Cherry Blossoms in Bloom

This week I’ve been hanging out with my friend Karolina who grew up in Biel, Germany and came to my high school as a foreign exchange student. She picked the U.S. because she was a huge fan of Nirvana but ended up in a high school outside of Cleveland rather than in Washington State, but most of that legend was mythical anyway and Kurt gave himself the fatal shotgun wound within the year anyway so, just like for most of us, Cleveland brought Karolina sorrow and disappointment. 25 years later, Karolina and I are still friends, though our Nirvana fandom was short-lived and quickly forgotten. Chris Kill, on the other hand, despite being fifteen years younger and thus missing the living heyday of Nirvana, remains a much bigger fan than Karolina or I. Chris’ parents divorced when he was five (just like Kurt) and has a brother who was 17 years his senior, cementing an appreciation for Nirvana’s angst. He made this comic about his exodus to Aberdeen and Seattle to visit these landmarks and see the Nirvana exhibit in the art museum. I can’t always relate to the fascination with the Cobain persona or the minute details of his life that were seemingly overblown and exaggerated by stardom, but I have tremendous appreciation for Chris’ honesty and enthusiasm about these topics and ability to relate to strangers on the grounds of mutual Cobain fandom. - Joe