Letters to Kurt

“Nearly two decades after the death of Kurt Cobain, a friend and fellow musician not only continues to mourn his suicide, but also rages against the culture that he holds responsible. These 52 ‘letters’ . . . combine the subject matter of the Byrds’ ‘So You Wanna Be a Rock and Roll Star’ with the fury of Allen Ginsberg’s Howl . . . A catharsis for the writer and perhaps for the reader as well.” —Kirkus Reviews

Letters to Kurt is an anguished, angry, and tender meditation on the octane and ether of rock and roll and its many moons: sex, drugs, suicide, fame, and rage. It’s part Berryman’s Dream Songs, part Bukowski, Ferlinghetti, Ginsberg, and the Clash. Rants and reflections fill these fifty-two prose poems. They are raw, funny, sad, and searching. This will make a beautiful book for anyone who loved Nirvana and Hole and the time and place when their music changed everything. Ultimately, it’s an elegy for Kurt and the “suicide idols” who tragically fail to find salvation in their amazing music.