A number of things may come to mind when you think Seattle: Coffee, for one. Rain, for another. But high on that list is, of course, the Aberdeen-founded grunge band Nirvana.
EMP hosted a "Nirvana: From Nowhere to Nevermind" panel on Saturday to celebrate the opening of its new exhibit commemorating the band, which features the world's largest collection of Nivana memorabilia and will be open until April of next year.
The discussion centered on the band's touring days, starting with its beginnings as a scruffy and unwashed garage band to its rise as a worldwide phenomenon. Three people who were along for Nirvana's chaotic touring days – sound engineer Craig Montgomery, drum tech Barrett Jones and guitar tech Earnie Bailey – told a packed room exactly what it was like to be on tour with the icons of grunge.
Not only did the panelists describe the challenge of replacing instruments and equipment faster than the rebellious band could destroy them (Jones remembered drummer Dave Grohl throwing his snare drums toward singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain, who was using his guitar as a bat), but they also described their firsthand experiences of some of the band's craziest adventures.
Bailey recalled going hang gliding with the band on one of its few days off. "It was fantastic, it was so much fun," he said. "I remembered getting down to the ground and thinking it was the most incredible thing I'd ever done. But I figured Kurt's done so much in life ... so I tried to play it cool, and I said, 'Yeah, that was pretty cool,' but then Kurt was like, 'That was the most incredible thing I've done in my life.'"
Despite the fun, the band spent most of its time working. "In a lot of ways, touring is a lot more fun for guys like us than people in the band," Bailey said, because even when the members had days off they were making press appearances or recording new tracks.
Tours were rough, the panel reported. They reminisced about sleeping in airports (the band always traveled by commercial plane), not remembering which city they were in, and treacherous travelling conditions. "Boy," Jones said, "We drove through some heavy snow and some steep mountains on some bald tires ... I'm surprised we're even alive."
But the panel agreed, and millions of Nirvana fans worldwide would agree as well, that the work and discomfort put into these tours was worth it. Even their "MTV Unplugged" show, which Bailey said he was nervous about initially, has become emblematic of the era. "I remember thinking it was a really bad idea," he said of hearing the band's less-than-perfect acoustic rehearsals for the show. "But then somehow they really pulled it off," he said. "There was a moment at the end of 'The Man Who Sold the World' where the guitars and cello were playing together ... it was really otherworldly."
And that's exactly what Nirvana was: Otherworldly. The poster band for grunge, whose legacy was interrupted by the death of front man Kurt Cobain, was undeniably one of the most influential bands of its era.
A slideshow of pictures of the band playing and partying provided background for the panel. A number of those pictures, as well as an exhaustive amount of memorabilia (including one of Cobain's notorious cardigans) can be seen at EMP's special exhibit. It is, of course, only fitting that the largest Nirvana exhibit is located in the band's home city. Nirvana has undoubtedly integrated itself into Seattle's identity.
The mention of Nirvana can hardly come without thought of Cobain's 1994 suicide. But despite the band's tragic end to a short-lived existence , there was no sense of solemnity or gloom among the panelists. Instead, there was a happy nostalgia in the words spoken.
"A Nirvana show was the funniest thing you'd ever see in your life," Montgomery said. "In spite of everything that happened after, it's important for everyone to remember that Nirvana was above all a funny band."
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