2014
Michael Stipe (R.E.M.)
Nirvana accidentally kicked off a cultural revolution bred in the Pacific Northwest with 1991’s Nevermind. Disdaining the bloated, corporate music dominating the late ‘80s, the Seattle band delivered a raw, punk-inspired sound via cathartic performances. Nirvana expressed angst, ennui and frustration – and plenty of melodic hooks.
Induction
Impact
Signature Sound
From the humble sludge-metal beginnings of Bleach to the polished grunge sheen of Nevermind to the abrasive intensity of In Utero and the unexpected acoustic farewell of MTV Unplugged in New York, Nirvana’s music offered intense emotional expression, a refutation of the status quo, and a powerful artistic legacy.
Written after listening to the Beatles, this jangly pop tune was a risky departure from dissonance that signaled Kurt Cobain’s genius for melody.
from the museum
Ax Breaker
Kurt Cobain demolished this left-handed Fender Stratocaster during the climax of a Nirvana concert at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California, on December 30, 1993.
After tossing it around and smashing it against an onstage mannikin, whose broken arm he then used as a bow to rake the strings, he continued the destruction with a crew member’s Makita drill, allegedly to impress Eddie Van Halen, who was in attendance.
from the museum
Ax Breaker
Kurt Cobain demolished this left-handed Fender Stratocaster during the climax of a Nirvana concert at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California, on December 30, 1993.
After tossing it around and smashing it against an onstage mannikin, whose broken arm he then used as a bow to rake the strings, he continued the destruction with a crew member’s Makita drill, allegedly to impress Eddie Van Halen, who was in attendance.
These are three artists who rubbed each other the wrong way in exactly the right way at the right time.
Michael Stipe
R.E.M.
2014 hall of fame essay
"Nirvana - and particularly Cobain, its grainy,searing voice and enigmatic songwriter - led and defined the early-nineties alternative-rock uprising."
– David Fricke
Influence
Nirvana
sealed with a signature
This is the signature that appears on the inductee’s plaque at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to officially commemorate their induction.
more from
the hall
