Kurt Cobain always had a hard time reconciling his success with his underground roots. When Nirvana made the cover of Rolling Stone, he wore a homemade t-shirt with the phrase "Corporate Magazines Still Suck" scrawled across the chest. And when wife Courtney Love came home one day in a brand new Lexus, he made her take it back to the dealership. So we're reasonably sure these heinous acts of posthumous branding — done mostly at the direction of Love herself — have Cobain territorially pissing himself in his grave.
Air Cobains
In 2008, Converse unveiled a series of Kurt Cobain signature shoes, approved by his wannabe fashionista widow. Each shoe featured scribbles and doodles from Cobain's private journals, which were published after his death, and one of the shoes — called the "One Star" — was the same style Cobain was wearing when he committed suicide in April 1994. Kinda creepy.
Toy-Shaped Box
In 2006, NECA Toys introduced a Kurt Cobain action figure. The seven-inch figurines came in two styles: a "Smells Like Teen Spirit" model (complete with gymnasium floor base!) and an "MTV Unplugged" look with a seated Kurt doll. Both sold out quickly, spurring the release of an 18-inch TALKING Cobain figurine, marketed with the tagline: "It's like having Kurt in your room!"
CSI: Money
When Courtney inked a licensing deal with the hit show CSI: Miami, at least she had the good taste to demand no Nirvana song be featured in an episode featuring suicide or drug addiction. Love's manager, Peter Asher, said: "We believe if we say yes to the right things, we can do both — make money and do the right thing for the catalogue."
Love Gave You a Bad Name
In 2009, the makers of Guitar Hero 5 turned Cobain into a playable character, allowing people to adopt his digital avatar while playing any of the game's 85 songs, including "Comedown" by Bush and Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name." Courtney tweeted that the use of her dead hubby's image was "VILE!" and threatened to sue, but GH5 maker Activision released a statement noting, "Guitar Hero secured the necessary licensing rights from the Cobain estate in a written agreement signed by Courtney Love to use Kurt Cobain's likeness."
Diary of a Goldmine
Most people never have to worry about their significant other selling their diaries. Of course, most people are not married to Courtney Love. In 2002, Love sold Cobain's diary to a book publisher, resulting in a thick book, simply called Journals. It instantly angered dedicated fans due to its content; Cobain's personal writings, letters, drawings and lyrics. You know, stuff people keep private. The book debuted at #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List.
Smells Like Teenybopper Spirit
Nirvana performed a variety of cover songs over its career. Some were brilliant — Cobain’s cathartic, visceral take on Leadbelly’s “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” in the MTV "Unplugged" performance — and some were not so hot (e.g., "Do You Love Me," a goofy KISS cover the band performed). None, however, could come close to matching the sheer putridity of teen queen Miley Cyrus bellowing her way through “Smells Like Teen Spirit” for a horde of shrieking of South American fans. As one YouTube fan wrote: “F*#@ you, Miley Cyrus.”
