Gov't Mule Offer Rothbury a Pleasant Surprise With "Hunger Strike" Cover

Gov't Mule guitarist-singer Warren Haynes, with his shoulder-length gray hair and ever-present smile, appeared to be enjoying his time at Rothbury more than anyone (including the guy who fashioned a hat from a hollowed-out watermelon and fell asleep/passed out in Sherwood Forest). He jammed with Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh, paid homage to the host state by performing a tune alongside Michigan bluesman Larry McCray and unearthed the weekend's best cover when he belted out a moody version of Temple of the Dog's "Hunger Strike."

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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