Nirvana

On April 5th, 1994 Kurt died. 

I will never forget the day I first heard Nirvana.  We were just kids on a school trip and someone had a cassette tape of Nevermind.  It went into the bus stereo and even at a young age you could taste the excitment in that record from the opening guitars of Smells Like Teen Spirit to the closing of Something's in the Way.  A few years later I got my first guitar and learned to play starting with mostly Nirvana songs.  It changed my life.

I remember wishing Kurt hadn't died and thinking as a teenager that if I'd only had a chance to meet him that I could save his life and convince him not to give up.

That's the hardest part about this world.  It's easier to give up on yourself then it is to continue and follow your dreams.  At your lowest moment only you can save yourself.  And as you sometimes catch yourself staring into people's eyes on the streets, you don't really know their path.  You don't really know what is in their hearts or what kinds of pain they are carrying. 

As I grew up and found new music and grew as an artist the feelings from hearing those first chords of Teen Spirit stay with me.  I may not have become a songwriter had it not been for that album and that band.  The days of Kurt have long since passed but I remember the year before he died from about April '92 to April '93 as being some of the best memories I've ever had.  I was young and anything in the world seemed possible. The world was slightly less bright without the music that Nirvana made.  I'm sure on December 8th, 1980 many people felt the same way. 

But here we are. 

There is hope so don't be afraid. And don't give up.

Love,
Marty
@martyzylstra