Heavier Than Heaven a Biography of Kurt Cobain

Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain

Kurt Cobain was just fourteen years old, when he dreamed about his own destiny concerning fame, glory and self-destruction. Cobain stated, "I'm going to be a musician, kill myself and go out in a flame of glory" (Cross, 2001). Heavier than Heaven is the biography of Cobain that was written based upon medical and police reports, and Cobain's personal journal entries and over four hundred interviews with people who were very close to him during his life. The work is a dismal description that details Kurt's low self-esteem, his abuse of drugs and the grunge lifestyle that took him deeper into depression where he was able to fulfill his prophecy of self-death. The shocking story of the singer's lifestyle is disturbing and entails a sad description that outlines how Cobain quickly reached the top in the rock world, but soon plummeted to the bottom in his own personal unhappiness.

Cobain lived the early part of his career in a double-wide trailer outside of Aberdeen, Washington. Cross writes of Cobain's early career in a brilliant method highlighting his music across the rock clubs of Seattle, Washington. The biography gives insight to the dysfunctional family history of Cobain and how his divorced parents, one being incompetent and the other was an alcoholic, never any time or showed signs of loving their son. The love/hate relationship of his parents is used as a jumping point for Cobain's early unhappiness. While his childhood was sadly neglectful it also helped to shape his character as one that prepared himself for his own death.

Cross also details the erratic way that Cobain announced his love for Courtney Love and how it shocked many, but his fans understood his method of madness and how his display for affection resulted in no shame. Cross concept of the young artist's talent is portrayed well and he is passionate about what Cobain had to offer the music world. However, he also gives detailed information that explains how difficult Cobain could be to those who loved him and worked with him. His tolerance of crowds was low and rather than socialize, he usually chose to sit by himself in a dark room. Cobain's personality on stage, however, was one that was magnified, and so intense that he captivated his audiences with his work.

Cobain was a heavy user of heroin. This drug habit worked a magic that allowed the musician to hear music within his head that he might not have experienced if not on the drug. However, the use of this substance was also his downfall as he became more addicted and determined to prepare for his own suicide. He suffered from a lifelong affair with the idea of taking his own life, as a teenager he spoke of the act, he also wrote about and created paintings of death. His song lyrics contained suicidal messages and while in Rome, he made an attempt by taking a drug overdose that was foiled by his girlfriend who had him rushed to a nearby hospital where he survived the effort. He continued to suffer many overdoses that appeared that he was preparing for the final act, but the dramatic limelight produced a larger dissatisfaction within Cobain.

Cobain was only twenty-seven when he chose to take his life by using a shotgun to kill himself. He was downing in a world full of several physical problems, one being a mysterious stomach ailment and he was also psychologically decimated by heroin addiction. Although he professed his love to Courtney Love, and had a daughter, Cobain's deep commitment to ending his life was his first objective. Courtney Love was left behind as his widow and through her interviews states, "he was in love with the idea of success, and at the same time it freaked him out." felt the book was written in a very moving and personal way. Cross captured the essence of Cobain's depression and did not glorify the use of drugs within the music scene. This work entails the psychological pain that Cobain was subjected to and while reading the book, one begins to halfway understand why he turned to alcohol, marijuana, cough syrup, and finally became the heroin addict having an uncontrollable urge to end his misery. The end of the book tells about Cobain's last days and sadly describes his final decision to take his own life and recount the suicide note that he left. Although the reader knows the death is coming, the description is still overcoming and one feels a connection to the musician. The work leaves one wanting to listen more intently to the music that Cobain created and try to understand why one so talented would become so unhappy with such a successful life.