«Breaking News» Canadian man discovers his lost interview with Kurt Cobain 27 years later

A lost interview with legendary Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain has been unearthed by a Canadian physics teacher.

In 1991, Roberto LoRusso was a 21-year-old long-haired student who dabbled as a DJ on his university's student radio in the small town of London, Ontario.

He'd got wind that Nirvana, back then a small-time indie band that was yet to release their hit album Nevermind, would be passing through on their way to play in Toronto, and managed to swing a sit-down with Cobain.

After playing a few snippets of the interview on his student station - to an audience of around 15 people - LoRusso boxed up the cassette tape and left it gathering dust for the next 27 years.

This month he finally decided to publish it online, after his friends pleaded with him to share the unique audio.

But speaking to DailyMail.com from his London home, LoRusso, 48, confessed that he'd never listened to the whole tape himself, describing it as an 'amazing experience' but a 'trainwreck of an interview.'

Lost and found: A nearly never-been-heard 1991 interview with Nirvana legend Kurt Cobain has been uncovered after the cassette tape was boxed up for 27 years

Canadian physics teacher Roberto LoRusso (pictured left as a college student) was only 21 years old when he landed an interview with the then-hardly known Nirvana frontman before their concert in Toronto in 1991 

'It was before Nevermind was released, so they were a big deal to us in our little niche music scene, but in the greater market nobody knew much of them at that point,' said the Canadian physics teacher. 'My intention at the time was to simply get a phone interview.

'I harassed the record label reps on a weekly basis. I think I called four or five times. Finally on the last call, the rep said I've been awarded one of the few independent media interviews.

'I thought it was just going to be a phone interview, so I asked what time Kurt would be calling the show. She said actually I'd be going to Toronto to interview them in person. Of course I was like, "wow, that's even better, that's great."'

'I was so naive at the time, I asked her, "So, I guess I should probably buy tickets then for the show." There was a pregnant pause, and she responded "you've clearly not done many interviews of this type before have you? We provide you free tickets." I was like, "Sweet!"'

Roberto LoRusso, pictured present day, admits he'd never listened to the whole tape himself, describing it as an 'amazing experience' but a 'trainwreck of an interview'

LoRusso said his nerves began jangling when he arrived, having only interviewed his friends' bands and small indie acts before.

He met the Nirvana frontman, dressed in the 'grunge uniform' of a flannel shirt and jeans, shortly before the show in a spartan back room with two uncomfortable chairs and a round table.

'It was me, Kurt Cobain and a tape recorder. I was woefully ill-prepared for the interview, and a lot of the information I had was rumor and hearsay,' he said. 'But the guy, what a champ, he was remarkably gracious and patient. He was just a regular guy, he was just a dude.'

In the interview, a weary-sounding Cobain told LoRusso how Nirvana's new signing with major record label DGC Records only netted the band $20,000, despite a $175,000 payout.

'$175,000, 33% tax bracket, 15% to our lawyer, 10% to our manager, $70,000 to Sub Pop, left us with about $20,000 to buy equipment. I don't have a place to live at the moment,' said Cobain.

'We've been on tour and we've been recording for so long, I got evicted from my apartment about three months ago. Every time we come back we only have a few days at home, so I usually just go to my mother's. I haven't found a place to live yet.'

Cobain also lamented how journalists were asking him the same questions.

'It's understandable, and I also realize that most of the interviews have to ask the standard questions because we don't have much of an image and there's not much story behind our band, and so what people can grasp, they base their interview off of that,' he said.

'But I'm getting really tired of the "independent going on to a major label" stuff. It's happened and there's nothing we can do about it so there's no sense analyzing it.'

LoRusso, pictured far right in 1992, dabbled as a DJ on his university's student radio in the small town of London, Ontario

After playing a few snippets of the interview on his student station - to an audience of around 15 people - LoRusso (pictured in white) boxed up the cassette tape and left it gathering dust for the next 27 years

When LoRusso asked him about his previous comments disparaging white rap artists, Cobain shot back: 'Oh, I don't know. Hmm, was I drunk at that time?

'I'm a fan of rap music but most of it's so misogynist that I can't even deal with it. I'm really not that much of a fan. I totally respect and love it because it's one of the only original forms of music that's been introduced. The white man doing rap is like watching a white man dance. We can't dance, we can't rap.'

When asked what the future held for him, the grunge icon gave a characteristically nihilistic response.

'Whatever, I don't know. Televisions out the window. Red snapper. Fire extinguishers. Sparklers, fireworks.'

LoRusso said this attitude was evident, despite the band being on the cusp of stardom.

'As I was talking with him, there was a little bit of laissez-faire, almost indifference to what was going on around him. I didn't quite understand it, I didn't get it,' said the teacher. 

'Because you're signed to Geffen, you're on top of the indie world, you're creating the most relevant stuff to date. And he almost couldn't care less, or was so distracted by something else that he didn't really seem to be enjoying himself.

'At the time I dismissed that thought. I'd just met the guy. But it was something that stuck with me. When he took his own life, it really made sense.

'It made me realize success doesn't mean anything if your world is chaos in your own mind. It's heartbreaking, he was a fantastic artist.'

Three years after the interview, on April 8, 1994, LoRusso was taking a seven-hour drive home from teachers college in Montreal when he heard on the radio that Cobain had been found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He spent the rest of the drive listening to the world come to terms with the news.

He met Cobain before Nirvana's show in Toronto and explains he was 'woefully ill-prepared' but said the rock star was 'remarkably gracious and patient'

Three years after the interview, on April 8, 1994, Cobain would take his own life, leaving behind wife Courtney Love and daughter Frances Bean Cobain (pictured left) 

'I just remember the highway, and the Buick Regal that I was driving, and hearing the radio memorials on the scratchy indie radio station. I knew it was one of those moments I'm going to remember forever.'

LoRusso says his encounter with Cobain put him on a trajectory towards his own love of music.

He had a band in the 90s called Sanseiru and these days he plays drums for a band called Red Arms.

He also has his own solo dub/noise/punk project called Dead City Beat.

LoRusso said he too has suffered from depression like Cobain, but the sense of purpose that teaching gives him has helped him maintain his mental health.

'The most important thing that someone can have is a sense of purpose. Without it, life becomes very difficult to live,' he said.

'It doesn't matter what resources you have, how popular you are or how great a musician you are, if you feel your life is meaningless it's a pretty dark place to be. I'm pretty fortunate that I fell into the right career, I'm a pretty lucky guy when it comes to that.' 

 

Link hienalouca.com

https://hienalouca.com/2018/11/17/canadian-man-discovers-his-lost-interview-with-kurt-cobain-27-years-later/
Main photo article A lost interview with legendary Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain has been unearthed by a Canadian physics teacher.
In 1991, Roberto LoRusso was a 21-year-old long-haired student who dabbled as a DJ on his university’s student radio in the small town of London, Ontario.
He’d got wind that...

It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.

Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.

Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca





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