However, the In Utero artwork immediately triggered resistance from Walmart, the giant retail chain, which was at the time the single biggest outlet for mass-appeal albums. They told the Geffen sales department they would not sell it with that cover, and I was asked if the band could come up with an alternative. I felt that Walmart’s position was absurd. There was nothing violent, erotic, or profane in the artwork. Any medical textbook has similar images of body parts. Nirvana had been acclaimed by critics all over the world and had won the biggest music awards. I assumed that the resistance
...more
