In 1989 when Nirvana released Bleach, my roommate at the time, Chanin (pronounced Shannon), and I picked up the vinyl and we spun that thing at least three times a day for months on end ... inbetween our two other faves -- Screaming Trees' Buzz Factory, and Mudhoney's debut. It was before we had even heard the term "grunge" but there's no question we were full-on into it. Chanin's huge white German Shepherd, Gandalf, was enthralled with the album as well, and he would sit in front of the speakers while we were blaring "Love Buzz," with his head cocked and his ears piqued, all the while groaning and howling along with the music. We lived in a late 1800's two-story house, and on hot days we would swing open the small dormer window on the second floor, then prop open the front door to get a breeze going through the house. So on one particular day, Gandalf is yet again howling to Kurt's voice, when he suddenly darts up the stairs, surveys the view out the window for a moment, then squeezes himself out onto the roof and launches himself into the air, landing on the walkway below. Of course Chanin and I are horrified by this, but as it turns out the dog is fine, only suffering a scraped-up chin. But as time goes on, Galdalf takes to the roof time and time again, seemingly enjoying the sensation of flying through the air and landing with a thud. I don't know if it was Nirvana that propelled the dog to do such a thing, or if it was our incessant playing of the album that drove him to the brink, but to this day whenever I hear this song, I have to laugh, remembering that dog with a perpetually scabbed chin running laps up the stairs and out the window.
At the end of that same summer, Nirvana came through town, driving across country in an old beat-up white van. Chanin and I went to see them at The Garage, a small club in downtown Denver. There weren't many people there, maybe 50, and they put on an incredibly intense show. I remember thinking afterward that we didn't even get to see Kurt's eyes, his hair hung almost completely over his unsmiling face the entire time. The following night we got inside word they were playing an impromptu show in Boulder, so we hopped in the car and drove to Penny Lane, a tiny little coffeehouse off of the Pearl Street Mall. This time, there were only a handful of other fans ... the tables were cleared from the floor and Kurt and Co. played an awesome set within arm's reach of no more 20 of us. Little did we know they were on the cusp of becoming one of the most influential groups of the decade. By the time Nevermind had reached epic status I had a hard time believing how our 'secret' had taken off, and for a long while couldn't take the overplaying of it. But even now when I think about Cobain I don't think of him as the mega grunge-icon the world knew ... I think of him as the shy and incredibly intense guy who said hello in the meakest voice as he crossed an empty parking lot ... and as the one whose music seemed to be the impetus for a dog taking flight. Incredibly, when I searched the artist's lounge this morning I found a post from a fellow mogger who happened to be at that café show, and another one in comments who was there as well. It's funny that out of a handful of people who were fortunate enough to have been there, that three of them are moggers. Who knew?
Crazy times, cool memories.
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very cool memories Erin
the next time i see a snow-white German Shepherd fly out a window...i'll know what's up
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fantastic write up , those stories are just beautiful...isnt funny how you dont think about yourself until years later ... love the dog story especially
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I remember a quote from Gandalf.... "Fly, you fools!". What a great story E. What a refreshing time on the music scene that was. I loved all the great heavy stuff that emerged around then. Never got off on the metal hair bands of the 80's, but when Green River, Mother Love Bone, Kurt and company came out, it was like, "Whoa". Still tough to top all that great music.
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Your story...brought tears to my eyes. How very blessed you were to "discover" Nirvana. Although I shared a city with Kurt, I never took the opportunity to see him perform. His music still haunts me, especially with the tragically sad ending to his story. I like the thought of him as a shy person crossing the parking lot. Seems much more appropriate than grunge rock icon. I wonder if he'd be able to stay shy if his personal demons wouldn't have chased him as viciously and his genius would have been allowed to continue.
Nirvana speaks even to the canines. Thanks for sharing such a personal and magical story
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Beautiful post E....reminds of the best parts of MOG!!!
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Oh, Erin, that was a fantastic, fantastic post. Your dog story made my day...though I am still prone to tears whenever I think too hard about dogs. They are such beautiful, goofy beings. Nirvana was pretty ace, too, though I didn't get on board until they broke. So glad you're back!
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...LOL!!! The dog story is hilarious... thanks for sharing...
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Beautiful story Erin. It's posts like this that remind me why I joined Mog to begin with. Thanks.
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wonderfully written.
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Dogs fly, who knew? It's an incredible story, one such Updike would relish telling. I'm not sure he would have done a better job, though. -- Lovely post.
Now, I had to look up who were the originator of this "Love Buzz" and found this on YTWhich reminds me that I didn't know much Shocking Blue even though their "Venus" was such a big hit. So thank you all the excitement and the disc hunting too ;)
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Sis hauntingly funny, real & incredibly beautiful... I am right there with Amberlicious - this is easily one of the best posts I've read in a looooooooooooong time !!! Thank you :)
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Wow guys, thanks. I didn't expect such a nice response.
Will, from what I know it's the sign of the next big thing ... either that or you'll need to stock up on some doggy band-aids. ;)
Danke Cam, I know you have a weakness for a good pup. Good to see you back in the fold again!
Randy, love that you pulled out that quote -- so apropos. :) That was an incredible time, on the heels of the new wave and post-punk stuff I loved in the mid 80s (I never was into the hair bands either, 'cept I do still love to rock the Metallica from time to time), then the grunge, and heavy psychedelic and shoegaze scene that was going on around the turn of the decade... I ate that stuff up like candy. Still do!
Amber, aww sweet sis ... I have to say the ending to his story was a hard one for me to swallow after having sensed the real human being that was there. I don't know whether it's better to burn out than to fade away, but it definitely would have been nice to see things turn around. Thanks for stopping in and sharing, can I offer a Kleenex darlink? Underneath the steely road rage I know you are just a cream puff... ;) xx
Dearest Blair -- that is so nice, thank you. I am raising my glass to one of the true, original mog assets (yes you) and concentrating on not getting your shoes wet. You know how hard that is for me. ;)
Jen, oh I am so sorry about your pooch ... they are beautiful and goofy beings indeed, and lucky to have spent time with such a good human as you. So good to be seeing you again too (I swear, I have such a hard time keeping up around here but you always have such great offerings on your page. I promise one of these days I will catch up!).
vannatta, good to see you, glad to bring a smile. :)
Mike, welcome back (I haven't gotten to your post yet but I will)! It's great to have the old gang coming back together. I'm quite sure we all have some more stories to tell. Such kind words, cheers!
Kit-M, it is a pleasure to see the one and only kitty on this post. ::meow::
Bart, yup the original is a bit of a contrast, aye? This is one of those cases where I prefer the cover, even though Shocking Blue's has the groovy psychedelia to it. Thanks for your lovely comment, I'm glad you liked my little ramble. Slainte!
Lizzieness, gosh you all are really being too kind, but it does make me smile knowing you enjoyed the read. It certainly was fun being there. Looking forward to adding another chapter's worth of stories come September when we storm the Rock of Red! xoxo darlink.
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Erin turns on the Memory Channel and out pops a great story, Loved the details. These connections we have to the music tend to be so much more interesting and ever more revealing about the life of the writer and the life of the artist even. As music lovers we all have stories, whether it's a simple memory about a song or a brief encounter with the artist who sang it, it's a unique story that no one else has and those are the stories that I want to hear, that's what makes Mog interesting or at least your one of the few people that makes Mog interesting.
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Erin, that was a great story. Although I didn't hear Nirvana until they hit it big, they were one of the pivotal points of my musical life. I can still remember the first time I heard them . . . it was like a breath of fresh air, bringing life back into the dead musical airwaves of the time. It completely changed everything I thought about music at the time. Although I stopped listening after awhile and moved on to other things, their influence and sound affected everything, not just for me but for everyone I knew. I also remember exactly where I was when I heard he was dead. I still have that newspaper. I think that brought a lot of us down from the clouds and realized what the anger and angst all meant.
Ever since, hearing Nirvana has inevitably been linked to that moment when I heard on the radio he was dead. I'd like to think now that association has been replaced by the flying fur of a white German Shepherd, flying through the air. That's an image I could handle.
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David, I think sometimes it can be easy to get caught up searching for the new and exciting and not remembering the music from our past that ignited the flame in the first place. There is so much history and heart in it for all of us, and you're one of those who has a wonderful knack for waxing the nostalgia while spinning a good tale ... so coming from you that is quite a compliment. :) Thank you my dear.
Chuck, yes I remember the exact moment on hearing it ... it's a terribly sad and inexorable link to the music, but over time it has been replaced by these memories for me. I think Gandalf would agree that all his scrapes were surely worth it. :)
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yah - i remember when the Nirvana came through my town back in the day - i saw them in vancouver - at the railway club. opening up for Tad - Tad was Huge!
i mean - literally....
he stage dived. he just missed me. that was scary.
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very cool testimonial -> had me laughing audibly! musta been cool to see Cobain back then before he was mobbed by the throngs -> even in his latter days, he seemed the shy quiet type, unaffected by stardum, always with the ripped blue jeans and hideous flannel ->
there's this house down the street that blares Nirvana (which I don't mind) -> it's the fact that I see their doberman at the second story window (unopened) and I think I see him trying to tie a noose with his teeth, I can't be sure! his owner's won't let him experiment with flight, so I guess he's gotta end it!
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Marcel -- wow, now Tad is one I haven't heard in a long time ... haha, I can imagine how petrified you were with a 300lb missile headed your direction ... Bombs away!!
Thanks Tyler ... you know, those dogs are crafty little creatures ... I wouldn't be surprised if he was fashioning a zip line and plotting his escape. ;)
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ha -> rather go to the pound!
had to say again how much I loved your dissertation, hilarious -> although at first I was saddened to hear the dog had jumped off the roof, thought he wasn't going to make it! great tune too, lotta memories on Nirvana -> thanks
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meow meow meow.
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"I think of him as the shy and incredibly intense guy who said hello in the meakest voice as he crossed an empty parking lot" - Imagine if you told him your flying dog story. He would have backed away even more meakly. Very funny stuff, Erin!
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What a great post!
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Colin -- whoops, sorry I missed your comment before. You're right though ... it's usually better when I keep my mouth shut! ;)
Hey, thanks River ... haven't seen you around in forever. Cheers!
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I lurk more now these days than anything else, but I'm still here. I'm trying to keep my mouth shut also, as I have a tendency be more glass-half-full, and there's already plenty of that in the world. I wish more posts were like this though; personal reflections on music. Anyways, thanks!
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A glass-half-full attitude is always welcome here!