Table Of ContentPraise for Heavier Than Heaven
“The narrative moves like the best Nirvana anthems. Smells like the real deal.”
—Time
“Until someone writes a book that is more daring in its psychological and social
analysis—and as thorough in its reporting—Heavier Than Heaven will be the
place to start the dark journey into Cobain’s claustrophobic inner world.”
—Rolling Stone
“What emerges...is the life story of someone who never grew up, someone
whose maturation was half done before he was twenty-one, someone who
extracted art from a perpetual adolescence that was over much too soon.”
—The New Yorker
“The results of Cross’ assiduous reporting show through in every chapter. A
remarkable portrait.”
—Entertainment Weekly
“One of the most moving and revealing books ever written about a rock star. An
invaluable look at the life of a troubled artist.”
—Los Angeles Times
“In his early teens, Cobain told a friend, ‘I’m going to be a superstar musician,
kill myself and go out in a flame of glory.’ This well-reported book... provides
the most grounded account of how Cobain, not too many years later, did just
that.”
—The New York Times Book Review “The biography that the most important
rocker of his generation has always deserved: exhaustively researched, full of
insight into the ‘real’ Cobain as opposed to the manipulated media image, and
written in a clear and compelling... voice.”
—Chicago Sun-Times
“A cautionary tale of a talented, lucky musician who became fatally confused
about whether fame was a reward or a death sentence.”
—People
“No other book on Kurt Cobain matches Heavier Than Heaven for research,
accuracy and insider scoops.”
—The New York Post
“By keeping a steady eye on the facts, Cross mostly pierces the rumors, hype
and conspiracy theories that have long confounded Nirvana’s place in
history...At last, perhaps, Cobain’s ghost can find some peace.”
—The Miami Herald
“Charles R. Cross takes readers deeper into the life of the brilliant, troubled Kurt
Cobain than anyone thought possible. The result is more than just an excellent
book... Cross helps reset the standards of what biographies—not just rock bios—
should be.”
—The Rocky Mountain News
“Shakes up the prevailing conceptions of Cobain...A compelling biography.”
—Biography
“A fascinating, if sometimes frightful, read, a full-scale work that manages to be
respectful of Cobain’s unlikely triumphs from poverty and also critical of his
stunning excesses.”
—The Seattle Post-Intelligencer “A standout among rock bios and deserves its
place in pop-culture collections.”
—Booklist
“Cross treats the strange, unhappy life of musician Kurt Cobain with intelligence
and an insider’s perceptiveness.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“A thorough, cogent look at Kurt Cobain...No other book matches Heavier Than
Heaven for research, accuracy, and insider scoops.”
—The Seattle Times
“Cross transcends the other Cobain biographies...A carefully crafted and
compelling tragedy.”
—Library Journal
“Dozens of books have been written about Cobain and his band, most of them
ridiculously lurid or worshipful or uninformed. Heavier Than Heaven is the best,
by far... Excellent.”
—The Portland Oregonian
“Insightful, painstakingly researched...A tremendous gift to those who love Kurt
Cobain’s artistry.”
—The Seattle Weekly
“A closely researched, clear-eyed look at the complicated, even mystifying
character that was Kurt Cobain.”
—The Associated Press
“Heavier Than Heaven is a book that gives shape and depth to a story that has so
often been related as a series of loaded anecdotes... Heavier Than Heaven is a
trove of rigorous detail.”
—The Boston Phoenix
“Charles R. Cross has cracked the code in the definitive biography, an all-access
pass to Cobain’s heart and mind....The deepest book about pop’s darkest falling
star.”
—Amazon.com
“Exhaustively researched... Unexpectedly vivid. More riveting and suspenseful
than a biography has the right to be.”
—Blender
“Fascinating. The most vivid account yet. Will enthrall even the most casual
reader.”
—Mojo
“Superbly researched and harrowing. Cross has painstakingly accumulated a
wealth of telling detail.”
—The London Sunday Times
“Leaps to the front of the class....If you can read only one Kurt Cobain book,
Heavier Than Heaven is definitely it.”
—The Montreal Gazette
“A sublime, uncanny portrait. The way Cross recreates Cobain’s final hours is
beautifully written and paced....By the end of the chapter I had my face in my
hands, helpless against the tears.”
—The Globe and Mail
Dedication
FOR MY FAMILY, FOR CHRISTINA, AND FOR ASHLAND
Contents
Praise for Heavier Than Heaven
Author’s Note
Prologue: Heavier Than Heaven - New York, New York: January 12,
1992
Chapter 1: Yelling Loudly at First - Aberdeen, Washington: February
1967–December 1973
Chapter 2: I Hate Mom, I Hate Dad - Aberdeen, Washington: January
1974–June 1979
Chapter 3: Meatball of the Month - Montesano, Washington: July
1979–March 1982
Chapter 4: Prairie Belt Sausage Boy - Aberdeen, Washington: March
1982–March 1983
Chapter 5: The Will of Instinct - Aberdeen, Washington: April 1984–
September 1986
Chapter 6: Didn’t Love Him Enough - Aberdeen, Washington:
September 1986–March 1987
Chapter 7: Soupy Sales in My Fly - Raymond, Washington: March
1987
Chapter 8: In High School Again - Olympia, Washington: April
1987–May 1988
Chapter 9: Too Many Humans - Olympia, Washington: May 1988–
February 1989
Chapter 10: Illegal to Rock ’N’ Roll - Olympia, Washington:
February 1989–September 1989
Chapter 11: Candy, Puppies, Love - London, England: October 1989–
May 1990
Chapter 12: Love You So Much - Olympia, Washington: May 1990–
December 1990
Chapter 13: The Richard Nixon Library - Olympia, Washington:
November 1990–May 1991
Chapter 14: Burn American Flags - Olympia, Washington: May
1991–September 1991
Chapter 15: Every Time I Swallowed - Seattle, Washington:
September 1991–October 1991
Chapter 16: Brush Your Teeth. - Seattle, Washington: October 1991–
January 1992
Chapter 17: Little Monster Inside - Los Angeles, California: January
1992–August 1992
Chapter 18: Rosewater, Diaper Smell - Los Angeles, California:
August 1992–September 1992
Chapter 19: That Legendary Divorce - Seattle, Washington:
September 1992–January 1993
Chapter 20: Heart-Shaped Coffin - Seattle, Washington: January
1993–August 1993
Chapter 21: A Reason to Smile - Seattle, Washington: August 1993–
November 1993
Chapter 22: Cobain’s Disease - Seattle, Washington: November
1993–March 1994
Chapter 23: Like Hamlet - Seattle, Washington: March 1994
Chapter 24: Angel’s Hair - Los Angeles, California–Seattle,
Washington: March 30–April 6, 1994
Epilogue: A Leonard Cohen Afterworld - Seattle, Washington: April
1994–May 1999
Source Notes
Index
Acknowledgments
Picture Section
About the Author
Copyright
Description:It has been twenty years since Kurt Cobain died by his own hand in April 1994; it was an act of will that typified his short, angry, inspired life. Veteran music journalist Charles R. Cross fuses his intimate knowledge of the Seattle music scene with his deep compassion for his subject in this extra
