Episode 191: Nirvana 'In Utero' Special with Michael Azerrad

Vinyl Emergency

"If Nevermind was a peek into Kurt (Cobain)'s psychological/emotional world, then In Utero was a wide-open window.” This comes from today’s episode with author Michael Azerrad (Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981-1991), who definitively knew better than most. Having extensive access to Nirvana between those two albums, Michael documented their rise for the best-selling 1993 biography Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana, released just weeks before In Utero. Michael remembers today that Kurt's instructions to him in originally penning the book were fairly simple: "Just tell the truth. That will be better than anything else that's been written about me." And as In Utero recently got its own deluxe reissue to celebrate its three decades of influence, Michael's book has gotten a similar update: The Amplified Come As You Are is a heavily-annotated and must-own look back on the most examined band of the 90's. With thirty years of hindsight, Michael clarifies, expounds upon and extends the original story, making it a needed compendium to Nirvana's discography. Follow @michaelazerrad on Twitter, and purchase the book wherever you find literature. PLUS, enjoy exclusive performances of In Utero material this week by cellist Gordon Withers!