A new
BBC documentary aims to “demystify” the death of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain by telling the shocking story of the tragedy and its aftermath in real time, using archive footage. BBC2 is to mark the 30th anniversary of Cobain’s death in 1994 with a dedicated night of programming next month. The highlight will be the hour-long documentary Moments That Shook Music: Kurt Cobain, which will include some footage never shown before on
British TV. In 1994, Nirvana had achieved global success as one of the biggest bands on the planet. But suddenly their lead
Singer was gone, having taken his own life, and the world wanted to know why. The film uses video captured by local fans in Seattle woven together with raw material from news crews reporting at the time. It also contains the poignant reaction from the electrician who discovered Kurt’s body when installing a security system at his Seattle home, plus statements from
police at the scene. Also included is a tape recording of Courtney Love reading her late husband’s final letter, which was played out to thousands at a vigil in Seattle; and a revealing interview with Cobain himself, just months before he died. Producer and director John Osborne, said the aim was to show the impact of the sad news by only using archive film from 1994. “Kurt Cobain was the voice of a generation, but a reluctant one, and his death left a huge void,” he explains. Amazon's £11 anti-ageing serum with 76,000 reviews gives 'better results than Botox' The singer died in 1994 aged 27 ( Image: Getty Images) “The only way to get a true sense of what happened is to witness it first hand, and that’s exactly what this film does. It never lets you look away.” BBC Popular
music boss Jonathan Rothery said archive specials Touchdown Films had done a great
Job at “reframing” the story. “Kurt Cobain’s life and death has turned into myth and legend since his passing. This documentary tries to demystify that moment in time by telling the story direct from the scene, via fly on the wall footage filmed by those that were there.” On Saturday April 13, BBC2 will also give viewers another chance to see When Nirvana Came To
Britain, first broadcast in 2021, Foo Fighters at Reading 2019, featuring former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl and The Live Lounge Show, also featuring Foo Fighters from 2017. On BBC 6Music, Cobain will be remembered on April 5 by every presenter playing one of his tracks every hour, across the whole day, with recorded introductions from a host of famous fans. On BBC Radio 2 that week, Jo Whiley will play tracks from Nirvana’s classic album Nevermind while sharing listeners’ memories. Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat ,
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