Hey Charles,

Usually I don't mind losing a debate but occasionally I feel strongly enough about my opinion to bring it up again later. This is prompted by watching the new DVD release of Nirvana Unplugged, which was on MTV not long before Kurt Cobain's death. I say with complete respect that I think you were wrong in being so dismissive of him. (And you, too, Alan <g>).

It's an interesting video -- a document, I would call it -- of a band at its peak, with few suspecting they didn't have much longer to go. The arena staples like "Teen Spirit" and "Lithium" are missing, as they should have been in an acoustic show. Those looking for portents can probably find them in the stage setting, with candles and flowers like you might see at a funeral. They do several cover songs, most of them about death. But the hand is in good spirits and makes a case that even being casual, yeah, they were that good. Cobain's voice is both strange and mesmerizing. He drinks tea, smokes cigarettes, and constantly tunes his guitar. You feel like you're over at his house. He even displays a sense of humor I didn't know he had. You may still disagree but I think we lost one of the great ones. I still don't know why he did it. Couldn't handle the fame? Couldn't handle the drugs? I wish someone had talked him into moving to some secluded Pacific island if it had become too much for him to handle.

The closer is a searing cover of Leadbelly's "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" His voice, never velvety in the best of times, becomes a howl. That and the achingly beautiful "Something In the Way" are the highlights IMO. But they're all pretty good.

Feeling open minded enough to watch it? All it will cost you is return postage. Or maybe I will make you an archival copy <g>. (Not sure if I have software to burn DVDs).