LIVE NIRVANA INTERVIEW ARCHIVE December 27, 1991 - Los Angeles, CA, US

Personnel

Interviewer(s)

Chris Cuffaro

Unidentified ABC In Concert Correspondent

Interviewee(s)

Kurt Cobain

Krist Novoselic

Dave Grohl

Sources

Medium	Publisher	Date of Issue	Title	Transcript
Video	ABC	TBC	ABC In Concert	Yes
Video	YouTube.com	TBC	Nirvana: 12.27.91	Yes

Transcript

Krist Novoselic: We're positive. No matter what the situation is, we always give it a bright outlook - butterflies 'n fields, smelling pansies…

Dave Grohl: Unicorns!

Krist: Unicorns 'n rainbows!

Dave: Favourite punk-rock bands? Ever?

Krist: Plasmatics.

ABC In Concert: Ever, ever…

Dave: Wendy O'Williams…

Krist: Generation X…

Kurt Cobain: [Laughs] Generation X…

Dave: The Cars…

Krist: The Cars, yeah!

Kurt: [With a funny accent] I like all that punk-rock - Billy Idol, The Cars…

Dave: Just ain't got no beat, man…

Krist: Duran Duran…

Kurt & Dave: Duran Duran!

Kurt: I think the only thing I was influenced by was The Chipmunks Sing The Beatles album. [Nods] It's better than The Beatles, better than The Real McCoy!

Krist & Dave: [Laughs]

ABC In Concert: Why did you guys take the name Nirvana?

Kurt: It sounds nice.

Krist: It had a ring to it. We had the image and we had the name, all we needed were the songs! [Laughs]

Krist: There's this baby underwater and it's swimming towards a dollar bill on a fishhook, and the dollar bill definite has materialistic connotations, and the rest of it's open to interpretation.

ABC In Concert: What do you think it is about Nirvana that people responded to so… obviously?

Krist: Our rugged good looks! Our charisma and charm! Low interest rates! Our stature as human beings! Our musicianship!

Krist: We are Nirvana, and you're watching ABC In Concert!

© ABC, 1992

Transcript

Dave Grohl: What, broke off?

Kurt Cobain: Yeah.

Dave: But usually they break off the top.

Kurt: It just kind of fell apart. It just turned into black mush.

Interviewer: Oh my god!

Kurt: Doesn't hurt at all, though. It never has.

Kurt: Yeah, it doesn't seem infected in any way. There's another nail growing underneath it. I just smashed it and it just broke off.

Dave: I always thought that if you broke… if you got a black nail, that the whole nail would fall off, not just the back.

Kurt: It has, but I didn't…

Dave: Krist, you have it.

Krist Novoselic: Oh.

Kurt: Just read it!

Krist: "Hello. Stay tuned for more [holds nose] Nirvana on ABC In Concert".

Krist: Hello. I am Krist.

Kurt: And I am Kurt.

Dave: And I am Dave.

Krist: And we are Nirvana. [holds nose] Ewww. And you see too much of us anyway on TV, so you can change to another channel… and you're watching us on ABC In Concert.

Krist: Hello, I am Krist

Kurt: Hello, I am Kurt.

Dave: I'm Dave.

Krist: And we are Nirvana, the band you see on TV too much. Change the channel.

Dave: Aren't you sick of it?

Krist: Turn on PBS or something. And you're watching ABC In Concert.

Interviewer: What do you think it is about Nirvana that people responded to so obviously?

Krist: Our rugged good looks. Our charisma and charm. Our stature as human beings. Our musicianship - which is lousy.

Interviewer: That's it?

Krist: Record company payola.

Interviewer: Yeah?

Interviewer: As children… as a kid, what inspired you to get involved with music? What drew you to it? What made you want to do it?

Krist: I was inspired by The Monkees.

Dave: I don't know what I was inspired by. I think I was first inspired to play music by…

Krist: Speak & Spell?

Dave: Nah, punk rock bands. I guess.

Interviewer: Any favorites?

Dave: Favorite punk rock bands? Of ever?

Krist: Plasmatics.

Interviewer: Ever, ever!

Dave: Yeah, that Wendy O. Williams.

Krist: Generation X.

Kurt: Generation X, haha.

Dave: The Cars.

Krist: The Cars, yeah.

Kurt: I like all that punk rock - Billy Idol, The Cars.

Dave: Just ain't got no beat, man.

Krist: Duran Duran.

Kurt: Duran Duran!

Dave: Duran Duran!

Dave: Just ain't got no beat!

Interviewer: Kurt, what about you?

Kurt: Well, I think the only thing I was inspired by was the "Chipmunks sing The Beatles" album. It's better than The Beatles. Better than the real McCoy.

Interviewer: And, you know, actually explain the image because we're going to take for granted people have seen it.

Krist: Oh

Interviewer: So, somebody talk about the image…

Krist: There's a baby underwater and it's swimming towards a dollar bill on a fish hook and that dollar bill has definite materialistic connotations and the rest of it's open to interpretation… man!

Interviewer: Why'd you guys pick the name "Nirvana"

Kurt: Sounds nice.

Krist: Had a ring to it. We had the image and we had the name, all we needed were the songs.

Interviewer: Did you have problems with a band called Nirvana from the valley?

Kurt: Yes, we did. A $50,000.00 problem.

Krist: Those jerk-offs soaked us for 50 grand.

Dave: Typical valley, man.

Interviewer: [inaudible]

Dave: You just wait 'til we get a hold of that shampoo company, too!

Krist: Or the condom company…

Kurt: Or the Teen Spirit deodorant…

Dave: Or the Teen Spirit… I know…

Krist: Or the Dalai Lama and the whole Buddhist religion. We're gonna sue the pants off 'em!

Kurt: [quoting Jerky Boys "Punitive Damages"] Sue everybody!

Dave: [quoting Jerky Boys "Punitive Damages"] Sue everybody!

Interviewer: What is your response to people who say that you guys have kind of sold out by moving off of Sub Pop and going to a big label?

Krist: Everybody's moving off of Sub Pop. Bruce and Jon are trying to move off of Sub Pop!

Dave: [laughs] Like it's a crime!

Interviewer: I think Bruce Pavitt is moving off Sub Pop. I mean does that bother you when people say that like 'oh you went with Geffen it's the obvious label'?

Kurt: Well, that's too bad. That's their problem.

Dave: What was so obvious about Geffen?

Krist: People have all kinds of hangs ups. Like, I know this guy…

Interviewer: I don't know, I'm only like reading like I've read people kind of spouting…

Krist: Well, those are like Mr. Negatives. It's just like "Isn't it a sunny day?" "Well, it's probably gonna rain" or "my cat will get run over" or something. They always have to be pessimistic and negative. We're positive and no matter what the situation is we always give it a bright outlook. Butterflies in fields and smelling pansies and unicorns on rainbows.

Dave: Unicorns!

Krist: Because that's what life's all about… when you sniff glue.

Interviewer: Who's somebody you admire like who do you admire now?

Krist: [raises arm]

Interviewer: Okay, go ahead…

Krist: Zippy the Pinhead!

Interviewer: Zippy the Pinhead?

Krist: Yeah. He's cool.

Kurt: I admire Evel Knievel.

Dave: I don't really admire anybody that much… except for my immediate family.

Kurt: That's touching.

Krist: That's neat, Dave.

Dave: [cries] Oh my Jesus, this is ABC…

Krist: That's right.

Dave: This is probably on after Ted Koppel!

Kurt: Hi, mom!

Krist: Just don't bring up the word "dysfunctional" and we'll be okay.

Dave: Alright.

Kurt: Or discoteque

Krist: Discoteque. Disco Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes

Kurt: What did they do? Didn't they do the theme to Deep Throat or something?

Krist: Ah something like that.

Interviewer: Are you guys surprised at being so successful in like a completely corporate garbage rock flooded music industry?

Dave: No way. We knew…

Kurt: Yeah…

Dave: From moment 1, we knew…

Kurt: The magic 8-ball told us.

Dave: That's right! We shook it up. We said "Are we gonna make it?" And we looked at it.

Kurt: "Better tell ya later," then we shook it again…

Dave: "Try again later!" And busted it and drank all that blue stuff and got really wasted.

Kurt: It said 'drink me'

Dave: So we took the little cube and went [throws in mouth] then we shit it out and looked at it.

Krist: It's Vicks-44 from hell.

Dave: And when we shit it out it said "try again later."

Interviewer: That's good, guys. Yeah, we're done.

© Chris Cuffaro, 2016