Kurt Cobain’s musical journey was no short than extraordinary.
However, his journey began after listening to his first ever Beatles record and his ultimate dream became to be the next Ringo Starr.
“I always wanted to be a drummer,” Cobain once said, inspired by the way Starr led a song with an instinctive, relaxed feel, and the way he was, literally and figuratively, the true heartbeat of the entirety of the 1960s British invasion.
“When I was around seven years old, I thought for sure that I could be a rockstar,” the Nirvana front man admitted,
“Ever since I could remember, I wanted to be Ringo Starr. But I wanted to be John Lennon playing the drums,” he said, making up a rather clever combination.
Cobain already knew he wanted to make music as early as five years old, his focus on pursuing a creative outlet for his personal experiences that later contributed to his presence as an outsider and outlier however he never claimed originality and always praised those who made him the artist.
His down-to-Earth attitude and gratitude ensured he never took anything for granted, even after making such a big name for himself, he always felt awe in sharing the space with others he looked up to and in interviews.
A good example of this is when he recalled touring with Sonic Youth and said, “To be asked to go on tour with a band like Sonic Youth was like a dream come true.”
“I still can’t describe what I felt. What an honour,” he mentioned at that time.
Thurston Moore, the member of Sonic Youth was also in awe at having Kurt Cobain take the same stage and being in the same orbit which made him eventually dedicate an entire chapter to the late grunge star in his memoir, Sonic Life.