Letters to Kurt

Last updated
Letters to Kurt
LettersToKurt.jpg
Author Eric Erlandson
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre Poetry, essays
Publisher Akashic Books
Publication date
April 10, 2012
Pages120
ISBN 978-1-61775-083-0

Letters to Kurt is a collection of poetry and essays by musician Eric Erlandson, published in April 2012 by Akashic Books. [1] The book largely reads as a meditation on suicide idols, and as an elegy to Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, [2] whom Erlandson was acquainted with through Courtney Love; Erlandson served as a founding member and lead guitarist of Love's band, Hole, for eleven years.

Contents

Release

Letters to Kurt was announced for release in December 2011 on Erlandson's Facebook profile. The book was released on April 10, 2012 and published by Akashic Books. A limited edition pre-order package includes an advanced hardback copy of the book, a signed copy of Cock Soupa collection of 52 photographs that serves as a visual accompaniment to the book, a signed individual snapshot, and a CD including the soundtrack to the book. [3]

Reception

Kirkus Reviews wrote that, "a friend and fellow musician not only continues to mourn [Cobain's] suicide, but also rages against the culture that he holds responsible. These 52 'letters' combine the subject matter of the Byrds' "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" with the fury of Allen Ginsberg's Howl " and described it as "a catharsis for the writer and perhaps for the reader as well." [2] Fellow musician, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth described how "Eric expresses how enchanting Kurt was, how the whole scene was, with his thoughtful, radical adult/prose love" [2] and author Everett True called the Letters to Kurt "beautiful, brutal, brief. Happy-sad eloquence. Boy Scouts playing with the complimentary cologne in the heart of the ghost town. Listen to the man. He knows." [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurt Cobain</span> American rock musician (1967–1994)

Kurt Donald Cobain was an American musician who was the founder, lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter of the rock band Nirvana. Through his angst-fueled songwriting and anti-establishment persona, Cobain's compositions widened the thematic conventions of mainstream rock. He was heralded as a spokesman of Generation X and is highly recognized as one of the most influential alternative rock musicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hole (band)</span> American alternative rock band

Hole was an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1989. It was founded by singer Courtney Love and guitarist Eric Erlandson. It had several different bassists and drummers, the most prolific being drummer Patty Schemel, and bassists Kristen Pfaff and Melissa Auf der Maur. Hole released a total of four studio albums between two incarnations spanning the 1990s and early-2010s and became one of the most commercially successful rock bands in history fronted by a woman.

<i>Live Through This</i> 1994 studio album by Hole

Live Through This is the second studio album by the American alternative rock band Hole, released on April 12, 1994, by DGC Records. Recorded in late 1993, it departed from the band's unpolished hardcore aesthetics to more refined melodies and song structure. Frontwoman Courtney Love said that she wanted the record to be "shocking to the people who think that we don't have a soft edge", but maintain a harsh sensibility. The album was produced by Sean Slade and Paul Q. Kolderie and mixed by Scott Litt and J Mascis. The lyrics and packaging reflect Love's thematic preoccupations with beauty, and motifs of milk, motherhood, anti-elitism, and violence against women, while Love derived the album title from a quote in Gone with the Wind (1939).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kristen Pfaff</span> American musician

Kristen Marie Pfaff was an American musician, best known as the bassist for alternative rock band Hole from 1993 to 1994. Prior to Hole, Pfaff was the bassist and backing vocalist for Minneapolis-based band Janitor Joe. Pfaff returned to Janitor Joe for a short tour in the weeks before her death in June 1994 of a heroin overdose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Erlandson</span> American musician, guitarist, and writer

Eric Theodore Erlandson is an American musician, guitarist, and writer, primarily known as founding member, songwriter and lead guitarist of alternative rock band Hole from 1989 to 2002. He has also had several musical side projects, including Rodney & the Tube Tops, which he formed with Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, and RRIICCEE with Vincent Gallo.

"Do Re Mi" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. It first appeared on the band's rarities box set, With the Lights Out, released in November 2004. A second version appears on the deluxe edition of Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings, released in November 2015.

<i>Journals</i> (Cobain) Collection of writings and drawings by Kurt Cobain

Journals is a collection of writings and drawings by American musician Kurt Cobain, who was the lead singer and guitarist of Nirvana. Though the content is undated, it is arranged in approximately chronological order. It was published in hardcover by Riverhead Books in November 2002, and in paperback by Riverhead Books in November 2003. Journals opened at No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list (non-fiction). It contains scrawled notes, drafted letters, shopping lists, and drawings by Cobain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beautiful Son</span> 1993 single by Hole

"Beautiful Son" is a song by American alternative rock band Hole, co-written by frontwoman Courtney Love, lead guitarist Eric Erlandson, and drummer Patty Schemel. The song was released as the band's fourth single in April 1993 on the European label City Slang. To coincide with the song's lyrics, Love used a photograph of her husband, Kurt Cobain, at age 7 as the single's artwork.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miss World (song)</span> 1994 single by Hole

"Miss World" is a song by American alternative rock band Hole, written by frontwoman Courtney Love and lead guitarist Eric Erlandson. The song was released as the band's fifth single and the first from their second studio album, Live Through This, in March 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Softer, Softest</span> 1995 single by Hole

"Softer, Softest" is a song by American alternative rock band Hole, written by frontwoman Courtney Love and lead guitarist Eric Erlandson. The song was released as the band's eighth song and fourth and final single from their second studio album, Live Through This, in December 1995. The single was released just as the band finished their extensive touring in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicide of Kurt Cobain</span> Death of Nirvana singer and guitarist

On April 8, 1994, Kurt Cobain, the lead singer and guitarist of the American rock band Nirvana, was found dead at his home in Seattle, Washington. Forensics investigators later determined he had died three days earlier, on April 5. The Seattle Police Department incident report stated that Cobain was found with a shotgun across his body, had suffered a visible gunshot wound to the head, and that a suicide note had been discovered nearby. The Seattle Police confirmed Cobain's death as a suicide. Following his death, conspiracy theories that Cobain was murdered were spread.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">27 Club</span> Musicians and artists who died at age 27

The 27 Club is an informal list consisting mostly of popular musicians, artists, actors, and other celebrities who died at age 27. Although the claim of a "statistical spike" for the death of musicians at that age has been refuted by scientific research, it remains a cultural phenomenon, with many celebrities who die at 27 noted for their high-risk lifestyles.

<i>Love and Death</i> (2004 book) Book about the Death of Kurt Cobain

Love and Death: The Murder of Kurt Cobain, published by Simon & Schuster, is a collaborative investigative journalism book written by Ian Halperin and Max Wallace purporting to show that Nirvana lead singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain, believed to have committed suicide, was in fact murdered, possibly at the behest of his wife Courtney Love. It is a follow-up to the authors' 1998 bestseller on the same subject, Who Killed Kurt Cobain?. The book is based on 30 hours of audiotaped conversations, exclusively obtained by the authors, between Courtney Love's private investigator, Tom Grant, and her and Cobain's entertainment attorney, Rosemary Carroll, who both dispute the official finding of suicide and believe Cobain was in fact murdered.

"Asking for It" is a song by the American alternative rock band Hole. It is the fourth track on the band's second studio album, Live Through This, released on April 12, 1994 on Geffen Records. The song was written by vocalist and rhythm guitarist Courtney Love and lead guitarist Eric Erlandson.

<i>Kurt & Courtney</i> 1998 documentary film

Kurt & Courtney is a 1998 British documentary film by Nick Broomfield investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of Kurt Cobain, and allegations of Courtney Love's involvement in it.

<i>Hit So Hard</i> 2011 American film

Hit So Hard is a 2011 American documentary film directed by P. David Ebersole. The film details the life and near death story of Patty Schemel, drummer of the seminal '90s alternative rock band Hole, and charts her early life, music career, and spiral into crack cocaine addiction. The film weaves together Hi8 video footage Schemel recorded while on Hole's 1994-95 world tour with contemporary interviews with her, bandmates Courtney Love, Eric Erlandson, and Melissa Auf der Maur, as well as her family members. The film also features interviews with other female drummers and musicians, including Nina Gordon, Kate Schellenbach, Gina Schock, Debbi Peterson, and Phranc.

<i>Soaked in Bleach</i> 2015 American docudrama directed by Benjamin Statler

Soaked in Bleach is a 2015 American docudrama directed by Benjamin Statler, who co-wrote and produced it with Richard Middelton and Donnie Eichar. The film details the events leading up to the death of Kurt Cobain, as seen through the perspective of Tom Grant, the private detective who was hired by Courtney Love to find Cobain, shortly before his death in 1994. It also explores the conspiracy theory that Cobain's death was not a suicide. The film stars Tyler Bryan as Cobain and Daniel Roebuck as Grant, with Sarah Scott portraying Courtney Love and August Emerson as Dylan Carlson.

<i>Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck</i> 2015 American film about Kurt Cobain. The guitarist, singer, and frontman of Nirvana

Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck is a 2015 American documentary film about Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain. The film was directed by Brett Morgen and premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. It received a limited theatrical release worldwide and premiered on television in the United States on HBO on May 4, 2015. The documentary chronicles the life of Kurt Cobain from his birth in Aberdeen, Washington in 1967, through his troubled early family life and teenage years and rise to fame as frontman of Nirvana, up to his suicide in April 1994 in Seattle at the age of 27.

<i>Cobain on Cobain</i>

Cobain On Cobain: Interviews And Encounters is a book by author and writer Nicholas Soulsby. It was published in February 2016, and tells the tale of the band Nirvana entirely and only through the words of front-man Kurt Cobain and those of his band-mates through their five-year career. The interviews start from the release of their first album Bleach to the band's collapse on their 1994 European tour followed shortly by Cobain's suicide. The book also includes interviews that have never been seen in print before.

<i>Who Killed Kurt Cobain?</i> 1998 book by Ian Halperin and Max Wallace

Who Killed Kurt Cobain?: The Mysterious Death of an Icon is a 1998 book that explores the premise that the death of Kurt Cobain, frontman of American rock band Nirvana, was a case of murder and not suicide. It is a collaborative investigative journalism book written by Ian Halperin and Max Wallace. It went on to be an international bestseller.

References

  1. "Amazon.com: Letters to Kurt (9781617750830): Eric Erlandson: Books". Amazon . Retrieved February 26, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Akashicbooks.com - Indie | Literary | Books". Akashic Books . Archived from the original on February 9, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2012.
  3. "Letters to Kurt by Eric Erlandson (limited edition preorder)". Akashic Books. Archived from the original on February 10, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2012.