How Nirvana Became Nirvana

This is Nirvana's origins. Before About a Girl, Bleach, Smells Like Teen Spirit, Come As You Are, Lithium, Something in the Way, Nevermind, Heart Shaped Box, or In Utero, they were just a band. Before that, Kurt Cobain was just a kid. Learn about his childhood, his early interests in the Beatles, heavy metal, and punk rock, and all the things that made Nirvana Nirvana.
If you liked this video please be sure to like, subscribe, comment, and share with anyone who'd be interested!
Twitter: / marcbutevil
Oh btw, Krist Novoselic, Aberdeen, Chad Channing, Aaron Burckhard, Bob Mcfadden, Dale Crover, Dave Foster, the Melvins, Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters, Sub Pop

[@coolnamepending7604]

Nirvana is actually a conspiracy, it’s just Ringo moving really fast

[@toat_]

Can confirm. I wasn't there and only just found out about this info, but I can confirm.

[@Guitar_Jams]

Explains why kurt looks different in almost every photo

[@Stothedyo]

shut up ringo

[@tweer64]

Kurt Cobain and Rivers Cuomo are the same person.

[@THE-CRT]

@@tweer64huh

[@coolguy4914]

i see nirvana. i click.

[@MarcButEvil]

words to live by

[@baconoidguy3346]

me too but its also Marc's new video

[@wholeo9467]

Same ha

[@irotinmyskin]

I see nirvana comment. I like.

[@AltRocker69]

Facts

[@Dazza768]

I'm always amazed at how much footage there is of Nirvana especially Kurt even before fame- it seems his whole life was documented.

[@eddydave4629]

@Dazza768. I'm completely agree with you. As I mentioned earlier although Cobain never seemed to aspire to be the leader of any movement, his figure continues to arouse admiration and curiosity in equal measure. It's amazing with have so much about his life documented.

[@breakbad9753]

It’s like how Steve Os whole life’s is recorded before and after he was famous lol

[@GameyRaccoon]

Kinda like Chris Chan

[@A_random_NPC]

@@GameyRaccoonthat’s what i’m saying

[@GameyRaccoon]

@@beags9995Twas but a joke my friend.

[@DistantLights]

Kurt was so genius for combining punk rock with the melody sensibility of the Beatles

[@orb2150tx]

😂 so original....He actually credits a whole list of bands he stole ideas from.

[@jillnance4838]

@Distantlights.. I agree with you. I am a fan of Nirvana. I appreciate the spectacular in their music. I appreciate that their music is made to please the general public with easy and understandable melodies and lyrics, unlike other groups that are highly valued by the majority of Rock lovers.

[@Paul-Lacey1999]

Good artists burrow, great artists steal Music and art in general are ideas from another artist but refined into something enticing Without stealing, music wouldn’t have its foundations and be what it is today

[@livvyyyyyyyyyyy]

I love the Beatles and pretty much anything rock, I’ve been getting into more rock sub genres and recently got into punk so nirvana is absolutely perfect for my taste.

[@bpninja8641]

@@orb2150txthat’s kinda what we do in music, it’s still respected if you change it and make it your own. If it’s more memorable when you play it a certain way then cool

[@THE-CRT]

In Kurt’s first band fecal matter, who released one album recorded on his aunts tape recorder, One of the songs Kurt had messed up on one of the songs accidentally recording over a part. In a sheer moment of anger he plugged the guitar directly into the tape recorder recording an amazing solo

[@gabrielfeitosa9404]

is it on yt?

[@MrMrs-nb6ey]

The world cannot comprehend the amount of random knowledge the average nirvana fan has for Kurt Cobain life

[@irotinmyskin]

@@gabrielfeitosa9404 everything is on YT

[@gamfromnam6249]

what song was it

[@THE-CRT]

@@gamfromnam6249I don’t remember I know it’s one of them

[@eboatwright_]

"HE'S AN ELF!" 💀 "HE SHOULD BE IN THE KEEBLER FACTORY!" 💀💀 "he's also one of the nicest people I've ever met." 🗿

[@Sans-rt8os]

such an amazing quote

[@OfficalExpo]

imagine if the drummer from nirvana met dave grohl

[@michaelsaad7065]

Imagine if foo fighters singer were from nirvanas drummer

[@TheCamSays]

Andy Kaufman faked his death in the ‘80s and ended up changing his name to Krist Novoselic and became the bassist for one of the biggest bands in the world.

[@vucko3494]

12:56 As a Croatian living in Canada this made me chuckle. Back in the day if you were the child of Balkan/Yugoslav parents and had any sort of issues, you weren’t getting a therapist, you were getting sent home.

[@marshspy]

Marc, you may be the most underrated channel on this godforsaken platform. The simple yet info packed mini-essays are so good. Also you’re funny as shit.

[@MarcButEvil]

That's so nice, thank you!

[@romeokoroma3341]

⁠please do your next video on how Bob Marley influenced and inspired the rock artists.

[@andig7929]

The name of the band was very well chosen. contains the word freedom, freedom from suffering, from the pressure of society that makes you a slave. and Kurt said "punk is about freedom." Since Nirvana also means freedom... freedom from suffering and the outside world... it also seems to me a perfect definition of punk music.

[@gavinzvideodump3083]

I love how theres more info packed in a 20 minute marcbutevil video than multi hour documentaries

[@UltraMagaSwagga]

Kurt was the best riff writer ever...Frances Farmers breakdown and pre chorus is something special and the distortion is magical!

[@damienallbran]

Just picked up MTV Unplugged today so this is perfect timing

[@brayden.the.canadian6253]

Dear Marc, I’m not sure if you’ll ever read this but I’ve been listening to nirvana and weezer for years thanks to my dad and honestly these videos are so well detailed and researched that its really high quality and comes from the heart. It’s funny most people don’t even know the other drummers of Nirvana apart from Dave and Chad, and It’s also worth mentioning Kurt was a Roadie for the Melvins while they toured, and I find it pretty cool since I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and until the late 80s we didn’t really have any cool music releasing in our scene or any major bands coming to tour and I think Nirvana really changed that. Anyways I’m rambling but overall this channel is super underrated so keep up the good content

[@fredegundestratton4891]

The town i spent my adolescence in is just like aberdeen. The middle of nowhere with a single export that brings in every drug available. Except my town is in Wyoming and the main export is Coal instead of logging.

[@enfermopsiquiatrico333]

Love how nirvana still is a theme of conversation, his life is something shouldn't and won't be forget

[@8thFurno]

Marcbutevil is like the only music related channel that even if I don’t care about the artist being covered. I still watch the video. I enjoy the vids that much.

[@MarcButEvil]

That means a lot, thanks!

[@romeokoroma3341]

⁠​​⁠please do your next video on how Bob Marley influenced and inspired the rock artists.

[@user-mw8bm5wy6s]

Such a band that is still talked about today.Nirvana is really immortal.

[@MapleMilk]

Oh man, this video is fantastic As someone who read Come As You Are and Michael Azarad's Biography on Kurt Cobain, this is a great breakdown of the early stages of the band I may show this to people when I need them to know about the origins of Nirvana for whatever reason

[@MrMrs-nb6ey]

Ah yes nirvana the weezer of the 90’s

[@sean.anthony6044]

NO WAY I NEED THE NEXT VIDEO NOW I WAS SO IMMERESED IN IT 😭😭

[@thedogoffaleash]

When I first heard Nirvana, it changed the way I heard music forever. I was born in 1995... just a short while after Kurt was gone, though my parents were fans so I grew up with Nirvana in the background sometimes, but my dad was more into heavy metal and my mom liked Sheryl Crow and the Cranberries, and especially the Beatles and the Grateful Dead. Of all places, I first *really* heard Nirvana on this music video clip show called "Pop-Up Video", on the VH1 channel I think. I was like 13 or 14, and I heard Smells Like Teen Spirit for the first time and watched that music video. It opened my mind to what music *could* be. I picked up the guitar because of Kurt, and I still play today, its my lifeline and my passion, and Kurt's playing just has something indescribable and raw that I chase with my playing endlessly. Nirvana was my gateway to incredible music and life experiences even. I found some of my favorite bands like Pixies, Iggy and the Stooges, the Germs, David Bowie, Black Flag, Melvins, Bikini Kill, Daniel Johnston, the Velvet Underground, and so many more. Kurt was my role model through high school, where I always struggled to fit in and be confident. Kurt's music just spoke to me personally. Kurt inspired some of my favorite current bands and countless honest punk bands that I saw in basement shows in college. He inspired or paved the way for bands like Weezer (I think they had a Nirvana cover band at one point?), Green Day, Wavves, Jay Reatard, Ty Segall, and so many more I can't even begin. Nirvana might not be my all time favorite band anymore, but they were my *first* all-time favorite band, and I'll never forget what Kurt did for my life, even if I was never on this Earth with him. They made me hear music as something more than just the backtrack to life, something important in itself.

[@onlyhereonceinlife]

I never really learned this much about Kurt. Just knew he was from Aberdeen. As someone from sw Washington, who spent time on the coast south of Aberdeen at my dads, he definitely sounds like a lot of kids I knew growing up.

[@spicyusername]

I see marcbutevil post and I jump out of my seat every time

[@MarcButEvil]

thank you!

[@romeokoroma3341]

⁠please do your next video on how Bob Marley influenced and inspired the rock artists.

[@L4FF_on_fn]

Same dude!

[@mrsneedy1034]

The tally hall to weezer to nirvana pipeline is real

[@CiscoGoldmill-dz4gk]

Kurt was like frozen in time at age thirteen mentally…. Very sad way to live not to mention health issues especially stomach problems couldnt have been easy… I have gastroparesis so I feel ya Kurt… shame you took yourself away man you had plenty to live for….

[@andig7929]

The popularity of Nirvana with its mix of furious and melodic rock, is far from waning today. To date, the group has sold millions of albums worldwide, including its three studio albums and various anthologies and compilations and entered in 2014, with all the merits, in the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

[@fraryt]

This is one of the best vídeos about nirvana I've had ever seen, you can tell the passion you have at taking about these kinda stuff, as a big nirvana fan I can tell you this is one of the best videos

[@buckodonnghaile4309]

Filling out the Columbia House card was a right of passage back in the stone age. Paying them not so much.

[@Chazzs]

Still do not understand why this guys channel hasn't blown up, it has brilliant editing and is really well put together. Wish you the Best!

[@theflowerdoulalala]

need a part 2!!! this was perfection!

[@Riverscuomo7]

dang i could learn from marc more than a 1 hour doc on national geogragphic could

[@Equent57]

I think you uploading has single handedly made me become eligible for joining dragonforce

[@averyplaysguitar]

I really need sleep for work tomorrow... but a new MarcButEvil video about Nirvana takes priority edit: it was definitely worth it!

[@nspectorr]

if the next video will not be a dark side of Hurley video I'm pulling Kurt Cobain.

[@connormccourt3098]

THIS CHANNEL NEEDS MORE SUBSCRIBERS

[@wa7saka]

I visited aberdeen recently and saw his house. It’s honestly a depressing town. It was kinda mesmerizing but also dull, bleak and sad… I grew up in WA so it’s cool that they came from my state. It’s interesting listening to the music and being in the same environment

[@cozmix6545]

woah you got MCR history wayyyy wrong!

[@gruntingskunk2237]

Hey, you probably won't read this, but I've been watching this channel for a few months and I just wanted you to know that you are very good at making videos. I love you videos, I hope you keep it up as long as it's something *you* love.

[@Lil_Dees_Nuts]

“I though Nirvana was a clothing brand” is what my friend said with a Nirvana shirt on

[@TheRickWalters]

I interviewed Aaron Burkhardt in my movie The River. He told the story of how Kurt wrote "Something In The Way" on the bank of the Wishka River, under a bridge. The killer part is, I tried out for his band too.thesame band he started in 1989 when he was kicked out of Nirvana.

[@angieholmquist2372]

Attica

[@wifiguy51]

I don't know why the Wii Tennis bit made me so happy in this haha. Cannot wait for this channel to hit 500k, no doubt it will!

[@VeriStrawberi]

Bro make the rest of this asap!!! It’s really good

[@zeitok8]

wow glad somebody finally talk about this band...

[@therealjohngalaxy]

Love your videos. Seem like the ultimate must watch videos for weezer foo fighters and Nirvana fans. Keep uo the great work! ❤

[@james_james_james]

I learned a lot of new things about Nirvana in this video, and I’ve seen a lot of things (video essays, documentaries, etc.) on the band and really, enjoyed this. As corny and stereotypical it might sound as me being a big fan if Nirvana, some things you noted about Kurt I can really relate to. I won’t go into much detail, and I’ll leave it off by saying I really appreciate your videos. I haven’t seen much on Kurt’s upbringing. Keep it up MarcButNice 😼

[@asparagusfor1dollarlol959]

Babe wake up new marcbutevil video

[@GettingNegative]

I just moved to Olympia this year. First time driving through Aberdeen I fell in love. As a photographer, it’s all the grit and abandonment I need. Similar to Butte Montana in ways. I’m watching videos about Nirvana to get insight on the band and Aberdeen for a video I’m working on. That’s a long way to say, I really enjoy your work. You’ve gained a fan and new subscriber. One that knows how much work these videos take to make. Thank you for doing what you do.

[@tv.joanne]

banger video. you’re maybe my favorite content creator right now. so many times i click on video essays for the topic, but you’re honestly just funny as fuck and i’d watch most anything you’d put out. look forward to the next one B)

[@christianboland1476]

you are so underrated, this was the best and most interesting video that i’ve seen covering nirvana or any band for that matter.

[@perceivedvelocity9914]

I grew up in Washington State. My Dad lived in Aberdeen for a very long time. I'm not going to pretend that I knew Kurt. I was 10 years younger than him. What I can tell you from experience is that Aberdeen is depressing. Aberdeen has a lot of old building's that look like they should fall apart at any moment. The sky is always grey and drugs are the primary past time for a lot of the citizens. Luckily I lived with my Mom most of the time and didn't have to spend every day there. I honestly wonder if Kurt would have been a happier person if he grew up somewhere else. IDK if that really matters but Aberdeen sure didn't help the guy.

[@wa7saka]

Seriously Lol. I visited recently and not that it was a horrible town but it made me feel depressed with how dull and bleak everything is

[@bonecanoe86]

Kind of crazy both Kurt Cobain and Bryan Danielson both came from Aberdeen, Washington

[@jamesscott8705]

"Kurt's stuff" (like I warned him) Such a funny edit. Great video!

[@margietino8104]

Great video. I love Nirvana and especially the Nevermind album When Nevermind came out into the world, it was something spectacular. At that time, Guns N' Roses' Use Your Illusion I & II and Michael Jackson's Dangerous were trending, and Nevermind arrived to make it clear that music would never be the same again. Grunge left behind the outdated vision of overproduced rock, and taught everyone the importance of innovation, something that characterized the essence of Kurt Cobain

[@NeepNeepPohn]

I like that for once someone spends a good portion of time talking about Krist Noveselic's contributions to Nirvana as he and Kurt Cobain were the founders and both made massive contributions to the band rather than treating Nirvana as the Kurt Cobain show and Noveselic as an afterthought

[@AndrewFullerton]

If Kurt lived, would Nirvana's reputation and fan base be as confused as Weezer's? The answer to that is yes. A definite unqualified yes.

[@IifeIine]

great video, very well made

[@iansprandel4297]

As someone who lives in Aberdeen, Kurt and krist describe it perfectly

[@zombielynx21]

Can't wait for the next one!

[@JacubWhite38]

i really like this channel. thanks for good content and having a decent voice

[@bigboyemotheescamo78]

a lot of people dont realize dave didnt come around until really late in the years. they went through drummers like dropping corpses during the plague. dave learned about the band through a tape that went through the underground in 89 and 90. that tape was the album bleach.

[@cantavanda]

Love the Pokémon music at the end 🤣. Great, informative video! I learned a lot.

[@thomasulrich3107]

Great video man, keep up the good work!

[@axeljameson9097]

Amazing! Could you do a video on elliott smith?

[@-redacted_by_youtube]

Weezer had a lineup change? Sweet.

[@nimitz1739]

This was made really well. With some early photos of Nirvana I’ve never seen

[@weerez8786]

Only 780 views??? This videos too good for that

[@backpack_buddies93]

I was waiting for this video for a long time. Thank you Marcbutevil. I really enjoyed it.

[@MarcButEvil]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@willak8064]

Nirvana forever. Good video, btw.

[@luxiously]

6:08 kurt chose the guitar. shows a picture of him with a bass

[@comotuabogada]

Loved the video!❤🫂

[@alfredjc4398]

Nirvana went around the world, I remember when Smells like teen spirit came out, the members of nirvana changed everything, the boys did not wear tight clothing, they dressed in jeans and t-shirts, like any teenager and they did not seem to be super rock stars . In addition to the music and looks, there was an anarchic attitude that was irresistible and enormously attractive. Nirvana forever!

[@smartavocado8319]

I just nirvana, i feel like nirvana

[@jillnance4838]

@smartavocado8319 Same here❤

[@FrankuC-xd1dz]

Amazing videos, love it so much

[@comixproductions4792]

Babe wake up, new MarcButEvil video

[@dudexmachina1201]

I normally like your tally hall and weezer videos but I don’t mind ur nirvana videos

[@Sheamop]

you should do something on Snot

[@Dustpuma1]

love all this info!

[@davidhatred7275]

melvins army

[@diegoinbloom9012]

awesome video

[@ChazGAMING989]

Who can’t love this video, I mean it’s got pretty much the whole story of Kurt’s childhood and early nirvana in 22 mins, I LOVE MARCBUTEVIL!!!

[@ChazGAMING989]

Thanks Marc ❤

[@kmhennegan]

Thanks for covering the Olympia connections...not a popular point of view, but they really are an Olympia band as much as a Seattle band.

[@blundergat6140]

Curt Kobajn is verie kool

[@ExNihiloComesNothing]

This is a great non-Weezer video. Subbed

[@TonyZollo]

Love your love for the music.

[@WillStephensArt]

We were all Kurt at 15 just didn’t blow up 🤯

[@nicosledakis7452]

I hope this channel blows up these are great videos

[@christron5368]

Where’s the Pinkerton video?🤨

[@maxresdefault_]

I remember hearing that the misogynistic atmosphere of Kirk's hometown inspired some of the band's feminist messages and songs (Polly etc)

[@user-yb8lt7bq2d]

The simba part got me on the ground

[@krisfrederick5001]

Are we going to have "The Nirvana talk?" Spring is here again...reproductive glands ANNNNNNNDDDDDD 🎵

[@OneCentWonder]

nirvana became and then i came

[@nolanricardo9849]

When are you going to make a Pinkerton video?

[@michelvondenhoff9673]

Thank god, at last hair metal was done 😊

[@williamhager4024]

It's OK to eat fish, cause they don't have any feeling.

[@mcmans.]

Something in the Way

[@orb2150tx]

Their daddies, " the Melvins" end of story.

[@LuckyDeeIndustries]

Another great video! What's that jazz track playing in the first part? Pretty sure I know it from somewhere, but I can't put my finger on it...

[@ValleyoftheBlind]

"Kurt chose the guitar" Cuts to photo of Kurt playing bass...

[@icychill105]

Ive gone through montesano so many times and never knew kurt lived there for a while, gonna have to stop by the house next time.