In advance of the October 24 release of the 30th-anniversary deluxe edition of “Come As You Are: The Story Of Nirvana,” Michael Azerrad participated in a discussion with Brian Hiatt on Rolling Stone’s Music Now podcast. He touched on the friendship between Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl throughout his discussion of his time spent with Nirvana. In response to a passage in the original biography where Cobain was quoted as labeling the drummer’s guitar riff in “Scentless Apprentice” as “boneheaded,” the author said: The statement “I thought that was a little condescending, frankly.” Another instance, where the late frontman called his bandmate “the most well-adjusted boy in the whole world,” was brought up by Hiatt, who added: “I believe Kurt made fun of Dave for being rather well-mannered and normal. He really is a well-liked, balanced guy. And because he wasn’t a freak like Kurt, I believe that Kurt was somewhat making fun of that.
He was also envious. I believe Kurt had some jealousy toward Dave because Dave did appear to have his act together. Azerrad claimed that Cobain had even considered letting Grohl go at one time. The singer shouted his desire to break up with the drummer in a hotel room they slept in while on tour, according to the author of Kurt Cobain’s autobiography, “My Time With Kurt Cobain.” The former Nirvana member described the incident differently when he spoke with Vulture in 2021. I was seated a few rows in front of Kurt and Krist as we traveled to Los Angeles to begin production rehearsals for the In Utero tour. When I joined the band, they nearly hired Dan Peters as a drummer, so I could hear Kurt saying, “I think we need a drummer that’s more rudimental, along the lines of Dan Peters.” He continued, expressing his response to Cobain’s words: “I was very unhappy since I believed everything was fine.
I asked Krist whether that was really what the two of you wanted to do. We can call it a day if that’s what you want, so maybe just let me know. When I finally brought it up with Kurt, he responded, “No. We don’t want to do that. They determined that I should stay, and I just felt like saying, “It’s up to you guys what kind of drummer you really want.” Grohl ended up being Nirvana’s only long-term drummer after six different drummers in the early years, despite the conflicts. After the vocalist passed away in 1994, the band disbanded, and he was no longer a part of it.
