I Found My Friends: The Oral History of Nirvana by Nick Soulsby

I Found My Friends: The Oral History of Nirvana by Nick Soulsby
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Nirvana, one of rock history's greatest bands, started as two simple guys in Washington. Through this book, author Nick Soulsby gets to a more intimate side of the history of the band. Using interviews from other musicians and people who knew them from the start, he tells the story of how the band came to be, their rise to stardom, the struggle to find the right drummer, the drug abuse, emotional trauma, and ultimately the demise of the band following Kurt Cobain's tragic death.

This book reveals how the music community in Washington, was more than just that. They were a family. When Kurt died they lost a family member.

As a HUGE Nirvana fan, I throughly enjoyed this book. I loved reading the history, and getting a view from people who knew them when they were sleeping in their cars. It amazed me to read just how in 8 short years, Nirvana was just a local Washington band, then hit stardom, and then sadly, after Kurt, was no more.

I like reading the interviews and the POV's of other local musicians. Their view of Kurt, who is one of my favorite people in the world. I loved the fact that it revealed, that Nirvana felt there weren't above all other bands. They just felt like part of a musical family.

I loved this view in the preface:

"Victor Poison-Tete, Rat at Rat R: Why do and/or should we love Kurt Cobain and Nirvana? They will not be given the opportunity to disappoint us. No future song entitled "Smells Like the Interior of a New Lexus." No duets with a current octogenarian to broaden the audience demographic. No holiday specials or department-store clothing line (pre-washed grunge apparel), sugary soda downloads, halftime wardrobe malfunctions, or attempts to build an alternative marketing strategy that actually works, omly to turn and appear on lamestream media shows that flash signs prompting you to clap or laugh. And Nirvana will never attempt to bring sexy back, buy a basketball team, or act as a judge on a talent show."

Nick intervied over 150 other musicians to get a more personal history. More than 20 years after Kurt's death, Nick takes us back to the beggining of what has become one of rock's last immortal bands.

I'm so glad I got to read this book. After reading it, I felt I understood the band more. I felt more connected to Kurt and felt so grateful to be able to experience his gifts.

*I recieved a complimentary copy of this book, from, St. Martin's Press, in exchange for honest review and opinons.*

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