Nirvana on Shonen Knife for MTV, take twoThe parts that always get left out, 02:00–05:15
NIRVANA 12-10-1993 MTV interview with Kurt Loder (FULL)2012 SEP 22 by Evheny Lukin (52:06)
December 10, 1993
MTV interview with Kurt Loder
St. Paul, MNThe least-edited footage I've found of this frequently sliced-and-diced interview.
The complete tape gives a different idea of the issues surrounding Kurt Cobain's
project of giving exposure to his pets.
Recording quality is inferior compared to some other versions that have cuts.
Except for Pat Smear, Nirvana don't seem in a very ready condition at all.
They have a show to do that evening. By this point, the strains within the
trio have reportedly gotten pretty hard to cope with. Although, here you
get Kurt repeating that this is their smoothest tour to date and the other
members going along.
Krist Novoselic doesn't totally share in all the Knife appreciation — he's a
little more inclined to scoff. But it wouldn't be a Nirvana interview without
a lot of snarking.
Kurt Loder thinks Shonen Knife is a laughable novelty, and keeps fishing
for ridicule. He's only using SK as a pretext to get Nirvana footage he can
throw like a bone to his hungry producers.
At the 2-minute mark, after warming up on the subjects of Tammy Faye Baker,
pills, abortion and medically assisted suicide, they halt for a prompt. Loder
turns to the first topic on his checklist, which (as promised) is Shonen Knife.
Loder frequently speaks as if there are invisible "scare quotes" around the
clichés he's resorting to.
MTV: "A moment of silence". Huh. Okay — we're going, okay. I'd like to get s—
we wanna get some information on — Shonen Knife. Could you tell that story again?
'Cause that was a great story. "Anecdotes on Shonen Knife" [ unintelligible, could be
something like, "so, uh, we can move on" ].
Dave: Well… I remember the first time we played a show with them was in England,
we did about 10 shows with them… and the first night… we were just playing these
smaller places like 1,000 capacity places — if that — and, uh, the crowds were just
like, beer-swilling, you know — English… *boys*, and… they came up on stage and
they looked kind of frightened.
And, uh, at first, they got up on stage and everyone just thought what the fuck, what
is this, you know, what kind of… and, uh, and so they went into their first song, and
everyone just seemed sort of baffled, and — next couple of songs, people… even[tually],
you know, they won over the audience by the end of the night…
Kurt: *Every show*, they won over the audience…
Dave: Every show…
Kurt: …after 2 songs or so, it was amazing…
Dave: …people were just — almost in tears, and for us to see that every night…
Krist: (A little sarcastic) Yeah, I was choked up…
Dave: …it would really choke you up, and I remember the first person that
came over the crowd onto the stage, they all just — leapt back, like, oh my
god, like, this is, you know, someone's out to get us…
Kurt: I was an emotional sap the whole time. I cried every night.
Dave: You couldn't help it!
Krist: Y'know…
Dave: …you had the whole, and it's like [ pretend sobbing ]
Krist: …if you were some kind of weird *idealist*, and there was all of a
sudden that lyric [ sing-songing ] "lol-li-pops, for everyone"…
Dave: [ groans ]
Krist: …it was just like… [ shakes head, rolls eyes ]
MTV: [ chuckling throughout ]
Dave: [ blubbering noises ]
Krist: That's when I lost it.
Dave: "*Please* don't say 'jelly beans', I'm gonna burst…"
MTV: [ smirking ] So is America ready for this do you think, I mean can this,
this "fly" in this country, do you suppose?
Kurt: [ slightly taken aback ] …Ah — *yeah*, I hope so. It seems a bit overdue,
now… [ as if an opportunity has been missed ]
MTV: [ agreeing but skeptical ] Yeah…
Kurt: I don't know, I don't understand what's going on with the record company,
it doesn't seem like they're being promoted very much… at least, I haven't seen
any ads or anything — you just don't really hear about 'em very often, until —
they're ready to go on tour with us again.
MTV: Well, it's sorta like in the grand tradition of, like, the Ramones never had
hit records. I mean… "Why *is* this," y'know?
Kurt: Yeah. Yeah, I don't understand it…
Krist: There'll be some revival of the Shonen Knife, in…
Kurt: But if it were that…
Krist: …two thousand and… oh-nine or two thousand-ten…
Kurt: [cynical] Yeah…
Krist: …something like that.
Kurt: …that's too late.
Krist: We're in for an Early Nineties Revival…
Dave: [ laughs ]
MTV: [ chuckling ]
Krist: And like, we can all draw from it…
Kurt: And we'll re-form…
MTV: Wow.
MTV: You're, you're doin' a good thing by having them out here.
[ i.e., you're doing SK a big favor ]
Kurt: [ ? – eyebrows go up ]
MTV: How, what do you think of them as *musicians*?
Kurt: [ shaking his head ] They're wonderful…
Dave: Great. They're great.
Kurt: I don't, I don't know how to define "a musician"… [ shrugs ]
MTV: Have they, have they explained any of the lyrics to
their songs, to you? In any cogent way?
Kurt: No…
Krist: What's that Madonna song, "
Express Yourself…"?
Kurt: Yeah?
Krist: "You've got to make it… hey, hey, hey, hey…"
Pat: [ guffaws ]
Kurt: God, that? Um, what was the question?
All: [ laughter ]
MTV: The question was, have they explained any of their lyrics to you, 'cause…
Kurt: No… we, our, the communication's pretty small. You know, um, Frances
is usually the mediator. [ Daughter Frances Bean went along with Courtney
on the In Utero tour. ]
MTV: M'yeah.
Kurt: I mean, it's really hard to talk to them — and vice-versa, you know?
The language barrier's pretty intense, so…
Dave: [ deadpan ] But when they do "Heat Wave"… [ wiping gesture ]
the language barrier… drops…
MTV: [ snickering, laughing ]
Krist: I've heard their lyric sheets too, and it's just like…
Dave: *Whaat?*
Krist: …"That's good…"
MTV: [ chuckles ]
Kurt: No – I don't, I've never had to have any explanation, because I've
seen most of their lyrics printed in English.
MTV: Yeah.
Kurt: And, and most of their songs are sung in English. So…
MTV: True, true. They're great. "We love them," yeah.
[ I think that's all we needed to get. ]
MTV: The uh.. how was the uh… I wanted to ask *you* [ Pat Smear ] what
it's like playing with *these* guys, as opposed to your "previous group"?
Pat: Oh, it's kind of the same… [ nodding, smiling ]
MTV: Well…
Kurt: [ surprised laughter ]
MTV: [ surprised, trying to re-group ] That's good, that's good…
Pat: Uhhh… mmnnnn…. [ no, not really ]
Kurt: [ mock truculent ] Y'mean… you callin' me Dar-bee?
MTV: [ forced chuckling ]
Pat: You know, you've got the same problems…
[ looking at Kurt, shaking his head, beaming ]
All: [ embarrassed laughter ]
MTV: [ as if he's in on a joke ] Oh gee, I hope not.
I hope *that's* not true.
Pat: [ smiling, nodding, laughing, fidgeting ]
* * * * *
Kurt Loder is recalling that Germs front man Darby Crash was a heroin addict
who committed suicide after his unchecked drug abuse led to the breakup of
his band. You're the one who brought it up, Mr. Music Network Veejay.
This was December, and the following March Nirvana would be cancelling their
EU tour after Cobain was discovered unconscious and near death in Rome.
Write your own tag about how none of them can even think about, let alone imagine
the second decade of the 21st century, and how it turned out for everyone involved.