Manchester journalist, Jon Robb from the band Membranes, conducted the interview in 1989 New York. The interview also featured a second Nirvana member, Krist Novoselic. 

The interview was taken to promote the release of their debut album, Bleach. Of course, while the interview was running, the band and Robb had no idea of the extent their success would reach. Now reflecting on the interview, Nirvana, now one of the greatest rock bands of all time.

Cobain talks to Novoselic: “I’ve been writing songs for six years in this style of music”. Having been in other bands, “the last two years” saw him and Novoselic get “ serious” about their music together.

Kurt Cobain continues, saying: “[I’d] keep trying in another band…I can probably say I’ve never learned the fine art of logging.” – Logging apparently being the most popular industry to work in, back in Cobain’s hometown. He continues: “I’ve written most of the material on this record out of Aberdeen…all of the material on this record was written in Olympia…the songs are getting poppier and poppier as I’m getting happier and happier. [They’re] probably about conflicts in relationships, emotions and feelings…when I write a song, the lyrics are the least most important thing so I don’t dwell on it at all. I can actually have two or three different subjects within a song and the title will mean nothing to the rest of the music.”

Good news for millenials… though we lost Cobain in 1994, bandmates Dave Grohl and Novoselic stated that they would not refuse the idea of a Nirvana reunion – so, there might still be time to rekindle ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ live.

Listen to the full interview here.