About this episode
Bandsplain ’s Yasi Salek joins DJ Louie to trace Nirvana's brief, iconoclastic trail through pop's mainstream in the early 1990s. Louie and Yasi unpack the group's origins in Aberdeen, Washington, their time on famed indie label Sub Pop, known for popularizing the "grunge" sound, and their bleak, sparse debut in 1989, Bleach, which garnered them a cult following. Next, they tackle Nirvana's breakthrough smash, the generational anthem “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, and 1991’s unexpected blockbuster Nevermind , which briefly remolded the pop charts in their image and became one of the biggest albums of all time. They then discuss Kurt’s infamous marriage to Hole front woman Courtney Love, prickly relationship to his own fame and success and how his heroin addiction spun out of control during the promo cycle for 1993’s darker and grittier In Utero. Finally, Louie and Yasi detail Kurt’s tragic death by suicide in 1994, encasing the group in amber and forever giving their legacy a grand tragic air, before ranking Nirvana in the official Pop Pantheon. Listen to Pop Pantheon's Nirvana Essentials Playlist on Spotify Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's Store Come to Pop Pantheon Live: Tortured Poets & The State of Taylor Mania on 4/22 at the Bellhouse in Brooklyn Buy Tickets to Pop Pantheon Presents: Taylor Mania at Parkside Lounge on 4/19 Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous LA on 4/20 at Los Globos Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC on 5/10 at Sultan Room Follow Yasi Salek on Twitter Follow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram Follow DJ Louie XIV on Twitter Follow Pop Pantheon on Instagram Follow Pop Pantheon on Twitter