by Nick Soulsby
GARY FLOYD: Mexico, that was a completely one-hundred-percent-nuts, out-of-control thing to witness—packed with kids who walked over from San Diego, drunk as hell, no real number on how many or crowd control? Lynn Perko [Truell] and I were standing behind the curtain right behind their drummer in this walkway … Outside were hundreds of kids beating in a huge folding door. We looked out at the crowd with tons of people jumping off the third-floor balcony and the band super-loud and right behind us, the beating on the folding metal door—We were just hugging each other and laughing. I was yelling, “We’re here! We are here in this time seeing this!” It was one of the big spiritual moments in my very spiritual life!
ERIC ERLANDSON: There was this “golden calf” air about them at the time. But they seemed to be having such fun, and enjoying the attention while still trying to fuck with the system the best they could. It was also the beginning of Courtney and Kurt’s relationship. So that new love, push and pull of romance, was also happening concurrently. I remember running out onstage during Nirvana’s encore at the Palace show and jumping on Kurt and pulling him down. Dave and Krist both jumped on top of us and it became a sweaty dog pile. Just fun fucking around!
Given the strong bond between L7 and Nirvana, plus the latter’s genuine interest, it made sense that they paused to be the only all-male group at a Rock for Choice Benefit on the way home.
LYNN TRUELL: It was absolutely intentional that women were represented at this show. L7 had a lot to do with Rock for Choice—they were its major organizers. We all felt strongly about a woman’s right to choose, at that time and now. It was pretty obvious what was being highlighted—a woman’s rights to choose and to rock! And we did and still do.
JILL EMERY, Hole: Sad to say I have to even think it’s an issue this far in the future, if the Republicans had their way, they would close down every clinic. It shocks me there are Republican women in office who are fine with them being involved in women’s reproductive rights … honestly at that time it felt like a swooping-in whirlwind: all you could do is play, hold on, and watch your back … Kurt seemed OK but basically Courtney sprayed the scene. As the drug thing escalated no one was emotionally available. Dave and Krist were super-nice dudes, I would say Krist was a sweetheart and completely down to earth; I remember Dave just enthusiastically daydreaming about his own band, guess it wasn’t too much of a daydream … It got to the point where both bands were forced (mentally) into onstage antics, Courtney being stripperish and Nirvana feeling like they had to break their instruments, it even happened with Mazzy Star just seeing how little light they could use onstage, it just happens.
Although they played the Paramount Theater in Seattle on Thursday October 31, Nirvana were onstage in Bristol, UK, the following Monday. At least they weren’t alone in feeling rushed.
PAUL THOMSON: At midday nothing was happening, I was sat at home in south London; five hours later we were sound-checking in Bristol using Nirvana’s backline! I think the call came from Lawrence Bell, who said that Captain America’s van had broken down and did we fancy opening for Nirvana? Duh … yes! That was it, all in the van and on the road within an hour. Played a great gig to an amazing crowd and then got to see one of our favorite bands rip the place up from the side of the stage. Result! But it was just luck that we were Captain America’s label mates that we got the call … by the time they were due to play here (our gig with them was the very first of the Nevermind tour) it was clear that this was an extremely popular record, but I don’t think anyone thought it would be so massive. I remember first hearing it at our press agents’ and people being genuinely blown away. The audience at the Bristol show confirmed what we thought. It was a packed and very excited crowd! There was a lot of Novoselic jumping about and Dave doing his head-down drumming. The whole thing looked and sounded great … I don’t imagine they would think twice about what they were doing onstage, just not that kind of band. They just did what came naturally. I don’t think they even smashed up their gear that night!
The UK tour, like the US shows over the previous two months, had been booked without any expectation that Nirvana was anything worth worrying about.
PAUL THOMSON: The Bierkeller wasn’t particularly pleasant: in a dodgy part of town, dark, smelly, maybe five hundred capacity? But for us, that was a step up! Venues in the UK for bands like us were generally small, hot, dark, and smelly. If you got a dressing room, that was a major bonus. But it suited the music and the audiences at the time. The place was rammed full by the time we started and everyone was buzzing that they were going to see Nirvana. I think there were people all ’round the stage with little or no security. I don’t know what other venues they played, but the Bierkeller was exactly that, a midlevel indie venue. In London they played Kilburn National, which was maybe one thousand people?
GORDON KEEN, Captain America: Witnessing, firsthand, venues being packed night after night, the amount of people locked out and trying desperately to get in to see Nirvana, the palpable feeling of expectation and excitement from the audience inside the venues—more so than any other gigs I’d witnessed as a musician or as a fan—all led me, and the other guys in Captain America, to realize that this was special.
ANDY BOLLEN, Captain America: They played decent-sized venues in London at the Astoria and Kilburn National, but in Edinburgh, for example, they were playing in a really small club. I also remember the Glasgow QM show; we must’ve sneaked in hundreds of people it was so jam-packed. One show at Nottingham Rock City there were literally people weeping in the streets outside the venue, hundreds of people who couldn’t get in. You could’ve played two nights at venues twice the size and still not met the demand.
NAOKO YAMANO: When we toured with them in 1991, the capacities of their venues were between 1,500 to 2,500, but all shows were sold out and the audience was very enthusiastic for the band. They were just breaking. The members of Nirvana, especially Kurt, was very busy for promotion booked by record label … We hired a van with a Scottish band, Captain America … We basically toured in our own van but a few times, we had a ride in Nirvana’s tour bus from hotels to venues. They were very kind to us.
DAN TREACY, Television Personalities: The gig at the Astoria was a very last-minute thing for us. We got a phone call out of the blue from Kurt’s manager. Apparently Kurt had asked for us. We were supposed to be on first, but ended up going on before Nirvana. I got the impression the other support bands were a bit pissed off about that. Nirvana were lovely guys … They played very loud! We played quite well … Kurt watched us from the side of the stage. We got some of their fans on our side … Had a brief chat with Kurt at some point … I couldn’t understand him very well, but it turned out we had a mutual love of the Terry Jacks’s song “Seasons in the Sun” … Kurt asked, and I think he was testing me, what the B-side was: “Put the Bone In.” We connected … I had no inkling at all he had issues, but Kurt in particular seemed a little uncomfortable with the sudden success. But I couldn’t say what that was down to. He was very introvert[ed], shy … he and the rest of the band were a little unsure but also enjoying it.
Their time on the road was starting to show, with the band beginning to tire. In one petulant moment Cobain would turn a performance of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” into sarcastic comedy when irked by the demands of a TV show’s directors.
ANDY BOLLEN: The demands placed on them had increased. They were very busy doing promo work for TV, radio sessions, interviews all the time. I recall a general conversation and the band were on basic wages, on a tight budget and still hadn’t received any royalties. At the time the figure may have been $250 a week, a grand a month or something. I was impressed but looking back it’s not life-changing. The effect of fame at that level for Nirvana just meant more and more time on the road, more shows; they grew tired but kept the momentum going.
GORDON KEEN: It was wonderful to share the time we did with a band who were genuinely blown away by the reception they were receiving and before the media madnes
s surrounding them got to the level it did. I remember us driving ’round and ’round outside a hotel in England in our tour van with Dave Grohl clinging onto the bonnet shouting for us to drive faster. It was hysterically funny … We also sat with Kurt, Krist, and Dave watching their Top of the Pops recording when they intentionally hammed it up. At the time that was a big thing. They were worried they had gone too far, and we were reassuring them that it was just the right thing to have done.
PAUL THOMSON: We hardly saw them, really. We had to walk through their dressing room to leave, and I remember Kurt was prostrate on a sofa like he was asleep. The others seemed happy enough. I don’t think they were aware of what madness was coming, they were just playing their gigs and pleased they were busy. We went to a very crowded after-show party in London after they had played Kilburn a week or so later and Dave Grohl made a point of coming over to us to tell us he thought we’d been great in Bristol, which was nice. And Dec [Kelly] ended up going out to a club with Kurt. Kurt fell asleep with his head on Dec’s shoulder … they seemed fairly nice, normal guys at that point. A bit sleepy, though …
Despite all that was going on, Cobain and Grohl still took time out to play a benefit for the children’s hospital in Edinburgh despite being unwell.
ANDY BOLLEN: I did see him really ill in Edinburgh. But it was more glandular, his voice was gone, a doctor was called; we actually thought it was game over, the tour would be stopped, but he made it through.
MURDO MACLEOD: The gig that Kurt and Dave did with us was not just by chance. We had asked them to do it. I called and spoke to Kurt when they got to the UK, and asked if they’d do it, as a “secret” gig, and he agreed. We got the audience by advertising our acoustic gig “with very special guests.” I think everyone knew who it was going to be, because they knew we knew them, and Kurt had mentioned us, as he liked our single, and they had played in town the night before, or were playing the next night—I can’t remember which. We played to an unbelievably packed room (about two hundred in a space designed for about eighty) with no sign of Nirvana. After an hour or so, everyone started to leave, berating us for bullshitting them. We knew better. Kurt and Dave showed up when there were about thirty people left. We locked the doors, they played six songs, and then we and they and a bunch of our good friends all sat about until God knows when drinking and shooting the breeze. It was lovely. I have no idea how much we raised.
Regardless of their rocketing popularity and success, they still supported their friends. They weren’t saints, let alone angels, but they brought the communal spirit of the underground to whatever strange land was opening up for them.
ANDY BOLLEN: They were warm, friendly, respectful, and generous. They let us use their gear every night. In terms of approach we were a shambles, we got drunk, had a great laugh; I think Nirvana really enjoyed our company. They gave us their rider every night. They had this punk-rock sharing thing; they didn’t act like a big band. I think they sensed we were struggling. We were signing on, in vans that were breaking down, it was chaos! They wanted us to play the mainland dates in Europe with them too and were prepared to let us share their bus and gear, but we couldn’t afford to do it.
Amid the chaos Cobain kept writing. The band was already practicing new material.
ANDY BOLLEN: I didn’t want the others to see me doing something so uncool as writing, so the only place I could go was Nirvana’s dressing room. Kurt would be either sleeping or writing, or chatted with me. I can’t believe now that he was annoying me by talking to me … I remember over the tour sitting watching them hone “All Apologies” every night. The sound caught by their sound man, Craig Montgomery, was better than the version on In Utero. It sounded more dramatic and powerful, the bass more resonating like Joy Division.
15.0
Falling Apart in Asia/Pacific
January to February 1992
Nevermind had conquered the world in less than fifteen weeks. A media awakening to the newest “must-see” phenomenon raced to keep up and proceeded to smother Nirvana with attention while at the same time whimpering that it was impossible to see them in the United States. Geffen had decided Nirvana’s touring schedule prior to their unpredicted triumph and it had made perfect sense for what had been just another mid-ranking band. Nirvana’s hefty touring had saturated the home market, so until fame hit, there was nowhere in the States that Geffen needed Nirvana to go.
The answer had been to hit the overseas circuit in Europe in late 1991 and then the less-traveled markets of Asia/Pacific in the New Year.
MARK HURST, The Guttersnipes: We got the support many months in advance, before Nevermind came out. We all followed the Sub Pop thing closely and liked Bleach a lot, so we were very happy to be playing with them. Everything changed when Nevermind came out, obviously, but we were kept on the bill, which was nice.
SHAUN BUTCHER, Nunbait: We just were playing in lounge rooms/backyards at friends’ parties. We were always practicing, writing heaps of songs, and it was a bit harder than we thought to get gigs, so we entered a couple of band competitions so we could at least play. One of the competitions had a first prize of recording a single with Waterfront Records, a well-known indie record label and shop in the city and, blow us all down, we won! We recorded a bit with them, toured interstate; there was even talk about going to America to record as the whole Sub Pop thing was happening and they pegged us in that category … We were lucky to get some great supports with overseas bands like Butthole Surfers, Mudhoney, [and] Fugazi through a band promoter, Steve Pav, who worked closely with Waterfront and who eventually brought Nirvana out.
RICHARD LEWIS, Tumbleweed: We knew Nirvana when they were included on the Sub Pop 200 compilation doing “Spank Thru,” then Bleach came out. We all had a copy of Bleach … During the Mudhoney tour we did as the Proton Energy Pills, we were sitting around the pool of the Diplomat Hotel in Melbourne with Mudhoney, just hanging out, swimming, shootin’ [the] shit, and getting over the gig the night before, when Matt Lukin said, “My house mate Kurt is in a band called Nirvana, do you know them?” We said, “Yeah! We love Nirvana!” He said, “Well they want to come out here, you guys should play with them.” … Steve Pav was our manager and he was with us at the time and the deal was pretty much struck then and there.
PETER FENTON, Crow: We were in a loose arrangement being looked after by Steve Pavlovic … there was this Canberra mafia thing going on in Sydney. He was booking the Landsdowne Hotel and his momentum and vision took him to Mudhoney and Fugazi, the Flying Nun bands … I remember having a conversation with him that he was bringing out this band from America called Nirvana. I’d heard of Nirvana down at the local record store, probably Waterfront Records, but they really were one of many at the time. Sometime after that, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” broke through. In Australia, Triple J (our national youth broadcaster) presented the tour, but behind the scenes there was a wonderful lady named Jen Brennen, who later managed Crow—she was in marketing at Triple J. I remember she had to push quite hard to get “Smells Like Teen Spirit” played on Triple J. That’s why Nirvana presented her with a gold record, to say, “Without you, we wouldn’t have gotten this gold record in Australia.” Amazing.
Nirvana’s absolute triumph had derailed the plan. Yet, so close to the unexpected explosion, the label had no idea how to react. Ultimately, the brevity of the Asia/Pacific tour meant it wasn’t worth the drama of cancellation. What Geffen and the local promoters could do—and did—was shift venues to larger locations.
MICHAEL MCMANUS: The Australian shows were booked prior to the release of Nevermind, and were in smaller venues than they could have played in. They honored the existing arrangements though, which was noble of them. We got onto the show through Steve Pav, who ran Magnet … We heard around the middle of ’91 that he was planning to tour Nirvana, and being fans of Bleach put our hands up enthusiastically for the support … A friend who worked for the promoter said they were swamped by media enquiries.
RICHARD L
EWIS: The tour was arranged before Nevermind came out, so it was set up much the same as the Dinosaur Jr. or Mudhoney tour that preceded it—venues that held about 2,500 … I think the Phoenician Club held about 2,500, same with the Palace. Thebarton held a few more, maybe 3,500; ANU around 3,500 I think?
DAMIEN BINDER, Second Child: The Logan Campbell Centre held about 2,000 people. We used to call it the Logan Concrete Centre because it sounded like shit in there—not exactly known for its warm acoustics. The Powerstation, where I believe the gig was originally to be staged, was a much better, more intimate venue …
The tour kept Nirvana in motion while the label awaited the return of regular business forecasting.
SHAUN BUTCHER: All the hype on Nirvana exploded when they came to tour. It all coincided with Nevermind going ballistic and every indie and commercial radio station in Sydney had Nirvana on high rotation. Suddenly everyone [was] walking the streets in their “grunge-wear” (flannelette checked shirts—“flannies”—ripped jeans, and sneakers). We got heaps of them at our gigs, as some classed us as grunge (I even done the uniform … only ’cause Sydney was always cold, sneakers were cheap, and I couldn’t afford new jeans!), but we were happy to go along with it. (Got people to our gigs.)
PAUL BROCKHOFF, The Guttersnipes: A buzz is an understatement. Mass hysteria, the likes of which I don’t think could be repeated … Mainstream Australia was smitten. It changed the landscape in many ways. Kind of like losing the roof of your house in a windstorm. All of your special things, the things that made “alternative” music … were all of a sudden subject to idiotic commercial radio DJs. Kind of like the Dead Kennedys agreeing to go on MTV …
MICHAEL MCMANUS: You couldn’t go into a shop or café without hearing “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” at least around St. Kilda, where I lived … The buzz started I think in late ’91, and grew rapidly. It was obvious they were going to be huge, and the media activity was intense. I don’t recall anything like it before or since. Once we were announced as a support, virtually everyone I spoke to was wanting to talk about it, even people who would normally have absolutely no interest in music. It was pretty exciting and it was like the stuff we’d been doing as a very underground thing was really gaining broad acknowledgment. There was a definite feeling of zeitgeist, too; it felt like a wave that was bigger than just the music.
