Муниципальное бюджетное образовательное учреждение средняя общеобразовательная школа №41 Канавинского района

НАУЧНО-ИССЛЕДОВАТЕЛЬСКАЯ РАБОТА

ПО ТЕМЕ

THE ROUTS OF POPULARITY: KURT COBAIN AND CHARLES SCHULDINER

Выполнила:

ученица 11«А» класса,

Батанова Анна Дмитриевна

Научный руководитель:

Пуганова Мария Викторовна

г.Нижний Новгород

2014г.

CONTENTS

Introduction............................................................................................................3

1. Biography of Kurt Cobain..................................................................................5

1.1. Early life..........................................................................................................5

1.2. Nirvana..........................................................................................................12

1.3. Relationships and family...............................................................................14

1.4. Health history and death................................................................................16

2. Biography of Chuck Schuldiner.......................................................................21

2.1. Early life........................................................................................................21

2.2. Musical career...............................................................................................23

2.3. Death.............................................................................................................25

2.4. Beliefs............................................................................................................27

3. Comparison of their lives.................................................................................29

Conclusion............................................................................................................33

Sources of information.........................................................................................35

2

Introduction

Everyone knows Cobain and his band Nirvana, he is extremely popular all

over the world. People hear Cobain’s songs from everywhere, he seems to be

like God for many of his fans and Nirvana was and still is one of the most

famous rock-band. But there was not a worse musician Chuck Schuldiner, who

is valued only in narrow circles.

Why did I decide to choose exactly them? None of these rock stars are my

idols. I tried to be neutral and I hope that it helped me to make more objective

conclusions. I find music of each of them complicated and both of them

extraordinary.

I had a great wish to know why one of them is considered to be more

famous and another great musician doesn`t attract so much people`s attention.

Choosing this topic I was sure, that there have to be objective or not so objective

reasons, and I wished to understand what influenced on their success.

The aim of my work is to research the routes of popularity taking into

account two bright personalities in the world of rock music.

In my paper I tried to learn the biography of Kurt Сobain and Chuck

Schuldiner, to compare their lives from all the sides, to analyze the situation

nowadays towards to these musicians.

I wanted to find things, which musicians have in common, and things,

which are absolutely different.

The paper consists of

Biography of Cobain Biography of Schuldiner Comparison of their lives Common conclusion

People have always been interested in music and escape from everyday’s

problems. Rock music is one of the oldest musical style and is becoming more

popular nowadays, especially we can speak about Cobain and his band Nirvana.

Rock is the sign of freedom, our century has aims to make people more free, and

3

it makes my topic up-to-date. Rock has always been the reflection of a place of a

person in the world, and it proves that my choice was right.

I have never heard about any comparison of these two musicians, and it

makes my work new and modern.

Firstly, I decided that I had to start with biography of Cobain, because I

know about him more facts and it is much easier to find others. I made other

projects about Cobain and Nirvana, so the first step of my work did not seem to

me to be complicated.

Secondly, I had to learn biography of Chuck Schuldiner, and it did not

seem so simple to me. Of course, there is much information in the Internet, but it

is less than about Cobain.

Finally, I planned to compare these persons and their music. This step had

to be the most difficult, because I had to think myself and to make my own

conclusions.

4

1. Biography of Kurt Cobain

1.1. Early life

Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – c. April 5, 1994) was an

American musician and artist. He was best known as the lead singer, guitarist,

and primary songwriter of the grunge band Nirvana. Cobain formed Nirvana

with Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington, in 1985 and established it as

part of the Seattle music scene, having its debut album Bleach released on the

independent record label Sub Pop in 1989.

After signing with major label DGC Records, the band found breakthrough

success with "Smells Like Teen Spirit" from its second album Nevermind

(1991). Following the success of Nevermind, Nirvana was labeled "the flagship

band" of Generation X, and Cobain hailed as "the spokesman of a generation".

Cobain, however, was often uncomfortable and frustrated, believing his message

and artistic vision to have been misinterpreted by the public, with his personal

issues often subject to media attention. He challenged Nirvana's audience with

its final studio album In Utero (1993). It did not match the sales figures

of Nevermind but was still a critical and commercial success.

During the last years of his life, Cobain struggled with heroin addiction,

illness and depression. He also had difficulty coping with his fame and public

image, and the professional and lifelong personal pressures surrounding himself

and his wife, musician Courtney Love. On April 8, 1994, Cobain was found

dead at his home in Seattle, the victim of what was officially ruled a suicide by a

self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head. The circumstances of his death at age

27 have become a topic of public fascination and debate. Since their debut,

Nirvana, with Cobain as a songwriter, has sold over 25 million albums in the

US, and over 75 million worldwide.

Kurt Donald Cobain was born on February 20, 1967, at Grays Harbor

Hospital in Aberdeen, Washington, to a waitress, Wendy Elizabeth (née

5

Fradenburg) (born 1948), and an automotive mechanic, Donald Leland Cobain

(born 1946). His parents were married on July 31, 1965 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

His ancestry included Irish, English, Scottish, and German. Cobain's Irish

ancestors migrated from County Tyrone of Northern Ireland in 1875.

Researchers have found them to have been shoemakers, originally named

Cobane, who came from the village of Inishatieve near Pomeroy, settling in

Cornwall, Ontario, Canada, and then in Washington. Cobain himself believed

his family came from County Cork in southern Ireland. Cobain had one younger

sister named Kimberly, born on April 24, 1970.

Cobain's family had a musical background. His maternal uncle Chuck

Fradenburg starred in a band called The Beachcombers, his Aunt Mari Earle

played guitar and performed in bands throughout Grays Harbor County, and his

great-uncle Delbert had a career as an Irish tenor, making an appearance in the

1930 film King of Jazz. Cobain was described as being a happy and excitable,

while sensitive and caring child. His talent as an artist was evident from an early

age. His bedroom was described as having taken on the appearance of an art

studio, where he would accurately draw his favorite characters from films and

cartoons such as Aquaman, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and Disney

characters like Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, and Pluto. This enthusiasm was

encouraged by his grandmother Iris Cobain, who was a professional artist

herself. Cobain began developing an interest in music early in his life.

According to his Aunt Mari, he began singing at two years old. At age four,

Cobain started playing the piano and singing, writing a song about their trip to a

local park. He listened to artists like the Ramones and Electric Light Orchestra

and would sing songs like Arlo Guthrie's "Motorcycle Song," The Beatles' "Hey

Jude", Terry Jacks' "Seasons in the Sun" and the theme song to The Monkees

television show at a young age.

When Cobain was seven years old, his parents divorced. Later in his life,

he said the divorce had a profound effect on his life. His mother noted that his

6

personality changed dramatically; Cobain became defiant and withdrawn. In a

1993 interview, he elaborated:

"I remember feeling ashamed, for some reason. I was ashamed of my

parents. I couldn't face some of my friends at school anymore, because I

desperately wanted to have the classic, you know, typical family. Mother, father.

I wanted that security, so I resented my parents for quite a few years because of

that."

Cobain's parents both found new partners after the divorce. His father had

promised not to remarry; however, after meeting Jenny Westeby, he did, to

Kurt's dismay. Kurt, his father, Westeby, and her two children Mindy and

James, moved into a new household together. Cobain liked Westeby at first,

who gave him the maternal attention he desired. In January 1979, Westeby gave

birth to a boy, Chad Cobain. This new family, which Cobain insisted was not his

real one, was in stark contrast to the attention Cobain was used to receiving as

an only boy; he soon began to express resentment toward his stepmother. Kurt's

mother began dating a man who was abusive. Cobain witnessed the domestic

violence inflicted upon her, with one incident resulting in her being hospitalized

with a broken arm. Wendy steadfastly refused to press charges, remaining

completely committed to the relationship.

Kurt behaved insolently toward adults. He began bullying another boy at

school. These behaviors eventually caused his father and Westeby to take him to

a therapist, who concluded that Kurt would benefit in a single family

environment. Both sides of the family attempted to bring his parents back

together, but to no avail. On June 28, 1979, Cobain's mother granted full custody

of Kurt to his father.

Cobain's teenage rebellion quickly became overwhelming for his father,

who placed Kurt in the care of family and friends. While living with the born-

again Christian family of his friend Jesse Reed, Cobain became a devout

Christian and regularly attended church services. Cobain later renounced

Christianity, engaging in what would be described as "anti-God" rants. The song 7

"Lithium" is about his experience while living with the Reed family. Religion

would remain an important part of Cobain's personal life and beliefs, as he often

used Christian imagery in his work and maintained a constant interest in Jainism

and Buddhist philosophy. The band name Nirvana was taken from the Buddhist

concept, which Cobain described as "freedom from pain, suffering and the

external world," which paralleled with the punk rock ethic and ideology. Cobain

would regard himself as both a Buddhist and a Jain during different points of his

life, educating himself about the philosophies through various sources, including

through watching late night television documentaries on both subjects.

Although not interested in sports, Kurt was enrolled in a junior high school

wrestling team at the insistence of his father. Kurt was a skilled wrestler, yet

despised the experience. Because of the ridicule he endured from his teammates

and coach, he allowed himself to be pinned, in an attempt to sadden his father.

Later, his father enlisted him in a little league baseball team, where Cobain

would intentionally strike out to avoid playing on the team.

Cobain befriended a homosexual student at school, and suffered bullying

from heterosexual students who concluded that Cobain was gay. In an interview

he said that he liked having the identity of being gay because he did not like

people and when they thought he was gay they left him alone. Kurt stated, "I

started being really proud of the fact that I was gay even though I wasn't". His

friend tried to kiss him and Kurt backed away and told his friend he was not gay

but would still be friends with him. In a 1993 interview with The Advocate,

Cobain claimed that he was "gay in spirit" and "probably could be bisexual." He

also stated that he used to spray paint "God Is Gay" on pickup trucks in the

Aberdeen area. Aberdeen police records show that Cobain was arrested for spray

painting the phrase "Ain't got no how watchamacallit" on other vehicles. One of

his personal journals states, "I am not gay, although I wish I were, just to piss off

homophobes."

Cobain enjoyed creating works of art. He would often draw during school

classes, including objects associated with human anatomy. When given a 8

caricature assignment for an art course, Cobain drew a posing Michael Jackson.

When his art teacher told him the caricature would be inappropriate to be

displayed in a school hallway, Cobain drew an unflattering sketch of then-

President Ronald Reagan.

As attested to by several of Cobain's classmates and family members, the

first concert he attended was Sammy Hagar and Quarterflash at the Seattle

Center Coliseum in 1983. Cobain, however, claimed that the first concert he

attended was the Melvins; he wrote prolifically in his Journals of the experience.

As a teenager living in Montesano, Cobain eventually found escape through the

thriving Pacific Northwest punk scene, going to punk rock shows in Seattle.

Cobain soon began frequenting the practice space of fellow Montesano

musicians the Melvins.

During his second year in high school, Cobain began living with his mother

in Aberdeen. Two weeks prior to graduation, he dropped out of Aberdeen High

School upon realizing he did not have enough credits to graduate. His mother

gave him a choice: find employment or leave. After one week, Cobain found his

clothes and other belongings packed away in boxes. Feeling banished from his

own mother's home, Cobain stayed with friends, occasionally sneaking back into

his mother's basement. Cobain also claimed during periods of homelessness to

have lived under a bridge over the Wishkah River, an experience that inspired

the Nevermind track "Something in the Way". However, Nirvana bassist Krist

Novoselic said, "He hung out there, but you couldn't live on those muddy banks,

with the tides coming up and down. That was his own revisionism."

In late 1986 Cobain moved into an apartment, paying his rent by working

at a Polynesian coastal resort approximately 20 miles (32 km) north of

Aberdeen. During this period, he was traveling frequently to Olympia,

Washington to go to rock concerts. During his visits to Olympia, Cobain formed

a relationship with Tracy Marander. The couple had a close relationship, but one

that was often strained with financial difficulties and Cobain's absence when

touring. Marander supported the couple by working at the cafeteria of the 9

Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, often stealing food. Cobain spent most of

his time sleeping into the late evening, watching television and concentrating on

art projects. Marander's insistence that he get a job caused arguments that

influenced Cobain to write "About a Girl", which was featured on the Nirvana

album Bleach. Marander is credited with having taken the cover photo for the

album. Marander was not aware that "About a Girl" was written about her until

years after Cobain's death.

Soon after Marander separated from him, Cobain began dating Tobi Vail,

an influential DIY punk zinester of the riot grrrl band Bikini Kill. After meeting

Vail, Cobain vomited as he was so completely overwhelmed with anxiety

regarding his infatuation with her. This event would inspire the lyric: "Love you

so much it makes me sick," which would appear in the song "Aneurysm". While

Cobain would regard Vail as his female counterpart, his relationship with her

waned. Cobain desired the maternal comfort of a traditional relationship, which

Vail regarded as sexist within a countercultural punk rock community. Those

who dated Vail would be described by her friend Alice Wheeler as "fashion

accessories." Kurt and Tobi spent most of their time together as a couple

discussing political and philosophical issues. In 1990 they collaborated on a

musical project called "Bathtub Is Real", in which both Vail and Cobain sang,

played guitar and drums. They recorded their songs on a four-track tape machine

that belonged to Vail's father. In Everett True's 2009 book "Nirvana: The

Biography" Vail is quoted as saying "(Kurt) would play the songs he was

writing, I would play the songs I was writing and we'd record them on my dad's

four-track. Sometimes I'd sing on the songs he was writing and play drums on

them..... He was really into the fact that I was creative and into music. I don't

think he'd ever played music with a girl before. He was super-inspiring and fun

to play with." Slim Moon described their sound as "… like the minimal quiet

pop songs that Olympia is known for. Both of them sang; it was really good."

Cobain's relationship with Vail would inspire the lyrical content of many of the

songs on Nevermind. Once, while discussing anarchism and punk rock with 10

friend Kathleen Hanna, Hanna spray-painted "Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit" on

Kurt's apartment wall. Teen Spirit was the name of a deodorant Vail wore;

Hanna joked that Cobain smelled like it. Cobain, unaware of this, initially

interpreted the slogan as having a revolutionary meaning. The slogan inspired

the title to the song "Smells Like Teen Spirit".

11

1.2. Nirvana

On his 14th birthday on February 20, 1981, Cobain's uncle offered him

either a bike or a used guitar. He chose the guitar. Soon, he was mastering Led

Zeppelin's power ballad "Stairway to Heaven". Cobain began learning guitar

with a few covers, including "Louie Louie", The Cars' "My Best Friend's Girl",

and soon began working on his own songs. During high school, Cobain rarely

found anyone with whom he could play music. While hanging out at the

Melvins' practice space, he met Krist Novoselic, a fellow devotee of punk rock.

Novoselic's mother owned a hair salon. Cobain and Novoselic would

occasionally practice in the upstairs room of the salon. A few years later, Cobain

tried to convince Novoselic to form a band with him by lending him a copy of a

home demo recorded by Cobain's earlier band, Fecal Matter. After months of

asking, Novoselic finally agreed to join Cobain, forming the beginnings of

Nirvana.

Cobain was disenchanted after early touring, due to the band's inability to

draw substantial crowds and the apparent difficulty in sustaining themselves.

During their first few years playing together, Novoselic and Cobain were hosts

to a rotating list of drummers. Eventually, the band settled on Chad Channing,

with whom Nirvana recorded the album Bleach, released on Sub Pop Records in

1989. Cobain, however, became dissatisfied with Channing's style, leading the

band to find a new drummer, eventually settling on Dave Grohl. With Grohl, the

band found their greatest success via their 1991 major-label debut, Nevermind.

With the lead single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" from Nirvana's second

album Nevermind (1991), Nirvana entered the mainstream, popularizing a

subgenre of alternative rock called grunge. Since their debut, Nirvana, with

Cobain as a songwriter, have sold over 25 million albums in the United States

alone, and over 75 million worldwide.

The success of Nevermind provided numerous Seattle bands such as Alice

in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden access to wider audiences, and as a 12

result, alternative rock became a dominant genre on radio and music television

in the United States during the early-to-middle 1990s. Nirvana was considered

the "flagship band of Generation X", and frontman Cobain found himself

reluctantly anointed by the media as the generation's "spokesman." Cobain's

discomfort with the media attention prompted him to focus on the band's music

and, believing their message and artistic vision to have been misinterpreted by

the public, challenged the band's audience with its third studio album In Utero

(1993).

Cobain struggled to reconcile the massive success of Nirvana to his

underground roots. He also felt persecuted by the media, comparing himself to

Frances Farmer. He began to harbor resentments for people who claimed to be

fans of the band yet refused to acknowledge, or misinterpreted, the band's social

and political views. A vocal opponent of sexism, racism and homophobia, he

was publicly proud that Nirvana had played at a gay rights benefit supporting

No-on-Nine in Oregon in 1992, in opposition to Ballot Measure Nine, a ballot

measure, that if passed, would have prohibited schools in the state from

acknowledging or positively accepting LGBT rights and welfare.

Cobain was a vocal supporter of the pro-choice movement, and had been

involved in Rock for Choice from the campaign inception by L7. He received

death threats from a small number of anti-abortion activists for doing so, with

one activist threatening Cobain that he would be shot as soon as he stepped on

stage.

13

1.3. Relationships and family

Courtney Love and Cobain met on January 12, 1990, in Portland's

Satyricon nightclub, when they both still led ardent underground rock bands.

Love made advances, but Cobain was evasive. Early in their interactions,

Cobain broke off dates and ignored Love's advances because he was unsure if he

wanted a relationship. Cobain noted, "I was determined to be a bachelor for a

few months [...] But I knew that I liked Courtney so much right away that it was

a really hard struggle to stay away from her for so many months." Courtney

Love first saw Cobain perform in 1989 at a show in Portland, Oregon; they

talked briefly after the show and Love developed a crush on him.

Cobain was already aware of Love through her role in the 1987 film

Straight to Hell. According to journalist Everett True, the pair were formally

introduced at an L7 and Butthole Surfers concert in Los Angeles in May 1991.

In the weeks that followed, after learning from Dave Grohl that Cobain shared

mutual interests with her, Love began pursuing Cobain. In late 1991 the two

were often together and bonded through drug use.

Around the time of Nirvana's 1992 performance on Saturday Night Live,

Love discovered that she was pregnant with Cobain's child. On February 24,

1992, a few days after the conclusion of Nirvana's Pacific Rim tour, Cobain and

Love were married on Waikiki Beach in Hawaii. Love wore a satin and lace

dress once owned by the actress Frances Farmer, and Cobain wore green

pajamas, because he had been "too lazy to put on a tux". In an interview with

The Guardian, Love revealed the opposition to their marriage from various

people: "Kim Gordon [of Sonic Youth] sits me down and says, 'If you marry

him your life is not going to happen, it will destroy your life.' But I said,

'Whatever! I love him, and I want to be with him!'... It wasn't his fault. He wasn't

trying to do that."

On August 18, 1992, the couple's daughter Frances Bean Cobain was born.14

In a 1992 article in Vanity Fair, Love admitted to using heroin, not

knowing that she was pregnant. Love claimed that Vanity Fair had misquoted

her, but the event created a media controversy for the couple. While Cobain and

Love's romance had always been a media attraction, they found themselves

hounded by tabloid reporters after the article was published, many wanting to

know if Frances was addicted to drugs at birth. The Los Angeles County

Department of Children's Services took the Cobains to court, claiming that the

couple's drug usage made them unfit parents. Two-week-old Frances was

ordered by the judge to be taken from their custody and placed with Courtney's

sister Jamie for several weeks, after which the couple obtained custody in an

exchange agreement to submit to urine tests and regular visits from a social

worker. After months of legal wrangling, the couple were eventually granted full

custody of their daughter.

15

1.4. Health history and death

Throughout most of his life, Cobain suffered from chronic bronchitis and

intense physical pain due to an undiagnosed chronic stomach condition. His first

drug experience was with marijuana in 1980, at age 13. He regularly used the

drug during adulthood. Cobain also had a period of consuming "notable"

amounts of LSD, as observed by Tracy Marander, and was "really into getting

fucked up: drugs, acid, any kind of drug", observed Krist Novoselic; Cobain was

also prone to alcoholism and solvent abuse. Cobain's cousin Beverly, a nurse,

claimed Cobain was diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder as a

child, and bipolar disorder as an adult. She also brought attention to the history

of suicide, mental illness and alcoholism in the Cobain family, noting two of her

uncles who had committed suicide with guns.

Cobain's first experience with heroin occurred sometime in 1986,

administered to him by a local drug dealer in Tacoma, Washington who had

previously supplied him with Percodan. He used heroin sporadically for several

years, but, by the end of 1990, his use developed into a full-fledged addiction.

Cobain claimed that he was "determined to get a habit" as a way to self-

medicate his stomach condition. "It started with three days in a row of doing

heroin and I don't have a stomach pain. That was such a relief," he related.

His heroin use began to affect the band's Nevermind supporting tour. One

such example came the day of the band's 1992 performance on Saturday Night

Live, where Nirvana had a photographic session with photographer Michael

Levine. Having taken heroin beforehand, Cobain fell asleep several times during

the shoot. Cobain divulged to biographer Michael Azerrad, "I mean, what are

they supposed to do? They're not going to be able to tell me to stop. So I really

didn't care. Obviously to them it was like practicing witchcraft or something.

They didn't know anything about it so they thought that any second, I was going

to die."

16

Slowly, Cobain's heroin addiction worsened. His first attempt at rehab was

made in early 1992, not long after he and Love discovered they were going to

become parents. Immediately after leaving rehab, Nirvana embarked on their

Australian tour, with Cobain appearing pale and gaunt while suffering through

withdrawal. Not long after returning home, Cobain's heroin use resumed.

Prior to a performance at the New Music Seminar in New York City in July

1993, Cobain suffered a heroin overdose. Rather than calling for an ambulance,

Love injected Cobain with Narcan to bring him out of his unconscious state.

Cobain proceeded to perform with Nirvana, giving the public no indication that

anything out of the ordinary had taken place. Cobain was detoxed

unsuccessfully many times by questionable physicians in the now-infamous

celebrity detox programs in posh hotels before relapsing and dying of a drug

overdose and self-inflicted gunshot in 1994.

Cobain's suicide note (full transcription). The final phrase before the

greetings, "it's better to burn out than to fade away", is a quote from the lyrics of

Neil Young's song "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)"

Following a tour stop at Terminal Eins in Munich, Germany, on March 1,

1994, Cobain was diagnosed with bronchitis and severe laryngitis. He flew to

Rome the next day for medical treatment, and was joined there by his wife,

Courtney Love, on March 3, 1994. The next morning, Love awoke to find that

Cobain had overdosed on a combination of champagne and Rohypnol. Cobain

was immediately rushed to the hospital, and spent the rest of the day

unconscious. After five days in the hospital, Cobain was released and returned to

Seattle. Love later stated that the incident was Cobain's first suicide attempt.

On March 18, 1994, Love phoned the Seattle police informing them that

Cobain was suicidal and had locked himself in a room with a gun. Police arrived

and confiscated several guns and a bottle of pills from Cobain, who insisted that

he was not suicidal and had locked himself in the room to hide from Love.

When questioned by police, Love said that Cobain had never mentioned that he

was suicidal and that she had not seen him with a gun.17

Love arranged an intervention regarding Cobain's drug use on March 25,

1994. The ten people involved included musician friends, record company

executives, and one of Cobain's closest friends, Dylan Carlson. The intervention

was initially unsuccessful, with an angry Cobain insulting and heaping scorn on

its participants and eventually locking himself in the upstairs bedroom.

However, by the end of the day, Cobain had agreed to undergo a detox program.

Cobain arrived at the Exodus Recovery Center in Los Angeles, California on

March 30, 1994. The staff at the facility were unaware of Cobain's history of

depression and prior attempts at suicide. When visited by friends, there was no

indication to them that Cobain was in any negative or suicidal state of mind. He

spent the day talking to counselors about his drug abuse and personal problems,

happily playing with his daughter Frances. These interactions were the last time

Cobain saw his daughter. The following night, Cobain walked outside to have a

cigarette, and climbed over a six-foot-high fence to leave the facility (which he

had joked earlier in the day would be a stupid feat to attempt). He took a taxi to

Los Angeles Airport and flew back to Seattle. On the flight, he sat next to Duff

McKagan of Guns N' Roses. Despite Cobain's own personal animosity towards

Guns N' Roses and specifically Axl Rose, Cobain "seemed happy" to see

McKagan. McKagan later stated he knew from "all of my instincts that

something was wrong." Most of his close friends and family were unaware of

his whereabouts. On April 2 and 3, 1994, Cobain was spotted in numerous

locations around Seattle. On April 3, 1994, Love contacted private investigator

Tom Grant, and hired him to find Cobain. Cobain was not seen on April 4, 1994.

On April 7, 1994, amid rumors of Nirvana breaking up, the band pulled out of

that year's Lollapalooza music festival.

On April 8, 1994, Cobain's body was discovered at his Lake Washington

home by an electrician named Gary Smith who had arrived to install a security

system. Apart from a minor amount of blood coming out of Cobain's ear, the

electrician reported seeing no visible signs of trauma, and initially believed that

Cobain was asleep until he saw the shotgun pointing at his chin. A note was 18

found, addressed to Cobain's childhood imaginary friend "Boddah", that stated

that Cobain had not "felt the excitement of listening to as well as creating music,

along with really writing . . . for too many years now". A high concentration of

heroin and traces of diazepam were also found in his body. Cobain's body had

been lying there for days; the coroner's report estimated Cobain to have died on

April 5, 1994.

A public vigil was held for Cobain on April 10, 1994, at a park at Seattle

Center drawing approximately seven thousand mourners. Prerecorded messages

by Krist Novoselic and Courtney Love were played at the memorial. Love read

portions of Cobain's suicide note to the crowd, crying and chastising Cobain.

Near the end of the vigil, Love arrived at the park and distributed some of

Cobain's clothing to those who still remained. Dave Grohl would say that the

news of Cobain's death was "probably the worst thing that has happened to me

in my life. I remember the day after that I woke up and I was heartbroken that he

was gone. I just felt like, 'Okay, so I get to wake up today and have another day

and he doesn't.'" He also believed that he knew Cobain would die at an early

age, saying that "sometimes you just can't save someone from themselves," and

"in some ways, you kind of prepare yourself emotionally for that to be a reality."

Dave Reed, who for a short time was Cobain's foster father, said that "he had the

desperation, not the courage, to be himself. Once you do that, you can't go

wrong, because you can't make any mistakes when people love you for being

yourself. But for Kurt, it didn't matter that other people loved him; he simply

didn't love himself enough."

A final ceremony was arranged for Cobain by his mother on May 31, 1999,

attended by both Courtney Love and Tracy Marander. As a Buddhist monk

chanted, his daughter Frances Bean scattered his ashes into McLane Creek in

Olympia, the city where he "had found his true artistic muse."

Cobain's artistic endeavors and struggles with heroin addiction, illness and

depression, as well as the circumstances of his death have become a frequent

19

topic of fascination, debate, and controversy throughout the world. He is one of

the well known members of the 27 Club.

20

2. Biography of Chuck Schuldiner

2.1. Early life

Charles Michael "Chuck" Schuldiner (May 13, 1967 – December 13, 2001)

was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He created the band Death,

which he founded in 1983 under the name Mantas. He also recorded as guitarist

and songwriter with his other band, Control Denied. Schuldiner is often referred

to as "The Father of Death Metal", and his obituary in the January 5, 2002 issue

of UK's Kerrang! magazine said that "Chuck Schuldiner was one of the most

significant figures in the history of metal." Schuldiner himself was modest about

his part in the history of death metal, noting "I don’t think I should take the

credits for this death metal stuff. I'm just a guy from a band, and I think Death is

a metal band." Schuldiner was ranked No. 1 in Joel McIver's book The 100

Greatest Metal Guitarists in 2009 and No. 20 in March 2004 Guitar World's

"The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists". Schuldiner founded the publishing

company Mutilation Music in 1987, affiliated with performance rights

organization BMI.

Chuck Schuldiner was born on May 13, 1967 on Long Island, New York to

a Jewish father of Austrian descent and a mother from the American South, a

convert to Judaism. Both of his parents were teachers. In 1968, his family

moved to Florida. Schuldiner was the youngest of three children. He had an

older brother named Frank and an older sister named Bethann.

Schuldiner started playing guitar at the age of 9. His 16 year old brother

had died and his parents bought him a guitar, thinking it would help with his

grief. He took classical lessons for less than a year in which his teacher taught

him "Mary had a Little Lamb", which he did not like very much, and almost

stopped completely, until his parents saw an electric guitar at a yard sale and

bought it for him. The young Schuldiner immediately took to the instrument.

After getting amps, he never stopped playing, writing and teaching himself. 21

Schuldiner was known to spend the weekend in the garage or his room playing

his guitar, but was limited to three hours on weekdays when school was in

session. Schuldiner first played in public in his early teens.

Schuldiner was originally inspired by Iron Maiden, Kiss and Billy Idol,

among others. He was particularly interested in the metal movement known as

NWOBHM - New Wave of British Heavy Metal - and cited bands of that genre

among his favorites. He frequently cited French band Sortilège as his personal

favorite metal group. Slayer, Celtic Frost, Possessed, Mercyful Fate/King

Diamond and Metallica were later influences he would apply more to his own

band. Later in his career, Schuldiner frequently cited progressive metal bands

such as Watchtower and Queensrÿche as influences. The official Schuldiner

website, Empty Words, quotes Schuldiner's mother making the claim that he

enjoyed all forms of music except country and rap. He also enjoyed jazz and

classical music in addition to metal and British alternative acts such as Lush.

Schuldiner performed well in school before becoming bored with

education, and eventually dropped out. He later regretted this decision. He has

stated that if he had not become a musician, he would have liked to have become

a veterinarian or a cook.

22

2.2. Musical career

Schuldiner formed Death as Mantas in 1983 when he was 16 years old.

Original members were Schuldiner (guitar), Rick Rozz (guitar) and Kam Lee

(drums and vocals). In January 1986, Schuldiner moved to Toronto and

temporarily joined the Canadian band Slaughter. However, he quickly returned

to continue the formation of Death.

Death underwent many lineup changes. With Chris Reifert, Schuldiner

eventually released the first Death album, titled Scream Bloody Gore, in 1987.

He continued with 1988's Leprosy with the line-up of former Mantas guitarist

Rick Rozz and rhythm section Terry Butler on bass and Bill Andrews on drums,

and 1990's Spiritual Healing, where guitarist James Murphy had replaced the

fired Rozz in 1989.

After Spiritual Healing, Schuldiner stopped working with full-time band

members, preferring to work with studio and live venue musicians, due to bad

relationships with Death's previous rhythm section and guitarists. This earned

Schuldiner something of a 'perfectionist' reputation in the metal community.

Schuldiner had also fired his manager Eric Greif but settled and re-hired him

before the recording of his next, influential release.

Death's breakthrough album, Human saw the band evolving to a more

technical and progressive style, in which Schuldiner displayed his guitar skills

more than ever. He continued in this style (and continued the success of the

band) with 1993's Individual Thought Patterns, 1995's Symbolic, and finally The

Sound of Perseverance in 1998. Throughout his career, Schuldiner was not

afraid to take on controversial lyrical subjects, taking an anti-drug stance on

"Living Monstrosity" and writing about abortion in "Altering the Future".

He put Death on hold after this to continue Control Denied, which he had

been putting together prior to the release of The Sound of Perseverance, and

released The Fragile Art of Existence in 1999. Control Denied also had other

players from the latest Death album but featured a melodic metal vocalist. 23

Schuldiner also played guitar in the "supergroup" Voodoocult on the album

Jesus Killing Machine in 1994 and played a guest solo on Naphobia's 1995

release, Of Hell on the track "As Ancients Evolve" as a favor to the band's

bassist at the time who was a friend of Schuldiner's. Schuldiner was also asked

to be one of the many guest vocalists on Dave Grohl's 2001 Probot. Grohl,

Napalm Death, Ozzy Osbourne, and Anthrax all increased efforts to raise funds

for Schuldiner's medical bills with Grohl trying to involve Schuldiner on an

album he was working on. In a 1999 interview Chuck spoke about why he didn't

sing on the album The Fragile Art of Existence "...these vocals are all I ever

wanted to do in Death but couldn’t. I’ve had this dream of recording like that for

years, and it seems like a dream come true. Tim Aymar is an amazing singer and

this is the main difference. I think people will be surprised at the violence and

strength of the album. Many people are expecting something like Iron Maiden,

but, despite being one of my favorite bands, I didn’t want to make an Iron

Maiden-like album. I wanted to make an unpredictable album, just like I did in

Death, I guess. I don’t like to make predictable albums.

24

2.3. Death

In May 1999, Schuldiner experienced harsh pain in his upper neck, which

he initially thought was a pinched nerve. He consulted with a chiropractor and a

massage therapist/acupuncturist who recommended an MRI examination, which

discovered that the nerve was being pinched by a tumor. On his 32nd birthday,

May 13, 1999, Schuldiner was diagnosed with a high-grade pontine glioma (a

malignant type of brain cancer that invades the brainstem), and immediately

underwent radiation therapy.

In October 1999, Schuldiner’s family announced that the tumor had

necrotized and that he was on the way to recovery. In January 2000, Schuldiner

underwent surgery to remove what remained of his tumor. The operation was a

success. However, the Schuldiner family was struggling financially. The total

costs of the operations came to US$70,000, which the Schuldiner family could

not afford. Many fundraisers, auctions, and benefit concerts were held to help

cover the costs. The money began to come in as the metal community realized

that Schuldiner's life was in danger.

Schuldiner continued to work on his music, continuing his work with

Control Denied. About two years after his original diagnosis, in May 2001, the

cancer returned and Schuldiner fell ill again. He was at first unable to afford the

surgery which he needed immediately. A press release called for support from

everyone, including fellow artists. Jane Schuldiner urged all who read the

statements about Schuldiner and his illness to go out and get insurance, stating

her frustration in the American healthcare system. Schuldiner had taken out

medical insurance after his first surgery, but the insurer had refused to pay

because the tumor pre-dated insurance being taken out. Many artists, including

Kid Rock, Korn and Red Hot Chili Peppers, got together during the summer of

2001 to auction off personal items, with the funds assisting Schuldiner's medical

expenses, an effort covered by MTV. Matt Heafy, vocalist and guitarist for

Trivium has also stated that the band had played a benefit show for Schuldiner 25

while he was in the hospital in their days as a local band. Schuldiner received

chemotherapy with vincristine. Like most drugs used in the treatment of cancer,

the side effects were harsh and weakened him greatly. In late October/early

November, Schuldiner's condition worsened as he became ill with pneumonia.

Chuck Schuldiner died on December 13, 2001, at approximately 4 p.m.

Eastern Standard Time and was cremated. MTV reported that recording artists

including Mike Patton, Max Cavalera, King Diamond, Ville Valo, Trey

Azagthoth and Glen Benton, and all former and active members of Death,

attended his memorial service.

26

2.4. Beliefs

Schuldiner once described himself as "a lover of life", "friendship", and

"animals". "I would like to live forever, if it was possible", he once said in an

interview. He commonly spoke out against artists who were "out of control",

garnering negative attention to the death metal scene. Schuldiner openly

condemned and disavowed stereotypes of metal musicians as being harmful to

animals, people, or being "anti-life".

When asked about his opinions regarding an afterlife, Schuldiner

responded "I don't know", but elaborated that he believed "this is hell", and that

demons are in people, as they "create evil". Although his parents are Jewish,

Schuldiner did not go through any formal religious training. In the documentary,

"666 At Calling Death", he was asked whether Satanism was a part of his music.

He replied, "Not at all. I really don't want to involve any type of religious theme

in our music. I think that's more of a personal thing. Yeah, I'm not a Satanist and

I definitely don't put that into our music on purpose. I was really young when the

band first started out. I was never really into writing Satanic lyrics at all,

personally. We did write gore lyrics, but it was more like kind of tongue-in-

cheek, horror-movie type level. Nothing like encouraging people to go out and

hurt themselves or anything stupid like that. It's pure fantasy-movie type, scary

stuff. And then, I just really got into writing about reality, which is what we all

have to deal with." Schuldiner designed the Death logo and its various

incarnations during the length of his career. In 1991, before the release of

Human, he cleaned up the logo taking out more intricate details and the "T" in

the logo was swapped from an inverted cross to a more regular looking "T", one

reason being to quash any implication of religion.

Schuldiner was also openly against hard drugs; he is quoted as saying,

"I’ve tripped several times. That’s all because I don’t like the hard drugs. And

my only drugs are alcohol and grass." Schuldiner also stated that he was pro-

choice. He is quoted as saying that "it should be legal. If I was a woman surely I 27

would like to have a choice to have a child or not. In U.S. lot of new-borns are

killed because they were unwanted. It is better to solve it immediately when a

woman finds out about the pregnancy and she doesn't want a child. Better to go

for an abortion than to kill a baby. That is terrible. Men cannot force women to

keep a child when they themselves feel they can't."

28

3. Comparison of their lives

Schuldiner performed well in school before becoming bored with

education, and eventually dropped out. He later regretted this decision. He has

stated that if he had not become a musician, he would have liked to have become

a veterinarian or a cook.

Schuldiner lived in a small town, music ripped his head off, he even gave

up going to school. He made his choice in favour of music and didn`t worry

about it. He took the guitar in his hands at the age of nine. His brother died in a

car accident and it influenced Chuck, whose childhood was ordinary with

picnics and fishing. He admitted that he had happy childhood, especially he

appreciated the happiest moment of his life when mother took him to the

concert of KISS, she loved music.

Comparing childhood of two musicians it`s possible to say that Cobain`s

family wasn`t rich, but his early childhood was happy nevertheless. He was fond

of his mother and younger sister, had a great interest to music from the very

early age. His family was musical, but not the parents, who didn’t like the hobby

of his sin. But there were always held various performances on family holidays.

Cobain grew lefty, a sickly child, and his parents' divorce only aggravated

situation. Kurt became sullen, angry and sarcastic. The gift from his uncle,

electric guitar, played a key role for Kurt, because before that he was playing the

drums.

Cobain sought to create a mix of heavy and light sound. Nirvana in their

songs used abrupt transitions from a slow, quiet to loud sound. Cobain's style of

play rhythm guitar, which was based on power chords, riffs and low casual

game with his right hand, contained the key components of the band's songs.

Cobain often played the riff in the verse of the pure tone, then doubled it with

distortion guitar, repeating already played a part. He rarely played guitar solos

that he represented a slight variations main melody of the song. His solos were

mostly based on blues and guitar sound upset.29

Death played in the style of death metal.

Death Metal (English death metal, from death – “Death”) - an extreme

subgenre of metal.

Incorporating the speed and complexity of execution of thrash metal , death

metal stood first in a separate sub-genre in this direction ( it is sometimes called

proto- death ), and then in a separate genre in the mid -1980s .

Its appearance greatly influenced thrash band, among which the most

famous Slayer, Kreator and Celtic Frost , which have focused on the aggressive

sound and speed of playing instruments , as well as more distorted , aggressive -

sounding vocals . One of the most influential records in the style of proto- death

metal is the debut full-length album Seven Churches group Possessed, released

in 1985. Sometimes this work (along with the debut album of the band Death)

called the first album in the style of death metal. Finally separated from the

thrash style thanks largely earlier works with a group of Death Chuck

Schuldiner pioneer (Chuck Schuldiner, which is often called the "father of death

metal "), and groups like Morbid Angel or Obituary, is a pioneer and pioneers of

the genre. In the late 80s and early 90s death metal has taken a significant place

in popular releases metal labels such Earache Records and Roadrunner Records.

Over time, death metal improved, and formed a large number of sub-genres.

Death metal is an underground phenomenon was completely rejects the

canons of rock music and therefore rejects the record companies. But this music

was the flag 15 -18 -year-old rogue generation (outlaws), who found refuge in it

from their parents, school and society, from the strange moral and religious

principles, imposed on pop culture. Enough to read an interview with well-

known musicians, members OBITUARY, CANNIBAL CORPSE, MORBID

ANGEL, etc., in which they talk about school years. They all as one said

something like: " No one then and did not know about this music, there were

only 5 people in the entire school, and we have no one else did not

communicate, went dark , terrible ... "

30

Cast nascent death metal supported herself struggling. Commonplace was

spread records by so-called "TAPE-TRADING", ie direct exchange cassettes

very crappy quality , but quite acceptable for a "budget" any teenager . That is

why the army of deadly metal, numbered 83 -84- m some hundreds of followers

grew steadily. Evil Chuck was then part of the movement, and, of course - he

was one of the best.

Besides extremism in music, death metal attracted young listeners unusual

vocal delivery - growling, rather like a savage roar, the voice from the depths of

the grave or Hell itself, as well as bloody apocalyptic lyrics, based not only on

the "horror ", but on the negation of Christianity. It has become the hallmark of

style for many years and now no one thinks death metal without this

indispensable attribute.

Schuldiner was a great singer, his voice is simply impossible to be

confused with someone else, and even changed dramatically in recent years, he

remained recognizable and very extreme. By the way, " growl " Chuck was well

articulated in contrast to the " singing" the same Chris Barnes, Barney Greenway

or David Vincent, so that the word may well distinguish any more or less knows

English.

In search of sound that reflects the energy of discontent of the younger

generation, DEATH developed as a group built on expressive, individualistic

view of the world. This attitude never left the group, although DEATH

diligently experimenting with various musical forms. They attended a sincere

attitude to what they do and the creative impulses that set them apart from other

groups glorifying senseless brutality or images depicting chaotic fevered

imagination, following newfangled trends and fads. While other groups were

repeated in their songs the same commercially successful theme of fast cars and

free love, ignoring the painful questions of life, poems DEATH embraced the

dark side of life.

Both musicians made a great contribution in developing their own genres.

They perform as innovators. Thus their styles differ from each other. Nirvana 31

mainly used the chords. Death based on power chords, riffs and more technical

solo. Cobain often sang a pure vocal while Schuldiner had his own unusual

vocal delivery – growling.

Kurt Сobain had a bad inheritance: both his grandparents shot themselves

that wasn`t rare for the places they lived, there were o lot of people addicted to

alcohol .Looking at other rockers Kurt began taking drugs. Having much money

he spent 400 hundreds of dollars on drugs. Schuldiner quiet the contrary had

another opinion and he showed it in his songs. In one of his songs he expressed

his negative attitude towards to Kurt`s death he claimed that only weak people

can undertake such deeds.

Chuck Schuldiner wasn`t an enigma, his music was enigmatic. He liked

sport, parties, friends. He was a carful person he couldn`t stand peoples` basity.

Private life of Kurt Сobain and Chuck Schuldiner wasn`t the same. Kurt

had a famous wife. She was like an explosive thing, Kurt was with her like on

the edge of precipice, they got acqainted at the concert of Nirvana. While

Chuck had no wife.

Kurt Сobain influenced the developing of extreme genres of music, he was

an exceptional guitarist. It`s a rarity such people, a talented composer with an

astonishing imagination. Kurt Сobain is an idol and outstanding person in the

world of music. There are a lot of books and films even songs about him. Kurt

Сobain influenced peoples`masses, while Chuck Schuldiner didn`t. He

nfluenced music and the narrow circle of people. It`s important for people to see

the drive on the stage, it doesn`t matter who it is. Depression and deepness

doesn`t attract them so. Chuck Schuldiner was plunged into music only, music

was everything for him.

32

Conclusion

Despite the fact the musicians can seem to be alike, seeing this problem

deeper we can come to another conclusion - they are definitely not the same.

Having much in common there had a lot of differences. That proves the

uniqueness of each of them.

As a matter of fact people are attracted by more understandable music.

People percept complicated guitar parties hard. Another thing is so that to

become popular a person must amaze the public as Сobain did. That`s why the

audience like him more, while Schuldiner did nothing of the kind. Сobain found

consolation in drugs, he didn’t try to cope with difficulties of life using any

other methods. Сobain made his death real himself. And the fortune sent

Schuldiner his death.

And Cobain, and Schuldiner completely changed developing of rock-

music, the lifestyles and music tastes of the whole generation. They both were

born in the same year, both were front men of their own bands, were idols for

metal-heads and simple people, who even didn’t have anything in common with

rock-music, but other points about them are absolutely different. Lyrics, music

genres, private life, habits, relations with families and friends had a huge impact

on them, which made the routes of popularity of these musicians incomparably

unique.

Popularity can be tiring, and Cobain showed us this thing, when he made

his suicide. Schuldiner never was tired of success and said about it in many

interviews. People follow open music, which was given by Cobain, but not open

personality, who Schuldiner was.

The work helped me to look differently at these musicians and to get lots of

unknown information about them. I found, that popularity is not the synonym of

the talent, and success doesn’t mean a strong personality.

33

The biggest part of knowledge for my work was taken from the Internet,

but I read some pages from books about rock-music and exactly Kurt Cobain.

My source of information can be seen lower.

As I planned I started my paper with biography of Kurt Cobain, continued

it with biography of Chuck Schuldiner and finished it with the comparison of

them.

There are still some things, which I wasn’t able to learn. I would still like to

compare professional opinions about Kurt Сobain and Chuck Schuldiner and

their bands deeper, to analyze their lyrics more, to make a questioning among

teenagers. I hope I will do it in my next work.

Anyway, I suppose I achieved the aim of my work. I researched the routes

of popularity taking into account two bright personalities in the world of rock

music. I learned the biography of Kurt Сobain and Chuck Schuldiner, compared

their lives from all the sides, analyzed the situation nowadays towards to these

musicians.

34

Sources of information

1. alternative-muz.ucoz.ru

2. amalgam-lab.com

3. Charles R. Cross “Heavier than Heaven”

4. muslib.ru

5. Soloviev-Spassky “Riders without heads or rock-n-roll band”

6. translatedlyrics.ru

7. wikipedia.org

8. wplanet.ru

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