Roddy Nikpour dives into Get The Knack by The Knack. The album’s catchy lead single came out when Kurt was a preteen. Despite its questionable lyrics, “My Sharona” did for new wave what “Smells Like Teen Spirit” did for punk — brought a genre to the mainstream. 

Hosts: Dusty Henry and Martin Douglas
Audio producer: Roddy Nikpour
Podcast manager: Isabel Khalili
Editorial director: Larry Mizell Jr. 

Support the podcast: kexp.org/cobain

Roddy Nikpour dives into Get The Knack by The Knack. The album’s catchy lead single came out when Kurt was a preteen. Despite its questionable lyrics, “My Sharona” did for new wave what “Smells Like Teen Spirit” did for punk — brought a genre to the mainstream. 
Hosts: Dusty Henry and Martin Douglas Audio producer: Roddy Nikpour Podcast manager: Isabel Khalili Editorial director: Larry Mizell Jr. 
Support the podcast: <a href="https://www.kexp.org/cobain/">kexp.org/cobain</a>

Kurt Cobain’s influence went beyond just the music he created with Nirvana. He also put the masses on to some of his own favorite artists. One particular document from his journals has been instructive to many fans – his top 50 albums. Each week, The Cobain 50 podcast digs into albums from this famous list and how they may have influenced Cobain and Nirvana. While learning the individual histories of the different albums on the list, we gain new insights into artists on the fringes as well as some of the biggest groups of all time. The podcast takes us through the legacies of acts like Sonic Youth, Pixies, The Breeders, Public Enemy, PJ Harvey, Black Flag, Mazzy Star, The Shaggs, Shonen Knife, and more. Episodes drop weekly starting January 10, 2024.

Kurt Cobain’s influence went beyond just the music he created with Nirvana. He also put the masses on to some of his own favorite artists. One particular document from his journals has been instructive to many fans – his top 50 albums. Each week, The Cobain 50 podcast digs into albums from this famous list and how they may have influenced Cobain and Nirvana. While learning the individual histories of the different albums on the list, we gain new insights into artists on the fringes as well as some of the biggest groups of all time. The podcast takes us through the legacies of acts like Sonic Youth, Pixies, The Breeders, Public Enemy, PJ Harvey, Black Flag, Mazzy Star, The Shaggs, Shonen Knife, and more. Episodes drop weekly starting January 10, 2024.

The Cobain 50

The Knack – Get the Knack (1979)

Janice Headley dives into Beach Party by Marine Girls. Their lo-fi instrumentation and girlish vulnerability helped set the standard for twee pop. 

Hosts: Dusty Henry and Martin Douglas
Audio producers: Janice Headley and Roddy Nikpour
Podcast manager: Isabel Khalili
Editorial director: Larry Mizell Jr. 

Support the podcast: kexp.org/cobain

Janice Headley dives into Beach Party by Marine Girls. Their lo-fi instrumentation and girlish vulnerability helped set the standard for twee pop. 
Hosts: Dusty Henry and Martin Douglas Audio producers: Janice Headley and Roddy Nikpour Podcast manager: Isabel Khalili Editorial director: Larry Mizell Jr. 
Support the podcast: <a href="https://www.kexp.org/cobain/">kexp.org/cobain</a>

Marine Girls – Beach Party (1981)

Dusty Henry dives into Green by R.E.M., a band that set the stage for indie rock as this larger idea of staying authentic despite commercial success. The band left a particularly noteworthy impact on Kurt, both professionally and personally. 

Hosts: Dusty Henry and Martin Douglas
Audio producers: Dusty Henry and Roddy Nikpour
Podcast manager: Isabel Khalili
Editorial director: Larry Mizell Jr. 

Support the podcast: kexp.org/cobain

Dusty Henry dives into Green by R.E.M., a band that set the stage for indie rock as this larger idea of staying authentic despite commercial success. The band left a particularly noteworthy impact on Kurt, both professionally and personally. 
Hosts: Dusty Henry and Martin Douglas Audio producers: Dusty Henry and Roddy Nikpour Podcast manager: Isabel Khalili Editorial director: Larry Mizell Jr. 
Support the podcast: <a href="https://www.kexp.org/cobain/">kexp.org/cobain</a>

R.E.M. – Green (1988)

Michael Azerrad joins us to talk about his relationship with Kurt Cobain, reviving a 30-year-old biography, Nirvana's legacy, and some of the records on Kurt’s list. Michael wrote the 1993 biography "Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana," and he recently released an annotated version titled "The Amplified Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana." 

Next week, we'll return to our regularly scheduled stories about the albums on Kurt's list, resuming with Get the Knack. 

Hosts: Dusty Henry and Martin Douglas
Audio producers: Dusty Henry and Roddy Nikpour
Podcast manager: Isabel Khalili
Editorial director: Larry Mizell Jr. 

Support the podcast: kexp.org/cobain

0:00:00: Intro
0:01:38: Meeting Kurt for the first time
0:09:26: From acquaintance to friend
0:13:00: Why Michael annotated the biography 30 years later
0:19:18: Michael on revisiting his work
0:21:39: Navigating self-made mythologies
0:24:31: Kurt's antagonists and his collaging methods
0:27:47: Kurt on "Calvinists" and riot grrrl
0:30:31: Nirvana ≠ grunge ("hot take territory")
0:33:03: Kurt didn't like Sub Pop's marketing of Nirvana
0:38:00: Kurt as a working-class guy
0:39:34: The REAL list? Bands that Kurt talked about a lot
0:46:05: Michael on Sex Pistols
0:48:04: Michael on Wipers
0:50:51: Michael on Mudhoney
0:51:54: How do you compare Dan Peters to Dave Grohl? 
0:53:03: Michael on Beat Happening
0:56:04: Michael on Black Flag
0:59:21: Michael and Kurt's eternally intertwined legacies
1:02:32: Thank you
1:03:27: Credits

Michael Azerrad joins us to talk about his relationship with Kurt Cobain, reviving a 30-year-old biography, Nirvana's legacy, and some of the records on Kurt’s list. Michael wrote the 1993 biography "Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana," and he recently released an annotated version titled "The Amplified Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana." 
Next week, we'll return to our regularly scheduled stories about the albums on Kurt's list, resuming with Get the Knack. 
Hosts: Dusty Henry and Martin Douglas Audio producers: Dusty Henry and Roddy Nikpour Podcast manager: Isabel Khalili Editorial director: Larry Mizell Jr. 
Support the podcast: <a href="https://www.kexp.org/cobain/">kexp.org/cobain</a>
0:00:00: Intro 0:01:38: Meeting Kurt for the first time 0:09:26: From acquaintance to friend 0:13:00: Why Michael annotated the biography 30 years later 0:19:18: Michael on revisiting his work 0:21:39: Navigating self-made mythologies 0:24:31: Kurt's antagonists and his collaging methods 0:27:47: Kurt on "Calvinists" and riot grrrl 0:30:31: Nirvana ≠ grunge ("hot take territory") 0:33:03: Kurt didn't like Sub Pop's marketing of Nirvana 0:38:00: Kurt as a working-class guy 0:39:34: The REAL list? Bands that Kurt talked about a lot 0:46:05: Michael on Sex Pistols 0:48:04: Michael on Wipers 0:50:51: Michael on Mudhoney 0:51:54: How do you compare Dan Peters to Dave Grohl?  0:53:03: Michael on Beat Happening 0:56:04: Michael on Black Flag 0:59:21: Michael and Kurt's eternally intertwined legacies 1:02:32: Thank you 1:03:27: Credits

The Knack – Get the Knack (1979)

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