No More Unreleased Nirvana Songs, Krist Novoselic Says

Former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic has some sad news for fans of the grunge icons: There are no more unreleased Nirvana songs. "There's not going to be any new Nirvana records," Novoselic told the Washington State's Legacy Project (via Seattle Post-Intelligencer). "What there is, is video. There's a lot of video." Novoselic wouldn't elaborate the content or nature of the videos, nor did he have any release dates in mind. He did, however, say that he and Cobain's widow, Courtney Love, are no longer on bad terms. The last unreleased Nirvana song to surface was "You Know You're Right" (which was included on the 2002 compilation Nirvana and the 2004 box set With The Lights Out). "You Know You're Right" saw the light of day after a nasty legal battle that pit Love against Novoselic and drummer Dave Grohl over how to best release it.

Novoselic recently sat down for a series of interviews with the Legacy Project that resulted in an 89-page oral history covering his childhood, his time wiFoo Fighters. "I didn't balk at it at all," Novoselic said. "No, Dave just went and did his own thing, and I did my thing. I think everybody was dealing with things. I was dealing with things in my way. And then Dave put a band together."

Novoselic goes on to call Cobain a "genius," saying, "He transitioned through mediums. It seemed [to happen] very easily." The bassist also expressed regret that he didn't do more to prevent Cobain's suicide. "There's anger. There's regrets. I was angry. It's just a waste. You know it was the fucking drugs," Novoselic said. "It's pretty bad. All in 20-20 hindsight, you know. Kurt called me the first time he did heroin and he told me he did it. And I told him, 'Don't do it man. You're playing with dynamite.' "

Krist opens up on a wealth of topics — from meeting Kurt in high school to his political career to why he doesn't play Nirvana songs on the radio when he DJs — in the full oral history. Check it out at the Legacy Project Website.

Related Stories:

• Nirvana's Novoselic Relives Failed 1992 VMA Bass Toss
• Behind "Cobain Unseen": Charles R. Cross on Kurt's Private Archives
• Gallery: Kurt Cobain's Photos, Artwork and Journal Entries
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Song Stories

“1999”

Prince | 1982

“I don’t consider myself a great poet,” Prince told Rolling Stone. “I just know I’m here to say what’s on my mind.” In the case of the apocalyptic party anthem “1999,” he was worried about then-president Ronald Reagan’s foreign policies. The song’s melody is based on a riff borrowed from the Mamas and Papas’ “Monday, Monday,” and Prince originally envisioned the first verse with three-part harmony but later split the vocals between himself and members of the Revolution. Because Warner Bros., with whom Prince was locked in a contractual battle, owned the original’s masters, Prince rerecorded the song and appropriately released that version in 1999.

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