Rock musician Kurt Cobain was loved by millions but understood by only a few. One was manager Danny Goldberg, who narrates his book about his friend, sparing no detail, good or bad, about the founder of Nirvana. Goldberg’s narration adds authenticity but reduces the craft of audiobook performance. He doesn’t pause when he’s supposed to, sometimes running one sentence into another—but his passion makes up for it. For hard-core and casual Nirvana fans alike, he explains Cobain’s musical genius in creating a new sound. Most revealing are the anecdotes about Cobain’s gentleness and caring for others, which is juxtaposed with his outbursts and self-destructive tendencies. Listeners will never look at the “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video the same way again. M.S. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
Serving the Servant: Remembering Kurt Cobain
Narrated by Danny Goldberg
Danny GoldbergUnabridged — 8 hours, 37 minutes
Serving the Servant: Remembering Kurt Cobain
Narrated by Danny Goldberg
Danny GoldbergUnabridged — 8 hours, 37 minutes
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Overview
On the twenty-fifth anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death comes a new perspective on one of the most compelling icons of our time-and the only book written by someone who knew him.
In early 1991, top music manager Danny Goldberg agreed to take on Nirvana, a critically acclaimed new band from the underground music scene in Seattle. He had no idea that the band's leader, Kurt Cobain, would become a pop-culture icon with a legacy arguably at the level of that of John Lennon, Michael Jackson, or Elvis Presley. Danny worked with Kurt from 1990 to 1994, the most impactful period of Kurt's life. This key time saw the stratospheric success of*Nevermind, which*turned Nirvana into the most successful rock band in the world and made punk and grunge household terms; Kurt's meeting and marriage to the brilliant but mercurial Courtney Love and their relationship that became a lightning rod for critics; the birth of their daughter, Frances Bean; and, finally, Kurt's public struggles with addiction, which ended in a devastating suicide that would alter the course of rock history. Throughout, Danny stood by Kurt's side as manager, and close friend.
Drawing on Goldberg's own memories of Kurt, files that previously have not been made public, and interviews with, among others, Kurt's close family, friends, and former bandmates, Serving the Servants*sheds an entirely new light on these critical years. Casting aside the common obsession with the angst and depression that seemingly drove Kurt, Serving the Servants*is an exploration of his brilliance in every aspect of rock and roll, his compassion, his ambition, and the legacy he wrought-one that has lasted decades longer than his career did. Danny Goldberg explores what it is about Kurt Cobain that still resonates today, even with a generation who wasn't alive until after Kurt's death. In the process, he provides a portrait of an icon unlike any that has come before.
Editorial Reviews
01/28/2019
In this loving remembrance of the troubled Nirvana songwriter and frontman, the band’s former manager explores Cobain’s creative genius and personality. After a brief history of the underground music that inspired Cobain, Goldberg (In Search of the Lost Chord) embarks on an emotionally resonant narrative of Cobain’s meteoric rise to superstardom and his attendant self-questioning depression. This insider perspective details how Nirvana’s explosion onto the scene in 1991 was carefully crafted, first by the tutelage of the band members of Sonic Youth and then by Cobain himself, who Goldberg persuasively argues was astute when it came to image and business (“It often felt to me that Kurt had planned the next several moves for Nirvana with as much rigor as he had rehearsed the music”). As the narrative moves toward Cobain’s 1994 suicide, Goldberg digs deeper into the singer’s contradictions regarding success (“He identified deeply with outcasts... but also embraced the joy of being part of a large audience”) as well as his fluctuating between sweetness and rage (he embodies “the idea that a cool guy could be snarling and powerful and also compassionate and sensitive”). This is a worthy addition to the growing canon of books on Cobain. (Apr.)
One of the only books to come out of the singer’s inner circle ... Empathetic and absorbing, illuminating ... Conveys the frustration, the to-the-bone grief, that comes from losing a loved one who was fundamentally unknowable in the first place. It’s the closest thing we have to a survivor’s account.” — Washington Post
“A fascinating portrait of the life, music and inner workings of Cobain.” — Rolling Stone
“Fascinating . . . essential reading.” — Entertainment Weekly
“An expansive and insightful account of rock’s most tragic figure . . . inarguably the most intimate and firsthand biography about [Cobain’s] experience of fame to date.” — Forbes
“Sheds new light on the image of Cobain as a tortured artist and . . . reveals the compassion and ambition that truly drove him.” — Observer, “One of the 16 Most Anticipated Books of the Spring”
“Add this to the rich sonic legacy of Nirvana —Goldberg’s soulful account of Cobain as a close friend, gone way too soon, yet vividly alive on every page of this remarkable book.” — Cameron Crowe, writer/director of Almost Famous
“People always ask, “What was Kurt really like?” That’s probably not a question that any one person can answer about anybody, but anyone who knew Kurt will tell you that this book sends you vividly back to that person. Serving the Servant contributes an invaluable piece to a complicated collage.” — Michael Azerrad, author of Our Band Could Be Your Life and Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana
“Insightful, passionate and cleareyed, Goldberg’s account of his personal and professional relationship with Kurt Cobain is required reading. It is essentially the story of two men, a generation apart, who became unexpected friends and a contemplative requiem to losing someone you love who touched the world with a singular magic.” — Thurston Moore, Sonic Youth
“As a fan, Danny Goldberg treasures Kurt Cobain as an artist. As Nirvana’s manager, he witnessed the ambition and empathy that drove Cobain toward stardom. As an activist, he admires Cobain’s courageously explicit politics. As Cobain’s shrewd advisor and fond friend, he misses him even more acutely than we do.” — Robert Christgau, author of Is It Still Good to Ya?: Fifty Years of Rock Criticism, 1967-2017
“I couldn’t put it down. As a huge Nirvana fan, it is petrifying to even attempt a description or enlightened comment about Kurt. I just want to say, any music fan should want this book. Any Nirvana fan must have this book.” — Joan Jett
“An emotionally resonant narrative of Cobain’s meteoric rise to superstardom and his attendant self-questioning depression . . . a worthy addition to the growing canon of books on Cobain.” — Publishers Weekly
“A deeply honest book that provides crucial insight into a brilliant life and a death that broke all of our hearts.” — Ann Powers, author of Good Booty: Love and Sex, Black and White, Body and Soul in American Music
“Amid all the darkness within and surrounding Kurt Coban, Danny Goldberg, his manager and friend, always saw the light. His portrait of Cobain is loving, intimate and three-dimensional. We feel the pain of Cobain’s loss anew, palpably—as we do the indelible power of the great gift of his music” — Anthony DeCurtis, Author of Lou Reed: A Life
“Precisely rendered . . . an intimate perspective on Cobain’s short life.” — Kirkus Reviews
“A thoughtful and oftentimes revelatory memoir . . . Goldberg was a crucial member of the band’s inner circle and, thus, offers unique insights.” — Booklist
“Fans of Cobain will devour this recollection of life with the artist.” — Library Journal
As a fan, Danny Goldberg treasures Kurt Cobain as an artist. As Nirvana’s manager, he witnessed the ambition and empathy that drove Cobain toward stardom. As an activist, he admires Cobain’s courageously explicit politics. As Cobain’s shrewd advisor and fond friend, he misses him even more acutely than we do.
Insightful, passionate and cleareyed, Goldberg’s account of his personal and professional relationship with Kurt Cobain is required reading. It is essentially the story of two men, a generation apart, who became unexpected friends and a contemplative requiem to losing someone you love who touched the world with a singular magic.
One of the only books to come out of the singer’s inner circle ... Empathetic and absorbing, illuminating ... Conveys the frustration, the to-the-bone grief, that comes from losing a loved one who was fundamentally unknowable in the first place. It’s the closest thing we have to a survivor’s account.
A fascinating portrait of the life, music and inner workings of Cobain.
Add this to the rich sonic legacy of Nirvana —Goldberg’s soulful account of Cobain as a close friend, gone way too soon, yet vividly alive on every page of this remarkable book.
I couldn’t put it down. As a huge Nirvana fan, it is petrifying to even attempt a description or enlightened comment about Kurt. I just want to say, any music fan should want this book. Any Nirvana fan must have this book.
An expansive and insightful account of rock’s most tragic figure . . . inarguably the most intimate and firsthand biography about [Cobain’s] experience of fame to date.
Sheds new light on the image of Cobain as a tortured artist and . . . reveals the compassion and ambition that truly drove him.
Fascinating . . . essential reading.
People always ask, “What was Kurt really like?” That’s probably not a question that any one person can answer about anybody, but anyone who knew Kurt will tell you that this book sends you vividly back to that person. Serving the Servant contributes an invaluable piece to a complicated collage.
A deeply honest book that provides crucial insight into a brilliant life and a death that broke all of our hearts.
A thoughtful and oftentimes revelatory memoir . . . Goldberg was a crucial member of the band’s inner circle and, thus, offers unique insights.
Amid all the darkness within and surrounding Kurt Coban, Danny Goldberg, his manager and friend, always saw the light. His portrait of Cobain is loving, intimate and three-dimensional. We feel the pain of Cobain’s loss anew, palpably—as we do the indelible power of the great gift of his music
A thoughtful and oftentimes revelatory memoir . . . Goldberg was a crucial member of the band’s inner circle and, thus, offers unique insights.
One of the only books to come out of the singer’s inner circle ... Empathetic and absorbing, illuminating ... Conveys the frustration, the to-the-bone grief, that comes from losing a loved one who was fundamentally unknowable in the first place. It’s the closest thing we have to a survivor’s account.
Rock musician Kurt Cobain was loved by millions but understood by only a few. One was manager Danny Goldberg, who narrates his book about his friend, sparing no detail, good or bad, about the founder of Nirvana. Goldberg’s narration adds authenticity but reduces the craft of audiobook performance. He doesn’t pause when he’s supposed to, sometimes running one sentence into another—but his passion makes up for it. For hard-core and casual Nirvana fans alike, he explains Cobain’s musical genius in creating a new sound. Most revealing are the anecdotes about Cobain’s gentleness and caring for others, which is juxtaposed with his outbursts and self-destructive tendencies. Listeners will never look at the “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video the same way again. M.S. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
2019-02-13
A sentimental but precisely rendered account of the life of Nirvana's Kurt Cobain by one of his first music industry backers.
Goldberg (In Search of the Lost Chord: 1967 and the Hippie Idea, 2017, etc.) was a key player in the 1990s alternative rock explosion, moving from his management agency, Gold Mountain, to Atlantic Records. In between, he connected with Nirvana when the Seattle band was young, untested, and hungry. He recalls those early days: "Kurt connected very deeply with the audience….It was a particular form of rock 'n' roll magic I'd never witnessed before." Regarding his role in the band's meteoric rise following 1991's "Nevermind," Goldberg re-examines old debates about "selling out" and the industry's role in dispersing the regional punk-rock underground. Admitting his unfamiliarity with the scene that inspired the young Cobain, the author's writing is most acute in revealing the complex machinations of the '90s pop music industry, which was reliant on radio and MTV. As Goldberg shepherded Nirvana to David Geffen's DGC Records, he recalls, "in marketing terms, the band wanted to keep its credibility with its early fans while also pulling in lots of new ones." The author provides a close-up take on the familiar tale of what happened next, covering Cobain's contradictory, sometimes-hostile responses to stardom, his attempts to stay true to an artistic vision, and his distress regarding media coverage of his marriage to Courtney Love. He focuses on Cobain's loyalty to his circle, kindness, generosity, and artistic temperament. Though he mostly elides examination of his flaws, Goldberg acknowledges they were always part of his creative development, and he provides a terse account of Cobain's sad, chaotic decline. Cobain returned Goldberg's regard, calling him "the most honest man in show biz." Some will note the author's continued loyalty to the perspective of Love, a controversial figure for many Nirvana fans; still, Goldberg comes off as likable, a successful insider still befuddled by Cobain's demons.
An intimate perspective on Cobain's short life, told in the spirit of burnishing a friend's legacy.
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940170097180 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperCollins Publishers |
| Publication date: | 04/02/2019 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
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