Kurt Cobain was an American musician and co-founder of the band Nirvana. He traveled worldwide to perform and helped create songs that amass billions of listens on many different video and music platforms online. He was born on February 20, 1967. Cobain and his family had a long musical history, and at the age of fourteen Cobain began to learn how to play guitar. In 1985, he formed the short-lived band, 'Fecal Matter,' before helping pioneer the band 'Nirvana' in 1989 with Krist Novoselic. Cobain had bronchitis, depression, an undiagnosed stomach disease, and often participated in drug abuse with his wife Courtney Love. Cobain's body was found on April 8, 1994 lifeless at his Lake Washington Boulevard house. His estimated death date was April 5, 1994. Some hypothesize that he was murdered or assassinated, but the official cause of death for Kurt Cobain was death via Suicide by Shotgun. The local police still get requests to re-open the case weekly, and countless shows, movies, and documentaries about Cobain have been made. Memorials for Cobain can be found from his hometown in Washington to as far as Nepal. Cobain considered himself bisexual, and diary entries show that he was against the Capitalist economic system of the United States. He also went on to denounce sexism, homophobia, and anti-LGBTQ aspects in society. He was anti-establishment and pro-choice for abortions. During the Gulf War, he was staunchly against the American Invasion of Iraq and wrote in his journal for all Muslims to unite against foreign occupation.
Mid to Late 90's, Y2K
Before Cobain's death, there were plans for a more calmer album compared to their rebellious rock and grunge style previously. Musician Michael Stipe said,
"I mean, I know what the next Nirvana recording was going to sound like. It was going to be very quiet and acoustic, with lots of stringed instruments. It was going to be an amazing fucking record, and I'm a little bit angry at him for killing himself. He and I were going to record a trial run of the album, a demo tape. It was all set up. He had a plane ticket. He had a car picking him up. And at the last minute he called and said, 'I can't come.'"
Many studio recordings have been released by the companies in charge of Nirvana's name and copyright, but even more will likely never be released to the public, only in the hands of Cobain's close family. Over 70 songs that were unreleased and eventually released over the following decades following Cobain's death would either be left unfinished or released in new albums. It is impossibly to hypothesize names of new albums or what type of music Nirvana would make in the future if Cobain lived, but looking at the average lifespan of bands and the differing interests of the band members, it is plausible to assume that Nirvana would disband around 1998-2003. Novoselic, the bassist and co-founder of Nirvana, grew interested into politics & social activism, and is the leader of a Centrist Party (as of May 30, 2023.) Cobain likely would have wanted to focus on his family later in his life, as he grew into his 40's and 50's. It is entirely plausible that Cobain being alive would lead to earlier LGBTQ-representation in the United States, as he was staunchly in favour of it, and, as previously mentioned, was anti-establishment. He is often called the 'Spokesperson of Generation X,' and would be much more influential if he had lived into the 21st century.
Age of Globalism
Entering the 21st Century, there is a point of divergence for Cobain. Cobain had struggled with on-and-off drug abuse for over a decade at this point in time if he had lived. Either he would enter medical care to help him recover, or likely die from a drug overdose and possible suicide influenced by this later in his life than in our timeline. For the sake of having a longer scenario, we will assume Kurt Cobain begins to recover from the drug abuse after the end of Nirvana. Cobain would likely be very against the American Invasion of Iraq & Afghanistan after the September 11 Attacks of 2001. However, it is unlikely that Cobain would have entered any political parties or participated in rallies, as he hated how politics tore people apart. Cobain would likely also be against the toppling of Gaddafi. He would likely take a neutral stance on the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Palestine conflict. It is likely that Cobain would die from natural causes sometime between 2010-2025. By 2010, he would have already been nearing his 50's. Due to various unhealthy habits, including drug abuse, he would likely not make it to his 70's or 80's. Cobain would be remembered for his lasting legacy on music, politics, and how he brought a new art to grunge music. Thank you singular person for taking the time to read my terrible scenario and I hope it was bearable.
