Abstract This paper examines the book, "Heavier Than Heaven", a biography of Kurt Cobain that was based upon medical and police reports, Cobain's personal journal entries, and over four hundred interviews with people who were very close to him during his life. It looks at how the work is a dismal description that details Kurt's low self-esteem, his abuse of drugs, and the grunge lifestyle that took him deeper into depression, where he was able to fulfill his prophecy of self-death. It also discusses how the shocking story of the singer's lifestyle is disturbing and entails a sad description that outlines how Cobain quickly reached the top in the rock world, but soon plummeted to the bottom in his own personal unhappiness.
From the Paper "Cobain was a heavy user of heroin. This drug habit worked a magic that allowed the musician to hear music within his head that he might not have experienced if not on the drug. However, the use of this substance was also his downfall as he became more addicted and determined to prepare for his own suicide. He suffered from a lifelong affair with the idea of taking his own life, as a teenager he spoke of the act, he also wrote about and created paintings of death. His song lyrics contained suicidal messages and while in Rome, he made an attempt by taking a drug overdose that was foiled by his girlfriend who had him rushed to a nearby hospital where he survived the effort."
Abstract Over time, many musicians have shown us what good rock and roll music is all about. Musicians such as Elvis Presley (the king of rock and roll), Jim Morrison (lead singer and songwriter for the 'Doors'), and Kurt Cobain (musical genius from 'Nirvana'), are discussed in this paper to try and understand the fascination of rock and roll.
From the Paper "Kurt Cobain was the lead singer and guitarist of Nirvana. He started the group with Krist Novoselic, a fellow punk rock devotee. They developed a style that became known as "Grunge Music". "It was a style that evolved as a reaction against the perceived superficiality of 1980s stadium rock and the over the top metal bands of the time" (5). Nirvana was an underground band with a devoted following. After four years of playing, the band just exploded into the mainstream. Cobain struggled with the band's success and felt the success was contradictory to their beliefs and what they stood for. The Nirvana song, "Smells Like Teen Spirit", became the anthem for Generation X. (3)"
Abstract This paper examines the theme of identity, or of changing identity, seen throughout Graham's work. The paper examines and analyzes several of Graham's pieces in order to illustrate this continuous theme. The paper explains how Graham's fascination with the permanent instability of the photographic, filmed self reflects his feeling that he never really had a clear vision of who he was as an individual or who he was as an artist.
From the Paper "Rodney Graham is a Canadian artist, born in Vancouver in 1949. But he could be anyone?or so his art suggests. In Fishing on the Jetty, 2000, the Rodney Graham renders himself into his own text as a filmed subject. In this film/performance art piece, the viewer is witness to the sight of Graham playing Cary Grant in his own nautical version of Alfred Hitchcock's ?To Catch a Thief.? Graham, within the context of the piece is himself, is the character of Grant, and is also the persona portrayed by ?Cary Grant,? the sublimely artificial romantic lead of the 1930's classical film in a who-done-it about mistaken identity, a film where the actor portrays a constantly misleading man with a shape-shifting identity."
Abstract This paper looks at the music of 1990s and the early 21st Century, such as hip-hop, dance and techno and compares it to music of the 70s and 80s. It examines trends and artists such as Madonna, Michael Jackson, Etienne, Kurt Cobain, Dr. Dre, and others.
