performing arts

Aside from the obvious questions of the intrusive nature of reading this book, as well as the obvious monitoring of Courtney Love over all of the book's contents, "Journals" is absolutely fascinating. I feel that reading alot of things from Kurt as opposed to a journalist's point of view is very satisfying when pertaining to his art. I believe that, for Kurt, his art was the focal point for the bulk of his life. And I also think that once you understand his art, you begin to understand him. In that respect, I give "Journals" beyond 5 stars.
Within the book, Kurt depicts himself as he was: a sensitive, artistic punk rocker. You read many letters to people such as Dale Crover from "The Melvins" and Mark Lannegan from "Screaming Trees". In a letter to Lannegan, he shamefully admits to copying their album onto a cassette tape. This only enforces the punk rock ethic that Kurt held for most of his life.
The term "punk" for Kurt Cobain didn't necessarily mean pierced nostrils or multi-colored hair. Punk rock meant "freedom". It was back to the roots of musical expression: syphoning yourself through an instrument. It wasn't an image, and it wasn't a trend. There were no blinders towards the audience. It was be-yourself-do-it-yourself. It spoke to many people in an inaudible, enticing scream, and it definitely spoke to Kurt Cobain. It basically offered Kurt his way out from the blantant faccade of machismo and the ignorance of homophobia and sexism that he witnessed constantly. It sparked a flow of creative abandon and artistic defiance in Kurt. That raw, unbridled human emotion is very poignant and refreshing even ten years after his death. And the fact that real emotion is so void in music today, only lures people in to experience it for themselves.
It's impossible to read this book and not get somewhat melancholy over what a sensitive, outspoken, brilliant artist we lost in Kurt Cobain. We have the music, we now have his journals, and we have the memories.

Yes, there's the moral corundum of disrespecting a dead man's wishes and invading his privacy to make an easy buck off him, but Journals is an interesting read. I'm not a huge Nirvana fan, but I did get a voyeuristic kick out of perusing his handwritten rants, unsent letters, drafted lyrics, rambling diary entries, and assorted scribbles and doodles.

That is not say Journals is essential in understanding Kurt - his music was just as effective in that regard. There's nothing in this book to shed any new light on his complicated personality, though time will tell if that's just a result of Courtney Love's selectivity.

Journals is put together nicely and works as a really morbid coffee table book. But to ease your guilt of exploiting Kurt's death to make Courtney's wallet thicker, while still satiating your curiosity, I would recommend simply borrowing it from a library.

Some of you people need to calm down and get a grip, dont be all like " well I dont think Kurt Cobain would like this, and its Courtneys scheme" so be it. If you despise it so much dont buy it.

I will admit i was to young to remember his suicide, but after reading a book on him I found he was a simple and amazing man who had a passion for what he did. I love every one of his songs. Im not saying im better at guitar than him, but he was a kinda crappy guitarist, but an amazing and inspiring song writer. I like to this man is my hero. BUY JOURNALS BUY JOURNALS BUY JOURNALS BUY JOURNALS!