The “visionary” leader who inspired Kurt Cobain

Greg Sage: the “visionary” who inspired Kurt Cobain

(Credits: Far Out / Subpop)

Monday June 10, 2024 7:00 p.m., United Kingdom

As the 1990s dawned, rock music was in desperate need of a change. The decade’s teenagers were tired of hair metal and glam rock, leaving them looking for something a little edgier. Enter alternative rock and, more specifically, grunge. The genre emerged as a cooler, but equally catchy, alternative to the guitar music that had permeated radio stations for so long, and Nirvana was at the forefront of it.

The trio originated in Washington in the late 1980s with a grungier approach to guitar music, veiling catchy melodies under layers of mud. It was a sound that hadn’t extended beyond the walls of underground rooms and dingy practice spaces until now, and it stunned audiences as a result. Kurt Cobain quickly became the defining rockstar of the era, bringing an entirely new sound to the mainstream.

More than three decades later, Cobain remains considered one of the most innovative figures on the alternative scene. Her work has influenced everyone from Linkin Park to Lana Del Rey, and her influence is still felt in modern music. As such an influential figure in his own right, it’s hard to imagine Cobain taking inspiration from any other artist, but he was just as much a fan as he was a leader.

From Japanese pop-punk band Shonen Knife to fellow alt-rockers The Melvins to cassette enthusiast Daniel Johnston, Cobain was always interested in and influenced by alternative and foreign music created by his peers and predecessors. One band that particularly inspired him was the Wipers, who Cobain said “launched grunge rock from Seattle to Portland in 1977.”

With just one listen to the Wipers, it’s easy to see why Cobain admired their music. Although their music wasn’t always as muddy as Nirvana’s, it was just as catchy. Gritty guitar riffs and powerful vocals forge a sound that sits somewhere between the post-punk scene and the burgeoning grunge sphere. Nirvana may have taken grunge and given it to the masses, but the Wipers had started it years before.

Cobain shared his particular admiration for the band’s frontman, Greg Sage, whom he considered a “romantic, calm, visionary guy.” What more can I say about them? Sage’s voice and vision certainly seem to be an integral part of The Wipers’ distinctive sound, his vocals falling somewhere between British post-punk frontman and punk rocker, while his guitars drive each song forward.

In addition to praising the band in interviews, Cobain made sure to take concrete steps to ensure his influences benefited from the attention he found with Nirvana, covering several Wipers songs for the make it known to a wider audience. Just like he lit up Shonen Knife by giving them a Nirvana support slot and brought attention to Johnston by wearing a “Hi, how are you?” T-shirt, he always made sure to credit his influences.

Although Cobain was certainly one of the most innovative figures in guitar music at that time and throughout musical history, he was also heavily invested in and influenced by the work of those who played him. surrounded. He knew this and took every opportunity he could to convey his success to artists who otherwise might have been too alternative or offbeat to attract public attention. The Wipers remain essential listening for Nirvana and Cobain fans.

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