Not since the late 1960s and early 1970s has there been a musical artist who so completely spoke for an entire generation. After the breakup of the Beatles and the tragic deaths of Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin, there were few music icons left of their magnitude – until the meteoric success of Nirvana and their breakthrough Nevermind. Following Kurt Cobain’s suicide three years later, Kurt became the icon for Generation X and remains so for today’s youth as well.
Timed to coincide with Kurt Cobain’s 41st birth anniversary, KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON is an intimate and moving portrait of the late musician and artist Kurt Cobain as told entirely in his own words. The film, which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2006, was nominated for a 2007 Independent Spirit Award, was screened at numerous top international film festivals around the world, and will be released on DVD from Shout! Factory on February 19, 2008, the day before Cobain’s birthday. The DVD also contains a behind-the-scenes featurette and has a suggested retail price of $19.99.
Directed by AJ Schnack, KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON is based on more than 25 hours of previously unheard audio interviews conducted with Cobain by noted music journalist Michael Azerrad for his book Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana.
KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON is a profound, almost dream-like account of Cobain’s own successes and failures, thoughts and experiences, allowing the audience to gain unprecedented intimacy with this legendary figure.
For this unique film, director AJ Schnack assembled selections from the Azerrad interviews and merged them with newly filmed, evocative imagery of the three cities in Washington state that played a major role in Cobain’s life: Aberdeen, Olympia and Seattle. These expressionistic images, combined with a haunting original score by Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard and Nirvana producer Steve Fisk, as well as the music of 20 artists who influenced or touched Cobain during his life – including Queen, the Melvins, David Bowie and Scratch Acid — come together to create an extraordinary look at a man who went from impoverished indie rocker to world-famous tabloid figure in less than a year.
In the film, Kurt Cobain recounts his own life – from his childhood and adolescence to his days of musical discovery and later dealings with explosive fame – and offers often piercing insights into his life, music, and times. The conversations featured in the film have never before been made public and reveal a highly personal portrait of an artist much discussed but not particularly well understood.
Sidetrack Films presents a Bonfire Films of America Productions. KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON is directed and edited by AJ Schnack; producers, Shirley Moyers, Noah Khoshbin, Chris Green; co-producer, Michael Azerrad; executive producer, Ravi Anne; director of photography, Wyatt Troll; music supervisor, Linda Cohen; titles and animations, Tomorrow’s Brightest Minds. The film features the music of Bad Brains, Butthole Surfers, David Bowie, Cheap Trick, Creedance Clearwater Revival, Half Japanese, Iggy Pop, Leadbelly, Mark Lanegan, MDC, Melvins, Mudhoney, Queen, R.E.M, Scratch Acid, Vaselines and Young Marble Giants.
Shout! Factory is a diversified entertainment company devoted to producing, uncovering and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their careers sharing their music, television and film faves with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory’s DVD offerings serve up classic, contemporary and cult TV series, riveting sports programs, live music, animation and documentaries. Independent film highlights include the critically acclaimed Born Rich, Shakespeare Behind Bars, Los Zafiros, Unprecedented: 2000 Election, How’s Your News, Annabelle Gurwitch’s Fired!, among others. The company’s audio catalogue boasts Grammy®-nominated boxed sets, new releases from storied artists, lovingly assembled album reissues and indispensable “best of†compilations. These riches are the result of a creative acquisitions mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention. Shout! Factory is based in Santa Monica, Calif. Its fine products are distributed by Vivendi Visual Entertainment. For more on Shout! Factory, visit www.shoutfactory.com.