As far as rock and roll bios go, there are great ones (the Led Zeppelin bio Hammer of the Gods for example), and there are bad ones (the Pearl Jam bio Five Against One for example). However, because there are always people interested in rock and roll, you can be sure that the rock and roll bio will continue. Late last year, publicity was showered upon author Charles Cross, who had just put out a new book on the late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. The book was considered in many circles to be a triumph, a delicate yet exhaustively researched effort that took four years to compile.

Titled Heavier Than Heaven, after Nirvana's first tour, Cross has created a rock and roll masterpiece, helping to debunk some of the mythical status of the Cobain name while also helping to increase Cobain's mythical status in other ways.

For those of you who live under a rock, Kurt Cobain was the leader and founder of the Seattle rock band Nirvana. Thanks to their breakthrough hit, Smells Like Teen Spirit, they became, for all intents and purposes, the new spokesband for Generation X. However, in April of 1994, amidst increasing band tensions and a deepening depression, Cobain committed suicide. His death was this generation's Jimi Hendrix. Now, back to the book.

Cross conducted interviews with numerous people in Cobain's life, all of whom lend something to the book. His childhood is recalled in great detail, and Cross does a brilliant job of connecting the events of Kurt's childhood with the latter events of his adult life. He delves deep into Kurt's fascination with punk rock, but perhaps the most interesting section of the book comes when Cross begins to describe Cobain's love of punk and how it conflicted with his love of pop music. One record in particular, The Knack, creators of My Sharona, seemed to be the catalyst for some of Kurt's arguments and conflictions over what he loved. He was at once torn over fame and yet strove for it.

Cross also debunks some of the legends that Kurt used to love to tell writers, namely the guns into the river story and the sleeping under the bridge story. Basically, Kurt used these stories as metaphors for how he felt at a particular time in his life, but he also knew that journalists would eat it up and take it literally. He reveled in that.

This book could not, nor would not, be nearly as essential if it wasn't for Courtney Love, Cobain's wife/widow, who gave Cross access to Kurt's journals. Particularly heartbreaking is reading of Kurt's never-ending stomach pain, and the lengths he went to in order to find a cure for it. Unfortunately, heroin seemed to be the only cure.

All in all, Heavier Than Heaven helps to uphold the legend that Nirvana has become. While there are many people who think that Nirvana was talentless, if you read this book, if you read Cross' brilliant descriptions of some of Kurt's songs, and his interpretations of them, you WILL realize how brilliant a songwriter Kurt could be when he wanted to be. He had a brilliant sense of irony and of melody. He wasn't stupid by any means. Was Nirvana as good as everyone made them out to be? Probably not. But there were times where they were, most notably their MTV Unplugged performance. Cross says it's one of the only times Kurt admitted that he gave an amazing performance during his final two years.

Heavier Than Heaven is The Hammer of the Gods for the so-called "Grunge" generation. Even if you're not a huge fan of Nirvana (I'm not a huge fan by any means), this is a must read book. Don't listen to the diehards who don't like the fact that Kurt's stories were nothing more than metaphors. This book is meticulously researched, and the author does give supporting documentation in the back of the book, despite what another writer on this site says. Read it, enjoy it, and learn from it.

Recommended: Yes