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Come As You Are

The Story of Nirvana

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About this listen

 The definitive biography of the revolutionary band Nirvana and its star-crossed frontman Kurt Cobain, hailed by Rolling Stone as “the first [book] to comprehensively tell the band’s tale from Aberdeen, Wash., to world domination”

“Amazingly raw and candid . . . an unsparing and extremely honest depiction of the group’s highly tumultuous history . . . Come As You Are is as good as rock bios get.”—Billboard

“Just tell the truth. That’ll be better than anything else that’s been written about me.”—Kurt Cobain

Nirvana came out of nowhere in 1991 to sell nearly five million copies of their landmark album Nevermind, whose thunderous sound and indelible melodies embodied all the confusion, frustration, and passion of the emerging Generation X.

Come As You Are is the close-up, intimate story of Nirvana—the only book with exclusive in-depth interviews with bandmembers Kurt Cobain, Krist Noveselic, and Dave Grohl, as well as friends, relatives, former bandmembers, and associates—now updated to include a final chapter detailing the last year of Kurt Cobain's life, before his tragic suicide in April 1994.

Vivid, evocative, and thought-provoking, Come As You Are is an essential document not just for Nirvana fans but for anyone interested in the cultural legacy of the 1990s. Entertainment & Celebrities Music Celebrity

Critic reviews

“Amazingly raw and candid . . . An unsparing and extremely honest depiction of the group’s highly tumultuous history . . . A wizardly combination of smart journalism and intelligent analysis, Come As You Are is as good as rock bios get.”—Billboard

“Really takes you inside both the business and soul of rock ’n’ roll, providing the lurid details and lucid pop criticism, too.”—Los Angeles Times

“Come As You Are is the first [book] to comprehensively tell the band’s tale from Aberdeen, Wash., to world domination.”—Rolling Stone

“Sects and drugs and rock & roll—Come As You Are has got it all. ‘A.’”—Entertainment Weekly

“One of the few memorable, indispensable books about alternative rock . . . It’s all here, in one of the most revealing books about rock to come down the pike in a long, long time.”—Fort Worth Star-Telegram
All stars
Most relevant
The interviews and research are flawless and because this was written when the band were still going, this has something definitive about it. If you want the interviews for this book, watch About A Son which is the Cobain doc built on the audio recordings for this project.

The story of the boys is outstanding because it just was. But the narration is delivered with the energy of a grandad telling war stories in a care home between naps. I've heard this read by podcast hosts during Lockdown so I know it's possible to do it with vitality and spark.

It won't put you off purchasing. But it might make you think about returning it. This title benefits by being more balanced than the others you can read. The author isn't spinning a narrative because of a friendship with a widow, it's a title unburdened by the angle influenced by client journalism. The narrator is the author here, which means his delivery should be better because the words really are is. Indefensible really.

Great story, good book, get over the narration. It's so sleepy, that's okay coz so are you.

Entertain Us. The story will, the narrator doesn't

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I've wanted to read/listen to this book for a while. I am finding this book hard to listen to as Kurt Loder is reading it as if it's a news report. The tone doesn't match what he is reading and this is a bit disappointing. It seems stiff and isn't flowing and I'm not able to focus on the words as I would be able to if the tone matched. I'm not sure if I will be able to finish it due to this.

The tone of the narration doesn't match the story

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I love this book. It was my bible in my early teens. I would read and re-read and carry it everywhere...

28 years later? The book is still great. Azzerad is an excellent writer. I cannot fathom any future Kurt/Nirvana books topping this one in information or personal insight.

Kurt sat and told Azzerad his story, from beginning-to-end - and this is the transcription of Kurts telling.

A MUST for any big Nirvana fan.

A thorough and in-depth mining of the history, and the psyche, of Kurt and his band.

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Kurt Loder read this like he was reading MTV news and it made it so boring.

Terrible narrator

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