Former Hole bassist Melissa Auf der Maur recently defended Courtney Love’s legacy and criticized the media’s treatment of the controversial musician in her new memoir. She addressed these issues in an interview with Pam Grossman.
Auf der Maur explained her decision to include Love’s perspective in her book “Even the Good Girls Will Cry.” She spoke about reframing the narrative surrounding the Hole frontwoman.
“I decided to include her [Courtney Love] own words in my book because obviously a huge mandate for me in the book was to reframe the demonized woman that for so many reasons not just because she deserves it because she’s a pioneering feminist that has been shaton and her husband’s shadow and his tragedy has somehow just ruined her her life,” Auf der Maur said.
She continued to address the impact of public perception on Love’s reputation.
“I mean, and she’s didn’t ruin her life. It’s the narrative that people put on her. It’s just unbelievable to have watched that closely the burning of this woman and the media frenzy and the misogyny. It’s just unbearable,” she explained.
Auf der Maur acknowledged Love’s struggles while emphasizing her artistic contributions.
“And even within the chaos because of course is she does she struggle from mental health problems? Of course. Does is she an addict? Yes. Has she she’s not hidden any of her challenging parts. But more importantly is women who push the envelope, who don’t ask, act pretty or nice, who in her case perform an exorcist. I’ve never seen anyone perform like her,” she said.
The bassist praised Love’s unique performance style and artistic impact.
“There is no more still to this day I even with all the amazing pop stars of that are women ruling the scene. There is no more visceral profound pulling of the darkness out of a human in front of thousands. I’ve never seen it and I have seen many things. And that alone to me is why she should be recognized as a force,” Auf der Maur stated.
She concluded by explaining her motivation for defending Love’s legacy in music history.
“That is the highest reason why I wanted to reframe her because that is I think why people are afraid of her and tear her down and but then also just on a very you know pragmatic women in music, women in art history, the legacy of her and the legacy of the band which I contributed a nice half a decade of my life to deserves a better place in history because it is living in the gutters of everyone just demonizing her and overlooking her absolute remarkableness,” she said.
Auf der Maur’s passionate defense of Love stems from her unique perspective as someone who witnessed the band’s dynamics firsthand during a particularly turbulent period in rock history.
Guitar World reported that Auf der Maur’s memoir “Even the Good Girls Will Cry” is described as a love letter to the 1990s, which she calls “the last analog decade.” The book vividly captures pivotal moments in her career. It begins with her transition from DIY venues in Canada to joining Hole and performing in front of 65,000 people at the UK’s Reading Festival in 1994.
The circumstances surrounding Auf der Maur’s entry into Hole were extraordinary and tragic. Guitar World noted that she was brought into the band mere weeks after the tragic deaths of Hole bassist Kristen Pfaff and Kurt Cobain. Despite her inexperience—she had only played six concerts in her life and had just five days to rehearse with the band before performing—she adapted seamlessly to the chaotic environment.
Interestingly, Auf der Maur initially turned down the opportunity to join Hole. Visions revealed that she preferred to attend art school to study photography, as she was deterred by the prospect of fame, drugs, and American corporate culture. However, after her rejection, Courtney Love told Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins that Auf der Maur was exactly who she wanted in her band.
Auf der Maur’s defense of Love comes at a time when the Hole frontwoman continues to face scrutiny and conspiracy theories. Visions mentioned that Love has dealt with recurring murder conspiracy theories surrounding Kurt Cobain’s death since his suicide. This adds another layer to the public perception challenges that Auf der Maur seeks to address in her memoir.
