Nirvana and Pynchon

[Heikki Raudaskoski]

On Mon, 4 Jul 1994, Chris Stolz wrote:

> Hey, just out of curiosity---> in this month's _Esquire_, there
> is a stupid article by Steven Wright about the last horrible days
> of Cobain's life.  In this article there is menthion that he got
> inspired to write some of "Teen Spirit"'s lyrics by a passage in
> Pynchon's _Gravity's Rainbow_.  Anybody got any ideas about
> this--true, false, which passage, could Cobain actually read such
> a book, etc, etc.
> 
> 
> chris
> cstolz at acs.ucalgary.ca
> 

I've been too busy to present my hypothesis about this issue.
I might have a clue, though. It's only that I can't remember
the lyrics of "Teen Spirit" so well. To begin with, I'm not a
native English speaker, and I had quite a nomadic phase in my
life when the song came out -- I don't remember much of those
times in general. I liked the song, sure. All in  all, I presume
that Kurt C. took a glance at the next episode, if this rumor
holds at all.

"Pirate" Prentice has got into this carnivalistic Hell for
double agents. Suddenly he gets accompanied by a young woman.
Quote:

   Ah, they do bother him, these free women in their teens,
their spirits are so contagious,
                                                
   I'll tell you it's just --out, --ray, --juss,
   Spirit is so --con, tay, --juss,
   Nobody knows their a-ges ...

   Walkin' through bees of hon --ney,
   Throwing away --that mon, --ney,
   Laughin' at things so --fun --ny,
   Spirit's comin' through --to, --you!

   Nev --ver, mind, whatcha hear from your car,
   Take a lookit just --how --keen --they are,
   Nev --ver, mind, what, your calendar say,
   Ev'rybody's nine months old today! Hey,

   Pages are turnin' pages,
   Nobody's in --their, --ca, --ges,
   Spirit's just so --con, --ta, --gious--
   Just let the Spirit --move, --for, --you!

   (538-539 VIKING)


Yes, that's my bet. Does anybody have the words of "SLTS"
at hand? If so, could s/he send them to my account or to the
list? I would like to compare Kurt's poem with this passage
of GR. To Bonnie Surfus: yes, K.C. was a highly intelligent
man, and one should not underrate him. So stupid of him to kill
himself.

take care

Heikki Raudaskoski
University of Oulu
Dept of Literature
Post Box 111
90571 OULU
FINLAND
fax +358-81-553 3230
tel +358-81-553 3336
hraudask at phoenix.oulu.fi