Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters may have just dispelled a significant myth regarding Kurt Cobain.
The musician shared insights about his time with Nirvana during a recent interview on Apple Music 1’s The Zane Lowe Show.
A long-held belief about Cobain is that he never aspired to be a famous rock star and that Nirvana was entirely anti-establishment. This perception stemmed from Cobain’s visible discomfort with fame and his rebellious demeanor in interviews and public appearances.
What Did Dave Grohl Say About Kurt Cobain’s Desire to Be Famous?
During the interview, Lowe inquired whether Cobain was “built for” the accolades and anniversary celebrations that successful rock bands often engage in.
“That is a really good question… [I] I always go back to when we flew to New York to talk to record companies to sign a deal before Nevermind came out,” Grohl explained.
“We sat down in this high-rise, major label office with this super powerful executive who was sitting behind a giant oak desk and listening to the song at an astonishing volume. Me, Krist [Novoselic] and Kurt [were] were on the other side of the desk in these low chairs, it felt like we were being punished at school or something.”
According to Grohl, when the executive asked the trio what they wanted from a record deal, Cobain responded, “We want to be the biggest band in the world.”
Grohl recalls that they all laughed at Cobain’s comment — but he remains uncertain whether the singer was joking or serious.
“To this day I think about it,” he admitted.
Dave Grohl Might Have Just Debunked a Huge Myth About Kurt Cobain
Did Cobain Actually Say He Never Wanted to Be Famous?
Cobain gave varying responses to this question in different interviews throughout the ’90s. While he often expressed satisfaction with his musical success, he also voiced frustration with the lifestyle associated with being a well-known musician.
In a notable 1993 interview, he acknowledged that he would have preferred to remain a “cult band” that sold fewer records.
“Cult bands seem to have a very steady lifestyle. They don’t face the challenges of being a celebrity and are almost guaranteed to sell the same number of records and perform for the same audience every time,” he stated.
“I kinda envy bands like the Pixies or Iggy Pop, people who have maintained a consistent fanbase or who can appreciate music on that level, because they don’t have to deal with all the other distractions that come with fame.”
Nirvana’s debut album Bleach, released before Grohl joined as drummer, came out through Seattle’s independent label Sub Pop Records and initially sold around 40,000 copies.
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The band signed with DGC Records, a subsidiary of Geffen, in April 1991. Following the tremendous success of Nevermind, Geffen reissued Bleach after signing an agreement with Sub Pop, resulting in sales exceeding 1.7 million copies in the U.S., making it Sub Pop’s best-selling album ever.
Nevermind dethroned Michael Jackson’s Dangerous from No. 1 in January 1992. It wasn’t long before Nirvana actually became the biggest band in the world, bringing Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, and their other grunge contemporaries along with them.
“They aimed for rock star status, regardless of what they claimed,” Melvins’ Buzz Osborne stated in a documentary about the Seattle grunge scene. “That’s what they wanted. They plugged into the same venues, managers, and record labels as anyone else — just like Motley Crue.”
Check out how we ranked the top grunge albums of all time in the gallery below.
Top 30 Grunge Albums of All Time
