Kurt Cobain – Corporate Magazines Still Suck t-shirt

This week marks the 23rd anniversary of the passing of grunge legend Kurt Cobain of Nirvana. Kurt is believed to have passed on April 5th 1994 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, at his home in Seattle. He was found a few days later on April 8th by an electrician who had come to do some work on his home. Rather than dwell on these sad events, we’re looking back to some of Kurt’s happier times, before he spiralled into heroin addiction – and one of his many moments of comedic defiance – when he wore the ‘Corporate Magazines Still Suck’ t-shirt to a Rolling Stone magazine cover shoot.

The original plan for the 1992 cover story was for the band to wear matching Brooks Brothers suits - to illustrate their new found fame and credibility - following the success of their second album, Nevermind in 1991. Kurt however, had other ideas - as photographer Mark Seliger explains:

“Kurt was very resistant - he didn't want to be publicised. He didn't want anything but to be true to his fans and to the music.”

Kurt did not relish the idea of fame or celebrity - and he didn’t like the idea of being told what to wear so he turned up to the shoot in a home made t-shirt emblazoned with the slogan “Corporate Magazines Still Suck.”

Seliger wasn’t sure what to do at first – should he ask Kurt to change? Would it affect his reputation as a photographer? But he went ahead and the editors loved what went on to become one of the most iconic RollingStone Magazine covers of all time. You can see Mark Seliger talking about the shoot and other memories of Kurt and the band here:

In homage to Kurt we have our own popular Worn Free Corporate Magazines Still Suck tee – available in three colours – original white like Kurt’s, grey or black. Don’t dwell on the dark times that followed. Take a moment with us today to remember Kurt at his best.