Kurt Cobain Saves The Day

Reko Muse was a feminist art house in Olympia, WA. They were having trouble making rent. The art drew a crowd, but the crowd wasn’t buying works. 

On April Fools’ Day 1989, they did an unofficial benefit show. 

Tammy Rae was friends with Kurt Cobain, whose little local band called Nirvana could draw a crowd. 

Kurt was a fan of Reko Muse, and Tammy Rae, and he convinced the rest of the band to let Reko Muse keep the proceeds. 

Before the show, one of the opening acts started acting stupid. They were drawing d***s on the walls, which, doesn’t exactly mesh with the feminist art house aesthetic. A fight almost broke out, and despite the d***-drawers getting shut down, Kurt convinced Tammy Rae and her friend Kathleen Hanna to go out for a drink while the show started.

They walked to a bar, cooled off, and then walked back. 

But on their way back through, they realized the d***-drawers were on stage and playing. 

Bastards.

Kurt took matters into his own hands. Kind of literally. 

He crawled behind the band on stage and unplugged their instruments one by one until all you could hear were drums. The band turned around and saw Kurt smiling with the cords dangling from his hands. 

They were just an opener. He was the headliner. The situation was diffused. 

Small communities need status and self-enforcing support systems. 

I love this story so much. 

The people just have to care. And when the people who don’t care show up, you need a way to send them packing. Ideally, with a smile. 

The Reko Muse raised enough money to stay open for the next several months at least. 

And Kathleen Hanna, because the art house booked more and more shows, got her first chance to hear her voice through a PA. 

The rest is history. 

So much history. So much stemming from that night in that room. 

h/t Kathleen Hanna’s Rebel Girl: My Life As a Feminist Punk.