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Nirvana's 'Nevermind' Anniversary: The Best and Worst Tributes to Kurt & Co.

Michael Lavine

Hey, did you hear that Nirvana's 'Nevermind' came out 20 years ago?!

Well, we certainly have. As professional music journalists, we've been reading -- and even writing -- about the landmark album's anniversary, which takes place on Sept. 24, for months. During the course of that time, we've seen some truly heartfelt and well-planned tributes to Kurt Cobain and company's masterpiece, and we've also seen some real duds.

So, rather than add another essay on what the album means to the world, we've compiled the best and worst tributes to 'Nevermind.' You'll find the usual suspects below -- best covers, some crazy stuff Courtney Love said -- as well as some things out of left field, like a GOP candidate and Hannah Montana. Enjoy!

Best Cover: Charles Bradley's 'Stay Away'
It's no secret that we love Charles Bradley 'round these parts, but we still weren't prepared how awesome he would be at covering Nirvana's 'Stay Away.' The standout track of Spin's 'Newermind' compilation, the Brooklyn soul man's opening screams of "Monkey see, monkey do" were enough for us to put the track on repeat.
Worst Memorial: Aberdeen's Kurt Cobain Landing
It's part of Nirvana lore that Cobain slept under the Young Street Bridge in his hometown of Aberdeen, Wa., and later sang about that period of his life on 'Something in the Way.' The bridge has since become a shrine for Nirvana fans, with graffiti and memorabilia cover its underbelly across the Wishkah River. None of that had any bearing on the Aberdeen City Council, which rejected a motion to rename the crossing in Cobain's honor because of his negative comments about the city, drug use and suicide. Instead, they elected to name a small, adjacent grassy area after him. We're sure he'll be in the thoughts of any joggers and dogs that cross it.
Most Legit Tribute Show: EMP's Benefit Concert Featuring Krist Novoselic
Sure, there are tons of other Joe Blows with guitars playing Nirvana songs on stage (we're looking at you Joseph Gordon-Levitt) in honor of Nevermind's 20th anniversary. But why would you want to see the dude from 'Inception' sing 'Lithium' or Hannah Montana do an eternal disservice to 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' when you could watch Krist Novoselic and a handful of his grunge-veteran peers take on the full tracklist of 'Nevermind' along with some other young upstarts from the Pacific Northwest. The Nirvana bassist was joined by former Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan, the Presidents of the U.S.A. and plenty of others for his charity event honoring both his fallen bandmate and their publicist Susie Tennant, who is currently battling ovarian cancer. Dave Grohl even joined in via video feed.
Worst Attempt at Capitalizing on the Anniversary: GOP Candidate John Huntsman
Even though Huntsman was 31 when 'Nevermind' came out, the former ambassador's recent attempt to invoke Cobain's memory while attacking Mitt Romney was laughably out of touch. "You've got Governor Romney who called it a fraud in his book 'No Apology.' I don't know if that was written by Kurt Cobain or not," Huntsman said in a recent GOP debate. When asked about the bizarre zinger-that-really-wasn't, Huntsman laughed and said, "That just sort of came to me. You can't say 'no apologies' on the 20th anniversary and not have Kurt Cobain come to mind." Here's hoping someone takes their copy of 'In Utero' -- the 1993 album on which 'All Apologies' actually appears -- and uses it to smack this idiot in the face.
Worst Cover: Miley Cyrus' 'Teen Spirit' Debacle
Some things in this world should just never be mixed -- cats and mice, gasoline and fire, vodka and whiskey -- lest one is prepared for disastrous results. Miley Cyrus and Nirvana must now be added to that list after her truly horrible cover of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit.' The rendition was even bad enough to top Rolling Stone's reader's list of "Worst Covers of all Time." The most unfortunate part of her regrettable dalliance with the grunge anthem was her introduction, in which she said of Nirvana, "Without them I wouldn't be here. They are the ones who gave me the strength and courage to do this. I hope I can be that person for you guys." We hope for the opposite.
Most Dedicated Tribute: Deer Tick's Deervana
Deer Tick were obsessive Nirvana fans as kids and singer John McCauley even once tried to form a tribute band in his early teens, so it was serendipitous that their promoter friend caught them doing 'Molly's Lips' and 'Serve the Servants' in the style of Nirvana. He asked them to play a set as the newly christened Deervana for his birthday, and thus a Nirvana cover band was born. The Deer Tick dudes would play sets as Deervana all over the country from SXSW to Brooklyn Bowl to Bonnaroo -- and they absolutely killed. Check out the audience reaction to their performance of 'Lithium' for proof.
Worst Revelation: Kurt's Package Size
Courtney Love
Mick Hutson, Redferns
In a recent issue of GQ magazine, Courtney Love was asked if actor Brad Pitt could portray her husband in a movie. The Hole singer did not take this lightly, telling the publication that her late husband "had more presence and more beauty than Brad Pitt. He was a leader, he was strong, in fact he was well f---ing hung, if you really want to know." So, not only did Cobain help destroy hair metal, we now know he could measure up to Tommy Lee.
Worst Cobain Impersonation: Jared Leto
If it looks like a Kurt, and (really) sounds like a Kurt, it still might not be a Kurt. That's exactly what 30 Seconds to Mars frontman and emo actor Jared Leto did after he ran into Courtney Love at a bar: "She mentioned this book, 'Heavier Than Heaven,' and I said, 'Oh, I'm going to read this book,' because I'm a huge Nirvana and Kurt fan, and the book sounded fascinating, so I read it and I loved it," he said. "And I knew they were making a movie, so I put myself on tape, just to explore the character." Leto's tribute involved wandering through some woods and wearing flannel, and we'll admit that he does do a pretty good impression of Cobain. But dude, releasing it on the 17th anniversary of Kurt's suicide was completely uncool.
Weirdest Tribute: Playing 'Smells Like Teen Spirit,' 144 Times in a Row
Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' was their most visible hit and certainly deserves to be the centerpiece of any tribute show. But playing their breakout single 144 times in a row? That's just weird. Despite the obvious redundancy inherent in a tribute like this, the 2011 edition of the Scotiabank Nuit Blanche art festival, which happens on Oct. 1, will do exactly this. The tune will be covered close to 150 consecutive times by members of Tokyo Police Club, F---ed up and others. Audience members should be on the lookout for exposing themselves to a dangerously high risk of "death by repetition."
Most Likely to Succeed: Jon Stewart's Q&A
Political satirist, '90s icon and host of Comedy Central's 'The Daily Show,' Jon Stewart, has announced that he'll be taking part in a Q&A session with the band's surviving members, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl, Sept. 24 on SiriusXM Radio's Lithium station. Still, it begs the question -- was Bill O'Reilly unavailable?
Best Cover, Reggae Edition: Little Roy's 'Come As You Are'
Before we pushed play on this reggae cover, we were probably just as skeptical as you are now. Yes, the whole concept sounds like an awful idea, but Little Roy's authentic Jamaican arrangement and a kick-ass trombone solo make this track and his Nirvana cover album, 'Battle for Seattle,' worth checking out.

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Shane Jeevananda

i encourage everybody to look up the white stripes cover its called 7 nation teen spirit great cover!!

September 24 2011 at 12:35 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Brandt Hardin

Kurt changed my life with his insightful and surreal music and lyrics. I only wished he could have stuck around to make more to listen to for future generations. I was compelled to compose a portrait of him In Memoriam recently on the anniversary of his death on my artist’s blog at http://dregstudiosart.blogspot.com/2011/04/in-memoriam-kurt-cobain-and-lane-staley.html Drop in and tell me your memories of his music and how it’s affected you.

September 23 2011 at 8:36 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Coren

That's certainly an interesting version of Lithium, it sounds a lot like All Apologies!

September 23 2011 at 6:23 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
gnyeck

this is exactly why he blew brains out in the first place. cause he knew he made such an impact on history but that so many people would just use his works to make money and perpetuate the abuses that he hated so much in life, and for what? so someone else can make money off a dead mans songs, and mtv has a reason for kids to watch. kurt cobains songs werent about you, they werent for you, they were about him, and the terrible, drug induced, day to day life he lived, and how no one should have to live a life like his.

September 23 2011 at 5:22 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Nick West

As a democrat living in Utah, I have to say, Huntsman is legit. He was a great governor and lists his favorite band as The Clash. He played keyboards in a rock band back in the late seventies.

September 23 2011 at 5:15 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Nick West's comment
Mack Bower

Lol, a "Democract". Riiiiiiight.

September 24 2011 at 12:02 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
KCD

Excellent choice with Charles Bradley. Far and away my top choice as well. He took "Stay Away" and made it his own.

September 23 2011 at 4:01 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply