Journals

Reading Kurt Cobain’s Journals is not like reading a book. It’s like stepping barefoot into a cathedral built from napkins, scrawled lyrics, grocery lists, bleeding thoughts, and emotional detritus. It's not neat, it's not edited, and it’s certainly not polished—but that’s exactly what makes it essential.This is the anti-product in an age of products. These journals are not curated to sell a brand or to burnish a legacy. They are the very antithesis of today’s calculated image management, where every artist's “vulnerability” is a marketing ploy, and where music sounds like it’s been created by committee for the algorithm gods.Cobain was something else. He refused to conform—to fame, to genre, to expectations. You see it in the mess of ink, the rants against the media, the furious defense of his ethics, his refusal to be commodified. These pages aren’t just journals—they’re war cries against the sterile, cookie-cutter machinery of modern music. He didn't just go against the grain—he lit the grain on fire and danced in the ashes.What strikes you most is how aware he was. Not just of his surroundings, but of the contradictions within himself. The raw internal battles. The push-pull of wanting to scream into the void and wanting to disappear from it entirely. It's uncomfortable, unflinching, and utterly human.There’s humor, too. Odd sketches. Scribbled nonsense. Pieces of lyrics that later became anthems. But none of it feels like it was meant for you—and that's what makes reading it feel almost sacred. You're intruding on a private universe, and yet you can’t look away.This isn’t a book to be “liked.” It’s a mirror. A wound. A statement. It’s a reminder of what happens when someone creates because they have to, not because there’s a contract or a marketing cycle to satisfy.For those of us who feel nauseated by the polished plastic of today’s mainstream, Cobain’s journals are a holy document. A reminder that music—real music—is supposed to be dangerous, honest, and weird. It’s supposed to say “no” when the world wants you to nod politely.Kurt said no, again and again, until it broke him. And still, he left behind a roadmap of rebellion for the rest of us to follow.

"Oh yeah and our final name is NIRVANA"I know there are some who feel like reading this is somehow violating Kurt, and I know that "rape" quote has been floating around in some reviews. However, with respect to that, Kurt was referring to not only his journals, but a slew of other items that were stolen from him and the band. Also, Kurt said a lot of things that were contradictory. He at one time made a comment saying he would like to maybe someday publish his old journals. He said being so famous so fast was conflicting, then he would say it's not so bad. Literally, on the first page of this book is a note from Kurt to someone (maybe his first girlfriend that he lived with?) that says "Don't read my diary when I'm gone. Ok I'm going to work now, when you wake up this morning please read my diary. Look through my things, figure me out." And was written at the same time, its obviously not 2 separate entries. That's who Kurt was. Yes, we still can't necessarily say that Kurt would want people reading these, but I still didn't feel all too guilty reading these. I sat with this book for a while, so I can digest the beautiful, scrawled words one of my all time heroes. You will know Kurt better than you ever thought.Sometimes, it can be tricky determining what time period some of the entries and notes were in, because Kurt didn't date his entries. However, there isn't really meant to be a narrative here, is there? These were Kurt's private thoughts. There are entries from the late 80s, with Kurt lamenting about his miserable experience at school and his salvation at the hands of punk rock. Even at a younger age, Kurt was so self aware and intuitive and an excellent people-reader. We also get an insight into his extreme anger at others. There are many fairly violent fantasies he conjures up. He was a very talented artist, and many of his drawings are included. We see the early days and Kurt's ambition and determination to get Nirvana jumpstarted. Also included are drafts of song lyrics. I got the chills reading the still unfinished lyrics to songs like Lithium and All Apologies and Teen Spirit and Drain You and'Aneurysm', and 'Dumb'--especially reading Kurt's scrawl of "I'm not like them, but I can pretend". Then, later on, we see Kurt's frustration with music journalists (put very succinctly by Kurt), and brainstorming of video ideas, including Heart Shaped Box, in which Kurt's notes pretty much exactly map out how the video would turn out. "In Utero"s original title was "I Hate Myself and I Want to Die", and Kurt writes quite a bit about it. I'd have liked to have seen what made Kurt ultimately change the title, unless it's documented somewhere else, but no big deal. Kurt was so eloquent in so many ways, and his journals confirm that from a young age he stood up against unjust oppression of any kind, especially against women and homosexuals. He was a sensitive, intelligent man.I know some have criticized the book, because Courtney sold them, so Courtney "controlled" the story, so to speak. And many have it in their head that Courtney probably withheld some entries that maybe were less than flattering about her. Kurt wrote about everything in his life, so it would stand to reason that there would be plenty about Courtney and Frances, yet there really isn't much. However, I don't really find this suspicious. There are a few mentions of Courtney. But Think about it, would you want your husband's or wife's most intimate thoughts and most intimate frustrations about your marriage published? It's no one's business. I don't exactly understand why people they have a right to read that. It's her prerogative to release that or not. People are just immediately suspicious of anything she does, or doesnt do. Even if he wrote some negative things about her, why would she want that out there? Nobody would. No one wants to look bad. I think there are so many (myself included) that hold Kurt pretty sacred. And, most Kurt fans have animosity toward Courtney, and they want to see something, in writing, concrete, from Kurt that is derogatory or negative about Courtney. That way, it would validate their own hatred for her. There is, however, a love letter to Courtney included in here that is probably the most beautiful letter I've ever read, and written in a way that only Kurt could write. There is also a heartbreaking, I'm assuming unsent, letter that Kurt wrote to his dad. Kurt documenting his descent into addiction is also heartbreaking and a must read for anyone thinking of taking drugs. Since the entries are undated, don't expect to find out exactly what Kurt wrote in the days before he died. There is simply no way to know. It's amazing that Kurt saw himself as a worthless, emaciated, uneducated loser yet he's one of the best lyricists our generation, any generation, was blessed with. He was wise beyond his years, and even his journals entries are some of the best stuff I've ever readALso, it's literally the scanned pictures of Kurt's journals. There is no typed transcription. Which makes it even better--the picture quality is so incredible that it looks like you are reading the actual journals of Kurt's. You can see the pen marks jump off the page. It looked so realistic that if one didn't know better, you would be able to erase the pencil writings yourself. And it's better this way, the dynamic of the book would be completely different and not as compelling if it was just transcribed.Bottom line, Kurt is one of my heroes. If he is one of yours, too, then buy this. You won't regret it. You will have a much more well rounded perspective of Kurt. Yes, not everything that went on in his life is spelled out, but you will still gain a huge insight. It made my heart ache, and realize just how big of a loss it was when he died. I know that I wouldn't be quite the person I am today if I hadn't gotten the cassette of nevermind when I was 8. Rock music died with Kurt Cobain unfortunately. And I get pissed and angry that he committed suicide. We know he adored Frances with all his heart, and you would think she would be enough to keep him going. Kurt himself talked at length about his parents' divorce and the horrible effect it had on him, how he so desperately wanted the 2 parent household. He of all people should have known better, what he was doing to his daughter. He wrote "her (frances') life will be so much better without me" in his suicide note. Come on, kurt. How could that be true? But, I guess that's the difference between people who aren't suicidal and those who are too far gone.

Perfect condition

Good read

Good read

This book is so amazing as anyone who is a Kurt Cobain fan. I heard this book for years and to finally own it. It’s so amazing. I love this book. It is a little bit bigger than average books but definitely worth getting

Kurt Cobain was a genius and a very likable junkie. However, this diary of his is too private and whomever decided to publish this---I do not know what they were thinking. He smoked a lot of dope and dropped acid at a young age and one can only wonder if these drugs did not affect the development of his brain. He was incredibly savvy in his knowledge and opinions of the music world for his lack of a formal education. But, man, there are some scary things that are written, and it's made me put the diary down even though I'm only half way through because I don't care to visit these dark places in his mind. It has not changed my mind about him or his music. We all were not born with perfect brain chemistry. There's one page in the diary, where he was formulating an early resume before he was famous. He was a "swim instructor" for little kids. That was a huge surprise to learn that there was this really sweet side to him. He probably had this job before he did drugs. Aoso, the handwriting changes from page to page which makes me wonder if some of these entries were not written by someone else. While most of the penmanship is messy, there are some pages that look as if they were written by a female. This is my opinion.