With unexpected global fame comes great media attention. For many musicians, the anxiety of the press monitoring your every move gets too hard to handle, which is why countless artists leave their popular bands or even decide to quit making music for good. However, others can ultimately adapt to the stressful life of being a celebrity.
As for the late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, he received the mainstream attention he feared due to his band’s popularity. When his turbulent relationship with Courtney Love and excessive substance addiction became a part of his already uncomfortable life, things got a little hard to handle for the musician.
However, Kurt Cobain had his own ways of handling the pressure of the spotlight, and it was often through humor. Today, we’re here to travel back in time to see the moment when the rocker clapped back at the criticism and rumors about his substance addiction with the wittiest idea.
Kurt Cobain Had A Long History Of Substance Addiction
Kurt Cobain’s first drug experience was with cannabis in 1980, at age 13, which he regularly used during adulthood. He also had a period of consuming notable amounts of LSD, and according to his bandmate at the time, Krist Novoselic, Cobain was also prone to alcoholism and solvent abuse.
While he was using different types of drugs until 1986, his true struggle started after Cobain’s first experience with heroin, which occurred sometime in that year. The musician used heroin occasionally for several years, but his use had developed into a full-fledged addiction by the end of 1990.
His heroin addiction began to affect Nirvana’s music, especially during the ‘Nevermind’ supporting tour. The rocker was found asleep numerous times during photoshoots or before going to the stage, having used heroin beforehand. Moreover, he experienced several near-death overdoses.
Kurt Cobain Went To A Show In A Wheelchair
The press and public didn’t necessarily like hearing the excessive drug abuse of Kurt Cobain. To avoid criticism, the musician even claimed that he was using the drug to self-medicate his stomach condition. According to longtime friend Buzz Osborne, his stomach pain was more likely caused by his heroin use. If you ask Osborne, Cobain made it up to gain sympathy and use it as an excuse to use the drug.
After the immensely growing media attention on his personal life and addiction, Kurt Cobain found the perfect opportunity to mock those rumors. He fired back at the press for accusing him of being a drug addict who cannot keep it together and saying that he overdosed.
Nirvana was to perform at one of the UK’s most loved festivals, Reading and Leeds, in 1992. To everybody’s surprise, Cobain showed up in a blonde wig and a wheelchair, wearing a hospital gown. The musician put on a show until he took the microphone and pretended to collapse as he kept his head down.
However, the musician proved himself to be the best version of himself as soon as he started singing. In fact, the performance that followed is regarded by many as one of the best headlining performances at the Reading festival ever. Many fans consider that performance as Nirvana’s best and one of Cobain’s most memorable moments.
You can watch Kurt Cobain’s arrival on the stage below.
