Man's Best Friend: An Alternate 1990s and Beyond
- Thread starter THE KINGFISH
- Start date
Ok I will try although I can’t promise anything because I am one for talking
Alright...
Ok so I just looked up "john k nft" on Google and OH GOD it looks horrible. It literally looks like John just waltzed onto DALL E 2 and just typed "abstract 1950s cats/dogs in ren and stimpy style".
His art does not work in digitized hand-drawn. AT ALL.
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He said in a blog post that he used Photoshop and layers for his NFTs, so the layers are probably what makes his NFTs look uglier than anything else he made.
Like I said, his art looks like shit in digital. I've seen better visuals in The Twisted Whiskers Show (sure that awoke some deep memories).
........................
You're right...........I sadly had to look it up myself...............
That's an insult to Twisted Whiskers. Then again, being on the same network as MLP and Dan Vs. didn't do them any favors.
Chapter III: In Bloom
The Yodel Song Origins?
Interview with Kurt Cobain on MTV’s 120 Minutes (1994)
INTERVIEWER: Kurt, how did you first get contacted about appearing in an episode of Ren & Stimpy?
KURT COBAIN: Well, uh, you see it’s this phone call I got at… 10pm, from some guy named Eric Stefani.
INTERVIEWER: And what did he say?
KURT COBAIN: He said he wanted to make a special episode of a cartoon that had us in it. And like - I was a little hesitant at first. I didn't really know much about animation… or cartoons. But Eric was really passionate about the idea and kept calling me - telling me “it wasn’t selling out” this, that and the other. I uh… honestly was getting kinda uncomfortable with all the attention we were getting from Nevermind. Like we were some sort of arena rock band. [1]
INTERVIEWER: Really. Now I’ve heard that before actually coming to Spümcø, you, Eric and the rest of the band were coming up with ideas for an episode. What were those meetings like?
KURT COBAIN: Really interesting - to say the least. Eric had all these uh.. crazy ideas trying to figure out how the hell he was going to put us in the show. Like us being mutated, to being superheroes, to even being aliens. Dave even had the idea of us being…. bugs with rabies or some shit like that.
INTERVIEWER: Man, that’s very interesting. So you’re telling me that instead of you being a talking yak in the Swiss Alps, you could have been an alien or superhero?
KURT COBAIN: (laughs) Yeah, I guess I missed out on that opportunity to be a superhero or an alien. Maybe in my next life.[2]
INTERVIEWER: Now, correct me if I’m wrong - but you and the rest of Nirvana were so busy around the time touring and performing that I doubt you had time to write a song for Ren & Stimpy. How did you do it?
KURT COBAIN: Truth be told, “The Yodel Song” was actually an old song that I recorded while screwing around in 1989. It was literally just me yodeling to a guitar riff. Like, I never intended for it to be released, but when Eric approached me about doing a song for the show, I didn’t have the time to write new material - so I went digging up older stuff from a few years back. And wouldn’t you know, that was the song I discovered.[2] So we reworked it a bit and added some yodeling and voila - “The Yodel Song” was born.
INTERVIEWER: That's really cool, Kurt. So what was John Kricfalusi like?
KURT COBAIN: (pauses) Honestly - that guy’s a riot. From what Eric told me in those early days, I got the impression that he can sometimes be a bit psycho on his worst days.
INTERVIEWER: Yes indeed. I’m afraid I’ve heard a lot of stories behind the scenes. Which brings us to the day Kurt first presented “The Yodel Song” to not only writer and artist Eric Stefani - but also series creator John Kricfalusi…..
January 28, 1992
Spümcø, Inc. HQ, 5625 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, California
[TRANSCRIPT OF VIDEO RECORDING]
00:00 - *video static and microphone audio interference as Kricfalusi handles camcorder*
00:01 - Kricfalusi: Is it working?
00:02 - Stefani: Ch-check the light on the side, it should be red.
00:04 - Kricfalusi: *stares at camera lens with stressed expression on face* That little punk is running late for the meeting.
00:07 - Stefani: Give him time. You know not everything runs at Narnia time, you know.
00:08 - *Kricfalusi moves away from the camera to reveal an office room with tan walls and animation memorabilia. Camera is pointed at an angle towards the door from a corner. A desk can be seen to the right of view. Stefani pulls a chair to sit at the side of the desk while Krickfalusi sits at the back, hands in clasped position towards face*
00:11 - Kricfalusi: God, I hope this guy isn't wasting our time. We've got a lot of work to do and I don't want to waste it on some mediocre musician.
00:16 - Stefani: I’m telling you, John. Nirvana is literally the biggest rock band right now, and you’re calling them mediocre?
00:24 - Kricfalusi: Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. But you know how it is, Eric. Sometimes the hype doesn't match the talent. *crosses arms* Music these days… why can’t we go back to the days of real music, like the Beatles or the Stones?[4]
00:25 - Stefani: Hey, this isn’t Nirvana’s usual music. Kurt told me last night over the phone that this song had a lot more… *waves hands with a squirmy facial expression* …traditional music…
00:31 - Kricfalusi: Oh… *throws up arms* …so you're telling me he’s just gonna play some uppity little tribal music?
00:38 - Stefani: *winces* N - No! I mean…. He’s just gonna play us an old-timey-
00:42 - *three knocks are heard at the door*
00:43 - Stefani: Come in!
00:45 - *the door creaks open, revealing Kurt Cobain to the camera, with a guitar case in hand*
00:46 - Stefani: Hey, Kurt! Glad you could make it!
00:48 - Cobain: *smiling* Sorry for being late, guys. Traffic was a nightmare.
00:51 - Kricfalusi: *muttering* More like he was probably too high to find the place.
00:55 - Stefani: *glares at Kricfalusi before turning to Cobain* So, show us what you got, Kurt.
00:58 - *Cobain sets down his guitar case and takes out a guitar*
01:08 - Cobain: Alright, this is a little different than what you might expect from me. It's a song I wrote a couple years back. Let’s just say it’s traditionally themed…
01:15 - Kricfalusi: *Imitates stereotypical Native American war cry*[5]
01:16 - Stefani: *facepalms*
01:18 - *Cobain tunes guitar, testing the strings*
01:29 - Cobain: Yodel-eh, Yodel-eh, Yodel-eh-hoh
01:32 - *guitar riff begins, Stefani and Kricfalusi look on in fascination*
01:57 - Cobain: I hear a sound that’s haunting me
02:00 - Cobain: A melody so dark and free
02:04 - Cobain: It echoes through my troubled mind
02:11 - Cobain: A voice that’s calling, so unkind
02:14 - Cobain: Yodel, yodel, haunting me
02:18 - Cobain: Yodel, yodel, can’t you see
02:22 - Cobain: Yodel, yodel, it’s all I fear
02:26 - Cobain: Yodel, yodel, ringing in my ear
02:30 - Cobain: He lures them in with a smile and a charm
02:34 - Cobain: But beneath the surface, there’s something wrong
02:37 - Cobain: He takes him to his lair, a place of fear
02:41 - Cobain: And there he makes them suffer, year after year
02:45 - Cobain: Yodel, yodel, haunting me
02:49 - Cobain: Yodel, yodel, can’t you see
02:52 - Cobain: Yodel, yodel, it’s all I fear
02:56 - Cobain: Yodel, yodel, ringing in my ear
03:00 - Cobain: *performs guitar solo in a manner similar to traditional bluegrass music*
03:30 - Cobain: I know he’s not real, but he feels so alive
03:38 - Cobain: He tells me secrets, he makes me strive
03:44 - Cobain: To be someone else, to take on another guise
03:52 - Cobain: But in the end, I’m playing tricks on my eyes *holds on ‘eyes’ as guitar riff crashes down*
04:00 - Cobain: *guitar riff starts back slowly, repeats faster and faster up to the original tempo*
04:30 - Cobain: Yodel, yodel, haunting me
04:34 - Cobain: Yodel, yodel, can't you see?
04:38 - Cobain: Yodel, yodel, it's all I fear
04:42 - Cobain: Yodel, yodel, ringing in my ear
04:46 - Cobain: Yodel-ay-ee-oo, the struggle never ends
04:50 - Cobain: Yodel-ay-ee-oo, I fight to make amends
04:54 - Cobain: Yodel-ay-ee-oo, to keep the voices at bay
04:58 - Cobain: Yodel-ay-ee-oo, and live another day
05:02 - Cobain: *guitar riff specs up further and further until it is a surf/metal like riff, Cobain bends and flexes aggressively*[6]
05:22 - Cobain: *guitar riff crashes down to a slow and sad pace*
05:32 - Cobain: *song ends on final twang that trails off over the course of five seconds*
05:38 - Stefani: That. Was. Amazing, Kurt! I've never heard anything like it.
05:45 - Kricfalusi: *nodding in agreement with blank face* Yeah, that was really something.
05:07 - Cobain: *smiling* Thanks, guys. I'm glad you liked it.
05:34 - Kricfalusi: *with quizzical expression on face* So… do you have any plans to work on anything else like this?
05:38 - Cobain: *nodding* Yeah, actually. I've been working on some acoustic stuff lately. I think I'm ready to try some new things.
05:45 - Stefani: That's great to hear, Kurt. We're excited to see what you come up with next. Maybe we can do more stuff like this in the future.[7]
05:52 - Cobain: *smiling* Thanks, guys. I'm excited to see where this goes too.
05:55 - Kricfalusi: Well, we should probably get back to work. We've got a lot to do today.
05:59 - Stefani: Yeah, let's do that. Thanks for coming by, Kurt.
05:59 - Cobain: *smiling* Thanks for having me, guys. It was great meeting you both.
06:03 - *Cobain leaves the room with his guitar case and shuts door*
06:10 - Stefani: *stares at table, thinking intensively*
06:20 - Stefani: So John… you think we should make an episode on this?
06:26 - *Kricfalusi clasps his hands against his face and sighs*
06:31 - Kricfalusi: Eric, you’re a great artist, and I respect you a lot more than I did a few years ago. But here’s the thing: I don’t know if this is a good idea for my show. You have this little jerk who thinks he’s the anti-John Lennon come on and try to turn my show into a big fucking joke.
06:47 - Stefani: Woah, woah, woah. Nirvana isn’t some big corporate boy band made up by a bunch of rich elites in New York. They’re a fully blown countercultural band that’s about pure art. Trust me.
06:56 - *Kricfalusi stares at Stefani*
07:01 - Stefani: They are artists. Just like you and me.
07:07 - *Kricfalusi falls into pondering position*
07:15 - Kricfalusi: They aren’t a bunch of poppy pinko liberals, are they?
07:21 - Stefani: *confused* …..No? I’m not sure what that means? And I’m pretty sure they’re far from poppy.
07:26 - Kricfalusi: Well then….. consider this your lucky break. We’ll make the episode.
07:31 - Stefani: Really?!
07:32 - Kricfalusi: But here’s the catch - I’m not gonna be involved in it.
07:35 - Stefani: Why not? Aren’t you gonna voice Ren?
07:40 - Kricfalusi: Oh, I’ll voice Ren. But I prefer to control my episodes. You handle your own little episode. We’ll just say your episode is a….. happy little accident.
07:55 - Stefani: That can work. But I’ll need assistance considering this is my first time making an episode on my own. Could I get some help from someone else?[8]
08:02 - Kricfalusi: Well, I got Bob itching to do more creative input on the show. And Vince and Rich could steer you in the right direction. So how about them?
08:09 - Stefani: Great! I’ve worked with them before. So, that will be perfect!
08:13 - Kricfalusi: *gets up and stretches* Good. *approaches to handle camcorder* Now help me take down this camco-
[CUT OFF BY VIDEO STATIC]
[VIDEO ENDS]
[1] Nevermind was relatively polished and poppy compared to the band’s first album - Bleach. No surprise that it was also their most successful album. However, this led to the band becoming pretty sick of all the popularity, and arguably worsened Kurt’s mental problems. On the other hand, I don’t believe that late 1991/early 1992 would be too late for this - as that was considered their commercial peak in popularity IOTL.
[2] While Kurt Cobain was known for his intense and often dark music, he also had a playful and irreverent side to his personality, as evidenced by some of his interviews and public appearances.
[3] We actually have no idea what song Kurt Cobain wrote for Ren & Stimpy - assuming he even wrote one. However, I believe that song is “The Yodel Song” - a song performed IOTL by Kurt Cobain on his home recordings - which was eventually released as part of the compilation album Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings in 2015. I will elaborate more on that in the next post.
[4] Since Kricfalusi grew up in the 60s, there’s a chance that he would have been into those bands. Hell, he even worked with Ralph Bakshi to make the music video for the Stones’ 1986 single Harlem Shuffle.
[5] Again, mid-century mentality Kricfalusi has in regards to Native Americans (or First Nations peoples as the people up North call it).
[6] If you want a more detailed picture, think a mix of the riff from Dick Dale’s “Miserlou” and the ending to Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” mixed with the ending of OTL’s Yodel Song.
[7] F o r e s h a d o w i n g
[8] He’s referring to Bob Camp, Vincent Waller, and Richard Pursel. Bob Camp was one of the co-founders of Spümcø, and later took over the show in late 1992 after Nickelodeon fired Kricfalusi. Vincent Waller and Richard Pursel were one of the main writers of the show, and helped to helm episodes such as “Sven Hoek” and “Rubber Nipple Salesmen”.
Interview with Kurt Cobain on MTV’s 120 Minutes (1994)
INTERVIEWER: Kurt, how did you first get contacted about appearing in an episode of Ren & Stimpy?
KURT COBAIN: Well, uh, you see it’s this phone call I got at… 10pm, from some guy named Eric Stefani.
INTERVIEWER: And what did he say?
KURT COBAIN: He said he wanted to make a special episode of a cartoon that had us in it. And like - I was a little hesitant at first. I didn't really know much about animation… or cartoons. But Eric was really passionate about the idea and kept calling me - telling me “it wasn’t selling out” this, that and the other. I uh… honestly was getting kinda uncomfortable with all the attention we were getting from Nevermind. Like we were some sort of arena rock band. [1]
INTERVIEWER: Really. Now I’ve heard that before actually coming to Spümcø, you, Eric and the rest of the band were coming up with ideas for an episode. What were those meetings like?
KURT COBAIN: Really interesting - to say the least. Eric had all these uh.. crazy ideas trying to figure out how the hell he was going to put us in the show. Like us being mutated, to being superheroes, to even being aliens. Dave even had the idea of us being…. bugs with rabies or some shit like that.
INTERVIEWER: Man, that’s very interesting. So you’re telling me that instead of you being a talking yak in the Swiss Alps, you could have been an alien or superhero?
KURT COBAIN: (laughs) Yeah, I guess I missed out on that opportunity to be a superhero or an alien. Maybe in my next life.[2]
INTERVIEWER: Now, correct me if I’m wrong - but you and the rest of Nirvana were so busy around the time touring and performing that I doubt you had time to write a song for Ren & Stimpy. How did you do it?
KURT COBAIN: Truth be told, “The Yodel Song” was actually an old song that I recorded while screwing around in 1989. It was literally just me yodeling to a guitar riff. Like, I never intended for it to be released, but when Eric approached me about doing a song for the show, I didn’t have the time to write new material - so I went digging up older stuff from a few years back. And wouldn’t you know, that was the song I discovered.[2] So we reworked it a bit and added some yodeling and voila - “The Yodel Song” was born.
INTERVIEWER: That's really cool, Kurt. So what was John Kricfalusi like?
KURT COBAIN: (pauses) Honestly - that guy’s a riot. From what Eric told me in those early days, I got the impression that he can sometimes be a bit psycho on his worst days.
INTERVIEWER: Yes indeed. I’m afraid I’ve heard a lot of stories behind the scenes. Which brings us to the day Kurt first presented “The Yodel Song” to not only writer and artist Eric Stefani - but also series creator John Kricfalusi…..
January 28, 1992
Spümcø, Inc. HQ, 5625 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, California
[TRANSCRIPT OF VIDEO RECORDING]
00:00 - *video static and microphone audio interference as Kricfalusi handles camcorder*
00:01 - Kricfalusi: Is it working?
00:02 - Stefani: Ch-check the light on the side, it should be red.
00:04 - Kricfalusi: *stares at camera lens with stressed expression on face* That little punk is running late for the meeting.
00:07 - Stefani: Give him time. You know not everything runs at Narnia time, you know.
00:08 - *Kricfalusi moves away from the camera to reveal an office room with tan walls and animation memorabilia. Camera is pointed at an angle towards the door from a corner. A desk can be seen to the right of view. Stefani pulls a chair to sit at the side of the desk while Krickfalusi sits at the back, hands in clasped position towards face*
00:11 - Kricfalusi: God, I hope this guy isn't wasting our time. We've got a lot of work to do and I don't want to waste it on some mediocre musician.
00:16 - Stefani: I’m telling you, John. Nirvana is literally the biggest rock band right now, and you’re calling them mediocre?
00:24 - Kricfalusi: Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. But you know how it is, Eric. Sometimes the hype doesn't match the talent. *crosses arms* Music these days… why can’t we go back to the days of real music, like the Beatles or the Stones?[4]
00:25 - Stefani: Hey, this isn’t Nirvana’s usual music. Kurt told me last night over the phone that this song had a lot more… *waves hands with a squirmy facial expression* …traditional music…
00:31 - Kricfalusi: Oh… *throws up arms* …so you're telling me he’s just gonna play some uppity little tribal music?
00:38 - Stefani: *winces* N - No! I mean…. He’s just gonna play us an old-timey-
00:42 - *three knocks are heard at the door*
00:43 - Stefani: Come in!
00:45 - *the door creaks open, revealing Kurt Cobain to the camera, with a guitar case in hand*
00:46 - Stefani: Hey, Kurt! Glad you could make it!
00:48 - Cobain: *smiling* Sorry for being late, guys. Traffic was a nightmare.
00:51 - Kricfalusi: *muttering* More like he was probably too high to find the place.
00:55 - Stefani: *glares at Kricfalusi before turning to Cobain* So, show us what you got, Kurt.
00:58 - *Cobain sets down his guitar case and takes out a guitar*
01:08 - Cobain: Alright, this is a little different than what you might expect from me. It's a song I wrote a couple years back. Let’s just say it’s traditionally themed…
01:15 - Kricfalusi: *Imitates stereotypical Native American war cry*[5]
01:16 - Stefani: *facepalms*
01:18 - *Cobain tunes guitar, testing the strings*
01:29 - Cobain: Yodel-eh, Yodel-eh, Yodel-eh-hoh
01:32 - *guitar riff begins, Stefani and Kricfalusi look on in fascination*
01:57 - Cobain: I hear a sound that’s haunting me
02:00 - Cobain: A melody so dark and free
02:04 - Cobain: It echoes through my troubled mind
02:11 - Cobain: A voice that’s calling, so unkind
02:14 - Cobain: Yodel, yodel, haunting me
02:18 - Cobain: Yodel, yodel, can’t you see
02:22 - Cobain: Yodel, yodel, it’s all I fear
02:26 - Cobain: Yodel, yodel, ringing in my ear
02:30 - Cobain: He lures them in with a smile and a charm
02:34 - Cobain: But beneath the surface, there’s something wrong
02:37 - Cobain: He takes him to his lair, a place of fear
02:41 - Cobain: And there he makes them suffer, year after year
02:45 - Cobain: Yodel, yodel, haunting me
02:49 - Cobain: Yodel, yodel, can’t you see
02:52 - Cobain: Yodel, yodel, it’s all I fear
02:56 - Cobain: Yodel, yodel, ringing in my ear
03:00 - Cobain: *performs guitar solo in a manner similar to traditional bluegrass music*
03:30 - Cobain: I know he’s not real, but he feels so alive
03:38 - Cobain: He tells me secrets, he makes me strive
03:44 - Cobain: To be someone else, to take on another guise
03:52 - Cobain: But in the end, I’m playing tricks on my eyes *holds on ‘eyes’ as guitar riff crashes down*
04:00 - Cobain: *guitar riff starts back slowly, repeats faster and faster up to the original tempo*
04:30 - Cobain: Yodel, yodel, haunting me
04:34 - Cobain: Yodel, yodel, can't you see?
04:38 - Cobain: Yodel, yodel, it's all I fear
04:42 - Cobain: Yodel, yodel, ringing in my ear
04:46 - Cobain: Yodel-ay-ee-oo, the struggle never ends
04:50 - Cobain: Yodel-ay-ee-oo, I fight to make amends
04:54 - Cobain: Yodel-ay-ee-oo, to keep the voices at bay
04:58 - Cobain: Yodel-ay-ee-oo, and live another day
05:02 - Cobain: *guitar riff specs up further and further until it is a surf/metal like riff, Cobain bends and flexes aggressively*[6]
05:22 - Cobain: *guitar riff crashes down to a slow and sad pace*
05:32 - Cobain: *song ends on final twang that trails off over the course of five seconds*
05:38 - Stefani: That. Was. Amazing, Kurt! I've never heard anything like it.
05:45 - Kricfalusi: *nodding in agreement with blank face* Yeah, that was really something.
05:07 - Cobain: *smiling* Thanks, guys. I'm glad you liked it.
05:34 - Kricfalusi: *with quizzical expression on face* So… do you have any plans to work on anything else like this?
05:38 - Cobain: *nodding* Yeah, actually. I've been working on some acoustic stuff lately. I think I'm ready to try some new things.
05:45 - Stefani: That's great to hear, Kurt. We're excited to see what you come up with next. Maybe we can do more stuff like this in the future.[7]
05:52 - Cobain: *smiling* Thanks, guys. I'm excited to see where this goes too.
05:55 - Kricfalusi: Well, we should probably get back to work. We've got a lot to do today.
05:59 - Stefani: Yeah, let's do that. Thanks for coming by, Kurt.
05:59 - Cobain: *smiling* Thanks for having me, guys. It was great meeting you both.
06:03 - *Cobain leaves the room with his guitar case and shuts door*
06:10 - Stefani: *stares at table, thinking intensively*
06:20 - Stefani: So John… you think we should make an episode on this?
06:26 - *Kricfalusi clasps his hands against his face and sighs*
06:31 - Kricfalusi: Eric, you’re a great artist, and I respect you a lot more than I did a few years ago. But here’s the thing: I don’t know if this is a good idea for my show. You have this little jerk who thinks he’s the anti-John Lennon come on and try to turn my show into a big fucking joke.
06:47 - Stefani: Woah, woah, woah. Nirvana isn’t some big corporate boy band made up by a bunch of rich elites in New York. They’re a fully blown countercultural band that’s about pure art. Trust me.
06:56 - *Kricfalusi stares at Stefani*
07:01 - Stefani: They are artists. Just like you and me.
07:07 - *Kricfalusi falls into pondering position*
07:15 - Kricfalusi: They aren’t a bunch of poppy pinko liberals, are they?
07:21 - Stefani: *confused* …..No? I’m not sure what that means? And I’m pretty sure they’re far from poppy.
07:26 - Kricfalusi: Well then….. consider this your lucky break. We’ll make the episode.
07:31 - Stefani: Really?!
07:32 - Kricfalusi: But here’s the catch - I’m not gonna be involved in it.
07:35 - Stefani: Why not? Aren’t you gonna voice Ren?
07:40 - Kricfalusi: Oh, I’ll voice Ren. But I prefer to control my episodes. You handle your own little episode. We’ll just say your episode is a….. happy little accident.
07:55 - Stefani: That can work. But I’ll need assistance considering this is my first time making an episode on my own. Could I get some help from someone else?[8]
08:02 - Kricfalusi: Well, I got Bob itching to do more creative input on the show. And Vince and Rich could steer you in the right direction. So how about them?
08:09 - Stefani: Great! I’ve worked with them before. So, that will be perfect!
08:13 - Kricfalusi: *gets up and stretches* Good. *approaches to handle camcorder* Now help me take down this camco-
[CUT OFF BY VIDEO STATIC]
[VIDEO ENDS]
[1] Nevermind was relatively polished and poppy compared to the band’s first album - Bleach. No surprise that it was also their most successful album. However, this led to the band becoming pretty sick of all the popularity, and arguably worsened Kurt’s mental problems. On the other hand, I don’t believe that late 1991/early 1992 would be too late for this - as that was considered their commercial peak in popularity IOTL.
[2] While Kurt Cobain was known for his intense and often dark music, he also had a playful and irreverent side to his personality, as evidenced by some of his interviews and public appearances.
[3] We actually have no idea what song Kurt Cobain wrote for Ren & Stimpy - assuming he even wrote one. However, I believe that song is “The Yodel Song” - a song performed IOTL by Kurt Cobain on his home recordings - which was eventually released as part of the compilation album Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings in 2015. I will elaborate more on that in the next post.
[4] Since Kricfalusi grew up in the 60s, there’s a chance that he would have been into those bands. Hell, he even worked with Ralph Bakshi to make the music video for the Stones’ 1986 single Harlem Shuffle.
[5] Again, mid-century mentality Kricfalusi has in regards to Native Americans (or First Nations peoples as the people up North call it).
[6] If you want a more detailed picture, think a mix of the riff from Dick Dale’s “Miserlou” and the ending to Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” mixed with the ending of OTL’s Yodel Song.
[7] F o r e s h a d o w i n g
[8] He’s referring to Bob Camp, Vincent Waller, and Richard Pursel. Bob Camp was one of the co-founders of Spümcø, and later took over the show in late 1992 after Nickelodeon fired Kricfalusi. Vincent Waller and Richard Pursel were one of the main writers of the show, and helped to helm episodes such as “Sven Hoek” and “Rubber Nipple Salesmen”.
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Author’s Discussion: Cobain and Kricfalusi
Author’s Discussion: Cobain and Kricfalusi
Nirvana appearing on Ren & Stimpy. I know. It’s as crazy as it sounds.
But as crazy as it sounds, it kinda makes sense. Both Nirvana and Ren & Stimpy broke the mold of everything that came before them in their respective fields.
Nirvana and Ren & Stimpy were both part of the cultural zeitgeist of the early 1990s, and their unconventional approaches to their respective art forms resonated with audiences. Nirvana's music challenged the mainstream rock scene with their raw, unpolished sound and lyrics that tackled social issues, while Ren & Stimpy pushed the boundaries of children's animation with its surreal humor and gross-out gags.
On a more somber note, both Kurt Cobain and John Kricfalusi fell from grace at some point. First Kurt. It’s no secret that Kurt had struggled with addiction to heroin and had severe mental health issues - issues that only got worse as Nirvana’s fame grew and became the talk of the media and general public. In 1992, Cobain married Courtney Love - another musician who struggled with addiction and mental health issues. Their relationship was tumultuous, and made headlines in the tabloids. In fact, ALL of Cobain’s personal life was being intruded upon by the paparazzi and the media. His addiction was getting to the point where it was affecting his performance during live shows - often either not showing up, or performing poorly. It even seeped into his work. During the MTV Unplugged performance in New York, you can clearly see the emotional pain Kurt is going through during the performance - how his psyche is being eaten alive by media narcissism. Tragically, all this would culminate in Cobain taking his own life. On April 8, 1994, Cobain was found dead in his Seattle home from a self-inflicted gunshot wound - having died 3 days earlier. His death was mourned tragically by fans and marked a transition for rock music as a whole - with some arguing that it has entered a funk of depression it has yet to recover from. His death remains a tragic reminder of the importance of addressing mental health issues and providing support and resources for those who are struggling. Despite all the turmoil, Cobain's legacy as a musician and cultural icon has continued to endure in the years since his death, and Nirvana's music remains popular and influential.
John Kricfalusi also fell from grace - but in an even less dignified manner than that of Kurt Cobain. Kricfalusi was infamously hard to work with, and would reportedly miss deadlines and have conflicts with the network over the show's content. This would eventually lead to him being fired in September 1992 over a now-infamous episode called “Man’s Best Friend” (HEY THAT’S THE NAME OF THE TIMELINE) - in which Ren violently beats George Liquor with a rowing oar to assert his strength. His colleague Bob Camp would take over production of the show - however, these new episodes weren’t nearly as good as the ones Kricfalusi worked on. Instead of pushing the boundaries of what could be shown on children’s television, these new episodes were simply doing what was expected and predictable. The show would continue to decline in popularity until being quietly canceled in 1995. As for Kricfalusi, his next big project was The Goddamn George Liquor Program - a web series about George Liquor that was groundbreaking as the first cartoon created specifically for the internet. After a couple more web projects, Kricfalusi would return to television with The Ripping Friends - but it would only last one season. However, his biggest failure would come with Ren & Stimpy: Adult Party Cartoon. Kricfalusi was contracted by Viacom to bring back Ren & Stimpy as an adult cartoon for Spike TV. However, due to his aforementioned problems and the network’s desire to capitalize on South Park’s success by being overly edgy and grotesque - Adult Party Cartoon was an unmitigated DISASTER - universally panned by critics and audiences alike and shuffled off the network after a mere three episodes. If you think it couldn’t have been worse than that - well… it got worse. In 2018, in wake of several high-profile sexual assault allegations, two women would come forward with allegations that Kricfalusi sexually groomed them. Though Kricfalusi would apologize (spoiler alert it was very half-assed) - the damage was done and the final nail in coffin for Kricfalusi’s career was hammered. Who was once regarded as a god in the realm of animation, has now fallen from grace to become a sort of Satan instead.
When analyzing the personalities of “normal” historical figures such as Genghis Khan, Adolf Hitler, and Joseph Stalin, we often look to their early lives to search for answers - such as how Hitler’s relation with his mother fueled his megalomania as the Führer of the Third Reich, or how Stalin’s dysfunctional childhood motivated his later paranoia during the Soviet purges of the 1930s. Back to Cobain and Kricfalusi, it is evident that both these men suffered from a rough childhood. For Cobain, his parents divorced when he was 9, a divorce that would leave a profound impact on Cobain. He felt abandoned by his father, who moved to another state after the divorce, and he struggled with feelings of neglect and loneliness. Cobain's mother Wendy also had her own struggles. She suffered from a range of health issues, including chronic pain and mental illness, and was often unable to care for Kurt properly. He moved frequently as a child, often living with different relatives. Kurt would later describe his childhood as "a nightmare," and said that he felt like he was always trying to escape it. He would find solace in music from a young age. He began playing guitar when he was just 14 years old, and he quickly became obsessed with punk rock and the burgeoning grunge scene in the Pacific Northwest.
As for Kricfalusi, not much is known about his early life - but from the few sources we have - it was probably miserable. According to an article for The New Yorker[1], Kricfalusi's father was a World War II veteran who struggled with alcoholism and anger issues. Kricfalusi has described his father as abusive, both physically and emotionally (not that that excuses his own abuse of those two girls). In the interview , Kricfalusi said, "He used to hit us with a belt. He'd come home drunk and start yelling at everybody." Kricfalusi's mother also had mental health issues, and she was hospitalized several times during Kricfalusi's childhood. Kricfalusi has said that his mother's hospitalizations made him feel abandoned and alone. "It was just me and my dad," he said in the interview. "I felt like an outcast." Kricfalusi has described how his difficult childhood led him to seek refuge in cartoons. He was a fan of classic cartoons like Bugs Bunny and Popeye, and he would spend hours drawing his own cartoons. Kricfalusi has said that he felt a connection to these characters, who were often outsiders or rebels themselves. "I felt like these characters were my friends," he said in The New Yorker interview. "They were the ones I could relate to."
Both of their rough childhoods manifest in their works, with Kricfalusi's cartoons often feature characters with dysfunctional relationships - from various episodes of Ren & Stimpy to the poorly-received Cans Without Labels short, while Cobain's music often dealt with themes of pain, alienation, and trauma - with him saying in a now-famous Rolling Stone interview, "I have this idea that one day it will all come out, this fucking person that I am, and it will be a relief."
But backgrounds aside, bringing Nirvana into an episode of Ren & Stimpy would be a match made in counterculture heaven. The irreverent and boundary-pushing nature of both entities would create a synergy that would be hard to resist for fans of both. Nirvana's appearance on the show could be a nod to their rebellious spirit and their willingness to challenge the status quo, while Ren & Stimpy's absurd humor would provide a perfect backdrop for the band's music and persona. Furthermore, Nirvana's appearance on Ren & Stimpy could attract a wider audience to the show, including music fans who might not have otherwise been interested in animated TV. This could potentially lead to increased viewership, which could translate to higher ratings and more success for the show. But if a rumor from the early 2010s is to be believed, this almost happened.
According to Stimpy’s voice actor Billy West, sometime around 1990-1992, Kurt Cobain visited the headquarters of Spümcø and told the staff that he wanted to write a song for the series. He even performed said song to them. However, neither the Nickelodeon executives nor John Kricfalusi particularly liked the song, and so it was thrown out. But there’s just one problem: there’s no evidence that this actually happened.
We don’t know when it happened, what the song actually was, or why it was written, or whether or not it was a theme song or just a song for a particular episode. Kurt Cobain’s estate hasn’t commented on whether this is true or not. Kricfalusi also claimed in a 2019 interview that he had no recollection of such an event happening. Meanwhile, in a 2022 tweet, Billy West himself said that the rumor was actually false and that no song was written by Kurt Cobain for the show. So it’s safe to say that it never actually happened.[2] But what if it did?
The fact is that as the old adage goes, truth is stranger than fiction. It may sound cliche - but we live in a timeline where Australia fought a war against birds, a timeline where a driver’s wrong turn in Sarajevo led to one of the deadliest wars in history, and a timeline where Pepsi of all entities owned a naval fleet. So really, Nirvana making a song for an episode of Ren & Stimpy is a non-zero chance. And there’s one person that I think would be best qualified to write said episode:
Eric Stefani
For those unaware, and confused about the first two parts of the timeline, Eric Stefani is the brother of pop star Gwen Stefani and was the keyboardist of the band No Doubt, of which Gwen was also a part of. An interesting fact about him IOTL is that he also had an animation career. He primarily worked on The Simpsons and Ren & Stimpy, but also worked on stuff such as Mighty Mouse (the 80s cartoon) and the pilot for Rugrats. He hasn’t really worked on anything since. However, it’s not unreasonable to suggest that he could improve his skills within a window of time of just two years. He would have to give up his music career. Since he would be born in the same year as Kurt Cobain (1967), there’s a non-zero chance that he could relate to Kurt Cobain or his audience of disillusioned Gen-X. This would prevent such an episode of Ren & Stimpy from suffering one of the main problems of an animated kid’s show trying to relate to kids: it’s that usually, because of the writers being years or decades removed from current trends, said “cool kid stuff” (basically anything rap related) tends to be some 3 to 4 decades out of date. With Stefani actually knowing current (as in early 90s) trends as a writer, it wouldn’t come across as “cringey” to audiences.
Meanwhile, you may ask - is The Yodel Song even real? Well surprisingly yes! It’s actually on the 2015 compilation album Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings. But unlike TTL’s version - OTL’s version (recorded in the late 1980s by Kurt himself) has no lyrics. It’s literally just Kurt Cobain yodeling as he strums on his acoustic guitar. But honestly, if there was any Nirvana song that embodies the spirit of Ren & Stimpy more than any other, it would be this song. There are several episodes of the show that feature yodeling and Swiss culture in general, so it’s a surprise that the show never made an episode set in Switzerland - considering the two have been to space and western towns. Since this was also around the time of Nirvana’s more commercial direction taken with Nevermind, it’s likely that the band would agree to make the song. Finally, the song’s unconventional nature can still be executed well with Kurt’s lyrical genius and Dave’s musical direction. Yodeling can be made cool by Nirvana. I mean for crying out loud - this is coming from a guy that sometimes wore dresses on stage and he still managed to look cool.
When you throw in the fact that both Nirvana and Ren & Stimpy were heavily countercultural in the realm of entertainment, this collaboration makes more sense than ever. With two of the biggest pieces of 90s media having a crossover, there is no way that it wouldn’t result in major changes occurring throughout the decade. We will see where those changes will lead us to….
[1] https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/...alusi-the-embattled-creator-of-ren-and-stimpy
[2] https://lostmediawiki.com/The_Ren_&_Stimpy_Show_(non-existent_unused_Kurt_Cobain_song_for_Nickelodeon_animated_series;_1990)
[3] https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1198265/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0
Nirvana appearing on Ren & Stimpy. I know. It’s as crazy as it sounds.
But as crazy as it sounds, it kinda makes sense. Both Nirvana and Ren & Stimpy broke the mold of everything that came before them in their respective fields.
Nirvana and Ren & Stimpy were both part of the cultural zeitgeist of the early 1990s, and their unconventional approaches to their respective art forms resonated with audiences. Nirvana's music challenged the mainstream rock scene with their raw, unpolished sound and lyrics that tackled social issues, while Ren & Stimpy pushed the boundaries of children's animation with its surreal humor and gross-out gags.
On a more somber note, both Kurt Cobain and John Kricfalusi fell from grace at some point. First Kurt. It’s no secret that Kurt had struggled with addiction to heroin and had severe mental health issues - issues that only got worse as Nirvana’s fame grew and became the talk of the media and general public. In 1992, Cobain married Courtney Love - another musician who struggled with addiction and mental health issues. Their relationship was tumultuous, and made headlines in the tabloids. In fact, ALL of Cobain’s personal life was being intruded upon by the paparazzi and the media. His addiction was getting to the point where it was affecting his performance during live shows - often either not showing up, or performing poorly. It even seeped into his work. During the MTV Unplugged performance in New York, you can clearly see the emotional pain Kurt is going through during the performance - how his psyche is being eaten alive by media narcissism. Tragically, all this would culminate in Cobain taking his own life. On April 8, 1994, Cobain was found dead in his Seattle home from a self-inflicted gunshot wound - having died 3 days earlier. His death was mourned tragically by fans and marked a transition for rock music as a whole - with some arguing that it has entered a funk of depression it has yet to recover from. His death remains a tragic reminder of the importance of addressing mental health issues and providing support and resources for those who are struggling. Despite all the turmoil, Cobain's legacy as a musician and cultural icon has continued to endure in the years since his death, and Nirvana's music remains popular and influential.
John Kricfalusi also fell from grace - but in an even less dignified manner than that of Kurt Cobain. Kricfalusi was infamously hard to work with, and would reportedly miss deadlines and have conflicts with the network over the show's content. This would eventually lead to him being fired in September 1992 over a now-infamous episode called “Man’s Best Friend” (HEY THAT’S THE NAME OF THE TIMELINE) - in which Ren violently beats George Liquor with a rowing oar to assert his strength. His colleague Bob Camp would take over production of the show - however, these new episodes weren’t nearly as good as the ones Kricfalusi worked on. Instead of pushing the boundaries of what could be shown on children’s television, these new episodes were simply doing what was expected and predictable. The show would continue to decline in popularity until being quietly canceled in 1995. As for Kricfalusi, his next big project was The Goddamn George Liquor Program - a web series about George Liquor that was groundbreaking as the first cartoon created specifically for the internet. After a couple more web projects, Kricfalusi would return to television with The Ripping Friends - but it would only last one season. However, his biggest failure would come with Ren & Stimpy: Adult Party Cartoon. Kricfalusi was contracted by Viacom to bring back Ren & Stimpy as an adult cartoon for Spike TV. However, due to his aforementioned problems and the network’s desire to capitalize on South Park’s success by being overly edgy and grotesque - Adult Party Cartoon was an unmitigated DISASTER - universally panned by critics and audiences alike and shuffled off the network after a mere three episodes. If you think it couldn’t have been worse than that - well… it got worse. In 2018, in wake of several high-profile sexual assault allegations, two women would come forward with allegations that Kricfalusi sexually groomed them. Though Kricfalusi would apologize (spoiler alert it was very half-assed) - the damage was done and the final nail in coffin for Kricfalusi’s career was hammered. Who was once regarded as a god in the realm of animation, has now fallen from grace to become a sort of Satan instead.
When analyzing the personalities of “normal” historical figures such as Genghis Khan, Adolf Hitler, and Joseph Stalin, we often look to their early lives to search for answers - such as how Hitler’s relation with his mother fueled his megalomania as the Führer of the Third Reich, or how Stalin’s dysfunctional childhood motivated his later paranoia during the Soviet purges of the 1930s. Back to Cobain and Kricfalusi, it is evident that both these men suffered from a rough childhood. For Cobain, his parents divorced when he was 9, a divorce that would leave a profound impact on Cobain. He felt abandoned by his father, who moved to another state after the divorce, and he struggled with feelings of neglect and loneliness. Cobain's mother Wendy also had her own struggles. She suffered from a range of health issues, including chronic pain and mental illness, and was often unable to care for Kurt properly. He moved frequently as a child, often living with different relatives. Kurt would later describe his childhood as "a nightmare," and said that he felt like he was always trying to escape it. He would find solace in music from a young age. He began playing guitar when he was just 14 years old, and he quickly became obsessed with punk rock and the burgeoning grunge scene in the Pacific Northwest.
As for Kricfalusi, not much is known about his early life - but from the few sources we have - it was probably miserable. According to an article for The New Yorker[1], Kricfalusi's father was a World War II veteran who struggled with alcoholism and anger issues. Kricfalusi has described his father as abusive, both physically and emotionally (not that that excuses his own abuse of those two girls). In the interview , Kricfalusi said, "He used to hit us with a belt. He'd come home drunk and start yelling at everybody." Kricfalusi's mother also had mental health issues, and she was hospitalized several times during Kricfalusi's childhood. Kricfalusi has said that his mother's hospitalizations made him feel abandoned and alone. "It was just me and my dad," he said in the interview. "I felt like an outcast." Kricfalusi has described how his difficult childhood led him to seek refuge in cartoons. He was a fan of classic cartoons like Bugs Bunny and Popeye, and he would spend hours drawing his own cartoons. Kricfalusi has said that he felt a connection to these characters, who were often outsiders or rebels themselves. "I felt like these characters were my friends," he said in The New Yorker interview. "They were the ones I could relate to."
Both of their rough childhoods manifest in their works, with Kricfalusi's cartoons often feature characters with dysfunctional relationships - from various episodes of Ren & Stimpy to the poorly-received Cans Without Labels short, while Cobain's music often dealt with themes of pain, alienation, and trauma - with him saying in a now-famous Rolling Stone interview, "I have this idea that one day it will all come out, this fucking person that I am, and it will be a relief."
But backgrounds aside, bringing Nirvana into an episode of Ren & Stimpy would be a match made in counterculture heaven. The irreverent and boundary-pushing nature of both entities would create a synergy that would be hard to resist for fans of both. Nirvana's appearance on the show could be a nod to their rebellious spirit and their willingness to challenge the status quo, while Ren & Stimpy's absurd humor would provide a perfect backdrop for the band's music and persona. Furthermore, Nirvana's appearance on Ren & Stimpy could attract a wider audience to the show, including music fans who might not have otherwise been interested in animated TV. This could potentially lead to increased viewership, which could translate to higher ratings and more success for the show. But if a rumor from the early 2010s is to be believed, this almost happened.
According to Stimpy’s voice actor Billy West, sometime around 1990-1992, Kurt Cobain visited the headquarters of Spümcø and told the staff that he wanted to write a song for the series. He even performed said song to them. However, neither the Nickelodeon executives nor John Kricfalusi particularly liked the song, and so it was thrown out. But there’s just one problem: there’s no evidence that this actually happened.
We don’t know when it happened, what the song actually was, or why it was written, or whether or not it was a theme song or just a song for a particular episode. Kurt Cobain’s estate hasn’t commented on whether this is true or not. Kricfalusi also claimed in a 2019 interview that he had no recollection of such an event happening. Meanwhile, in a 2022 tweet, Billy West himself said that the rumor was actually false and that no song was written by Kurt Cobain for the show. So it’s safe to say that it never actually happened.[2] But what if it did?
The fact is that as the old adage goes, truth is stranger than fiction. It may sound cliche - but we live in a timeline where Australia fought a war against birds, a timeline where a driver’s wrong turn in Sarajevo led to one of the deadliest wars in history, and a timeline where Pepsi of all entities owned a naval fleet. So really, Nirvana making a song for an episode of Ren & Stimpy is a non-zero chance. And there’s one person that I think would be best qualified to write said episode:
Eric Stefani
For those unaware, and confused about the first two parts of the timeline, Eric Stefani is the brother of pop star Gwen Stefani and was the keyboardist of the band No Doubt, of which Gwen was also a part of. An interesting fact about him IOTL is that he also had an animation career. He primarily worked on The Simpsons and Ren & Stimpy, but also worked on stuff such as Mighty Mouse (the 80s cartoon) and the pilot for Rugrats. He hasn’t really worked on anything since. However, it’s not unreasonable to suggest that he could improve his skills within a window of time of just two years. He would have to give up his music career. Since he would be born in the same year as Kurt Cobain (1967), there’s a non-zero chance that he could relate to Kurt Cobain or his audience of disillusioned Gen-X. This would prevent such an episode of Ren & Stimpy from suffering one of the main problems of an animated kid’s show trying to relate to kids: it’s that usually, because of the writers being years or decades removed from current trends, said “cool kid stuff” (basically anything rap related) tends to be some 3 to 4 decades out of date. With Stefani actually knowing current (as in early 90s) trends as a writer, it wouldn’t come across as “cringey” to audiences.
Meanwhile, you may ask - is The Yodel Song even real? Well surprisingly yes! It’s actually on the 2015 compilation album Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings. But unlike TTL’s version - OTL’s version (recorded in the late 1980s by Kurt himself) has no lyrics. It’s literally just Kurt Cobain yodeling as he strums on his acoustic guitar. But honestly, if there was any Nirvana song that embodies the spirit of Ren & Stimpy more than any other, it would be this song. There are several episodes of the show that feature yodeling and Swiss culture in general, so it’s a surprise that the show never made an episode set in Switzerland - considering the two have been to space and western towns. Since this was also around the time of Nirvana’s more commercial direction taken with Nevermind, it’s likely that the band would agree to make the song. Finally, the song’s unconventional nature can still be executed well with Kurt’s lyrical genius and Dave’s musical direction. Yodeling can be made cool by Nirvana. I mean for crying out loud - this is coming from a guy that sometimes wore dresses on stage and he still managed to look cool.
When you throw in the fact that both Nirvana and Ren & Stimpy were heavily countercultural in the realm of entertainment, this collaboration makes more sense than ever. With two of the biggest pieces of 90s media having a crossover, there is no way that it wouldn’t result in major changes occurring throughout the decade. We will see where those changes will lead us to….
[1] https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/...alusi-the-embattled-creator-of-ren-and-stimpy
[2] https://lostmediawiki.com/The_Ren_&_Stimpy_Show_(non-existent_unused_Kurt_Cobain_song_for_Nickelodeon_animated_series;_1990)
[3] https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1198265/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0
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We will see. And you might have given me an idea for later on down the road.
That was a funny line and make me wonder...either one could work. Either animated or live action...
Well, I don’t see why it would be live action for Ren & Stimpy. Unless your talking about some meta film adaptation.
And since Doug and Rugrats had a movie….
Oh man...................
That is................................great!!!!!!1
Ouch............This actually ALMOST makes me feel bad for John............But considering the crap he did, yeah, really hard for me to feel bad about his childhood.......
Right..........
And I think we should kill that whole trend ITTL.......
I didn't mean it has to be R&S related, maybe someone else offer another Voice Acting or Acting role...but that did give us idea... but could John K. Eric and co be able to sustain ninety minutes of insanity?