Dear Nirvana Fans,
We are writing with a sense of appreciation and thanks to all of you for
your support and enthusiasm over the last decade. As many of you know, for
this Christmas, we had planned to give our fans a wonderful gift -- a boxed
set of the best of Nirvana's music. Released to coincide with the tenth
anniversary of Nevermind, the set was going to include "You Know You're
Right," recorded in 1994 just before Kurt's death. This project had been in
the works for nearly five years. But this collection never came out. And
there is only one reason: Courtney Love.
Today, our attorneys went into a Seattle court to stop Courtney from
trying to take control of the legacy of Nirvana. We had no choice but to
respond to her misguided campaign and lawsuits to appropriate the music of
Nirvana.
We have been mostly silent for the last few years as she filed lawsuits,
waged a continuous negative campaign in the media, and tried to rewrite
history. It is now time to act and speak out. Here is some background.
When Kurt was alive, Nirvana was an equal partnership of the three of us.
After Kurt's death in 1994, the partnership continued and we fulfilled what we
saw as our obligation to preserve the legacy of Nirvana's music. We oversaw
the releases of Live in New York and From the Muddy Banks of Wishkah, both of
which were critical and commercial successes. We enhanced rather than
exploited the memory and image of Nirvana.
In September, 1997, we decided to set down some rules by which we could
make decisions together. We formed Nirvana L.L.C. ('limited liability
corporation'), with equal representation from Dave, Krist and the Cobain
Estate, ultimately represented by Courtney. Our agreement is structured so
that each of the members can voice his or her opinion on any matter.
Courtney's interest in the L.L.C. is that of representative of the Estate of
Kurt Cobain. The fact is that Nirvana L.L.C. makes the decisions about the
band, not Courtney nor any other individual. Our agreement has served all
three parties well.
In 1998, we decided together to produce a great boxed set and include "You
Know You're Right." All of the members of Nirvana, including Courtney, made
and signed a deal with Geffen Records for its release. This February,
Courtney filed the first of multiple lawsuits against her and Nirvana's label
(Geffen Records / Universal Music Group) over her personal recording contract
for the group Hole.
As for the boxed set, everything was on track, we were very excited and
were busy promoting the release to coincide with the tenth anniversary of
Nevermind. Then, in May, Courtney filed a lawsuit to take over control of
Nirvana, then went to court to block the release of the never before released
track, "You Know You're Right." Courtney claims that her lawsuit is concerned
with the proper management and revitalization of Kurt's legacy. In truth, her
actions are only about the revitalization of her career motivated solely by
her blind self-interest. She couldn't care less about Nirvana fans. She is
using Nirvana's music as a bargaining chip to increase leverage for her
personal gain, without any regard for the Nirvana legacy. Our music is just a
pawn in her endless legal battles and her obsessive need for publicity and
attention.
Courtney talks and talks about her "valuable career."
As far as we areconcerned, her career is her own affair and of no interest to us. Our concern
is when she pastes herself into music she didn't write or perform. By her
actions, the Nirvana legacy is becoming tangled up in her own ambitious
agenda. We have a simple challenge for Courtney -- play your own music for
people.
We miss our dear friend Kurt. We are thankful to have had the opportunity
to collaborate with such a gifted artist. We hope that our actions, in
regards to Nirvana, are befitting of the stature that so many people have
granted us.
We will always be proud of the music we made with Nirvana. We were
looking forward to releasing unheard Nirvana material for our personal sense
of closure. As the cycle of life moves forward, we are each living our own
lives and moving on to new things. We only wanted to go on with the assurance
of knowing that all of Nirvana's music is where it really belongs; in the
hearts and minds of millions of people in the world.
We hope that the music of Nirvana will be immortal and, with fans like
you, we are confident our hopes will be realized.
Krist Novoselic & Dave Grohl
December 12, 2001
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