{ken’s links}

I have to come clean here, I didn’t start getting into Nirvana until I heard “Heart-Shaped Box,” late 1993. However, don’t hold that against me. My excuse is that I was 11 years old and was only just discovering my taste in music. Upon hearing “All Apologies” next, you could say I had become at least a casual listener of the band. A lot of people like to point to “Nevermind” as an album that changed their lives or at least affected them in some manner. For me, that album is “Unplugged in New York.” I can remember vividly watching the performance air on MTV, most likely side-by-side with Beavis and Butthead. Every song seemed simple and perfect. Acoustic guitars, brushes to the snares, cellos….it was a combination that worked incredible for a band known primarily for some really noisy stuff. I was hooked. And then a few months later, that was it. Something I also distinctly remember.

While Nirvana’s legacy is debatable, I don’t think anybody can deny them the brilliance put down on this live album. Not only is it a great collection of music, it’s a window into a man’s soul. You’re listening to a man who was fucked up in the head in ways you could never imagine. You can really hear it. You can see it. It is clearly evident. Especially on the final song of the album: