Kurt Cobain, arguably one of the best artists of his him, represented the golden age of grunge/rock-and-roll, a time when “drugs, sex, and rock-and-roll” rang true. He rose to fame at a young age as the lead singer and songwriter of the legendary band, Nirvana. Unfortunately, behind all of his talent, in a true “rock-and-roll” fashion Cobain possessed a troubled psyche that caused him to lead a tragic, fleeting life.
The tale of Cobain’s life will be told in a documentary, Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, 21 years after his shocking death. This is not the first documentary to be released about Cobain, and it most likely will not be the last, but it is the first to be granted cooperation from the rock legend’s family. Frances Bean, Cobain’s daughter with Courtney Love, will be the executive producer.
The project has been in the works for eight years. Since the project has the cooperation of Cobain’s family, the film has access to never before seen personal and creative works. According to the writer/director/producer, Brett Morgan stated there are “200 hours of unreleased music and audio, a vast array of art projects (oil paintings, sculptures), countless hours of never-before-seen home movies, and over 4000 pages of writings” that will provide content for the film.
The film will also showcase numerous songs by Nirvana, which may include “Smells like Teen Spirit”, “About a Girl”, and “Lithium”, along with many others. Performances by the legendary band will be show throughout the film. Most unexpected of all, fans will get to hear never before released songs by Cobain and the band.
The title “Montage of Heck” refers to a mix tape that Cobain made with a 4-track cassette recorder. According to LiveNirvana it includes songs by The Beatles, Van Halen, Simon and Garfunkel, and Frank Zappa. It also contains and excerpt of Daniel Johnson screaming about Satan, sounds from Sesame Street, Cobain vomiting in a toilet, and him ranting about pot and whiskey. This eclectic cassette perfectly sums up Cobain’s whirlwind life and it is the prefect title for his documentary.
It is unclear if the documentary will include the shocking death of Cobain in his Seattle home; when, according to the Seattle Police Department incident report, “Cobain was found with a shotgun across his body, had a visible head wound and there was a suicide note discovered nearby.”
This obviously has been a sensitive issue for the artist’s family. Earlier this year in response to Lana Del Rey’s Song “Born to Die”, in which Rey seemed to glorify dying young, Frances Bean tweeted “the death of young musicians isn’t something to romanticize; I’ll never know my father because he died young & it becomes a desirable feat because [people] like [you] think it’s cool.” According to this evidence and other sources, the film will most likely focus more on Cobain’s death than his infamous death.
This authorized documentary will give fans a never before seen look into the troubled life of Kurt Cobain, and give some insight to his thought, feelings, and aspirations; but hopefully most help viewers and fans understand the struggles of depression and fame.