Kurt Cobain, Kalamazoo, MI, 1993

“I first photographed Nirvana in Australia during the Nevermind tour, and it had been pretty unruly. Kurt arrived in a t-shirt that said ‘Corporate Magazines Still Suck’ and I was pretty distressed about what Rolling Stone would think. However, they ran the picture as a front cover which meant the next time I worked with Kurt he was very comfortable and cooperative with me.

This image was taken at Kalamazoo in Michigan. My sister had sent me these dolls heads, and I bought some rose bushes, and we built this little altar and let it deteriorate for a few days. I’m not sure where the inspiration came from, but I’m guessing it was from seeing Nirvana’s videos and listening to their lyrics, the darkness of Kurt’s voice and the preoccupation with life, death and decay.

Kurt was very spontaneous about doing the picture, and there was something very beautiful about the blueness of his eyes and this dead stare. Then two months later we received the sad news that he had died. I didn’t look at those images for a long time after that.”

Publication: Rolling Stone, January 27, 1994 cover story. Also published on the cover of Mark Seliger’s 30 year retrospective book MARK SELIGER PHOTOGRAPHS, published 2018. Photographed: October 27, 1993

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