Nirvana pioneered grunge rock, but they're also one of those bands for which the cult of personality is equally as strong a pull as the music. When you ask most Nirvana fans about the band, they'll tell you they loved Kurt Cobain, and they don't just mean the heartrending wails and throaty near-whispers. They mean that they loved Cobain the living figure and Cobain the cultural symbol. As we await the documentary Montage of Heck, we're looking back at some of the best journalism written about the men who made us cry, "Hello, hello, hello, how low?"

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“The Downward Spiral” by Neil Strauss
Rolling Stone June 2, 1994 (via Academic Search Premier)
Following Kurt Cobain's tragic death at the age of twenty-seven, it seemed that a whole generation of young people were left asking, why? In this work of investigative journalism, Neil Strauss looks at the Nirvana frontman's painful final days.

“Everman's War” by Clay Tarver
New York Times Magazine July 7, 2013 (via ProQuest Research Library)
You may not have heard of Jason Everman, but he played bass in both Nirvana and Soundgarden. He was also kicked out of both bands. So what do you do when you're a veteran of the early nineties rock scene? Everman joined the military.

“Nirvana for Two-Year-Olds” by Thomas Beller
New Yorker Culture Desk January 2014
Nothing against Raffi, but just because you have a kid doesn't mean you want to listen to kids' music all the time. Here's what happens when you listen to Nirvana with a two-year-old.

“Mr. Grohl’s Cabinet of Wonder” by Chris Martins
Spin February 20, 2013
In 2013, Dave Grohl (yes, that Dave Grohl) made his directorial debut with the documentary Sound City. Martins unfolds the way that Grohl gathered Stevie Nicks, Rick Springfield, and Corey Taylor to tell their stories about the legendary California sound studio.

“Geek Love at 25: How a Freak Family Inspired Your Pop Culture Heroes” by Caitlin Roper
Wired March 7, 2014
Of course we're always interested when literature informs music, so it's no surprise that we were fascinated to learn that Kurt Cobain was a fan of fellow west coaster Katherine Dunne's Geek Love. 

“Why The World Needs Celine Dion Fans” by Krist Novoselic
TIME March 25, 2014 (via Academic Search Premier)
This idea may not have occurred to you before: the world needs Celine Dion fans. In Krist Novoselic's essay, the Nirvana bassist takes cues from Carl Wilson's music writing nouveau classic Let's Talk About Love, using Dion as an entry point to talk about the cultures that gather around particular artists.

Want some even longer reads? Check our catalog for e-books about Nirvana available now for your tablet or e-reader.