Aberdeen Memorializes Local Boy Cobain with “Lounge Acts”

Kurt Cobain’s widow and his hometown have a lot in common. Both Courtney Love and Aberdeen have battled substance abuse. Both are scorned for their blighted appearance. And both had a lot of wood running through them in their heyday.

But only one of these Cobain survived-bys wants to memorialize Kurt Horcrux-style—to protect and preserve the bits of his soul still influencing music, pop culture, and the minds of talented, tortured teens.

That would be Aberdeen. (Love’s busy ensuring Frances Bean’s grandkids never need to work.)

Yes, Aberdeen—the town that’s urged you to “Come As You Are” since 2005—or rather its supporters who run the Kurt Cobain Memorial Project. After paying for and hanging the Nirvana-song-title sign, the Project’s Committee has been focused on creating a Cobain-themed memorial park in downtown Aberdeen, and building a youth center to attract and inspire local kids. Estimated price tag for the park: $125K. Pocket change to Love.

But the home of “Tom Cruise Day” and one of Washington’s first Wal-Marts doesn’t own and can’t auction off Kurt’s clothes, musings, songs, or likeness. Aberdeen, then, plays fundraising host to Committee-sponsored events like this Saturday’s all-ages concert, “Lounge Acts 2007.” (Well, it’ll actually be in nearby Hoquiam.)

The Grays Harbor-area, Supermanly-titled Daily World says this show will feature “some of the top punk and grunge rock bans [sic] in the Northwest,” each of which will play at least one Nirvana tune. It’s an unedited, ballsy, outdated claim—are there still grunge bands anywhere, let alone “top” ones?—but honorable, nonetheless. We haven’t heard of any of these bands, but we’re not on myspace, so what do we know? Tickets go for $10 (advance) and $15 (door). It’s not likely that 12,500 people will attend, but stub sales could—if Grays Harbor County youth unites—put a dent in the cost of that park.

Though Courtney Love, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl—among other successful NW musicians—each owe Aberdeen for depressing inspiring Kurt toward musical expression, none of them are backing Lounge Acts or contributing time or cash toward fulfilling the Committee’s goals. Tax dollars are not being funneled into the Project’s books and no one is paying Committee members for their efforts. Saturday’s show, and any other Committee-sponsored event that follows, will truly be a labor of love.

We wish the KC Memorial Project folks—and Aberdeen fans—well. Theirs is a fine endeavor.