Come As You Are: A Live Finale Episode

Come As You Are: A Live Finale Episode

Author: KEXP May 2, 2025 Duration: 1:13:23

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 and Portuguese clips aired throughout the episode.

Thank you to everyone who has supported our podcasts. We love you so much, it makes us sick.

CLIP #1:

Luis Carlos Calanca: “Maybe it made him explode, again in Brazil and worldwide it was Kurt Cobain when the band Nirvana came here. Months later, when Kurt Cobain saw them here, he started saying that the band was sensational. And then all the kids wanted to know about Os Mutantes.

Lucinha Barbosa: “That’s how, word of mouth, I think, until '98, the big ones started to pay attention because there was no one to stay, no major record company that advertised didn't have that exactly through the fans themselves, word by word.”

CLIP #2:

José Bellas: Yes, that's right.The next day interviews were scheduled. I had to interview Dave Grohl. and I spent some time before the show at the house of one… one of the two managers of Los Brujos that was Alejandro Almada and he gave me a record for them. I took it there and

I gave it to him (Dave). Anyway, another thing that was going around was that, during Los Brujos' soundcheck, Grohl showed up  and went to backtages singing the song, people were saying that before Nirvana went on.

CLIP #3:

Jorge Francisco Soto Flores: Seattle could be any city in Chile. Seattle is a remote place, a rainy place, a place of forests. We (Chileans) are the end of the world, we are the outsiders. We have barriers that could be the Andes Mountains, the desert, the ice, the Pacific Ocean… It happened at a specific time in the 90s. We were returning to a pseudo-democracy. There is also something about representation with the lyrics in every aspect from pessimism now knowing what is going to happen next and also added to to the fact that Chileans love rock music. They are fans of rock and metal. What reason is there for people to be so fanatical about Chris Cornell that here is a god? About Cobain who is a god; that Eddie Vedder, who is a god; Mark Lineman who is a god. I think that’s the only explanation. I don’t see any other, honestly.

 

Hosts: Dusty Henry and Martin Douglas
Recorded by: Brandon Fitzsimmons
Audio Produced by: Julian Martlew and Dusty Henry

Mixed and Mastered by: Matt Martin
Special thanks to: Isabel Khalili and Larry Mizell Jr.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


There's a well-worn page from Kurt Cobain's journal that fans have pored over for decades: his handwritten list of fifty favorite albums. It's more than a relic; it's a roadmap to the sounds that shaped one of music's most singular voices. The Cobain 50, from KEXP, uses that list as a starting point for a deeper exploration. Each episode focuses on one album from that influential document, unpacking its history and cultural context. We hear how these specific records-from punk obscurities to classic rock staples-might have filtered into Cobain's own songwriting and Nirvana's explosive sound. The discussion goes beyond simple admiration, connecting sonic dots and examining the artistic lineage of grunge and alternative rock. Listening to this podcast feels like getting a curated education in musical roots, guided by Cobain's own tastes. It’s for anyone who has ever wondered what was spinning in the background while "Nevermind" was being conceived. You'll come away with a richer understanding of the artist and a formidable list of essential albums to discover or revisit, all through the lens of his personal canon. The series builds, week by week, into a fascinating portrait of influence, proving that what we love often reveals as much about us as what we create.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

The Cobain 50
Podcast Episodes
Daniel Johnston – Yip/Jump Music (1983) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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Half Japanese – We Are They Who Ache with Amorous Love (1990) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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Bonus: Ray Farrell’s Journey Through Indie and Major Labels [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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Bonus: A Deeper Listen with Matt Cameron [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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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 Soundgarde…
The Frogs - It's Only Right and Natural (1989) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:54
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What Records? - What Is It. (Compilation) (1982) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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Young Marble Giants – Colossal Youth (1980) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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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 thes…
The Faith and Void – The Faith/Void Split LP (1982) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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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…