The Cobain 50

This episode marks the end of The Cobain 50 and El Cancionero de Kurt . After going through all 50 albums from Kurt’s list, we celebrated with an event in KEXP’s Gathering Space with a packed house of fans of Nirvana and the podcast to reflect on the series, what it’s meant to us, and what we’ve learned going through all of this music. Below find translations of the Spanish...

On our penultimate episode—and the final album on Kurt Cobain’s list—Martin Douglas dives into  Yip/Jump Music  by Daniel Johnston. Johnston rose from obscurity by self-recording (and self-dubbing) his own tapes and handing them out at McDonald’s, eventually finding a massive audience after Cobain was repeatedly spotted wearing a t-shirt featuring the cover of&nbs...

Janice Headley chats with frontman and co-founder Jad Fair for this in-depth look at the Half Japanese album  We Are They Who Ache with Amorous Love . Plus, KEXP presents the world premiere of “Lemonade Sunset,” the first single off the next Half Japanese album coming out this July via Fire Records.  Hosts: Dusty Henry and Martin Douglas Written & Produced: Janice Headley...

On this week’s episode of The Cobain 50, Dusty Henry digs deep into the two Butthole Surfers albums from Kurt’s list – Pee Pee The Sailor (also known as their self-titled debut EP) and Locust Abortion Technician . In one of the more expletive ridden artists on the list, we hear about the band’s story from underground legends to surprising mainstream success. Butthole Surfer...

In this week’s episode, Dusty Henry digs into one of the more caustic bands on Kurt’s list – Swan’s and their 1984 EP,  Young God . The band has one of the more abrasive sounds and stories on the list, making for a release that’s not for the faint of heart but vastly influential on industrial music. Disclaimer: This episode deals with topics including abuse, dome...

This week on The Cobain 50, we share one last bonus episode before we hit the final stretch of albums on Kurt Cobain’s top albums list. Ray Farrell may not be a familiar name to most, but he’s worked with many of the artists and labels we’ve talked about on the list: from SST and Rough Trade to Geffen Records, Sonic Youth to Wipers, Farrell has been through it all. He shares with...

This week on The Cobain 50, we’re taking a quick break from our regularly scheduled programming to share an interview with another Seattle music icon – Matt Cameron. Cameron is the drummer for legendary groups Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. Before then he played in the influential Seattle bands Bam Bam, Skin Yard, and Temple of the Dog. In this interview with Emily Fox, which originally ai...

Roddy Nikpour speaks with Josh Modell about It’s Only Right and Natural by The Frogs. By modern standards, The Frogs created cancel-able album after cancel-able album. Somehow, though, their punk innovation outshined controversy, catching attention from Eddie Vetter of Pearl Jam, Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins, and so many others. The Frogs inspired weirdo art everywhere — including...

What Records? might not be a household name, but the small Los Angeles-based punk label had a cascading effect on punk-yet-to-come. Dusty Henry digs into this somewhat obscure compilation from Kurt Cobain’s albums list which features deep cuts from L.A.’s punk scene, including bands like The Controllers, KAOS, and The Germs (which featured future Nirvana bandmate Pat Smear). We also he...

Janice Headley talks with Stuart Moxham of Young Marble Giants about Colossal Youth . This album from the Welsh post-punk trio may seem like a surprising entry on Kurt's list given its minimalist instrumentation, but these bands shared a similar disdain for the spotlight.  Hosts: Dusty Henry and Martin Douglas Written & Produced: Janice Headley Mixed & Mastered: Matt Martin and Roddy...

Dusty Henry and Martin Douglas dive into The Faith/Void Split by The Faith and Void. In our last entry from the D.C. punk scene, we relive the youthful spirit that drove these bands to make their mark.  Hosts: Dusty Henry and Martin Douglas Audio producers: Dusty Henry, Matt Martin, and Roddy Nikpour Special thanks to Isabel Khalili and Larry Mizell Jr.  Support the podcast: kexp.org/cob...

Martin Douglas dives into Album – Generic Flipper by Flipper. Despite the name, their debut album is anything but generic. Krist Novoselic (who briefly joined the band in the 2000s) described this Bay Area band as “proto-grunge.” Hosts: Dusty Henry and Martin Douglas Audio producers: Martin Douglas and Roddy Nikpour Special thanks to Isabel Khalili and Larry Mizell Jr.  Supp...

Following  KEXP's recent event celebrating The Gits and Martin Douglas's recent Throwaway Style newsletter , we want to tell you more about these contemporaries of Kurt Cobain.  The Gits were an early '90s Seattle band. Sub Pop Records recently launched a campaign to rerelease remastered versions of The Gits’ catalogue. So much of the band’s story has been wrapped around the...

Janice Headley dives into Eternally Yours by The Saints. (In his list, Kurt wrote the name of a single from the album, “Know Your Product.”) This is the story of how The Saints brought punk from “down under,” featuring exclusive insights from founding guitarist Ed Kuepper and Mudhoney’s Mark Arm, who has been filling in for the late Saints frontman Chris Bailey in rec...

Dusty Henry dives into the self-titled debut from Scratch Acid. This vein of — ahem — “alternative music” helped Nirvana in their own quest to balance abrasiveness with structure. (In the outro, Dusty works in a reference to Charli XCX, effectively dubbing this podcast "brat." We also have some special shoutouts.)  Hosts: Dusty Henry and Martin Douglas Audio producers:...

Martin Douglas dives into  The Flowers of Romance by Public Image Ltd. After he left the Sex Pistols in 1978, John Lydon created Public Image Ltd. under the influence of dub, resulting in experimental music that was just about as accessible to mainstream audiences as Kurt Cobain’s Montage of Heck recordings (which is to say, not very accessible at all).  Hosts: Dusty Henry and Mart...

We're back! This week, Dusty Henry dives into the self-titled debut from Rites of Spring. They represent the earliest iteration of “emo” music, proving that it would never be just a phase. "Emo" still exists in waves that ripple to this day.  Hosts: Dusty Henry and Martin Douglas Audio producers: Dusty Henry and Roddy Nikpour Podcast manager: Isabel Khalili Editorial director: Lar...

The Cobain 50 returns with new episodes January 8, 2025. We’re taking the month to rest with our families and listen to good music. We hope you’ll do the same!  In the meantime, let KEXP keep you company through the holidays with our other active podcast series, including:  El Cancionero de Kurt , the Spanish-language companion podcast to The Cobain 50 (English subtitles available on YouTube) A De...

Disclaimer: This episode deals with topics including domestic abuse, drug use, and murder.  Dusty Henry dives into Landshark! by Fang. Vocalist Sam “Sammytown” McBride murdered his girlfriend Dixie Lee Carney in 1989. Since his release from prison in 1995, Fang has continued as a band, raising questions about the complicated ethics of which artists we choose to listen to.  Hosts: Dusty Henry and M...

Martin Douglas dives into  Paganicons by Saccharine Trust. Written in Kurt’s list as “1st EP,” Saccharine Trust’s debut is one of the most original releases from the SST catalog, which also includes punk classics like Black Flag, Minutemen, Meat Puppets, and many others.  Hosts: Dusty Henry and Martin Douglas Audio producers: Martin Douglas and Roddy Nikpour Podcast manager: Isabel Khalili Editori...

Roddy Nikpour dives into The Record by Fear. Known for an infamous Saturday Night Live performance littered with slam dancers, Fear sings from a grotesque vantage point to call out injustice through “punk irony.”  Hosts: Dusty Henry and Martin Douglas Audio producer: Roddy Nikpour Podcast manager: Isabel Khalili Editorial director: Larry Mizell Jr.  Support the podcast: kexp.org/cobain See omnystu...

Dusty Henry dives into Tales of Terror by Tales of Terror. Their run was short and marked with tragedy, but their influence has kept their music alive for generations — from the local Sacramento scene to other bands like Mudhoney and Nirvana.  Hosts: Dusty Henry and Martin Douglas Audio producers: Dusty Henry and Roddy Nikpour Podcast manager: Isabel Khalili Editorial director: Larry Mizell Jr.  S...

Friday, November 1, 2024 marks the 30th anniversary of the release of Nirvana’s live album, MTV Unplugged in New York . This week, Dusty Henry and Martin Douglas set the stage and bring us some of their favorite moments from this iconic stripped-back performance.  Hosts: Dusty Henry and Martin Douglas Audio producer: Roddy Nikpour Podcast manager: Isabel Khalili Editorial director: Larry Mizell Jr...

The Cobain 50 returns October 30 celebrating the 30th anniversary of Nirvana's MTV Unplugged in New York .  This week, we're sharing a conversation featured on another KEXP podcast, A Deeper Listen. Dusty Henry spoke with David Bazan about Pedro the Lion's latest album, the third in a five-part series of albums based on places that formed his identity. One of his formative memories includes moving...

Martin Douglas dives into Daydream Nation by Sonic Youth. When it comes to art punk, indie rock, or alternative rock, there are few bands more widely influential than Sonic Youth, who were also directly involved with Nirvana’s emergence into the mainstream. The bands were signed to both the same record label and the same management company.  Hosts: Dusty Henry and Martin Douglas Audio producers: M...