The day finally
arrived. Monday May 4
th, the
much anticipated and widely acclaimed Kurt Cobain documentary
Montage of Heck premiered on HBO. Named for a violently sporadic and twisted
mixtape recorded by Cobain in 1988, the film garnered intensely positive reviews
and as such, I was looking for a game changer.
A documentary which not only captured the man’s genius but also depicted
the human element so often left out of Cobain and Nirvana documentaries in the
past. The film did not disappoint.
Consisting of
hidden archival materials brought to the table for the first time by Cobain’s
wife Courtney Love and daughter Francis Bean who was an executive producer, the
film showed a side of Kurt which is often forgotten. One that the history books gloss over with
demented tales of drug abuse and emotional instability. Segments of Cobain’s diaries juxtaposed over
early demos of songs and haunting audio recorded by Cobain himself piece
together a collage which showcases a man determined to be taken seriously,
committed to feeling accepted, and above all else resolute in his need avoid humiliation.
Starting with home
movies of the Cobain family in the early years, we see Kurt as a young and
happy child sharing Christmas with family and always smiling. Interviews with Cobain’s mother and father
indicate a loving household, albeit one with a darker underside. Kurt’s father Don wasn’t supportive of Kurt’s
creativity and the verbal abuse he received from the man was something that
stayed with him throughout his formative years.
After his parents’ divorce, Cobain spent much of his early adolescence
moving around between homes of relatives and friends. It wasn’t until Kurt found the Underground
that he felt truly accepted and from there on out, he was in the fast
lane.
The early Nirvana
footage is top notch and high quality showcasing favorites like “Dive”, “School”,
and “Floyd the Barber” performed in houses or small basement venues to crowds
of people varying in size from two middle aged workers from down the street to
15 disillusioned punks. The footage when
interspersed with portions of Cobain’s notes and journals help provide detailed
background into the enigmatic front man’s thought process and offer unique
insight into the development of Nirvana.
From a montage of handwritten band names to scribbled lyrics, the viewer
see’s the other side of the famed rock band.
It was something that grew organically over time, not a sudden outburst. Kurt didn’t have a grand idea beyond playing
music he found to be meaningful and trying to get famous. Although as the world now knows, fame had a
much darker side which only made itself clear to Kurt once it was too late,
fueling his drug abuse and emotional insecurity.
The latter half of
the film, besides dealing with the obvious fame of Nirvana through interview
snippets and stadium concert footage shows Cobain in the privacy of his
home. Between arguments with Courtney
half naked in the bathroom, discussions in bed, and playing with young Francis;
each show a man who cared deeply for his family. A man that was proud of his accomplishments
and guilt stricken over his failures.
In the end, Cobain
was exactly what he claimed to be, a loving father and husband who despite his
vices wanted nothing more than to sacrifice his own happiness for theirs. This is a film that any Cobain, Nirvana, or
music enthusiast MUST see. It toppled
all that came before it and all that will come after through its genuine
honesty and forthrightness. It doesn’t
attempt to gloss over the dark spots.
Rather, it highlights them in a way that depicts Cobain as a product of
his environment, family, politics, sexuality, and mental state which when
combined birthed the kind of authentic creativity that comes along only once in
a generation.
I haven’t reviewed an album in a while and that is mostly
because I haven’t heard one in full which was worth talking about. However, I recently went and saw Ex Hex at
the Sinclair and boy was it a show to remember.
I originally went to see two local openers the first of which absolutely
killed. But Ex Hex was a band that had
been on my radar for some time after lead singer/guitarist Mary Timony formed
the band Wild Flag alongside Sleater Kinney's Carrie Brownstein. After an incredible set I picked up their debut record and after several times through, it only keeps getting better. Entitled “Rips” the album contains twelve
nearly perfect tracks of 80’s infused, guitar driver pop rock. Album opener “Don’t Wanna Lose” establishes
the "love theme" which is present in most songs on the album and starts things
off with a whiny guitar sound which is ever present throughout the record. “New Kid” calls to mind early Joan Jett and maintains a steady baseline with layers of lead and rhythm
guitar which play off each other superbly.
Betsy Wright’s bass and Timony’s guitar work bounce back and forth like
a perfectly timed ping pong match. “How You Got That Girl” is one of the two
tracks written by Wright and hearkens back to 80’s giants like
Pat Benatar with a chunkier rhythm and the snappy guitar squeals which define
Ex Hex’s sound. Heavy track “Beast” is a
slap in the face before the haunting, muted “Everywhere” takes things in a different direction. Later on “You Fell Apart” is right on track
with other 80’s revivalists of today sounding like a cross between the Dum Dum
Girls and L.A. garage pop vixens Bleached.
The album closes just as strongly as it begins with the upbeat “Radio On”
bringing more sing along choruses and bubbly new wave a la The Go Go’s. Closing track “War Paint” has one of the best
lines of the album as Timony sings “Put your war paint on and dance alone in
the crowd”. This sums up Ex Hex. They are who they are and they do what they do and you'll just have to deal with it. A band which clearly comes out of the
marginalized, loner portion of society and provides the world with the kind of
catchy radio rock which is friendly enough for your grandma and rough enough
for your cousin going through his punk
phase. Although still relatively fresh
having just released their debut back in October of 2014, the band is
incredibly tight live and is destined for a phenomenal follow up in my
opinion. Keep your eyes peeled and catch
them if you can because I’m sure they won’t be playing such small venues for
much longer.
