At first glance, Nirvana and Bobcat Goldthwait appear to have very little in common. But, think again and the similarities come rushing in: Both, for example, were important in shaping the direction of 1990s entertainment, both communicated their art through lots of growly sounds and raw onstage energy, and both, it turns out, were involved with making a landmark MTV Unplugged performance a reality.
An oral history of Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged In New York by Alan Siegel over at The Ringer has unearthed plenty of interesting trivia about the concert. There’s good stuff about Krist Novoselic’s disappointment that he couldn’t slap stickers all over the acoustic bass he borrowed, giving Dave Grohl drum brushes as an early Christmas present as a polite hint that he not play so loudly, and memories of the show from the people in attendance.
Surprisingly, though, Goldthwait is interviewed about his friendship with Kurt Cobain and influence on the performance. Apparently the two met before Nirvana broke into the mainstream because, as Goldthwait puts it, “Kurt was a fan of my standup. It’s like finding out that Jimi Hendrix really liked Buddy Hackett.” Years later, Goldthwait was “was opening for them while they played arenas.”
While preparing for MTV Unplugged, the comedian and director hung out with Nirvana during rehearsals (which, in one instance, caused him to run late for a Conan O’Brien appearance) and Cobain tried to watch Goldthwait tape a guest spot on The Jon Stewart Show but was stopped from going by MTV. Goldthwait also offered Cobain moral support before the show itself. Geffen Records’ Peter Baron remembered “walking into the sort of green room or whatever it was, and Kurt was sitting there with Bobcat Goldthwait, like literally together.” Goldthwait, for his part, says, “I definitely did feel often that it would just be him and I, kind of a little bit of padding between him and the world.”
Elsewhere, Goldthwait talks about watching the show, remembering “the hair standing up on my arm” during Nirvana’s cover of Lead Belly’s “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?” and “getting like a beard burn [from when Cobain would] rub his face onto mine” during their hugs.
There is, of course, much more, non-Goldthwait information contained in the full article, which is well worth the read. For everyone else, please just enjoy the lingering mental image of the two pals’ “beard burns.”
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45 Comments
Goldthwait talked about his friendship with Cobain during a particulaly good WTF interview, too. He was the opening act for them on one of their last tours, and at a Chicago show for NYE he descending into the crowd dressed as a (naked) cherub. The crowd wasn’t feeling his stand-up, so he went full aggro and started doing jokes about Michael Jordan’s (very recently) deceased father and threatened to not give over the stage to the band at all if the crowd didn’t warm up (“You’ll never see your precious Nirvana”). Cobain loved it.
It’s like finding out that Jimi Hendrix really liked Buddy Hackett.That’s an awesome quote.
It’s like finding out that Jimi Hendrix really liked Buddy Hackett. That’s an awesome quote.I came here to post that exact thing. So I’ll go further, in that I will go to my grave sure that Jimi Hendrix DID like Buddy Hackett. Who’s around to check?
The best part is that Bobcat clearly knows his place in the stand-up pantheon. He could have said Hendrix really liked Don Rickles or Rodney Dangerfield, but that would have meant that Bobcat thought he he was on their level. Buddy Hackett is a great example of a second tier comedian with a long career.
But Buddy Hackett is also far more respected by other comedians than by the public at large.
I loved Bobcat’s 80’s stand up. If you’d only seen Police Academy it was kind of a shock when he’d rip into Republicans.
From The Love Bug – [Buddy’s character is getting David Tomlinson’s character drunk on Irish coffee]:Tomlinson: “What part of Ireland did you say your mother came from?Hackett: “Coney, Ireland.”And, sure, Buddy Hackett didn’t write that line, whatever. It cracks me up just thinking about it and he’s been one of my favorite comics since I saw the movie in 1968…
I always loved his appearances on Carson. He was so effortlessly funny.
Fun fact: the script for Hot to Trot was originally shopped as a Love Bug reboot, with Goldthwait in the Hackett role.**I’m 99% sure I made this up.
it would be if Kurt Cobain had a sliver of the talent and ability that Hendrix had…
Bobcat was also in the promotional video for In Utero.
Buzz from the Melvins once said that most people don’t realize just how great a sense of humor Kurt had, and this is a perfect example of it.
Yea. I always remember Kurt from The Year that Punk Broke. And he was a goofy guy claiming to be Kevin Costner. Reading this article and the comments just kind of made me realize I am old. People under the age of 30 probably just know Kurt as the sad guy who killed himself.
https://goo.gl/images/xLJWHU
Holy shit I remember this like I just finished watching it for the first time again. Thanks, now I’m stuck in 1993.
This is awesome.
About as awesome as a Gwar concert, I reckon.
I’m not really sure of your intentions, but acknowledge that my inability to determine your sincerity deserves the star regardless.
Sam Kinison could wipe the floor with these dweebs.
Sam Kinison was really good at yelling I guess. Not particularly clever, or charismatic. Or funny. But he sure could yell a lot.
Yep. The golden age of standup (late 80s to early 90s) left us with a ton of people that are now super famous that were exceedingly mediocre, but had good timing (not comedic) I guess?
I seriously doubt that the Bill Mahers, Dennis Millers, (even Seinfeld) etc. of the world would enjoy anywhere near that level of success now, and I am pretty sure Kinison wouldn’t be remembered by anyone but his family.Also – Bobcat is pretty awesome, though probably an acquired taste. His early stuff was pretty medicore, but that was also because that was what everyone demanded of him (i.e., the Police Academy character that he seems to have come to loathe)
I consider Bobcat to essentially be weak sauce.
Have you seen his recent comedy special which is sans the screaming? Or the films he’s directed? Or the Aimee Mann videos he’s directed? The guy is not just the 80/90s screaming comedian. He’s extremely talented and an awesome storyteller on his own or as a director.
Do you consider your posts to be awful? Because you should. And they are wrong.
You dare insult Mr. Floppy?For shame…
Right. cuz SNL, Hari Kondabolu, Hannah Gadsby, and the Jimmies (Fallon and Kimmel) are every one so much better and more talented at comedy than all of those others you mentioned. You’re correct. We are certainly living in an age when mediocrity does not reign.Good post, bruh.
Bobcat’s stuff once he got out from under that shadow was so, so good. I wish it were more available.
His performance in “Back To School” is legend.
Ahh, ok. I should check it out!
Kinison’s stuff on religion was gold. The rest was… problematic.
I’m sure Bobcat Goldthwait’s voice really got on Kurt Cobain’s nerves. We all know what happened next.
The viking knocked up the shark?
You cried when your mom started buying your clothes from the “husky” section?
So we should send Bobcat a thank you note?
Who didn’t know this though? I remember the two of them hanging together in interviews at the time.
Yeah, not to be smug, but this was old news to me. Maybe not specifically about “Unplugged”, but about Bobcat and Kurt’s friendship.
i’m 34 and it’s news to me.
Well listen, young pup, why don’t you be a good lad and fetch me a drinking horn full of mead, yes?
“It’s me, y’all, I’m the dumb one who didn’t know this.”
I’m 40 and I had no idea.
I’m older than you, and pretty into Nirvana and Bobcat and… I didn’t know it.
Well then you just got schooled, didn’t you, squirt??
Three months before he killed himself. That is a **terrific** show, that Unplugged. Just magnificent.
So… anything that happens before you kill yourself is bad and wrong?
If you want to hear Bobcat tell a few stories about opening for Nirvana, he went over a few when he was on Maron’s WTF.My personal favourite was what he said to the crowd to get boo’ed in Chicago.