Kurt Cobain

Kurt Cobain was the most important artist of the Nineties even though he lived for less than half of the decade. When the Nirvana rocketed into popular consciousness in 1991 with “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Cobain became the face and enduring icon of alternative rock. Like Bob Dylan, he hated the notion of being dubbed “the voice of a generation” — in Cobain’s case, Generation X — but he got it anyway.

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