His creative mind at that time was going more in a quieter direction. Mark Kates (A&R, Geffen Records): Kurt wanted to prove to himself that he could do this in an artistically successful way. Everybody was just really excited when they agreed to do it. The story of Nirvana Unplugged began 25 years ago, when MTV’s influence on popular culture was at its peak.Īmy Finnerty (vice president of music and talent, MTV): Everybody wanted to see Nirvana do an Unplugged. Nirvana at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards FilmMagic Part I: “Trust the Artist. You’re lucky if you get to be at something like that once in your lifetime.” “You knew for sure that history was being made,” said former MTV executive Amy Finnerty, who worked closely with Nirvana. As the show progressed, those in attendance began to realize that what they were watching would become legendary. The room’s haunting vibe later led the event to be described as sorrowful, but despite Cobain’s well-documented struggles at the time, the evening was far from dour. The lead singer even helped design the set, asking for it to be decorated with stargazer lilies and black candles. He also invited two of his musical heroes, Cris and Curt Kirkwood of the little-known Meat Puppets.
Nirvana’s appearance on the acoustic series proved something that close observers already knew: The loudest band on earth had a stunning amount of depth.Ĭobain subtly subverted the format, which usually featured acts playing stripped-down versions of their hits, by filling the set list with cover songs. Wearing a fuzzy cardigan, ratty button-down, Frightwig T-shirt, jeans, and Converse sneakers, Kurt Cobain-with help from drummer Dave Grohl, bassist Krist Novoselic, guitarist Pat Smear, and cellist Lori Goldston-orchestrated a performance that was heartfelt, funny, uncomfortable, and mesmerizing. That night, the biggest group of the decade staged one of the most hypnotically intimate rock concerts ever captured on film. On November 18, 1993, at Sony Music Studios in New York City, Nirvana took on MTV Unplugged. The typically thrash-worthy rock outfit instead played a modestly acoustic performance, a haunting set that was as unsettling as it was mesmerizing.The best television episode of the 1990s starred a short, blond man and his band. The trio of vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain, bassist Krist Novoselic and drummer Dave Grohl, were joined by touring guitarist Pat Smear and cellist Lori Goldston. The episode that would become the band's last album, MTV Unplugged in New York, was undoubtedly a historic moment in rock history, something that former MTV executive Amy Finnerty would later call "lucky if you get to be at something like that once in your lifetime," according to the Ringer. But along with being one of the most iconic MTV Unplugged episodes, it was also stylistically different from what the network was going for at the time. For Nirvana, the nineties grunge music legend, their MTV performance doubled as one of their most successful albums, which would eventually go five-times platinum and win the band its only Grammy. When MTV was at the height of its influence on the music world, a guest spot on MTV Unplugged was a surefire sign that you'd made it as a band.