[57V]∎ Download Heavier Than Heaven Charles Cross 9780340936399 Books

Heavier Than Heaven Charles Cross 9780340936399 Books

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Heavier Than Heaven Charles Cross 9780340936399 Books

Charles Cross published this book in 2001 and has never amended or updated it. Much of what is in here has been publicly questioned or straight-up disproved. This book needs to either be updated or removed from publication. Leaving it in circulation is disrespectful at the very least--and borderline slanderous at the worst. It saddens me to think that this is what young people believe Kurt Cobain was like.

The most egregious lies come from Courtney Love. Her account of Kurt's lost days after his final "escape" is contradicted, on tape, by recordings Tom Grant keeps posted on his site. Courtney knew Kurt's whereabouts when he was in Los Angeles, even though she claims in the book that she did not. She also admitted to Tom Grant that she staged a fake overdose during her "hotel detox" on the day before Kurt's body was found. Her account of how and when she met Kurt has been debunked on the record by friends and journalists who were there at their first meeting. (It would belabor the point to provide more examples.). Regardless of why you think she might have done it, it's clear that Courtney has deliberately misled journalists, the public, and law enforcement on the subject of her late husband. If Charles Cross had any integrity, he would question her reliability as a source now--if he didn't when he wrote this.

Moreover, this entire book reads like a loaded thesis on the subject of why Kurt Cobain committed suicide. Cross loads the deck almost from the first sentence, framing the entire narrative with a sense of the inevitable that would have made a diehard fatalist like Thomas Hardy feel the need for a little levity. No doubt Kurt was a sensitive boy whose broken home left terrible scars that he explored in his music. But Kurt was more than the sum of his miseries: his sense of humor--juvenile and sarcastic but also surreal and uplifting--was part of what made Nirvana unique. You can hear the goofball humor that comes from small-town boredom in Kurt's interviews if you listen to him talk or watch him and Krist misbehave on camera. Charles Cross never once asks what may be the most important question a rock biographer should ask: what was it about this person that all these people loved so much? One answer I can give, from experience, was that we felt like he was one of us. I can't speak for everyone, but my friends and I loved him for the weird little in-jokes built into Nirvana's gnomic public appearances. Kurt was winking at us--sometimes very, VERY broadly. Cross ignores this aspect of Kurt's personality entirely, and the result is a sadly one-dimensional portrait of a person who was much more complex than this book indicates. (This narrative also absolutely serves the theory that Kurt could not have died any other was besides suicide, but I leave it up to the reader to decide whether she or he wants to explore other theories on that subject.)

Finally, there's the writing itself. So much of what is in this book is blatantly unsupported. It's terrible, lazy writing. There's the infamous last chapter, but there are plenty of other examples. Who says Buzz Osbourne was a tyrant? Who outlined the "rules" or "laws" of punk rock that Cross refers to several times in the book? (I'm a cranky old punk, and I don't buy all of them). Where did stuff like this come from? All this subjective stuff is so weird. But the worst, really, is the way that Cross jumps into Kurt's head at the beginning of the book, and doesn't get out. It's presumptious at the least, and dishonest at the worst.

If you read this book, please read some other books about Kurt and Seattle in the 90s, too. Please read Tom Grant's most recent book. Please read a good oral history of Sub Pop records. Please spend some time learning about more than just Kurt, because there's more to this story than this.


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Heavier Than Heaven Charles Cross 9780340936399 Books Reviews

I have always been a fan of Dave Grohl but never really into Nirvana. Then we moved to Seattle and visited the EMP museum and I decided to read up more on Cobain, someone I thought was greatly overrated.
The book is raw and emotional. The author did an amazing job with research and interviews. I actually found myself crying at the end. Dave wasn't mentioned very much in this book, however the friendship between Kurt and Krist was highlighted a lot and I have so much respect for Krist and his musical abilities. I definitely have been listening to Nirvana a lot more since reading and listening more to the lyrics than the sound because of this book. I plan on buying the physical copy, which I only do when I really enjoy the book. I recommend even if you aren't a fan. I wasn't, but now I have a better understanding of who Kurt is.
Heavier Than Heaven by Charles R.Cross, is a biography of Kurt Cobain's life. Kurt Cobain was the lead singer of the well known band, “Nirvana.” Kurt Cobain had it all, a well known band, money, and a famous wife, but sadly, Cobain took his own life on April 5th, 1994. Throughout his rise to fame, Cobain struggled with many mental problems, along with drug abuse, and other issues. Despite, his personal issues, Cobain was a worldwide phenomenon who influenced millions of people throughout the world with his music. Many people describe Cobain as the epitome of a rockstar. Normally, Cobain would often wear the same clothes, color his hair using fruit juice, and would do many things that lead people to question his judgment. He had a carefree attitude that friends, fans and the like admired. But also, he had a darker side to him, he often abused drugs like cocaine, heroin, and prescription pills. His fans didn’t realize that most of his music was a cry for help and that Cobain struggled with mental illnesses like anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder, which often lead to drug use and abuse in an effort to find the answers to his mental issues. Furthermore, Cobain often found himself broke and destitute because of his drug and gambling addictions. In turn, leading him into an even deeper and darker depression. The combination of his dependencies and his illnesses contributed greatly to Kurt Cobain's demise, however, his legacy may have grown stronger and the effect he has had on so many people still exists years later.
Wow!!! What a read... In so many ways. I noticed a few negative reviews in regard to fact versus fiction. I am not well versed in Kurt Cobain's life and some of the finer details. This being my first introduction into his life. So taking it at face value, I thought this was a fantastic biography... Difficult reading at times, tragic, heart-breaking, hard to understand. Which is why I love Biography/Autobiography & Memoir - causing you to probe much deeper than the surface. Kurt Cobain is a tragic hero/villain story, intertwined with enough conflict and turmoil that can feel like our own. I was saddened by this story, his story... But this is life... those that live it hard and swift, as Kurt Cobain did, usually exit far to early. A complex and harrowing study of the human condition, and the dilapidated effect of self-hatred...
I've tried to finish reading this book several times (thru the library). but I moved to a tiny town that doesn't have this book! what?! so, I decided it was time to add it to my book collection. why I haven't just done this, I have no idea. I purchased it used. it is in good condition, well read. it came in the mail quickly, faster than I expected. and I have finally finished it and placed it in my bookcase.
Reads like a mediocre rock magazine. Lots of purple prose and cliches. If you're looking for a work of scholarship on Cobain this is not the place to go.
Charles Cross published this book in 2001 and has never amended or updated it. Much of what is in here has been publicly questioned or straight-up disproved. This book needs to either be updated or removed from publication. Leaving it in circulation is disrespectful at the very least--and borderline slanderous at the worst. It saddens me to think that this is what young people believe Kurt Cobain was like.

The most egregious lies come from Courtney Love. Her account of Kurt's lost days after his final "escape" is contradicted, on tape, by recordings Tom Grant keeps posted on his site. Courtney knew Kurt's whereabouts when he was in Los Angeles, even though she claims in the book that she did not. She also admitted to Tom Grant that she staged a fake overdose during her "hotel detox" on the day before Kurt's body was found. Her account of how and when she met Kurt has been debunked on the record by friends and journalists who were there at their first meeting. (It would belabor the point to provide more examples.). Regardless of why you think she might have done it, it's clear that Courtney has deliberately misled journalists, the public, and law enforcement on the subject of her late husband. If Charles Cross had any integrity, he would question her reliability as a source now--if he didn't when he wrote this.

Moreover, this entire book reads like a loaded thesis on the subject of why Kurt Cobain committed suicide. Cross loads the deck almost from the first sentence, framing the entire narrative with a sense of the inevitable that would have made a diehard fatalist like Thomas Hardy feel the need for a little levity. No doubt Kurt was a sensitive boy whose broken home left terrible scars that he explored in his music. But Kurt was more than the sum of his miseries his sense of humor--juvenile and sarcastic but also surreal and uplifting--was part of what made Nirvana unique. You can hear the goofball humor that comes from small-town boredom in Kurt's interviews if you listen to him talk or watch him and Krist misbehave on camera. Charles Cross never once asks what may be the most important question a rock biographer should ask what was it about this person that all these people loved so much? One answer I can give, from experience, was that we felt like he was one of us. I can't speak for everyone, but my friends and I loved him for the weird little in-jokes built into Nirvana's gnomic public appearances. Kurt was winking at us--sometimes very, VERY broadly. Cross ignores this aspect of Kurt's personality entirely, and the result is a sadly one-dimensional portrait of a person who was much more complex than this book indicates. (This narrative also absolutely serves the theory that Kurt could not have died any other was besides suicide, but I leave it up to the reader to decide whether she or he wants to explore other theories on that subject.)

Finally, there's the writing itself. So much of what is in this book is blatantly unsupported. It's terrible, lazy writing. There's the infamous last chapter, but there are plenty of other examples. Who says Buzz Osbourne was a tyrant? Who outlined the "rules" or "laws" of punk rock that Cross refers to several times in the book? (I'm a cranky old punk, and I don't buy all of them). Where did stuff like this come from? All this subjective stuff is so weird. But the worst, really, is the way that Cross jumps into Kurt's head at the beginning of the book, and doesn't get out. It's presumptious at the least, and dishonest at the worst.

If you read this book, please read some other books about Kurt and Seattle in the 90s, too. Please read Tom Grant's most recent book. Please read a good oral history of Sub Pop records. Please spend some time learning about more than just Kurt, because there's more to this story than this.