Q #72: What is "JAMPAC" ?

The band had planned on making a few videos from songs on "Bleach"; on a PRO shot video of a show in Mexico, recorded on the 18th of February 1990, the first song "School" didn't have the original live music, but "School" from 'Bleach' was dubbed over the original sound. The only real explanation for this is that the band planned on making a music video out of this. Also, in March 1990 the band went to Olympia, WA to shoot some music videos at the Evergreen State College. This resulted in the songs "School", "Big Cheese", "Lithium" and "Floyd the barber" being played live there where after a lot of special effects and stuff like that was added to the sound part of the "show" - making them more or less music videos. However, these videos have never been released officially. Finally, the band went to a Radio Shack store in early January of 1988 where they also wanted some music videos done. Clips from this was aired on US TV in 1994.

In connection with the release of the Best-Of album in 2002, a video for "You Know You're Right" was released. It features a collage of clips from Nirvana concerts, interviews and various promos.

Q #93: Which Nirvana bootlegs are the best ?
A: To answer this question I will just list some of the bootlegs that I've had most requests for. They include: Outcesticide I-IV, 08/30/92 Reading, 02/22/94 Rome, 02/25/94 Milan, 01/23/88 Tacoma, 08/19/90 San Diego, 11/25/90 Seattle, 01/10/92 New York [complete], 12/31/93 Oakland and 03/01/94 Munich. This list is not necessarily of the best Nirvana bootlegs, just the ones that people seem to be requesting most often. I think the Outcesticide series are the best to get if you want rare, or uncommon songs, and 02/22/94 is one of the best to get if you just want a concert in good quality, and a really good performance from the "In Utero" tour. For reviews of many Nirvana bootlegs, check Digital Nirvana. As for videos, the ones I've had most requests for are without a doubt 01/10/92, 08/30/92, 12/31/93 and 06/23/89 is popular also.

Q #95: Which equipment, such as guitars and drums, did Nirvana use ?
A: I don't play an instrument such as a guitar myself, so I've never really paid attention to the specifics of the equipment Kurt, Krist and Dave used for recording their albums and on the concert tours. I know that Kurt used a slew of different guitars, mostly Fender guitars (i.e. the Jaguar model). In fact he had an unique guitar designed for him - the JagStang. There are many good equipment guides out there, mostly concerning Kurt's guitars though.

One is Brian's Kurt Cobain Equipment FAQ which is available here. It is worth to mention that the band's guitar technician, Ernie Bailey, has contributed to this guide. There are a few other guides out there too. For a great and very detailed description on how the Nevermind album was recorded, and which equipment was used to do so - you should definitely check out the new book "Classic Rock Albums: Nevermind - Nirvana" by Jim Berkenstadt and Charles Cross. The book describes everything related to the Nevermind album, mostly the recording of it, and also the Smart Studio Sessions in April 1990. Buy it online here.

Q #96: What is "waif me" all about ??
A: "Waif me" is the censored title for the song "Rape Me" from the In Utero album. Available is a "clean", censored, version of the album which can be purchased at "nice" places such as Walmart and K-mart. The catalogue number is DGCD-24705 on Geffen Records, Inc. The censored version of the album lists, on the back, a song called "Waif Me" but it is really just another name for "Rape Me". This version of the album also features a slightly different mix of the song "Pennyroyal Tea". The same mix that can be found on the single of the same name and the Best-of album. Other than that the censored version is equal to the regular one. It doesn't contain "Gallons of rubbing alcohol flow through the strip" though. I got the impression that "Incesticide" had also been censored in some countries, with an "explicit lyrics" sticker.

Q #97: I have a Nirvana item that I believe to be rare. What is it worth ?
A: That is very difficult to say. As mentioned earlier in this FAQ you can try putting a rare item up for sale on eBay and set a certain minimum price for it. If nobody bids, the price is perhaps too high so you can try lowering it. You get the drift. You can also try bringing your item to a specialized record store who may be able to give an approx. value of it. The CDs and vinyls that were only pressed in a limited edition are always the most valueable ones. For example the first single for Love Buzz was only pressed in 1000 copies. With that and it being over 10 years old it is worth a lot. About $500 I believe. If everything else fails, you could try asking around among Nirvana fans & try to get them to give a guess on how much the item is worth.

Q #98: What is up with that movie "Highway" (aka. "A Leonard Cohen Afterworld") ?
A: The movie is about "two teenage friends who, on the weekend of Kurt Cobain's death in April 1994, use the memorial vigil in Seattle as an excuse to escape to Las Vegas." "A Leonard Cohen Afterworld" is a line from the song "Pennyroyal Tea". This was the original title of the movie, but it was ultimately changed to "Highway". I talked with the property master of the film who provided some info to past NFC Newsletters. It stars Jared Leto and Selma Blair and is available on VHS/DVD.

Q #99: What is the big deal about Nirvana's single for "Pennyroyal Tea" ?
A: Since the answer to this question was getting really really detailed, I decided to collect comprehensive information about the single on it's own page. You may view it here.

Q #100: I have seen "24k GOLD" editions of some Nirvana albums ?
A: These 24-karat gold discs by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab are only good if you have a really high quality unit to play the discs on. The discs are described as: "The Ultimate Listening Experience as the original edition 24-karat gold audiophile CD, ULTRADISC II remains unsurpassed, delivering music reproduction as close to the actual recording session as possible. ULTRADISC II is mastered directly from the original master tape. Consequently, it does not suffer the loss of musical information inherent in the standard practice of mastering from production copies." - "Each disc is custom-pressed using 24-karat gold, known for it's superior reflective qualities and it's resistance to oxidation." All this sounds very impressive but the fact is that besides a more "clean" sound, and a better separation of the instruments, you can't really tell these Gold discs apart from the conventional CDs. Unless you have, as mentioned, a unit of very high quality to play these discs on - it is not worth getting them. Although one advantage with them is the fact that they should, in theory, last longer with the pressing being on gold plated discs which are more solid and long-lasting compared to the regular silver CDs. Currently, Nirvana's "Nevermind" (MFSL UDCD 666) and "In Utero" (MFSL UDCD 690) are available on 24k Gold discs. This edition of Nevermind includes all tracks, including "Endless, Nameless" while the 24k edition of "In Utero" contains 12 tracks, thus not "Gallons of rubbing alcohol flow through the strip". Obviously the CDs can be played back with any CD player, regardless of how advanced it is. However, I believe if you want the best result, you need a high quality unit to play it with.

Q #102: How do I get the latest news on Nirvana ?
A: Simply go here. This news section will always contain the very latest updates on Nirvana and is the only of it's kind on the net - that covers Nirvana related news in such detail. If you have news to add here, simply e-mail it to us. This section replaced the NFC Newsletters.

Q #104: Is the Foo Fighters song "My Hero" about Kurt Cobain ?
A: In a way it is. Guitar World magazine asked Dave Grohl himself, who wrote the song, about this in their August 1997 issue:

GW: Is "My Hero" about anyone in particular?
Grohl: It's about a bunch of people. When I was young, I didn't have sports heroes. I had "guitar heroes," but they didn't really mean that much to me. So my heroes were just people in my life that I had a lot of respect for. They were people that I know that just seemed like ordinary people. What, do kids look up to Dennis Rodman as a hero? What for - wanting to be six feet or ten feet tall so you can put a basketball in a hoop? That's just not my kind of hero.

GW: That's the song people are going to think is about Kurt Cobain.
Grohl: I'm sure. People have already said that " 'My Hero' is obviously about Kurt." And, in a way, it is. But there's nothing wrong with that.

GW: But it's not only about him? Is that what you're saying?
Grohl: Yeah. Basically, it's about the power of the ordinary person.

For a scan of the page with this interview, click here

Q #105: What was the first name of the band, now called "Nirvana" ?
A: Well, as mentioned previously in this FAQ - the first band Kurt Cobain formed was called Fecal Matter and they recorded a demo tape in late 1985. There is speculation, though, that Kurt Cobain recorded a demo in 1982 called "Organized Confusion". I believe Mari Earl, Kurt's aunt, stated that at one point. No recording is available of this and nobody knows which songs it featured.

The band Fecal Matter was Kurt Cobain on guitar and vocals, Dale Crover on bass and Greg Hokanson on drums. They also got help from Mike Dillard who took over on drums from Greg occasionally. More info about the band and demo can be found here. At this point, Kurt was a huge fan of the Melvins and had become friends with Buzz Osborne who is the frontman of this band. Kurt tried out for becoming the guitarist for The Melvins, but apparently it didn't work out. Instead he convinced Melvins drummer Dale Crover to record a demo with him; The Fecal Matter Demo. Fecal Matter played a handful of minor live gigs and a few gigs supporting The Melvins, but split up shortly after recording the demo. Then, Buzz Osborne introduced Kurt to Krist Novoselic and they became friends. Kurt gave Krist a copy of the Fecal Matter Demo and after listening to it a few times, he decided to form a band with Kurt. At the same time, Dale and Buzz from The Melvins used Kurt on guitar and lead vocals in a band called 'Brown Towel' (mislabeled as 'Brown Cow' on a poster). This band didn't last for long, and instead Kurt and Krist formed a new band called 'Stiff Woodies'. This one didn't last long either, so they [Kurt and Krist] finally settled on a band called 'The Sellouts' with Steve Newman on bass guitar. But then Steve lost his fingers in a chainsaw accident, so it was time to find a new lineup. According to a Nirvana book by Jeremy Dean, Kurt and Krist continued as a duo at this point - using Robert [Bob] McFadden on drums for rehearsals.

In April 1987, Kurt and Krist recruited Aaron Burckhard on drums and with this lineup they did a few gigs, and recorded a demo at the KAOS Radio on April 17th, 1987. To begin with, this band [Aaron, Kurt and Krist] was called Skid Row. Later they changed from Skid Row to Ted Ed Fred, to Bliss, to Throat Oyster, to Pen Cap Chew, to Windowpane - before finally settling on Nirvana. Using this final name, the band recorded their first demo in January 1988 at Reciprocal Studios in Seattle, with Jack Endino, using Dale Crover on drums. Since he was too busy with The Melvins, they needed to recruit a full-time drummer, and eventually teamed up with Chad Channing. Others who have been in the band under the name 'Nirvana' were Dave Foster, Jason Everman, Dan Peters, Dave Grohl, John Duncan and Pat Smear. And the rest is history ...

It is worth to mention that at least two other bands go by the name 'Nirvana' as well. One British band from the 60's who've had a couple of hits, and released a number of albums that can be found in many record stores. The other is a less known pro-christian band from the 80's who tried to sue Kurt and Krist's Nirvana, for using the name 'Nirvana'. Also, as of now, no recordings exist of the bands Brown Towel, The Sellouts and the Stiff Woodies.

Q #106: Why doesn't my 'Incesticide' contain liner notes ?
A: For some funny reason, most of the Incesticide CDs floating around do not contain the liner notes written by Kurt. In his notes Kurt Cobain states, among other things, that; "If any of you in any way hate homosexuals, people of different color, or women, please do this one favor for us - leave us the fuck alone! Don't come to our shows and don't buy our records." I believe that this statement and the other swearing in the notes made Geffen remove them entirely from most copies of the album. Of course, I couldn't agree with Kurt more on that statement but it could offend some. In addition, some of the copies of the album that contains these notes have an 'Explicit content' sticker on the front. Some copies of the album without the liner notes by Kurt have this sticker too. Mine didn't, but it doesn't contain the liner notes either. The copies without the notes only contain a fold out page with pictures of the band members, info on all the songs such as who produced them etc. Chances are that if you buy the album today it will not contain the liner notes. If you purchased it shortly after it's release, it would probably contain the notes. It's all guess work at this point, really. Some also claim that only the US distribution of the album features the liner notes while others, including European copies, do not contain this. Again, I don't know for sure what the exact truth behind this is. I got my copy in 1994 I believe and it didn't contain the liner notes nor the 'Explicit content' sticker. It did, however, contain a sticker on the front that reads "Inside Incesticide: Rare B-Sides, BBC Sessions, Original Demo Recordings, Outtakes, Stuff Never Before Available. GED 24504." The catalogue number is: "GED 24504" and the matrix number is: "Sonopress G-6431/GED 24504 A1". A scan of the standard fold-out sheet that comes with all copies is presented below.

You can read the liner notes here. Let me know if you have more info that can solve this mystery. I found this in a recent copy of the HSMB; "They [The Incesticide CDs with liner notes] have the same stock number but they're written differently on the spine. The one without the liner notes says "NIRVANA *DGCD 24504 INCESTICIDE" whereas the liner note version has the same text but the stock number font is smaller, it's missing the asterisk and DGC is written underneath it." Thanks to Aaron for this. YOU CAN NOT use the above description to entirely identify whether the album has the liner notes, however, since people have reported that copies missing the asterisk don't necessarily contain the notes. Check a small scan of the regular fold out page here. You can also find a scan of the liner notes here and here. Both scans courtesy of Jason. Juan claims that only the first American pressing from October 1992 includes the liner notes.

Q #107: Are there any official websites for Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Sweet 75 and Hole ?
A: The only official Nirvana site at this point is the one hosted by their record label, Geffen. Find it in the links section. There is a terrific official Foo Fighters website here.

Jack Endino, who produced 'Bleach' has a great site here that you could check also. Also, Krist Novoselic opened his own site a while back offering info on his current activities. Visit his 'Murky Slough' here. The domain nirvana.com was handed over to Nirvana's lawyers in late 1999, but so far no site on the address has been unveiled.

Q #108: What is "Hormoaning" ?
A: Hormoaning is an EP that was released in Japan and Australia in January of 1992 to promote the band's present tour of the pacific rim. As it was only released in these two countries it is still considered to be somewhat rare, however most large record stores around the world have imported the album. It is also widely available at online record stores, and online auctions. The album usually sells for between $20-$40. The Australian version is slightly different, with changed front and back covers. The tracklisting of "Hormoaning" is as follows:

Turnaround
Aneurysm
D-7
Son Of A Gun
Even In His Youth
Molly's Lips

Q #109: What is Kurt mumbling in the beginning of "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" ?
A: Most believe that he is saying "What's your name? Do you like me?"

Q #110: Where can I get a video of Nirvana's MTV Unplugged concert ?
A: First of all, this show has been aired on MTV (and a number of other channels) quite a few times. You can count on it being aired every April in conjunction with the anniversary of Kurt's death. The concert has never been officially released on video. However, a bootleg of the entire show (70 minutes) is widely available and can usually be found at eBay. Though, these copies might be poor quality, depending on the source. Currently there are no plans of releasing the video officially, or make a DVD of it, but it can't be ruled out that this would happen in the future. Read my interview with Alex Coletti for more information and check the answer to question #76.

Q #111: What does the word 'NIRVANA' mean ?
A: This is from the Obituary Birthday FAQ; "The word 'Nirvana' is defined by The American Heritage Dictionary as: 1. Buddhism a. The state of absolute blessedness, characterized by release from the cycle of reincarnations and attained through the extinction of the self. b. A similar state in which reunion with Brahma is attained through the suppression of individual existence. 2. An ideal condition of rest, harmony, stability, or joy." Kurt picked the name because; "[he] wanted a name that was kind of beautiful or nice and pretty instead of a mean, raunchy punk rock name like the Angry Samoans and because he 'wanted to have something different.' " Again courtesy of the Obituary Birthday FAQ.

Q #112: Why did Kurt get in a fight with someone at the Dallas '91 show ?
A: As seen in the "Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!" video, during a show in Dallas on October 19 (1991), Kurt gets in a fight with a bouncer at the venue during Nirvana's performance of "Love Buzz". Here's the full background; "The monitors were shit and Kurt couldn't hear anything. He was also VERY drunk. After a purposely bad performacne of "Polly" where he hits his distortion pedal randomly throughout the song, Kurt walks over to the monitor board and bashes it 3 times with his guitar. He didn't smash the soundboard. He smashed the monitor board. After a pause, they started playing again. The bouncer in the middle of the stage is really pissed off at Kurt's behavior, and he walks across the stage at one point and pushes Kurt out of his way and says something in his ear. Kurt makes motions after this like he wants to kick him. There are 3 bouncers across the stage. The audience is VERY close to the stage, pushing forward and getting onstage and making the bouncer's jobs very difficult. There is a bouncer seated right at Kurt's feet, on top of his monitor, keeping the fans from knocking over his microphone. Kurt, obviously pissed off, starts motioning to the crowd to "surge forward" and give the bouncers a hard time....behind their backs. Then during "Love Buzz", Kurt jumps into the crowd. The bouncer in the middle of the stage is not amused again, and he grabs Kurt by the hair and starts jabbing him. Kurt takes his guitar and bashes him hard in the forehead, giving him a nasty gash. Then the bouncer comes up and attacks Kurt from behind as he gets back onstage. Dave and Krist jumps in to interrupt the fight and Krist tries to wipe away blood from the bouncer's face with his shirt, as seen in the video of the show. The show stops for another long period, and then continues straight to the end without further incidents. Then, supposedly, there was the incident after the show with the cab where the bouncer tried to kick Kurt's ass. They pulled away just in time to avoid injury." Thanks to Juan for most of this info.

Q #113: What is that song Kurt is playing in the living room, seen in "Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!" ?
A: It's no particular song. It's just a jam. He is basically playing some made-up riff and singing to himself. It's unlikely that this was a Nirvana song, or an incomplete version of a song to be. It is not "All along the watchtower" or some other cover of a known song.

Q #114: What did Kurt think of Pearl Jam ?
A: From Juan; "He did not like Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament for various reasons, including old Sub Pop-related conflicts with their old band Green River. He became good friends with Eddie Vedder towards the end of his life." Kurt also stated in several interviews that he hated Pearl Jam's music.

Q #115: Who was Frances Farmer ?
A: Frances Farmer was a popular actress from Seattle, who lived from 1917 to 1970; "Frances Farmer, known around her home town as the 'bad girl of West Seattle' for her spirited, headstrong and magnetic personality, was the stunningly beautiful actress of stage and screen whose all-too-brief career lit up Hollywood and Broadway in the '30s and '40s. Appearing like a comet out of the Pacific Northwest to make her film debut in 1936 in Too Many Parents, during the next six years she appeared in 18 films, three Broadway plays, thirty major radio shows and seven stock company productions – all by the age of 27. She was soon being compared to Greta Garbo." - "In January of 1943, Farmer starred in the film No Escape, an ironic title, considering the direction that her life would take. According to one account, 'Drinking heavily and relying on amphetamines, which only made her more volatile and [difficult],' she got into a fight and was arrested. In court the following morning, she was placed into the custody of psychiatrist Thomas H. Leonard. Leonard, with whom Farmer refused to cooperate, soon diagnosed her as 'suffering from manic-depressive psychosis – probably the forerunner of a definite dementia praecox,' a diagnosis 'which has since been dismissed as meaningless gibberish.' The next day she was transferred to the screen actors' sanitarium in La Crescenta." In the following years, Frances was tourtured and raped repeatedly at various institutions and hospitals. The title of Nirvana's song "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle" was inspired by the sad story of the Seattle actress. And no, Frances Bean Cobain was not named after her, but after Frances of The Vaselines. Thanks to the Citizens Commission on Human Rights for the info on Frances Farmer.

Q #116: Have any Nirvana DVD's been released?
A: The first official stand-alone Nirvana DVD release was "Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!" in 2006. There's also a DVD included with the 2004 box set, "With The Lights Out".

In March 2005, "Classic Albums: Nevermind" was released on DVD. The documentary chronicles the recording of this landmark album. It features brand new interviews with Butch Vig, Krist Novoselic, Dave Grohl, Jack Endino and many others. They also re-visit the original multi-track masters for the album and offer a whole new perspective on the songs. A must-see! You can buy it here.

Q #117: I found a rare Nirvana song on Napster/KaZaA/WinMX!
A: It is more than likely a fake. A fraud. A hoax even. Unfortunately, some people have deliberately been labeling songs as Nirvana - even though they have nothing to do with the band - just to make people download them and spread them. Some people will download and re-distribute Nirvana MP3's without even listening to them first. There are a ton of fake Nirvana MP3 files being distributed through Napster or other file-sharing services. I suggest staying far away from them. The fakes include, but are not limited to: