracy theory that Courtney Love, Kurt Cobain’s wife, murdered her husband is by far the most popular. This theory is actually far more realistic than the other one. There is actually a fair amount of evidence that may suggest that the Courtney murder theory may be true. The evidence needs to be analyzed in order to determine if Cobain committed suicide or was murdered by the mother of his child. Courtney Love certainly had the most powerful motive to kill Cobain. At that time, the couple had been going through relationship problems (Kurt & Courtney). There was even rumor that Cobain wanted a divorce (1). This is important, because a divorce would only have left Love with half of Cobain’s money at best. However, if Cobain were to commit suicide, it would result in Love receiving everything he owns, which is exactly what happened (1).

On April 3rd, 1994, Love called a private detective, Tom Grant, to track down her missing husband, who had escaped over the wall at the Exodus rehab clinic in Los Angeles the previous day (Kurt & Courtney). Five days later on April 8th, Cobain’s body was discovered by the house maid, inside his Seattle home. (1). It is worth mentioning that Cobain overdosed on heroin, and possibly attempted suicide in Rome the previous month (1). The following events included an intervention by Courtney Love, who was concerned over her husband’s heroin addiction, just two weeks before her husband’s death (The Kurt Cobain Conspiracy). The intervention led to Cobain checking himself into the rehab facility (1). The rehab facility did not report Cobain as having a suicidal mindset (1).

The private detective that Courtney Love hired on April 3rd was Tom Grant, who was a former Los Angeles sheriff’s deputy (Kurt & Courtney).  To this day, Tom Grant is convinced that Kurt Cobain was murdered (1). Grant believes that Love used Cobain from the very beginning for his fame and fortune, and when he wanted out of the marriage, she murdered him (1). Grant asserts that Love “married Kurt for the sole purpose of furthering her career, and obtaining some wealth. I think there was a plan formulated quite a while back on how this was going to end up some day.” (Kurt & Courtney). Grant also implied that Love encouraged Cobain to commit suicide, which has been already established that this would leave Love with all of her husband’s wealth (1). Although Grant’s theory logically makes sense, the evidence needs to be reviewed in order to prove the theory.

It is true that there were many strange occurrences at the crime scene for Cobain’s apparent suicide; one of them is the fact that the shotgun that Cobain used had no fingerprints, suggesting someone had wiped them (The Kurt Cobain Conspiracy). Many people who believe in the murder theory use this information as evidence to prove their opinion. Although it is somewhat suspicious as to why there were no prints, it just isn’t enough evidence to make the case. The experts agreed.

Another major argument in the Cobain murder theory is the assumption that Kurt Cobain used so much heroin that there was no possible way he could have picked up the shotgun to kill himself. Some people have trouble believing that Cobain had the ability to kill himself with a shotgun with so much heroin coursing through his body. Believers of this theory throw around the term “Three times the legal dose of heroin,” to argue their case (McDonnell and Cantrell 1). The fact is a person who uses heroin more often would have a much higher lethal dose than someone who didn’t use as much (1).  Cobain was an avid heroin user who had built up an extremely high tolerance for the drug, so it probably would have taken a moment for the effects to kick in (1). Despite his high tolerance, three times the legal dose of heroin is an incredible amount of heroin. It is somewhat hard to believe Cobain had the tolerance for that kind of dose. The most logical explanation would be that the injected heroin took some time to kick in before he would have been rendered unable to handle a shotgun. Dr. Collin Brewer, former director at Westminster Hospital, determined it would take thirty seconds to one minute for the heroin to take effect. This would leave Cobain plenty of time to pick up a shotgun and pull the trigger (Kurt & Courtney).

Kurt Cobain’s death came with a suicide note that has raised many questions about his death because the suicide note has seemingly two different handwritings. The first set of handwriting doesn’t seem to imply suicide, but the second clearly suggests that Cobain was about to take his own life (Shelton 1). Murder theory supporters believe that the perpetrator finished a letter that Cobain was writing to make it look like a suicide note (1). Tom Grant has several opinions on the letter:

 My own tests with that so-called 'suicide' note indicated that when it is enlarged on a copy machine, the inconsistencies [sic] become even more clear. The ink printed line of that one critical comment, ("which will be so much happier without me"), are thinner than all of the ink printed lines in the rest of the note. At the very least, this indicates that line was added after the rest of the note was completed. The pressure from the hand using the pen to add that line was not consistent with the pressure from the hand that wrote the body of the note. (Shelton 1)
     

            Mr. Grant makes an interesting point; the cutoff is extremely clear and the note clearly shifts focus to indicate a suicide. However, there is a possibility that Cobain started the note, then finished it later while he was high. That could explain why the second set of handwriting is sloppier and the pressure is not consistent. Furthermore, the forensic experts clearly stated that it was indeed Kurt Cobain’s handwriting. It is probably best to trust the experts’ opinions in this case.

            Another theory that could possibly be true is that Kurt Cobain faked his own death (Shelton). Although this sounds bizarre, it would not be surprising considering Kurt Cobain’s internal issues at the time. Cobain was with a wife he was always fighting with, and who also has a reputation for being insane and violent (Kurt and Courtney). Also, Cobain clearly hated being famous It just wasn’t the lifestyle he wanted to live (1). It would not be so far-fetched to imagine Kurt Cobain just wanting to run away from it all. Although this theory is fun to imagine, it is extremely hard to believe that the authorities identified the wrong body. It is ridiculous to believe that Cobain killed someone who looked just like him, and made it seem like he died violently. Also, the forensic experts probably would have realized that the body was not his given the technology at that time.

            Kurt Cobain’s suicide is not that hard to believe in the end. It is very clear that Cobain was going through an extremely difficult time, and Courtney Love certainly did not help. The rock star’s personal problems rapidly increased once Love became involved in his life (Kurt & Courtney). This is why so many people believe that Love was involved in murdering Kurt Cobain. It simply seems like something she would do based on her character. However, there just isn’t enough evidence to accuse Courtney Love of murder. It was not a secret that Cobain was extremely depressed. All of the people close in Cobain’s life confirmed his depression and believe that he committed suicide (Kurt & Courtney). People should just celebrate the life of Kurt Cobain for what he did for the music industry, and finally move on.

Works Cited 
“Kurt Cobain.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 28 Apr. 2017, www.biography.com/people/kurt-cobain-9542179. (T)

“Kurt Cobain Biography.” Rolling Stone, www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/kurt-cobain/biography. (S)


McDonnell, Douglas A, and M Asher Cantrell. “5 Conspiracy Theories That Are Shockingly Easy to Debunk.” Cracked.com, www.cracked.com/article_20466_5-conspiracy-theories-that-are-shockingly-easy-to-debunk.html. (T)

 

“The Kurt Cobain Conspiracy .” Alltime Conspiracies, 28 Mar. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZdTQ1GEObE. (S)

 

Broomfield, Nick, director. Kurt & Courtney. 27 Feb. 1998, www.netflix.com/search?q=kurt%20&jbv=1193180&jbp=1&jbr=0. (S)

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