I recently met Jeff Burlingame on MySpace. I stumbled upon his page while browsing a Nirvana fansite. I would learn that he was in the process of releasing a book about Kurt he had written.
Over the next couple of weeks, I plan to blog the stories Jeff shared with me about his book, knowing Kurt, the memorial he co-founded, and a band called Earwig.
Jeff underneath the North Aberdeen Bridge
From Jeff’s website: Jeff Burlingame was born and raised in Kurt Cobain’s hometown of Aberdeen, Washington and knew Kurt as a teenager. Jeff served as Arts & Entertainment editor of Aberdeen’s newspaper for nearly a decade, winning nearly a dozen Society of Professional Journalism awards during his tenure, including three for his controversial, plain-speaking weekly column, “If You Wouldn’t Mind …”
In 1999, he founded the similarly titled independent music public relations firm, If You Wouldn’t Mind PR, working with some of the best underground rock bands in the United States, including the Ghetto Monks, Honey Tongue, Susan Robkin Suruda, Earwig, Wes Dando, Ashland, Creeper Lagoon and more.
“People always ask me why I used the words, ‘If You Wouldn’t Mind,’ in everything,” says Burlingame. “To me, it’s symbolic. It’s the first phrase of the first line of the first lyric of Nirvana’s first studio album. It’s also a personal joke because the second part of that line is not so nice.”
Jeff’s byline has appeared in more than 30 magazines and newspapers, including The Seattle Times, The Olympian, The (Tacoma) News Tribune, Northwest Runner, Devil in the Woods and Skyscraper.
In 2004, Burlingame co-founded the non-profit Kurt Cobain Memorial Committee in an attempt to publicly recognize Kurt in his reluctant-to-do-so hometown. After a year of fundraising and publicity from MTV, VH1, The Los Angeles Times, The Associated Press, Rolling Stone, Spin, The Andy Savage Show, The Robin and Maynard Show and several overseas media outlets, his committee erected a large sign reading “Come As You Are” at the entrance to the city. Future goals include a youth center in Kurt’s name and a low-key memorial park.
Jeff’s first book, “Kurt Cobain: Oh, Well, Whatever, Nevermind,” will be released in August, 2006. He has been featured in two straight-to-video Kurt Cobain documentaries and acted as tour guide for an hour-long program for MTV Europe. In late-2006, he will be featured in a BBC documentary directed by John Dower, who also directed the film, “Once in a Lifetime,” the story of the New York Cosmos soccer team.
Jeff is currently working on his second book and living with his family in Tacoma, Washington.
1993. The engraved plaque reads: “MTV Video Music Awards 1992-1993 Best Alternative Video 1993 ‘In Bloom (Ver 1 – Dresses)’ Nirvana.”
