Happy 30th Anniversary to Nirvana’s live album MTV Unplugged in New York, originally released November 1, 1994.
“Good evening. This is off our first record. Most people don’t own it.”
The first lines of Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged Live in New York are spiteful. There was a lot of ill will surrounding Nirvana’s participation in MTV’s Unplugged series. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999 with guests ranging from Mariah Carey to Eric Clapton, from Shakira to Alice in Chains. When Kurt Cobain and his bandmates finally agreed to do the show, it was on their terms.
The set list contains six covers among its fourteen songs. Now, of course all of the songs are popular in the Nirvana and rock canon, but at the time only “Come As You Are” was a single. They played David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold The World,” The Vaselines’ “Jesus Doesn’t Want Me For A Sunbeam,” and three songs by The Meat Puppets. Cris and Curt Kirkwood of The Meat Puppets joined the band on stage to play lead and backup guitar for “Plateau,” “Oh Me,” and “Lake of Fire.” Cobain of course sang lead on all three. The band closed with Lead Belly’s “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?” which remains one of the greatest covers of all time.
Cobain had a way of making any song he sang sound like his own. His talent as an artist was uncanny. Not only was his songwriting shattering but he played the guitar every time as if it was his last. But it’s on MTV Unplugged in New York where his vocals stole the show.
The leaps and bounds in Cobain’s vocal range bottom out and fill a void like nothing else has ever been able to. It is crusty and angelic. On MTV Unplugged in New York, without too much volume on anything else, you can really hear his meticulous rasp. Nothing he did was half-assed. His passion for what he wanted to do as a person and an artist is hard to talk about without sounding cliché. MTV Unplugged in New York is an all-knowing showcase of what Nirvana was really about, and proof that without too much volume or electricity, Nirvana was just as powerful.
The set was recorded, unlike the other episodes of Unplugged, all in one take. They were a tight band, accompanied here by their touring guitarist Pat Smear, also a founding member of LA punk band Germs and current member of Foo Fighters, and their touring cellist, Lori Goldston. Smear and Goldston give Nirvana’s sound a buoyant fluff, making their sound as cozy as they were going to get. Meanwhile Cobain had them dress the stage with candles, a crystal chandelier, and stargazer lilies. The image conjures, as a producer pointed out, a funeral. (Cobain’s reply was, “Exactly. Like a funeral.”) Historically it was as if he knew he was performing at his own and trusted no one else to do it right.
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Recorded in November of 1993, the Unplugged performance preceded Cobain taking his own life by five months. After his death, MTV aired the episode constantly and released the accompanying album in November of 1994. Remembering it almost feels cruel and listening to it can feel invasive. I’m most familiar with the LP, but before writing this tribute, I took time to revisit most of the performance online. It’s the kind of infamous footage everyone knows, even if it aired on TV when you were only five years old like me. Watching it now, soaking in the facts of Cobain’s drug addiction, mental illness, and loathing for the capitalist machine he found himself stuck inside, and unironically churning the wheels of, makes it all the more depressing.
His eyes remain closed for most of the songs. And unlike the stools Krist Novoselic, Dave Grohl, and Smear are perched on, Cobain is fidgeting on an office swivel chair between strums. His nerves hide beneath a sweater which is now, bizarrely, up for auction. I presume the sweater was worn so as to hide a lot of himself. Underneath, he wears an open dress shirt and t-shirt. Or maybe it was just cold in the New York City studio where it was taped, only a few miles from where I write this.
My favorite Nirvana song is “Something In The Way” off Nevermind (1991). Nothing about it is a typical Nirvana song and it’s where the cello first appears in the band’s repertoire. It gives the song a bellow and Cobain’s deep verse and chorus forever sends shivers all over. On MTV Unplugged in New York, the song has an even grungier sound, made possible by Novoselic’s acoustic bass and how the strings bounce off the neck so naturally. Cobain’s picking on each note is pronounced without any production. It’s here the wound is open. I have always been drawn to this song and the way it makes me feel.
The big hit from MTV Unplugged in New York would be “All Apologies.” Everything about it is fantastic. “What else should I be? / All apologies.” Interpreting it as an excuse for himself, the lyrics could read as Cobain’s forever sarcasm: what else could we possibly want from him? Regardless of the answer, he felt the need to apologize. It’s the last song on In Utero (1993). I guess enough said.
The audience of MTV Unplugged in New York all seem dumbfounded by the presence of the band. Every few seconds, the shots change to show us Grohl’s long ponytail, Novoselic’s steady hand, Goldston waiting for her cue, and Smear who eventually took off his shoes. But the camera always returns to Cobain. His eyes are still closed, or on the floor, and his fingers move effortlessly. He was always aware of the gaze thrust upon him. It’s the reason why he chose so many covers, to highlight bands and songs that never had such a spotlight, why he insisted on so much, and why it was granted.
His self-awareness reaches a high point in the banter before Cris and Curt Kirkwood join the band on stage. Cobain wonders what’s taking so long. “What are they tuning, a harp?” The crowd laughs. “I thought we were a big, rich rock band. We should have a whole bunch of guitars.” It’s reminiscent of the t-shirt he wore on the cover of Rolling Stone, a handmade number proclaiming “Corporate Magazines Still Suck.” He can’t help but make fun of himself and the situation he’s in. His ability to remain aloof is compelling. Everything about him was.
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MTV Unplugged in New York debuted at #1 and sold over 300,000 copies in its first week. It came in fourth on Christgau’s Pazz & Jop poll for The Village Voice (RIP), and was a #1 record in Australia, Canada, Portugal, the US, UK, and made the top ten in Finland and Zimbabwe (among many others). The record was a phenomenon because it showcased the musicianship of the band as well as Kurt’s songwriting and performance. But I wonder if he was still with us today, could he have kept going? Maybe after a break, could he have continued to outdo himself?
Could MTV Unplugged have led to more acoustic Nirvana? A pivot for the band and for Cobain as a songwriter?
Technically, Cobain’s guitar wasn’t unplugged. They crafted his amp to look like a stage monitor. You can hear his electric guitar on “The Man Who Sold The World.” A true acoustic Nirvana and the folk music the band could have explored is what I wonder about the most. Maybe it’s why I’m so drawn to “Something In The Way,” a song that sounds more stripped on Nevermind simply because of his proximity to the mic; on Unplugged he projects to fill up the room. Fans just wanted to get closer to him, and wanted more of him. But in his journal he wrote, “I’d rather be dead than famous.”
So listen to MTV Unplugged in New York with every piece of 2024 context in place. Be grateful that Cobain is not around to see social media and what the press has become. Enjoy the music, because you will. But contemplate holding onto something too tightly and understand that a strong grip, to own something, isn’t always the right thing to do.
LISTEN:
Editor's note: this anniversary tribute was originally published in 2019 and has since been edited for accuracy and timeliness.