5 Unreal Facts About Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic You’D Never Believe
Krist Novoselic photographed in London on October 23rd, 1990.
Learn 5 unreal facts about Krist Novoselic and watch his music videos. Find out what you don’t know about him and enjoy his music. Then share all that musical awesomeness with your friends and family.
1. Krist Novoselic is a successful politician. He has served as president of the Joint Artists and Musical Promotions political-action committee, been elected as a State Commiteeman, considered a run at Lieutenant Governor of Washington, and been politically active in various campaigns on both the local and national level.
2. He was sent to Croatia to live with relatives when he was 14. Novoselic spent most of the year there before returning to Aberdeen, WA where he and Kurt Cobain eventually met. It was in Croatia that Novoselic was first introduced to punk music.
3. Of course, Novoselic and Cobain didn’t always see eye-to-eye. (It’s hard to see eye-to-eye with him at all; Krist Novoselic has height topping 6’7”!) Novoselic refused to attend Cobain’s 1992 marriage to Courtney Love because he and his then-wife Shelli believed Love was a bad influence on Cobain’s ***oin abuse.
4. Speaking of Shelli, a variety of fun facts surround Novoselic’s high school sweetheart and first wife. Married for ten years, the couple met in the hallway of their Aberdeen, WA high school over a discussion about the S** Pistols. She took her first plane trip ever to explore Croatia (Yugoslavia at the time) with Novoselic during Nirvana’s Bleach tour. Before the band took off, she sold Nirvana tee-shirts at the concession stand at concerts.
5. Krist Novoselic’s mother owns an operates a hair salon in the town of Aberdeen, WA where he and Kurt Cobain met. Blasting that the band met and even practiced there in its early days, the salon is still operational and appears on various rock and roll tours of the region.
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Krist Novoselic Biography
The section of this page below provides a detailed look at Krist’s life. It explores his life before fame, shows his contribution to Nirvana music, and tells his opinion of Kurt Cobain. It also discusses his life after fame and analyzes his legacy.
Life Before Fame
Born in California in 1965 to Croatian immigrants Krist and Maria Novoselic, Krist Novoselic is actually “Krist Novoselic II.”
He has two siblings, Robert and Diana Novoselic. Robert would ultimately play a pivotal role in the formation of Nirvana as a band; Cobain was Robert’s friend first and overhead Krist listening to punk music in the Novoselic home. Cobain was interested in the boy’s musical tastes; Krist Novoselic and Kurt Cobain would ultimately meet when Cobain gave him a demo tape of his band called Fecal Matter.
Novoselic describes his father during his childhood as abusive, but attributes the behavior father to his old world customs and hard upbringing in Croatia. Krist himself would spend a year there during which time he developed his interest in punk music and forged a pride for his cultural heritage. Novoselic would learn Croatian there and still is proud to be able to speak the language.
By the time he and Kurt Cobain met, Krist Novoselic had bass and guitar skills to covet; amazingly, Krist Novoselic had the very same guitar teacher as Kurt Cobain. The teacher, Warren Mason, was also a first-generation Croatian American. Krist Novoselic had music groups with Kurt Cobain prior to forming Nirvana, including The Stiff Woodies and Skid Row. At one point, they tried to find gigs as a Credence Clearwater Revival cover band.
Novoselic also met his first wife, and partner of over ten years, in the time before stardom. The couple met as friends in their Aberdeen, WA high school when “class clown” Novoselic butted in on Shelli’s conversation with a friend about the S** Pistols. They became friends, then eventually lovers, with much of the early days of Nirvana including meetings at her apartment.
Novoselic’s Role In Nirvana Music
While Cobain shot to meteoric fame with Nirvana, Novoselic maintained a fairly low profile. However, both Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic take offense at being called hired backup to Cobain. It is important to remember that Cobain directly recruited both band members and that they brought extensive musical background to the group that would change music in the 90’s.
Krist Novoselic and Kurt Cobain experimented with various sounds and configurations before Nirvana became a household name. They built upon a mutual love of punk, Novoselic’s desire to play the blues, and Cobain’s obsession with Creedence Clearwater to create a unique sound. While Cobain did most of the song writing, Grohl and Novoselic are known to have contributed extensively to Nirvana’s break-out single “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”
Grohl explains that the writing really was a freeform jam session that resulted in smash hits like “Come As You Are.” The organic songwriting that made Nirvana so unique has often been overlooked, and Novoselic’s deceivingly complex bass work is an unforgettable part of the Nirvana sound.
Novoselic’s iconic bass lines on songs like “Lithium,” “On a Plain,” “Rape Me,” and “The Man Who Sold the World” are studied by musicians and hopeful rockers to this day.
Krist Novoselic On Kurt Cobain
Novoselic and Cobain became immediate and brotherly friends upon meeting, but Cobain’s ***oin addiction would ultimately play a part in their friendship and Cobain’s own death. Novoselic and Grohl, the other two-thirds of Nirvana, did not participate in ***oin like Cobain. Both expressed extreme concern for him in the last years of his life.
Described as a sweet, smart and talented kid by Novoselic, Cobain was the artistic driver of Nirvana in his mind. He remembers Cobain fondly stating to NME magazine that Cobain “woulda been a great monk. He coulda been a great painter. He coulda been a great sculptor. He was such a talented artist. He coulda done whatever he wanted to do.” Novoselic publicly laments his belief that ***oin abuse killed Cobain, but more importantly killed his will to go on for his infant daughter.
Novoselic and Grohl both lamented Cobain’s ***oin abuse, and Novoselic has publicly blamed Courtney Love for enabling the addiction. Novoselic maintains he’d witnessed a marked downward spiral with Cobain in the weeks leading up to his suicide. He says Cobain was “out of his mind on ***oin,” “loaded,” and “pretty ripped.” Novoselic believes the suicide would not have happened if Cobain was clean.
In the video below, Krist Novoselic talks about Kurt Cobain:
Life After Fame
Novoselic was with Nirvana through the band’s meteoric rise and untimely death of Kurt Cobain. But what happened to Novoselic after fame?
We can say for certain he’s one of the richest bass players of all time! Krist Novoselic has net worth estimated at over $40M. This hard working musician continued to dominate in the industry after the end of Nirvana. Krist Novoselic music groups in subsequent years have included Sweet 75, the No WTO Combo, Eyes Adrift, Flipper and spots with the Foo Fighters and Paul McCartney.
His very involved political career is quite well-known, but Novoselic has certainly done some other interesting and varied work over the years after Nirvana. He appeared as a movie extra, playing a newspaper vendor in the Robin Williams film “World’s Greatest Dad” and also worked as a successful blogger for several years at the Seattle Weekly. His blog has received critcal acclaim and a wide readership over its years of publication.
Novoselic married his high school sweetheart Shelli Ripley in 1989. The couple divorced in 1999 but remain amicable to this day. In 2004, Novoselic married his current wife, Darbury Stenduru. A very well-known textile artist in her own right, Stenduru has a large celebrity following. The couple lives in a renovated farmhouse in rural Washington. If you wondered about Krist Novoselic children, he has none. Despite any rumors, he remains childless as of 2017.
4 Best Photos Of Krist Novoselic
These are some of the best photos of Krist Novoselic, so feel free to share them with the world.
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We are sure Krist has not drunk all this beer, or he’ll be an alcoholic.
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What a cool photo of great musician! Why not share it?
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Apparently, the guitar can be dangerous.
Video Interview With Krist Novoselic You Need To See
The Legacy Of Krist Novoselic
What is the greatest legacy of the ever-intriguing Krist Novoselic? With his nearly 30 years of political contribution and activism on both the local and national level, it’s difficult to say what career has had more impact. Undoubtedly, Novoselic’s contribution to Nirvana changed music history.
Ultimately Nirvana and Novoselic brought the sound of the underground to the forefront of American culture. Dirty but still comfortably suburban in theme, the band spoke to a disenfranchised generation of teens looking for a voice outside of the mainstream. Nirvana would ultimately turn an ironic table on its head, becoming so commercially successful that they topped Michael Jackson in the charts.
Novoselic brings an extensive legacy of political contribution and activism, including very vocal work against music censorship. Specially, he has worked against the censorship of s**ually explicit material in songs. He has campaigned for the Democratic and third-party candidates at local, state and federal levels. His controversial attachment to gun rights served as a primary division from the traditional Democratic party.
Novoselic, who was raised in a largely Croatian neighborhood, remains a cult fixture for Croatians and Croatian Americans. He was interviewed extensively on the Croatian Civil War of the 1990’s and remains a vocal leader for aid programs in the region.
4 Quotes Of This Great Musician
1 Don’t follow a trend. Follow your heart.
2 The beat of popular music sets the pulse of its time.
3 If you’ve got a guitar and a lot of soul, just bang something out and mean it. You’re the superstar.
4 My lot in life is that every band I’ve ever been in just falls apart. That hurts but I’ve got a thick hide from years of conditioning.
Nirvana’s Official Music Videos
Smells Like Teen Spirit, the song that catapulted Nirvana to fame:
Another awesome song by Nirvana, Come As You Are:
2 Articles About Other Members Of Nirvana
Check out these 2 articles which reveal little-known facts about amazing lives of Nirvana musicians:
