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28th out of 276 books
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Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana
Nirvana came out of nowhere in 1991 to sell nearly five million copies of their landmark album Nevermind, whose thunderous sound and indelible melodies embodied all the confusion, frustration, and passion of the emerging Generation X. Come As You Are is the close-up, intimate story of Nirvana -- the only book with exclusive in-depth interviews with bandmembers Kurt...more
Paperback, 336 pages
Published
September 1st 1993
by Main Street Books
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1986)
I read these two Kurt Cobain biographies as part of some research for my new novel, which I wanted to have some tangential connections to Nirvana and Cobain. I read both books along with completely-legally-paying-for (read downloading) all of Nirvana's B-Sides and Rarities and Home-recordings, etc. Actually both the books were quite interesting for very different reasons. Azerrad wrote his book while Cobain was still alive, and so only the epilogue (added later) even addresses his suicide. C...more
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I'll confess - I was not the biggest Nirvana fan back in the day. I was more of a Pearl Jam/Green Day girl. I mean, I liked Nirvana, but it was "Ten" that I played on repeat, and it was "Kerplunk!" that I haunted CD stores in search of. Nirvana was good, but I wasn't into them the way some people were. I certainly did not cry when Kurt Cobain killed himself.
But it seems like most people, when they get to be about my age, start to be hit with some serious nostal...more
But it seems like most people, when they get to be about my age, start to be hit with some serious nostal...more
really good book... i never was into nirvana growing up but i learned so much about the people in the band and their lives and their music. This book was published before Kurt killed himself so while reading there was this sense of doom because i knew how the story ends, but the characters and writer didn't... The lives of these three men was so dramatically changed with the release of Nevermind, and obviously fame had good effects and some intensely negative ones... but when it came down to ...more
I was never a huge Nirvana fan when I was growing up, so maybe that helps explain why this book didn't do much for me. Azerrad has tons of quotes from Cobain and the rest of the band members, as well as Courtney Love. He obviously had incredible access to the performers. But I also wonder if maybe that access didn't lead him to be too close to his material. There is a definate undercurrent of hero worship in this book, and Azerrad sometimes is defensive on behalf of the band and seems reluctant ...more
Ashley (:
rated it
Recommends it for:
Nirvana and fans of the 90s music scene.
Shelves:
non-fiction-biographies
This is one of the best biographies written that I've read. Michael Azerrad speaks the truth and doesn't sugar coat anything. While reading Heavier Than Heaven : A Biography of Kurt Cobain, it seemed too much like a story, something not real. Maybe it's just the fact that Michael wrote this book while Kurt was living, but it's HEAPS better than Heavier Than Heaven : A Biography of Kurt Cobain.
If you enjoy this book then you should watch 'About A Son' because the interviews of Kurt r...more
If you enjoy this book then you should watch 'About A Son' because the interviews of Kurt r...more
If your going to read a music bio of nirvana, this is it. it goes through the life's of all the band members, including the temporary ones. it has a very thorough way of explaining their lives without getting stuck on mundane and useless things. it reads quite easily and teaches some really interesting things that i had no idea about. it was written before Kurt Cobain killed himself, and it is based on hours upon hours of interviews and conversations the author had with nirvana while he was tagg...more
3.85 stars. An in depth, if biased, look into the life of a tragic, poetic, brilliant, un-complex musician. I read this many years ago, and recently found that old copy. It's not the version edited with the "final" chapter written after Kurt Cobain's death, but an earlier, less tainted edition that focuses primarily on his troubled childhood and adolescence, and then his admittedly loathed rise into fame. Michael Azerrad effectively shows that he knew Cobain well enough to justify immo...more
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This was a great book. One of the first non-fictions I ever tried to read over a subject I was obsessed with at the time so there was little doubt that it would be a great read for me at the time. But the notes from the author about who Kurt was to him were by far the most interesting pieces of this book.
First of all, I've read many books about Nirvana / Kurt Cobain & Courtney Love. This is the best one so far. It is Very informational how it all started out for Kurt to the last days of his life. The book also talks about the other band members lives and the hassle to find a good drummer until Dave Grohl came along. I always wondered if Kurt was murdered or committed suicide...after reading this book now I believe he committed suicide. The author points out many times Kurt gave clues during his ...more
a great book. contains many great insights into the band throughout its beginnings and into its explosion into rock megastardom, and the trappings and failings involved. great information and biography on the lives of the individual band members as well, not just kurt. a must for any fan
It's been so long since I've read this book, but I remember that it wasn't written very well. The stories though, are first hand, and the author must have done his homework. It's worth reading if you're into Nirvana or just rock and roll.
I prefer only to read autobiographies but unfortunately some of the most famous/interesting people didn't live long enough to do so. I read this book a long time ago but its always stuck with me.
Chearn73
added it
Good book. How much of it is true and accurate? Who knows. Every time I read a book about these guys, it contradicts the story of the last one. But, this is well written, if anything.
I can't even express how much I love this book. Don't worry about reading other nirvana books, this one has extensive interviews with Mr. Cobain. That's all you need.
this book makes u feel like ur there in the nirvana scene as it happened, mostly cause Kurt was ambitious and never gave up, til the end of course, unfortunately.
I read this for a paper I was writing on Nevermind. I've always been a Nirvana fan, but never overly so. I do dig Michael Azerrad and just the social aspect of bands, the bands that influenced them and how they developed and whatever. While Azerrad was clearly infatuated with Cobain, he never got fully worshippy the way a lot of journalists (read: Fanboys) did. I had to read a LOT about Cobain. A cooler read by Azerrad: Our Band Could be Your Life. Check it out if you're into the indie sce...more
A great insight into the mind, soul, history and struggles of the great Nirvana. I fell more in love with the genus that was Kurt Cobain.
kayanya Haiklip "Grunge" ambil dari buku ini. di buku ini masih banyak mitos2 tentang nirvana. di baca waktu santai enak juga...
high school fan reading...I liked Nirvana so much, and I did my research on muscians I dug, this book was part of it.
I think I read this book twice and gave it four stars because I used to be such a huge fan.
A great story of the evolution of popular music as played out by this reluctant trio.
A lot of props in here for the Melvins! Depravity, misery, and punk rock...OK writing.
Read it in jr. high. I love anything that has to do with early 90s Courtney Love.
A great book for any Nirvana fan, read this when I was at high school and loved it!
This explained a lot about the 90s and music these days in general to me.
I picked this up in anticipation of the new Kurt Cobain documentary that's coming to Nashville soon. This of course is a familiar story but I did learn a few things, especially about album productions and technical aspects of the music, which I thought was really interesting. This book also sheds some new light on Kurt's relationships with Dave, Chris and Courtney and through Kurt's own words reveals a lot more detail about his character.
Even though I knew the ending I really didn't want ...more
Even though I knew the ending I really didn't want ...more
Read this one about a million years ago.
the best nirvana book i've read yet
a good book...for a fan
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