Few years ago, when the skinny – converse madness started, I was proud of my beautiful red one stars.
Now I don’t sport that look anymore or else people will see me when taking my kids in the park and take me as their older sister, since all adolescents are uniforming converse-skinny outfits. However, Converse will always be wearable, even if I momentarily discard them. This time they’ve got an anniversary to celebrate – their 100th, this summer. And the (not anymore) surprise was a collection of sneakers with scribbling from Kurt Cobain’s journals. Or at least that’s what we’re told. Inscriptions like “Punk Rock Means Freedom” will carry our young (and not only) steps through the day for a better living.
There were times, when I was young, when grunge was appealing. Adolescence is a sensitive period in one’s evolution. Growing up, I was most happy to ditch the darkness of all that and carry on with what can be described as a commercial-enjoying life. I can even bring myself to listening radio music and, surprisingly, I like it. I can put dresses on and don’t feel like undergoing a social pressure.
Converse is trying to bring back punk attitude in an emo-era. They’re calling in Sid Vicious for the campaign? That’s a bit overrated. I wonder who gave them the idea of campaigning with M.I.A. Maybe she’ll save all this converse century thing from disaster. Because I for one don’t look at shoes with a suicidal writings on as a smart move. But maybe that’s my grown-up self talking.
What do you think? Is Kurt Cobain still representing for present times?
(photos thedailyswarm)
41 comments
[…] a Converse Madness out there. And the latest fling to prove it is the Pepsi – Converse […]
hola
i truly don’t believe he was suicidal and the writings in his journals that are on the sneakers aren’t suicidal. so you could do so much as research your subjects before you write about them in an all knowing fashion.
hy,im 12 and im from croatia
i have those kurt cobain sneakers,those white,hi top ones.i like nirvana very much and these chucks are really great
Grunge was an era of not caring about what others thought of you. We were sick of the mindless spending and fed up with being put into a corner. Grunge was not how you dressed, it was how you felt. You lived grunge, it was made in the heart. We didnt hate, but wanted change. Short lived in the public eye? of course, but were still around. I now lead a great life, have an awesome carrer where I have to wear a tie. But I owe it to this era, it brought me out, made me an individual, something that todays youth is missing out on. Every now and then I still adorne my flannel shirt, put on those ragedy one stars, and get lost in my headphones to the lyrics of mudhoney, nirvana, or the screaming trees. I just sit in my floor and thank the stars that I experienced something as great as what the hippies did in the 60’s. I survived the 90’s.
I AM COMPLETELY WITH MR.BEN.. STOLE THE WORDS OUT OF MY MOUTH ;)
P.S. WHATEVER FLOATS YOUR BOAT, BUT WHAT MAKES YOU SIDE WITH M.I.A AS OPPOSED TO KURT? WHAT’S WORSE ABOUT ”SUICIDAL” NOTES VS. LYRICS ABOUT WEED & MURDER?
kurt cobain still lives in some of american society today not in person but in attitudes he an its nut just him its that he may be dead but theres other grunge bands out there that will keep this generation moving grunge is not dead its just hit a slow
cobain is cooolll…
Jade Keegan
It seems more of another scr*w turn of a long time ago incoming change booming in our a*es than the grunge back.Let’s put a begining in the 90’s with Irak and all the f*ups around I’ll never understand and wouldn’t give a s*t for, just for this generation.We all get more and more scr*ed by this global fakeofalife system.I think good bands with a good will are out of the bounds of main markets, thus I hope everyone’s lesson learnt with a nice exampled Cobain, and no a*ole sellout come out to ride the wave for a major label in a latent grunge-angst come back or whatever. Remember this -fashion- comes from those times in which a lot of people is f*ed up, poor and miserable and feel and wear the only way they can. And think some f*ing trend hunters will point at ease at reality to draw the fakes and make their dirty business.
SMELLS LIKE MOTHER*ING ZOMBIES.
Wear your ties and put your heads down
I disagree, why in the hell did they put out those converse with kurt’s writings from his journals, anyway, grunge was nothing but a label, nirvana’s music was nothing like the other bands from Seattle i mean, they didnt sound the same, every band had its own sound, unfortunately nirvana was the one that gained Major media attention, this is not about just “grunge” it’s about good music remember remember theres lots of ggod bands from the 80’s, 90’s that left us good music too, regarding to the PUNK attitude I think that in times like these where music has become all about MONEY, everyone can make some ANARCHY haha i get lost in some bands music when i put on my headphones but also when im driving scream like crazy when listening so loud to Nirvana or SilverChair or you know The Swans, The Pixies, etc, so people can think that PUNK is still alive and dont giving a shit about what can they think!!!
@Chris every day I put my headphones on for some time to listen to great rock bands from the 80’s/90’s. I agree that (most) of today’s music has become all about money and image.
I’ve never understood those Converse sneakers with texts of what’s supposed from Kurt Cobain’s diary.
I’m Dutch and have a hard time finding the rigth word in English what we use for stuff like this…..death body snachters?
Nor my dictionary or Babelfish or Google tranlations can give me the translation for “lijkenpikkers”….
Kurt Would Of Hated These. Seriously These Shoe Are F-ing Stupid!
Garrrrr…..
@ Cobain Lover… I Don’t Believe He Was Suicidal Either…
I Also Don’t Believe He Killed Himself
<3 R.I.P Kurt, I Love You Dude... You'll Never Be Forgot <3
xx
cobian was VERY suicidal. i believe he killed himself. Courtney wasnt a great help either.
And he would hate these.
hed want the nation to wear REGULAR ones, but personalize them with sharpies or something.
Watch the movie- “about a son” and your opinions will be changed. your all f****** retarded for thinking Courtney killed him.
How would any of you’s known what Kurt Cobain liked?
Did any of you know him personally?
Me thinks not.
All i know is that i love Kurt and i Love these converse and you all need to get over the fact that he’s dead and there’s no more Nivarna.
I have.
Move on!
I know I can’t tell anyone what Kurt would have liked or not, but I do think that people should research a little more and stop believing the media when writing a blog like this. Music is about the individual listening to it, and the feelings around that. Media lies, and one can’t go blindly after everything they write. All I know is that Kurt and Nirvana has made a difference in many people’s lives, just like hundreds of other bands out there. He certainly made an impact on mine, and in a very good way.
Cheers to you Kurt!
I cannot stand it when a company takes a concept like punk (rock) and tries to make money off it. Punk means ‘don’t sell-out’. Hopefully those who hold punk dear to their hearts will not buy these stupid shoes
Converse shoes where long on the market before grunge appeared. Punk was two decades earlier. To be correct!
I like Converse because I like them. I liked them before grunge appeared. But they’ve a different meaning for some people because Kurt Cobain and with him millions of others wore them back in the hey-days of grunge.
@Adriana
Google is actually right I think. “Vultures” is the term you are looking for.
” a person or thing that preys, esp. greedily or unscrupulously: That vulture would sell out his best friend. ”
If anything I’d have to agree with henry, Buy normal shoes and a sharpie and do the same.
@Veh:
Thank you, that’s friendly.Though I’ve found that out recently since I wanted to know what the name of super band “Them Crooked Vultures” meant! So that’s what theses people are……:)
you know what he’s not gone and never will be and idc who doesn’t like it Kurt Cobain is history and always will be. My great grand kids will know who he is. He’s gone and you still can’t quit talkin about him. Don’t you get why he killed himself … cause retards who cant let people be themselves everyone isnt perfect and cant live a comercial – enjoying life okay? Not everyone has that ability. I hate people that just assume crap without knowing anything. People just suck balls ok so if we wanna wear converse with Cobain’s words suicidal or not its our choice get over it asshole.
hey ben, thanx
you really expained me what really grunge is……m a huge fan of nirvana….and i have been listining him since 90….and i always wanted to dress like kurt…..but grunge dosent come copying some one….it has to be in you……..thanx ben….grunge not dead……nirvana lives in my ears….
Your “grown up self” really needs grammar lessons. Kurt Cobain inspires people who love music for the soul of it. I’ve been searching for these converse all over the web in an effort to buy them. They will be my first and only pair of converse. I think it’s brilliant for them to use Kurt as a model. Why? because that’s what he was. He was the hero of an entire generation. My generation, however, doesn’t care about the soul of music the ways others do… they care about heartless sounds with catchy riffs, beats and naughty lyrics. It’s not meant to appeal to JUST our generation. It’s meant to appeal to everyone… they’re hoping you come as you are.
Angela I , try to make your point without resorting to personal insults or swearing – most people who comment here manage to express their opinions more stylishly.
ps
to anyone who uses the word ‘retard’ : this word is an unacceptable way to describe a human being. Only the tasteless, uncouth and uneducated use it. Don’t be one of them.
Well, I like the idea that we are introducing today’s youth to music with meaning &.passion. Converse are the “cool” shoes these days, and if kids see Kurt on them, maybe they’ll look up Nirvana & discover good music. I dunno about you, but this cheesy @ss rap music these “emo” kids are listening to while claiming they are “punk rockers” is making me sick. My 3yr old son is more punk than these kids….
Love, Peace, Nirvana….
RIP Kurt & River.
<3
kurt cobain is an icon to those who still believe in punk and grunge ideals. his music and his memory arn’t dying any time soon. and the theory of his suicide was never proven, his wife is still suspected of murder, they just never proved it and gave up the case for some reason. and i also would not say punk is dying either. it still beats on in all those who are willing to fight for the right to be themselves openly and express their thoughts and feelings without consequences.
punk will never die as long as the fight lives on
Pearl Jam always made more sense than Nirvana, whom obviously exploded trying to handle fame, cause they went for it, nothing bad with it but that’s the difference between both bands. So to me Nirvana doesn’t represent punk, nor freedom. How could an addict represent freedom? Kurt was a genius but he was pathetic.
@ kadek rino How the hell can u say that Kurt Cobain is cool when one of his most important mottos was : “rather be dead than cool”he died cuz everybody
thaught he was cool and didn’t give him a life he wanted!think about it everyone
is grunge really punk? i mean im only a teen living in this age but i listen to a lot of bands from the 90’s Nirvana being one of them, i never really believed grunge or Nirvana was considered Punk my image of punk is basically Sex Pistols, just hardcore dr*gs screaming things in the mic that you can’t understand and telling everyone to f**k off. While when i listen to grunge music it’s like who gives a s*it and like i don’t know i just don’t really consider punk and grunge to be the same but what do i know.
The Sex Pistols didn’t call themselves or think of themselves as ‘punk’. It was what they were labelled.
I think Nirvana were heavily influenced by punk it’s just that their music was labelled as ‘grunge’.
‘Punk’ was in fact the ‘invention’ of Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood. They formed The Sex Pistols in fact. They couldn’t really play, I say nothing new. But that band and their ‘designers’ started a movement and with that better punk bands appeared. Grunge has the ‘anger’ of punk but so has metal rock and other rock forms. Punk and grunge are just another form of rock. It’s all rock n’ roll. Rock n’ roll has it roots in the blues. So it’s still somewhere the blues….simple and glorious as that…..
In these hard times wonder when new committed or ‘angry bands’ stand up. The comfortable life in the west is over. I’ve noticed how many very young people loves the old 70’s/80’s/90’s grunge rock. That’s a sign to me. But how can these kids form bands like that when they’ve not to fight yet? I’m really curious what’s gonna happen. There’s something in the air……and I hardly dare to click on submit…….
kurt c0bain is really really talented artist in music industries. he created many s0ng and lyrics in his rec0rd. . awesome..i’m so proud with kurt….
nirvana hatrik for 3years mtv awards…. .
ahahaha. its so funny that this post started Like 2 years ago and its still going. Kurt is a very controversial person as well as topic. or should i say was a very contreversial person. Obviously the person who wrote his artical has a very one sided view on things and did not bother to research both views before writing an article on it. This is not very smart. To anyone who really was there, or has actually researched this topic extensively, it should be quite apparent that grunge was less a style of music and more of a general statement. All these so called grunge bands from seattle sound almost nothing alike. Can you tell me soundgarden sounds like alice in chains? no. you cant. Wearing a flannel and converse doesnt make you grunge. And as far as “suicidal lyrics” on the shoes, your obviously not a thinker are you? Whats suicidal about it? tell me please. nothing to say? didnt think so.
Grunge has originated as a musical style, expanding socially like many other music expressed messages. Maybe because sound travels faster.
However, one can easily think about lyrics speaking about solitude and misunderstanding coming from someone who ended up taking his own life come across as suicidal mindspeaking.
As for similarities – if it looks like a dog then it must be a dog. Doesn’t necessarily implies that pit bulls and chihuahuas are alike.
Makes you think what one – sided minds really operate like, eh?
Nukeateen = Grunge
Grunge is a kind of music that isn’t, in my oppinion, it’s just asleep. I love Kurt and i think this idiea is pefect!
One thing is certain, Kurt would NEVER have wanted this.
it doesn’t matter how he died it none of your business he was a legend he’ll always be a legend and
i want these honour his life not remember his death
Does anyone know where can I get Converse shoes like those above?
thanks cobainlover
Leave a Comment