Rating: 
Summary: a really good book
Review: this book is really rad. i thought it was going to be like ok but as soon as i started reading it i realized it was going to be way better than i ever thought. the book was super researched. i expected a bunch of stuff that was common sence but it wasnt. there where things from his diaries and things people from the first grade said! this book was so well researched. you feel like you where almost there its so detailed. i liked it alot and suggest this book to everyone. even if you dont like the music or anything. its that good of a book.
Rating:
Summary: A real biography
Review: I was afraid this book would be nothing more than trashy pop journalism, but it turned out to be a real biography, very well-researched, based on Kurt Cobain's journals and numerous unsent letters which he was in the habit of writing to family and friends. Upon reading this, you realize Kurt wasn't just a sad person or a misfit -- he was very seriously disturbed, from a very young age, and it seems nothing could have saved him. But the book also shows how good-hearted and complex he was -- not a cartoon character, not "just" a tormented genius, but a real person. And the author does not demonize Courtney Love, but treats her with respect, as Kurt would have wanted. This is the well-written, thoughtful biography Kurt deserves.
Rating: 
Summary: More Than A Bit One Sided
Review: "Heavier than Heaven", Charles R. Cross was a well researched cross-section of Kurt Cobain, I'll give you that. However, I found that the book leaned more towards the critical, negative viewpoint on Kurt Cobain. Much time was spent on his heroin addiction, his groping about the press, his problems with his friends due to his addiction. This book painted a picture, not of a talented, incredibly creative musician, but rather of a little boy messing everything that he did up. I never knew much about Cobain before reading this book, but with the reverent tones my friends talked about him, I assumed that his persona would be generous and kind. However, the impression that was given was one of a generally inconsiderate person. Now, I accept that at time, Kurt Cobain probably was the obnoxious rock star that most people with his success turned into. However, I was not looking for a dissection on these behaviours - rather I was looking for a well rounded opinion on his actions. All of the interaction between him and the people around him were specifically from a one-sided point of view. Of course, there is no way that they could have found Kurt's view, apart from his journals. They did, however, completely disregard any wrong that may have happenned on Courtney Love's side - it was all on Kurt's. There was no mention at all about the rumours of Love's hiring of a hitman to kill Kurt - in fact, there was a detailed description of Kurt's journey to the greenhouse where he allegedly killed himself, which to me seemed like an elaborate work of fiction, as there is no way one could have known this. This book used some of Kurt's journals as resources. While I was reading some of the excerpts, I felt quite uncomfortable. It had the impression of "Here are the journals of an INCREDIBLY private person, published for everyone to read for the first time". He also didn't use the journals to illustrate Kurt's point of view on things happenning around him, except when they painted him in a negative light. What Cross did use them for seemed to be to make Kurt seem as unstable as possible. I believe that in order to gain access to these kinds of resources, Cross might have felt obligated to write a book that was more damning on Kurt than on any around him - specifically placing NO blame whatsoever on Courtney, not even outlining any of the disputes they may have had. I would take everything in this book with a grain of salt - I will definately be reading more related books to gain a more rounded view of Kurt Cobain the artist, instead of Kurt Cobain the unstable junkie.
Rating: 
Summary: A Troubled Soul in Love with Rock and Roll reaches Greatness
Review: ... Man, it's all right here - as Charles Cross documents - in Kurt's own words, on page 191: ... "Before he left Olympia, Kurt sat down and wrote a final letter to Eugene Kelly of the Vaselines, thanking him for playing with Nirvana at Reading. In the letter, he demonstrated he had already begun emotionally departing Olympia. ... ... He wrote of the recent conflict with Iraq: "We won the war. Patriotic hypocricy is in full effect. We have the privilege of purchasing Desert Storm trading cards, flags, bumper stickers, and many video versions of our triumphant victory. When I walk down the street I feel like I'm at a Nuremberg rally. Hey, maybe [ we ] can tour together in the States and burn American flags on stage?" ... He ended the letter with yet another description of his circumsances, which, if Kurt had mailed the letter - as usual, he never put it in the post - probably would have shocked Kelly and anyone else who saw Kurt onstage in Reading, playing to 70,000 adoring fans. "I got evicted from my apartment. I'm living in my car so I have no address, but here's Krist's phone number for messages. Your pal, Kurdt." That same week, the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" single went on sale in record shops." ... That says it all! ... If THIS isn't Rock and Roll, NOTHING is! ... YOWZA! - The Aeolian Kid
Rating:
Summary: Finally
Review: The previous bio, come as you are was mostly written during the heyday of the fame or nirvana when millions of people were willing to throw their dollars at anything that promised to tell us more about that Charimatic anit front man. This book may have been put out to jump on that wagon, but it does it so well. winding us through Nirvanas megar beginnings to the excess of their fame. It seems so much more believable now that the dust has settled some 8 years after Kurt's death, this book is written like a breath of fresh air, offering new insights on things and still keeping up with the familiar tale. if you haven't read it do so, if you love Nirvana or if you did, you'll be glad you did.
Rating: 
Summary: heh
Review: Cross gained access to information for his book mainly from Courtney Love, through email's and supposedly "researched" information over the years for this. As you will see, it seems he has done nothing of the sort and has taken every word of Courtney's as gospel and just prints it. CHAPTER 23 - LIKE HAMLET - PAGE 312
Seattle, Washington March 1994
Like Hamlet, I have to choose between life and death.-- From the Rome suicide note. "When Kurt sat down to compose his suicide note in the Excelsior Hotel, he thought of Shakespeare and the Prince of Denmark." First of all, the heading to this chapter Cross refers to the Rome note as being a 'suicide note', in which we know was NOT, even from Courtney herself, has nothing to do with suicide at all. It was just an unflattering letter to her and talks about divorce. Cross is also stating that this was a direct quote from Kurt, when in fact it's what Courtney told Spin magazine Kurt wrote which she was told from Sgt. Cameron to 'get rid of ' and subsequently burns. There is much more if you look around the web, particularly at justiceforkurt.com It reads like a psychological profile on a suicidal person, which to me is a bad thing No input from Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl which is a little ridiculous - I am also not impressed by Cross' fly on the wall job regarding Kurt's final days. No wonder people are so confused about Kurt's death, the misinformation being spouted by the main stream media is laughable The book does have its moments though, especially when it comes to things like live performances and how Kurt and Courtney got together. Check it out in the library or something, don't waste your money!
Rating:
Summary: Kurt Cobain - Truth or Fiction?
Review: Kurt Cobain's death affected me the same way it affected millions...with nausea, disbelief and sadness. While I have never made Kurt out to be some kind of God, I always respected his music, plain and simple. He was an amazing songwriter and his music can and does speak to us in ways very few artists can achieve. I read this book with an open mind, hoping to find only an understanding of this man. I found the majority of the book to be exactly what I had hoped to find: history of Kurt and Nirvana. The real joy comes from the access the author had to Kurt's journals, a rare and truly unbelievable look into the mind of a sometimes crazed artists and the worship of millions, who at times only wanted someone to be with on a personal level he seemed never to achieve. I cannot speak for Charles Cross and I cannot speak of the validity of the informaiton concerning Kurt's family members, but it did allow me to see parts of Kurt that were hidden from public view, and a better understanding of Kurt's background and childhood. "Sliver" never spoke more true than it does now....
Rating:
Summary: Heartshaped Box: Bittersweet Bio
Review: I had low expectations for this book which might have fallen into the trap of being either too fluffy or negative minded. Instead Cross had presented a well researched biography of Kurt Cobain, which while exploring his subject with sympathy also never fails to be honest. The honesty isn't just about the lack of glam associated with being a drug addict, but also gives a bitter raste of the music industry. Based on a wide range of interviews Cross gives you enough detail where you get a good feeling for Cobain. He also manages to show the differences between the PR and the real person (or Kurt vs. Kurdt). This book brings to life the Seattle music scene of the late 80's and early 90's, a subject that's only starting to be explored by other writers. In the process Cross has created more than a picture of a rock star, but gives future generations a taste of America from the last days of the 20th Century. The only major flaw in this book is that while it goes into great detail on Cobain, it would be nice if he went into more detail on his friends and peers from the same period (ala Robert Caro). Sadly next to other bios I have read this is a very quick read, however this owes more to the fact that Cobain did die at an early age of 27 than due to editing down for a mass market. After reading the book you still feel that you don't quite know Kurt Cobain, but you do have a much better idea of his life and where he came from.
Rating:
Summary: Distills The Life That Was Inside Of Him
Review: Early on you get a good idea of the course Cross is going to follow, when in the Author's Note he casually, but shroudedly, admits to a childhood akin to Kurt's. At least he plays fair with the reader, admitting off the top that he might be predisposed to looking for suicidal tendencies in his subject. But the reader should also take this as a warning: this is not a fan's-eye-view of Nirvana's chart-topping success (Dave Grohl makes brief and scattered appearances throughout the book), but a gloves-off biography of their tortured leader. Read in that light, it is mostly a success. Mostly. Cross' greatest strength is the depth and breadth of his research. Apparently Courtney Love, Kurt's widow, gave Cross extensive access to Kurt's personal effects. She also sat for repeated lengthy interviews, as did many of the other notable players in Kurt's life. This kind of access gives Cross an insight into his subject that those of us who read all the Rolling Stone and Spin Magazine profiles of the man never got. It's revelatory, to be sure. For example, he is able to quote liberally from Kurt's diary, which lets the reader into Kurt's head. It offers such revelations as the following, which describes his concession to the inevitable path of becoming a junkie: "if I feel like a junkie as it is [due to stomach pains], I may as well be one." Or, in Cross' greatest discovery, he describes a long lost video of Kurt bathing his daughter Frances, in a scene of seemingly domestic tranquility. The camera focuses on father and daughter for a long moment, and then abruptly pans around the bathroom. Cross, an observant viewer, notes that in the toothbrush holder, instead of a toothbrush, is a syringe. His commentary on this image, how it destroys the conventional familial image established moments before, is some of his best work. Sometimes, however, Cross can go a bit overboard with the facts. Just because he found out a little tidbit like, "[Kurt's] favorite [infant] game was peekaboo, his first tooth appeared at eight months, and his first dozen words were, 'coco, momma, dadda, ball, toast, bye-bye, hi, baby, me, love, hot dog, and kittie,'" doesn't mean it needs to be included. Too often Cross recounts, in laundry list-like prose, trivial facts like this, which really do very little in terms of illuminating the life. It comes across more as showing off his knowledge. He also, at times, can't help indulging into a bit of pop psychoanalysis, where pop psychoanalysis is not welcome. In Cross' hands a picture of the Cobain family, taken when Kurt was 6, supposedly does a precise job of predicting the sorrow to come. Based exclusively on body language on posture. The picture is included here for your perusal. I, for one, didn't see anything near to what Cross saw. He also, at one point, compares Kurt's image in early band photos to "Christ in Leonardo da Vinci's 'The Last Supper'". I suppose one sees what one wants to see. And anyone who lived through the period, like I did, will find dubious statements such as the following: "'The Cobain baby' was as talked about across lunch counters and supermarket checkout lines as the Lindbergh baby had been decades before." The Vanity Fair article that revealed Courtney had used heroin during her pregnancy was big news, true. But only within the community. It was not nearly the global tabloid scandal that Cross makes it out to be. Misleading analysis like the preceding calls into question every other statement Cross has to make. It does a lot of work undermining his credibility. Further compounding the problem is Cross' hit-or-miss writing. For the most part he utilizes an objective, almost journalistic prose style, laying the facts at the reader's feet without unnecessary ornamentation. But every once in a while he will indulge in odd analogies: "Like senior citizens going to a dentists' appointment, the band made sure they were early for this all-important show." Was that bit of superfluous style really necessary? These bits appear out of nowhere in the text, and come off as if the writer had a burst of inspiration, albeit a rather dull one. Though, even when he's playing things by the book, Cross is still prone to blunders. He clumsily describes the *melody* of the song "About a Girl" as "sweet, slow, and *melodic*". Despite the numerous complaints I've outlined above, Cross' book is still consistently readable; although I suspect that the power of the story being told has a lot to do with that. I've always thought that a biography should be judged on how the author was able to stay out of the way, and let the events of the life present themselves. In this case, Cross is, like I noted above, mostly a success. His reputation as a respected music and entertainment journalist is apparently well-earned, despite some missteps along the way, and his objectivity is very rarely questionable. That being said, his greatest feat, paradoxically, is the way he handles Kurt's final days. Much of it of course is speculation, for no one but Kurt knows how it all went down. But what Cross comes up with to tell this part of the tale is moving and powerful, without ever pandering to melodrama. The final moments are recounted with credibility, pathos, sorrow, and, most importantly, empathy. The book breaks from being a standard biography at this point, adding untold emotion to these well-written scenes. Cross even manages to tie up the book's (and, consequently, the life's) main themes. These final pages do yeomen's work making up for any errors Cross has made along the way, and, ultimately, they make the book a worthwhile read.
Rating:
Summary: Portrait of a sad, troubled and talented man
Review: Cobain's life could make an episode of a bizarre and morbid Twilight Zone (or perhaps Night Gallery episode). A sad, talented at times pathetic human being with talent and great falws, Cobain was a bitter contradiction. Despite a his talent and success, he hated himself and his life. Cobain once commented on his "suicide genes" and, to be honest, it he had already written the last chapter in his life before it truly had a chance to begin. There's no doubt that Nirvana had as much impact as the Sex Pistols and The Beatles in terms of the music world. Cobain and the band popularized a sound and helped create a movement they didn't want to be a part of. As ground breaking as Nirvana's sound was, they never managed to move beyond it. The band's albums are representative of what was happening in Cobain's life; the anger and brutality (as well as sadness and compassion) that dominated Cobain's life ultimately helped end it as well. This book illustrates the rise and descent of a popular artist. The vivid picture that emerges is of someone on a roller coaster ride to hell. Despite all of that, there's also tenderness and virtue on display as well. Cobain was merely a man caught in the cross hair of public life who didn't want to be there. The portrait that emerges confirms Cobain as troubled individual that couldn't come to grips with the demons that drove his art. It's never better to burn out than fade away. Cobain chose the former without realizing the later is just as much myth. He never got a chance to come to grips with his demons and, ultimately, they tore him apart. This book is a snapshot of an artist as he tries to find ways to burn out faster than anyone before.
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