Kurt Cobain killed himself on my 12th birthday. Well, actually, his body was discovered on my birthday. Forensics would show that Kurt shot himself three days earlier, on April 5, 1994. But as I was celebrating my first dozen years on Earth, the world lost its greatest rockstar. ‘Happy birthday… to… me…’ Some would argue that the grunge movement died then, too. But you can’t shut off an entire music genre in one day. I’d argue that Kurt’s passing signalled grunge’s imminent demise – but it was Stone Temple Pilots’ Purple that delivered the death knell. And you know what? The world was better for it. When STP released their dark, edgy debut, Core, in 1992, the lyrical themes of abuse, injustice, and sexual objectification went entirely over my sweet, little 10-yea...
