I try to avoid even thinking about Courtney Love, but my ill-advised subscription to Spin magazine made that impossible with the latest issue. The list (and it seems they focus more on lists than articles these days) this time was the 10 (or 20 or whatever) Most Influential Artists of the Last 20 years. And surprise, surprise, the gentle and eloquent Ms. Love is on the list! My first reaction was outrage. Then I began thinking maybe they had a good reason. Maybe they chose her because she killed Kurt Cobain, securing Nevermind’s legacy from the irreparable harm that a long string of In Utero-quality records surely would have done. After all, Cobain’s death was obviously so moving to a whole generation that many of us are convinced that even In Utero was brilliant. Had he not died young, we may have even looked back and questioned Nevermind. But not now. Not after Courtney killed him (or had him killed or whatever). So in that sense, Courtney Love really was influential. I never realized it until Spin made me think about it.
Then I read the accomanying interview. I should have stuck with outrage.