I finished reading ‘Heavier than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain’ and written by Charles R. Cross. Heavier than Heaven is a pretty apt title, because the book was not a light hearted read. It was well written, and by the looks of it, well researched. Cross conducted over 400 interviews whilst putting the book together, and it shows.

I put the book down, not with a feel good vibe, but with some sadness. Everyone knows how the story ends, which is sad enough in itself, but it’s the lead up to the end that is probably the hardest to read.

The book focuses more on Kurt’s life than it does the music of Nirvana. As the reader your left with the impression that Kurt was a walking contradiction, chasing success and then pulling back from it once it arrived, complaining about MTV, then complaining that MTV didn’t play his videos often enough.

In hindsight, it probably wasn’t the feel good book I suppose I should have been reading on my holidays, but it was an interesting book worth reading. I’d put it on the recommended reading list if you grew up with the music of Nirvana, or wanted to learn more about one of the most talked about men in the punk-rock world. Just be warned, it is very grim, very early on.