Jimi Hendrix Vs, Kurt Cobain
History has always been marked by great music. Every generation has it’s own
unique genre; from classical to swing, people have always found a song or a
melody that seemed as if it was written just for them. However, truly great
music is created by a certain type of genius. It takes more than the average guy
to forge a classic like “Stairway to Heaven.” Two men in the late twentieth
century were such masterminds: Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain. While both will
live forever in musical infamy, they will remain legends for different reasons.
One of the most important factors in becoming a rock legend is bringing about a
revolution, opening people to something bold and new. Kurt Cobain, along with
his band, Nirvana, changed rock music forever. In a time when music was becoming
mass-produced, emotionless muck, Cobain brought about something that was
repulsively beautiful and alive. He introduced grunge rock to the world: music
filled with screaming distortion, tremendous angst, and overwhelming passion
rarely seen from the generation that invented the term “whatever.” Nevertheless,
let us not forget a similar revolution, which took place over a decade earlier.
In an era when hippies wandered free and drugs were just “mind expanding,”
another such musical phenomenon occurred. A young black man caught the ear of
millions with his awe-inspiring guitar tunes. This man was Jimi Hendrix. Unlike
Cobain, Hendrix wrote music to support and inspire his followers, as opposed to
creating a method of shock treatment through music. Hendrix created brilliant
melodies along with lyrics that touched the hearts of all who would listen.
One
habit that both musicians shared was the ability to excite and invigorate
listeners, especially live audiences. Cobain had the ability to make thousands
of slackers stand up and scream for more. Throughout his many tours, Cobain
always arrived to a packed venue filled with fans, many of which had probably
spent the night in line waiting for tickets and the chance to see something
momentous. Hendrix’s career consisted of more festival type tours, where he was
allowed to reach a wider variety of listeners, while still holding the faith of
his steadfast fans. Hendrix had a particular talent for playing the guitar. He
would delight and thrill onlookers by playing with his toes or his teeth, or
while spinning around on the ground. Both were great performers who knew how to
put on a show. Their greatest common characteristic was in how they ended the
performance; they would completely trash the stage from which they played.
Smashing guitars, tipping drum sets, and even setting fire to the instruments
were some their memorable methods of concluding a performance. These great
musicians were also great lyricists. Both have songs which remain on the top
countdowns to this day, although Hendrix died almost 20 years ago and Cobain
passed in 1994. Cobain left a legacy of haunting tunes such as “Come As You
Are,” “Polly,” and “Heart Shaped Box.” Kurt used the pain from a broken family
and a painful life to give birth to remarkable songs, which allowed so many
disillusioned teens to find a kin spirit in his words. Hendrix also composed
many amazing pieces, such as “The Wind Cries Mary,” “All Along the Watchtower,”
and “Purple Haze.”
His music held enthusiasm and a fire rarely seen in such a
form. Although they both had numerous great hits, both had one great song that
would characterize their music careers forever. For Jimi Hendrix, it was his
guitar interpretation of the “National Anthem,” while Cobain’s was his first hit
“Smells Like Teen Spirit.” These great men helped shape our culture and gave the
youth of their time something to believe in, someone who knew how it felt, and
someone to give them hope. Jimi Hendrix taught people that great music comes in
all different forms. Whether it’s a soft rhapsody or a devilish guitar tune,
music is what drives us. Kurt Cobain failed to teach us anything, but he did
wake up a sleepy generation. He inspired millions of kids to go out and start
their own garage bands, but most importantly his music related to them. The
lyrics from his most popular song describe a feeling which is still felt by the
youth of America in schools all over the country: “Here we are now, entertain
us.”
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