I’ve heard stories that Kurt Cobain used to roadie for the Melvins when you were first starting out in Washington. Is that true, and when did you first meet Kurt? — Miles Hunter Ray
I knew Kurt since he was in little league. We lived in a very small town and we went to school together, even though he was a few years younger than me. What originally attracted me to him was his dark sense of humor. We were kindred spirits. We’d sit in art class and he’d draw perfect representations of the art teacher being killed. We’d laugh our asses off. People don’t really understand that he was a funny motherfucker. He was not just some down, dour drug addict. Nobody laughed more than Kurt, and we had great times together.
I always think it’s funny that people say he roadied for us. Look at him! He couldn’t lift himself out of bed. You think he could roadie for someone? But we all hung out a lot. [Nirvana bassist] Krist Novoselic drove for us for a while. But roadie? We didn’t have a roadie. I didn’t even know what a roadie was until 1990. In order to hire someone to roadie you have to be making money. The first time we made money was in 1988, and that was $200. If we would go to Seattle and play a show and make $160, maybe we’d all go buy everyone a burrito. That’s it. There was no money.
And people also say Kurt tried out for the Melvins. Yeah, right. I’ve never had tryouts for this band, ever. I can’t imagine doing that. We all jammed and played together back then. It was hopeless and stupid and horrific and mind numbing. There are happy memories, but in the end it’s a tragedy. I can’t rewrite history in such a way that makes me feel good about it. Honestly, I wish Kurt would have never become famous and was still alive. I don’t give a fucking shit about any of that [success]. If that hastened his death, it’s the worst thing that could have happened.
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Originally Posted by armogi
