Coordinates	53°24′″N23°30′″N
Name	Dave Grohl
Background	solo_singer
Landscape	Yes
Birth name	David Eric Grohl
Alias	Late! (pseudonym for his solo album ''Pocketwatch''), Probot
Birth date	January 14, 1969
Birth place	Warren, Ohio
Genre	Alternative rock, grunge, hardcore punk, hard rock, heavy metal
Occupation	Musician, singer-songwriter
Years active	1981–present
Instrument	Vocals, drums, guitar, bass guitar, piano
Label	RCA Capitol DGC Dischord
Associated acts	Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Scream, Them Crooked Vultures, Probot, Queens of the Stone Age, Tenacious D
notable instruments	Gibson SG Custom Gibson DG-335/Trini LopezGibson Firebird }}

David Eric "Dave" Grohl (born January 14, 1969) is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for the Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures. He has also written all the music for his short-lived side projects Late! and Probot as well as being involved with Queens of the Stone Age. Furthermore, he has performed session work for a variety of musicians, including Killing Joke, Nine Inch Nails, The Prodigy, Slash, Juliette Lewis, and Lemmy Kilmister. In total, he has performed in over 30 bands.

Early life

As a child, Grohl's family relocated from Warren, Ohio, to Springfield, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C. Three years later, when Grohl was six, his parents divorced, and Grohl grew up living with his mother. His early influences also involved tutorials in drumming from "Treasures of the Earth" drummer Timothy Aldridge.

At the age of twelve, Grohl began learning to play guitar. He quickly grew tired of lessons and instead taught himself, and began playing in bands with friends. A year later, Grohl and his sister spent the summer in Evanston, Illinois, at their cousin Tracy's house. Tracy introduced them to punk rock by taking the pair to shows by a variety of punk bands. "From then on we were totally punk," Grohl explained. "We went home and bought ''Maximumrocknroll'' and tried to figure it all out."

In Virginia, Grohl attended Thomas Jefferson High School as a freshman and sophomore. He was elected vice president of his freshman class and played bits of songs by bands like the Circle Jerks and Bad Brains over the school intercom before his morning announcements. During his junior year, Grohl and his mother decided that he should transfer to Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria because his marijuana usage was affecting his grades.

While in high school, Grohl played in several local bands, including a stint on guitar in a band called Freak Baby. While playing in Freak Baby, he taught himself to play drums. When Freak Baby kicked out its bass player, Grohl decided to switch to drums, and the new band called themselves Mission Impossible. During his developing years as a drummer, Grohl cited John Bonham as his greatest influence, and eventually had Bonham's three-circle logo tattooed on his wrist. Mission Impossible later rebranded themselves Fast before breaking up, after which Grohl joined the post-punk-influenced hardcore punk band Dain Bramage.

Many of Grohl's early influences were gained at the 9:30 club, a live music venue in Washington D.C.: "I went to the 9:30 club hundreds of times. I was always so excited to get there, and I was always bummed when it closed. I spent my teenage years at the club and saw some shows that changed my life."

Musical career

Scream

At the age of seventeen, Grohl auditioned with local DC favorites Scream to fill the vacancy left by the departure of drummer Kent Stax. In order to be lined up for the audition, Grohl had lied about his age, claiming he was 20. To Grohl's surprise, the band asked him to join. After waffling for a brief period, Grohl accepted the offer. Grohl dropped out of high school in his junior year; he said, "I was seventeen and extremely anxious to see the world, so I did it." Over the next four years, Grohl toured extensively with the band, recording a couple of live albums (their May 4, 1990 show in Alzey, Germany being released by Tobby Holzinger as Your Choice Live Series Vol.10) and two studio albums, ''No More Censorship'' and ''Fumble'', on which Grohl penned and sang vocals on the song "Gods Look Down".

While playing in Scream, Grohl became a fan of Melvins and eventually befriended the band. During a 1990 tour stop on the west coast, The Melvins' Buzz Osborne took a couple of his friends, Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic, to see the band.

Nirvana

A few months later, Scream unexpectedly disbanded following the departure of its bass player. Grohl called Osborne for advice, and the latter gave Grohl's phone number to Krist Novoselic, who invited Grohl to Seattle, where Grohl would attend Nirvana's infamous show at the Motor Sports Garage, the one Nirvana show that featured Dan Peters on drums. (Grohl admitted to ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2005 that he spent most of Nirvana's set outside talking to a friend.) Grohl subsequently auditioned for the band, and soon joined them full-time.

At the time that Grohl joined Nirvana, the band had already recorded several demos for what would be the follow-up to their debut album ''Bleach'', having spent time recording with producer Butch Vig in Wisconsin. Initially, the plans were to release the album on Sub Pop, but the band found itself receiving a great deal of major label interest based on the demos. Grohl spent the initial months with Nirvana traveling to various major labels as the band shopped for a deal, eventually signing with DGC Records. In the spring of 1991, the band entered the studio to record the album.

Upon its release, ''Nevermind'' exceeded all expectations and became a massive success, catapulting the band to worldwide stardom. At the same time, Grohl found himself fighting with his status in the band. While his drumming style was a significant element in the band's success, Grohl saw himself as just another in a long line of drummers. In his mind, Nirvana was the band that recorded ''Bleach''; his arrival had altered that sound dramatically, and, as he saw it, not necessarily in a positive way. Though Grohl had been writing songs for several years, he declined to introduce his songs to the band for fear of damaging the band's chemistry. Instead, Grohl compiled his songs and recorded them himself, releasing a cassette called ''Pocketwatch'' in 1992 on indie label Simple Machines. Rather than using his own name, Grohl released the cassette under the pseudonym "Late!".

In the later years of Nirvana, Grohl's songwriting contributions increased. In Grohl's initial months in Seattle, Cobain overheard him working on a song called "Color Pictures of a Marigold", and the two ended up working on it. Grohl would later record the song for the ''Pocketwatch'' cassette. During the sessions for ''In Utero'', he decided to re-record the song, and the band released this version as a b-side on the "Heart-Shaped Box" single, titled simply "Marigold". Earlier, as the band worked on new material for ''In Utero'', Grohl contributed the main guitar riff for what ended up becoming "Scentless Apprentice". Cobain conceded in a late 1993 MTV interview that he initially thought the riff was "kind of boneheaded", but was gratified at how the song developed (a process captured in part in a demo on the Nirvana box set ''With the Lights Out''). Cobain noted that he was excited at the possibility of having Novoselic and Grohl contribute more to the band's songwriting.

Prior to their 1994 European tour, the band decided to schedule session time at Robert Lang Studios in Seattle to work on demos. For most of the three-day session, Cobain was absent, so Novoselic and Grohl worked on demos of their own songs. The duo completed several of Grohl's songs, including future Foo Fighters songs "Exhausted", "Big Me", "February Stars", and "Butterflies". On the third day of the session, Cobain finally arrived, and the band recorded a demo of a song later named "You Know You're Right". It was the band's final studio recording.

Foo Fighters

Following Cobain's death in April 1994, Grohl retreated, unsure of where to go and what to do with himself. In October 1994, Grohl scheduled studio time, again at Robert Lang's Studio, and quickly recorded a fifteen-track demo. With the exception of a single guitar part on "X-Static" played by Greg Dulli of the Afghan Whigs, Grohl performed all of the instruments himself.

At the same time, Grohl wondered if his future might be in drumming for other bands. In November, Grohl took a brief turn with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, including a memorable performance on ''Saturday Night Live''. Petty asked him to join permanently, but Grohl realized that his future lay elsewhere, and thus he declined the invitation. Grohl's name was also rumored as a possible replacement for Pearl Jam drummer Dave Abbruzzese, and Grohl even performed with the band for a song or two at three shows during Pearl Jam's March 1995 Australian tour. However, by then, Pearl Jam had already settled on ex- Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer, Jack Irons, and Grohl had other solo plans in the works.

After passing the demo around, Grohl found himself with considerable major label interest. Nirvana's A&R; rep Gary Gersh had subsequently taken over as president of Capitol Records and lured Grohl to sign with the label. Grohl did not want the effort to be considered the start of a solo career so he recruited other band members: former Germs and touring Nirvana guitarist Pat Smear, and two members of the band Sunny Day Real Estate, William Goldsmith (drums) and Nate Mendel (bass). Rather than re-record the album, Grohl's demo was given a professional mix by Rob Schnapf and Tom Rothrock and was released in July 1995 as Foo Fighters' debut album.

During a break between tours, the band entered the studio and recorded a cover of Gary Numan's "Down in the Park". In February 1996, Grohl and his then-wife Jennifer Youngblood made a brief cameo appearance on the X-Files third season episode "Pusher". (The two can be spotted walking in the FBI building, just after the Pusher character has put on his phony pass. Grohl pauses to look at his watch.)

After touring for the self-titled album for more than a year, Grohl returned home and began work on the soundtrack to the 1997 movie ''Touch''. Grohl performed all of the instruments and vocals himself, save for vocals from Veruca Salt singer Louise Post on the title track, and vocals and guitar by X's John Doe on "This Loving Thing (Lynn's Song)". Grohl completed the recording in two weeks, and immediately joined Foo Fighters to work on their follow-up.

In the midst of the initial sessions for Foo Fighters' second album, tension emerged between Grohl and Goldsmith. According to Goldsmith, "Dave had me do 96 takes of one song, and I had to do thirteen hours' worth of takes on another one. ... It just seemed that everything I did wasn't good enough for him, or anyone else." Goldsmith also believed that Capitol and producer Gil Norton wanted Grohl to drum on the album. With the album seemingly complete, Grohl headed home to Virginia with a copy of the rough mixes, and found himself unhappy with the results. Grohl penned a few new songs, recording one of them, "Walking After You", by himself at a studio in Washington, DC. Inspired by the session, Grohl opted to move the band, without Goldsmith's knowledge, to Los Angeles to re-record most of the album with Grohl behind the kit. After the sessions were complete, Goldsmith officially announced his departure from the band.

The effort was released in May 1997 as the band's second album, ''The Colour and the Shape'', which eventually cemented Foo Fighters as a staple of rock radio. The album spawned several hits, including "Everlong", "My Hero", and "Monkey Wrench". Just prior to the album's release, former Alanis Morissette drummer Taylor Hawkins joined the band on drums. The following September, Smear (a close friend of Jennifer Youngblood) left the band, citing a need to settle down following a lifetime of touring. Smear was subsequently replaced by Grohl's former Scream bandmate Franz Stahl. (Stahl departed the band prior to recording of Foo Fighters' third album and was replaced by touring guitarist Chris Shiflett, who later became a full-fledged member during the recording of ''One by One''.)

Grohl's life of non-stop touring and travel continued with Foo Fighters' popularity. During his infrequent pauses he lived in Seattle and Los Angeles before returning to Alexandria, Virginia. It was there that he turned his basement into a recording studio where the 1999 album ''There Is Nothing Left to Lose'' was recorded.

In 2000, the band recruited Queen guitarist Brian May to add some guitar flourish to a cover of Pink Floyd's "Have a Cigar", a song which Foo Fighters previously recorded as a b-side. The friendship between the two bands resulted in Grohl and Taylor Hawkins being asked to induct Queen into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. Grohl and Hawkins joined May and Queen drummer Roger Taylor to perform "Tie Your Mother Down", with Grohl standing in on vocals for Freddie Mercury. (May later contributed guitar work for the song "Tired of You" on the ensuing Foo Fighters album, as well as on an unreleased Foo Fighters song called "Knucklehead".)

Near the end of 2001, Foo Fighters returned to the studio to work on their fourth album. After four months in the studio, with the sessions finished, Grohl accepted an invitation to join Queens of the Stone Age and helped them to record their 2002 album ''Songs for the Deaf''. (Grohl can be seen drumming for the band in the video for the song "No One Knows".) After a brief tour through North America, Britain and Japan with the band and feeling rejuvenated by the effort, Grohl recalled the other band members to completely re-record their album at his studio in Virginia. The effort became their fourth album, ''One by One''. While initially pleased with the results, in another 2005 ''Rolling Stone'' interview, Dave Grohl admitted to not liking the record: "Four of the songs were good, and the other seven I never played again in my life. We rushed into it, and we rushed out of it."

On November 23, 2002, Grohl achieved a historical milestone by replacing himself on the top of the ''Billboard'' Modern Rock chart, when "You Know You're Right" by Nirvana was replaced by "All My Life" by Foo Fighters. When "All My Life" ended its run, after a one week respite, "No One Knows" by Queens of the Stone Age took the number one spot. Between October 26, 2002 and March 1, 2003 Grohl was in the number one spot on the Modern Rock charts for 17 of 18 successive weeks, as a member of three different groups.

Grohl and Foo Fighters released their fifth album ''In Your Honor'' on June 14, 2005. Prior to starting work on the album, the band spent almost a year relocating Grohl's home-based Virginia studio to a brand new facility, dubbed Studio 606, located in a warehouse near Los Angeles. Featuring collaborations with John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age and Norah Jones, the album was a departure from previous efforts, and included one rock and one acoustic disc.

Foo Fighters's sixth studio album ''Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace'' was released on September 25, 2007. It was recorded during a three-month period between March 2007 and June 2007, and its release was preceded by the first single "The Pretender" on September 17. The second single, "Long Road to Ruin", was released on December 3, 2007, followed by the third single, "Let It Die", June 24, 2008.

On November 3, 2009 Foo Fighters released their first ''Greatest Hits'' collection, consisting of 16 tracks including a previously unreleased acoustic version of "Everlong" and two new tracks "Wheels" and "Word Forward" which were produced by Nevermind's producer Butch Vig. Grohl has been quoted saying the ''Greatest Hits'' is too early and "...can look like an obituary." He does not feel they have written their best hits yet.

The Foo Fighters' seventh studio album, ''Wasting Light'', was released on April 12, 2011. It is the first Foo Fighters album to reach #1 in the United States.

Other projects

Apart from his main bands, Grohl has been involved in other music projects. In 1992, Grohl played drums on Buzz Osborne's Kiss-styled solo-EP ''King Buzzo'', where he was credited as ''Dale Nixon'', a pseudonym that Greg Ginn adopted to play bass on Black Flag's ''My War''. Grohl also released the music cassette Pocketwatch under the pseudonym ''Late!'' on the now defunct indie label, Simple Machines.

In 1993, Grohl was recruited to help recreate the music of The Beatles' early years for the movie ''Backbeat''. Grohl played drums in an "all-star" lineup that included Greg Dulli of the Afghan Whigs, indie producer Don Fleming, Mike Mills of R.E.M., Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, and Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum. A music video was filmed for the song "Money (That's What I Want)" while Grohl was with Nirvana on their 1994 European tour, footage of Grohl was filmed later and included.

Later in 1994, Grohl played drums on two tracks for Mike Watt's ''Ball-Hog or Tugboat?''. In early 1995, Grohl and Foo Fighters played their first US tour opening for Watt, and helped make up Watt's supporting band. Nicknamed the "Ringspiel" tour, Watt's band featured Grohl and William Goldsmith on drums, Eddie Vedder and Pat Smear on guitar, and Watt on bass.

During the early 2000s, Grohl spent time in his basement studio writing and recording a number of songs for a "metal" project. Over the span of several years, Grohl recruited his favorite metal vocalists from the 1980s, including Lemmy of Motörhead, Conrad "Cronos" Lant from Venom, King Diamond, Scott Weinrich, and Max Cavalera of Sepultura, to perform the vocals for the songs. The project was released in 2004 under the moniker Probot.

Also in 2003, Grohl stepped behind the kit to perform on Killing Joke's second self-titled album. The move surprised some Nirvana fans, given that Nirvana had been accused of stealing the opening riff of "Come as You Are" from Killing Joke's 1984 song "Eighties". However, the controversy failed to create a lasting rift between the bands. Foo Fighters covered Killing Joke's "Requiem" during the late 1990s, and were even joined by Killing Joke singer Jaz Coleman for a performance of the song at a show in New Zealand in 2003.

Grohl lent his drumming skills to other artists during the early 2000s. In 2000, Dave played drums and sang on a track, "Goodbye Lament", from Tony Iommi's album ''Iommi''. In 2001, Grohl performed on Tenacious D's debut album, and appeared in the video for lead single "Tribute" as Satan. He later appeared in the duo's 2006 movie ''Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny'' as Beelzeboss and performed on its soundtrack. In 2002, Grohl helped Chan Marshall of Cat Power on the album ''You Are Free'' and played with Queens of the Stone Age on their album ''Songs for the Deaf''. Grohl also toured with the band in support of the album, delaying work on the Foo Fighters' album One by One. In 2004, Grohl drummed on several tracks for Nine Inch Nails' 2005 album ''With Teeth''. He also drummed on the song "Bad Boyfriend" on Garbage's 2005 album ''Bleed Like Me''. Most recently, he recorded all the drums on Juliette and the Licks's 2006 album ''Four on the Floor'' and the song "For Us" from Pete Yorn's 2006 album ''Nightcrawler''. Beyond drumming, Grohl contributed guitar to a cover of Neil Young's "I've Been Waiting For You" on David Bowie's 2002 album ''Heathen''.

In June 2008, Grohl was Paul McCartney's special guest for a concert at the Anfield football stadium in Liverpool, in one of the central events of the English city's year as European Capital of Culture. Grohl joined McCartney's band singing backup vocals and playing guitar on "Band on the Run" and drums on "Back in the U.S.S.R." and "I Saw Her Standing There". Grohl also performed with McCartney at the 51st Grammy Awards, again playing drums on "I Saw Her Standing There". Grohl also helped pay tribute to McCartney at the 2010 Kennedy Center Honors along with No Doubt, Norah Jones, Steven Tyler, James Taylor, and Mavis Staples. He sang a duet version of "Maybe I'm Amazed" with Norah Jones on Dec. 5 2010.

Grohl played drums on the tracks 'Run With The Wolves' and 'Stand Up' on The Prodigy's 2009 album Invaders Must Die. In July 2009, it was revealed that Grohl was recording with Josh Homme and John Paul Jones as Them Crooked Vultures. The trio performed their first show together on August 9, 2009 at Metro in Chicago. The band played their first UK gig on August 26, 2009, with a surprise appearance at Brixton Academy in London, supporting the Arctic Monkeys. The band released their debut album Them Crooked Vultures on November 16, 2009 in the UK and November 17, 2009 in the US. Grohl has recently been involved in producing emerging Brit-rock outift A Band Called Bert, notably on the track ''It's Over Now''.

On February 6, 2010, Grohl performed with his band Them Crooked Vultures the songs "Mind Eraser, No Chaser" and "New Fang" as musical guests on Saturday Night Live. Dave Grohl appeared as an old punk rock drummer reuniting the group "Crisis of Conformity" after 25 years in a skit later on in the episode.

On October 23, 2010, Grohl performed with Tenacious D at Blizzcon. He appeared as the drummer for the entire concert.

Also in 2010, Grohl helped write and performed on drums for "Watch This" with guitarist Slash and Duff McKagan on Slash's self titled album that also included many other famous artists.

Outside of his music projects, Grohl will be making a cameo in the 2011 film ''The Muppets''.

Personal life

Grohl has been married twice. He was first married to photographer Jennifer Youngblood from 1993 to 1997. After their divorce, Grohl had relationships with Louise Post from Veruca Salt, solo artist and Hole bassist Melissa Auf Der Maur, and pro-snowboarder Tina Basich.

He then went on to marry Jordyn Blum on August 2, 2003, at their home in Los Angeles. Guests included Clive Davis, Jack Black, and former Nirvana bandmate Krist Novoselic. On April 15, 2006, their daughter Violet Maye was born in Los Angeles, being named after Grohl's maternal grandmother. Earlier that year, Foo Fighters bandmate Taylor Hawkins told MTV, "We're going to be touring Europe in January and February, but we've got to be home by March, because Dave and his wife are having a baby," he said, adding, "but I probably wasn't supposed to tell you that." Grohl said that he had been playing music to his unborn child, saying "she 'likes' The Beatles. Doesn't really get down to The Beach Boys. Digs Mozart." On April 17, 2009, Grohl's second child, daughter Harper Willow, was born.

Grohl has been vocal in his views on drug misuse, contributing to a 2009 anti-drug video for the BBC. "I have never done cocaine, ever in my life. I have never done heroin, I have never done speed," he said in a 2008 interview, adding that he had stopped smoking marijuana and taking acid at the age of 20. In the BBC video he said "I've seen people die. It ain't easy being young, but that stuff doesn't make it any easier".

In May 2006, Grohl sent a note of support to the two trapped miners in the Beaconsfield mine collapse in Tasmania, Australia. In the initial days following the collapse, one of the men requested an iPod with Foo Fighters album ''In Your Honor'', to be sent down to them through a small hole. Grohl's note read, in part, "Though I'm halfway around the world right now, my heart is with you both, and I want you to know that when you come home, there's two tickets to any Foos show, anywhere, and two cold beers waiting for yous. Deal?" In October 2006, one of the miners took up his offer, joining Grohl for a drink after Foo Fighters acoustic concert at the Sydney Opera House. Grohl wrote an instrumental piece for the meeting, which Grohl pledged he would include on the band's next album. The song, titled "Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners," appears on Foo Fighters' 2007 release ''Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace'', and features Kaki King.

In August 2009 Grohl was given the key to the city of Warren, Ohio and performed the songs "Everlong", "Times Like These", and "My Hero". A roadway in downtown Warren named "David Grohl Alley" has been dedicated to him with murals by local artists.

In 2000 while on tour with Foo Fighters in Australia, Grohl was arrested by Australian police while driving a scooter for driving under the influence following a concert on the Gold Coast in Queensland. He was fined $400 and had his Australian driving permit revoked for three months. Following the incident Grohl stated: "So, people, I guess if there's anything to learn here, it's: don't drive after a few beers, even if you feel entirely capable like I did."

Discography

Notes

References

External links

Foo Fighters official website

Dave Grohl Band Discography

Live Review at ArtistDirect.com

Category:1969 births Category:American male singers Category:American multi-instrumentalists Category:American music video directors Category:American punk rock drummers Category:American rock drummers Category:American rock guitarists Category:American rock singer-songwriters Category:Backing vocalists Category:Foo Fighters members Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Grunge musicians Category:Killing Joke members Category:Musicians from Ohio Category:Musicians from Virginia Category:Nirvana members Category:People from Fairfax County, Virginia Category:People from Warren, Ohio Category:Queens of the Stone Age members Category:Scream members Category:Living people Category:English-language singers Category:American heavy metal drummers

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Coordinates	53°24′″N23°30′″N
name	Courtney Love
alias	Courtney Love
background	solo_singer
birth name	Courtney Michelle Harrison
born	July 09, 1964San Francisco, California, U.S.
years active	1982–present
spouse(s)	Kurt Cobain (1992-1994), James Moreland (divorced 1989)
origin	Los Angeles, U.S.Portland, Oregon, U.S.
children	Frances Bean Cobain (born August 18, 1992)
occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician, actress
instrument	Vocals, guitar, bass, keyboard
genre	Alternative rock, punk rock, grunge, post-grunge
label	Sympathy for the Record Industry, Sub Pop, Caroline, DGC / Geffen, City Slang, Universal, Virgin, Mercury
notable instruments	Fender JazzmasterRickenbacker 620Fender Vista VenusRickenbacker 360
associated acts	Hole, Babes in Toyland, Sugar Babydoll, Pagan Babies, Faith No More, Emilie Autumn }}

Courtney Michelle Love (born Courtney Michelle Harrison, July 9, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and actress. Love started out in the film industry playing bit parts in Alex Cox films, but gained notoriety as frontwoman for alternative rock band Hole, which began as a Los Angeles noise rock quartet that catapulted into fame in the 1990s after releasing the massively successful albums ''Live Through This'' (1994) and ''Celebrity Skin'' (1998). Love also received substantial media attention over her marriage to Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, before and after his 1994 suicide.

Love continued to occasionally star in films, most notably ''The People vs. Larry Flynt'', which garnered her a Golden Globe nomination in 1997. After Hole's breakup in 2002, Love released a solo album and became a media spectacle while recovering from severe drug addiction, but reformed Hole in 2009 with entirely new members and released ''Nobody's Daughter'' (2010). Throughout her music career, Love's wild stage antics and subversive feminist attitude polarized audiences and critics, with ''Rolling Stone'' once calling her "the most controversial woman in rock history."

Early life

Courtney Michelle Harrison was born in San Francisco, California, the daughter of Linda Carroll, a therapist, and Hank Harrison, a publisher. According to Love, her mother named her after the alcoholic, fledgling debutante protagonist of a 1956 "dime-store novel" called ''Chocolates for Breakfast'' by Pamela Moore. Love would discover, in later years, that her biological grandmother was novelist Paula Fox and her great-grandmother was Cuban-born screenwriter Elsie Fox; Fox had given Linda Carroll up for adoption when she was an infant.

Love's family were part of the burgeoning hippie scene of the 1960s. Harrison was an "amateur acid maker", according to Love, and was briefly a road manager for The Grateful Dead. At five years old, Love was featured on the back of the Grateful Dead's third album, ''Aoxomoxoa'' (1969), sitting under a tree among the band members and various roadies and musicians.

Carroll and Harrison filed for a divorce by the time Love was five and, during a child custody case following her parents' divorce, Love's mother and one of her friends presented letters implying her father had given LSD to the three-year-old child. Love's father denied the allegation, and Love admitted that she couldn't remember it, but insisted it was alleged in court. The trial concluded with full custody being awarded to Love's mother. When Love was a toddler, her mother met Frank Rodriguez, whom she married and had two daughters with, also adopting a son.

Love relocated with her family to the small town of Marcola, Oregon in the early 1970s, and Linda studied psychotherapy at the University of Oregon. Love was bullied at school and called "pee girl" because her clothes were not often washed, and she was sent to various therapists and counselors by her mother after expressing deep-seated anger issues.thumb|right|160px|Childhood photograph of Love, early 1970s.In 1972, Love's mother relocated to New Zealand with Love's half-siblings and stepfather, but left Love behind in the United States under the care of a therapist friend. Love eventually reunited with her family, but was kicked out of her boarding school in New Zealand and was ultimately returned to Oregon where she lived in foster homes. Linda eventually returned to Oregon as well and divorced Rodriguez, marrying a third husband, Michael Meneley.

Adolescence

At age 14, Love was arrested for criminal mischief and theft after shoplifting a Kiss t-shirt at a Woolworth's and was sent to Hillcrest Youth Correctional Facility. According to documents by the facility committee from 1979, Love was very "outspoken" and caused problems within the program because of her "boisterous, negative, and hurtful behavior" toward her teachers and her peers. The same report also noted that Love's "academic ability is seen to be far beyond the typical student at Hillcrest". Other documents from the Oregon's Children's Services Division noted that it was "evident that Courtney has been in search of the family life she has always been deprived of for so many years", and has "rejected substitutes as unworthy". According to a data sheet which logged Love's juvenile placements, she was shuffled between over 20 different facilities and foster homes between 1978 and 1980.

At age 16, Love moved to Portland, Oregon. Though still a minor, Love worked as an exotic dancer in various venues in the city, lying to club owners in order to get jobs, most notably at the Star Theater and the infamous Mary's Dine & Dance. According to Love, she also briefly worked as a DJ at Portland's community radio station, KBOO, and wrote an article under the name "Courtney Michelle" in punk zine ''MRR'': "I wrote three or four of these missives from Portland, all about Poison Idea and Rancid Vat. But of course being me, I wrote something controversial and got a cross burned on my lawn. I wrote that Tom 'Pig' was a neo-fascist or something."

Love befriended punk kids and strippers, and often hung out at local gay bars, including Portland's Metropolis club, where she said she was "raised by her friends and drag queens." Love also started her first musical project during this time, an on-and-off band called Sugar Babydoll. While continuing to strip in Portland, Love was approached by a stranger who offered her a high-paying job at a dance hall in Japan. Love took the deal, but was deported within a month after the Japanese government closed down the dance ring due to their employment of underage girls. She returned to stripping upon arriving back to Portland, but was sent to court after the dance club was raided; a social worker in the case discovered a trust fund established for Love by her mother's adoptive parents, and she gained legal emancipation.

She subsequently traveled to England and Ireland, briefly reuniting with her father in Dublin and living on her trust fund. While in Ireland, Love took two semesters at Trinity College in Dublin and worked as a photographer for ''Hot Press''. In England, she moved into the Liverpool home of musician Julian Cope, of The Teardrop Explodes, and became a regular at rock shows. She also developed a friendship with Ian McCulloch of Echo and the Bunnymen.

In 1982, Love's Visa expired and she returned to Portland, whereupon a DJ at the Metropolis offered her a job spinning records. While working there, Love became acquainted with Rozz Rezabek of a local band, Theatre of Sheep, and the two had a brief relationship with one another. After the relationship ended, 19-year-old Love returned to the far East in order to make more money, and ended up stripping in Taiwan, where her passport was allegedly taken from her; Love reportedly feared that she was going to end up becoming a sex slave and returned to Portland once again.

Music career

Early endeavors

Love began her music career with a brief stint as lead singer of Faith No More. According to Love, she showed up to a concert in San Francisco wearing a wedding gown, and basically "demanded" to be in their band. Her work in the band was brief, though she later maintained a friendship with band member Roddy Bottum.

At age 20, in 1984, Love met Kat Bjelland in Portland at the Satyricon nightclub, and the two began a friendship. Both interested in music, they collaborated with friend Jennifer Finch, a bass player. Love and Bjelland moved to San Francisco the following year and formed a band called The Pagan Babies, with Deidre Schletter and Janis Tanaka, but the band dissolved in the summer of 1985 after recording one demo, largely due to fighting and troubles involving drug abuse. Love briefly played bass in Kat Bjelland's band Babes In Toyland in Minneapolis for a short time but was kicked out of this group as well. Love stayed in Minneapolis and got a gig as a promoter for rock shows, promoting concerts by bands such as The Butthole Surfers, but left to Los Angeles soon after.

In-between relocations, Love took classes at Portland State University, as well as San Francisco State University and the San Francisco Art Institute, studying English and Buddhism, but never invested enough time to graduate.

Love starred in two Alex Cox films in the late 1980s, but was ultimately dissatisfied with acting and the "low level of celebrity" that it brought her, particularly in the New York art scene, and returned to stripping, where she was recognized and photographed by customers at a bar in McMinnville, Oregon. Love then retreated to Alaska for several months where she continued to strip to support herself, all the while writing song lyrics and aspiring to form a band.

Hole

In 1989, Love boarded a Greyhound bus to Los Angeles—dissatisfied with acting, the 24-year-old taught herself to play guitar and set out to form her own band. She placed an ad in ''Flipside'', reading: "I want to start a band. My influences are Big Black, Sonic Youth, and Fleetwood Mac" to which Eric Erlandson, along with over a dozen other musicians, replied. Love ultimately chose Erlandson. After a cycle of several bass players and drummers, Love and Erlandson recruited bassist Jill Emery and drummer Caroline Rue into the band, which they named Hole. The band's name allegedly came from a quote from Euripides' ''Medea'' which read "there's a hole that pierces my soul" and a conversation Love had with her mother about her upbringing.

Hole played their first gig in November 1989 at Raji's after three months of rehearsal, and made singles on the Long Beach, California, independent label Sympathy for the Record Industry. Their first single, titled "Retard Girl," was issued in spring 1990, and had been produced by Love's then ex-husband Moreland. Disc jockey Rodney Bingenheimer jokingly said that Love would often "stalk him" at a downtown Denny's, showing him the band's single and insinuating that he should give it air time on his station, KROQ-FM. One year later, the band debuted their second single, "Dicknail" through Sub Pop Records, and began to gain a following in Los Angeles.

Influenced by the sounds and style of no wave rock bands, Love sought out Sonic Youth bassist Kim Gordon to produce the band's first studio album, a proposal which Gordon accepted. Hole's debut album ''Pretty on the Inside'' (1991) was released in September 1991 on Caroline Records, produced by Gordon and Gumball's Don Fleming. It sold well for an independent release and received specifically favorable reviews in the British alternative music press, charting at 59 on the UK Albums Chart in October 1991. ''The New Yorker'' referred to it as "the most compelling album to have been released in 1991" and ''Spin'' also labeled it one of the 20 best albums of the year. Love went on tour with Hole to promote the record in the United States following a lengthy tour of Europe. Several years after the album's release, Love made comments that though the album was "the truth", it was also an act of proving herself to her "indie peers" who had "made fun of her" for liking R.E.M. and The Smiths. She also referred to the creation of the album as a sort of self-exorcism.

Breakthrough

Love had begun dating Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain in 1991, two years after their initial encounter with one another. The two were married in 1992 and had a daughter, Frances that year. The marriage between Love and Cobain lasted up until 1994, when Cobain was experiencing immense success with Nirvana and Love was in the studio recording Hole's second album, ''Live Through This'' (1994). In April 1994, Cobain was found dead in the couple's Seattle home of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Both Love and Cobain had been staying in separate rehabilitation centers in California at the time due to heroin abuse; Cobain checked himself out of the center during treatment and vanished, returning to Seattle without telling anyone. His body was found in their home on April 8, 1994, four days before the release of Hole's ''Live Through This''. A memorial was held for Cobain two days later at the Seattle Center, with a pre-recorded message of Love reading Cobain's suicide note, while crying and chastising him. Near the end of the vigil, Love arrived at the park and distributed some of Cobain's clothing to those who still remained.

The tragedy in Love's personal life occurred during Hole's biggest achievement thus far— ''Live Through This'', recorded in the fall of 1993 in Atlanta, would garner much attention, not only because of it being the group's first commercial album, but also because of its release date, just days after Cobain committed suicide. The album featured a new lineup, with Kristen Pfaff on bass and Patty Schemel on drums; Jill Emery and Caroline Rue had both left the band in 1992. Less than two months after the release of ''Live Through This'', on June 16, Kristen Pfaff died of an apparent heroin overdose. Love soon after recruited 22-year-old bassist Melissa Auf der Maur for the band's upcoming tour. Throughout the months preceding the tour, Love was rarely seen in public, and had Namgyal Buddhist monks move into her home to help her deal with the recent tragedies.

The live performances for Hole's 1994 and 1995 tours became notorious due to Love's emotional state at the time; they were described as "part therapy and part eulogy", with Love often altering hurtful song lyrics toward herself, dedicating songs to Cobain and Pfaff, provoking fans, throwing guitars into the audience, and breaking into screaming fits onstage. Disgruntled Nirvana fans—many of whom had been adherents to conspiracy theories alleging that Love had murdered Cobain— threw shotgun shells at her onstage on several occasions.

The dramatic nature of the tour came to public light on the Fourth of July, 1995— while playing at the Lollapalooza Music Festival, Love punched Bikini Kill singer Kathleen Hanna in the face, after pelting her with candy and throwing a lit cigarette at her. Hanna had allegedly made a joke about Love's daughter shooting up in a closet. Following the incident, Hanna pressed charges, and Love pled guilty and underwent anger management classes.

In spite of the recent tragedies in Love's life and the highly emotional tour, ''Live Through This'' was an immense commercial and critical success. ''Spin'' and the ''Village Voice'' declared it "Album of the Year" and by November the record was certified gold. By April 1995, it went platinum. ''Entertainment Weekly'' gave it a positive review, noting the lyrical content of the songs and Love's dealings with it: "Life in the media spotlight, motherhood, being called Nirvana's Yoko Ono, the idea that love and sex strip women of their dignity-these and other thoughts are on her mind, and her frazzled, occasionally venomous observations make for what amounts to a shrink session with a beat." Columnist Geoffrey Himes noted the album's reactiveness toward "the impossible situation that confronts women when they are asked to be both wild sources of pleasure and unblemished mother figures."

The album's subject matter ranged from themes of pregnancy, rape, and relationships to conformity, child abuse, and suicide. ''Live Through This'' went on to be declared one of the best albums of all time by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in their ''500 Greatest Albums of All Time'' issue in 2003.

Commercial success

Following the success of ''Live Through This'', Hole went on a hiatus beginning in 1996 while Love acted in several films. In 1997, the band released a compilation album, ''My Body, The Hand Grenade'' through City Slang records, which featured material from the band's earliest recordings in 1989 up until 1995— the album featured several singles and live tracks, and was described as an anthology of the band's progression from punk rock to more mainstream alternative rock tastes.

While ''My Body, The Hand Grenade'' was hitting store shelves, Hole was in the studio recording ''Celebrity Skin'', which featured a more pop rock style than the band's previous albums. Released in September 1998, ''Celebrity Skin'' was noted for its commercial style, and received positive critical reaction. ''Rolling Stone'' gave the album four out of five stars, saying, "the album teems with sonic knockouts that make you see all sorts of stars. It's accessible, fiery and intimate—often at the same time. Here is a basic guitar record that's anything but basic." ''Celebrity Skin'' went on to go multi-platinum, and topped "Best of Year" lists at ''Spin'', the ''Village Voice'', and other periodicals. Erlandson was still the lead guitarist, and now there were Melissa Auf der Maur's backup vocals and bass, but drummer Patty Schemel was replaced by a session drummer during the recording. The album is noted for being the only Hole album to garner a No. 1 hit single on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, with its title track, "Celebrity Skin".

During the release and promotion of ''Celebrity Skin'', Love and Fender designed a low-price Squier brand guitar, called Vista Venus (as Cobain did in 1994, doing the design of his Fender Jag-Stang). The instrument featured a shape inspired by Mercury, Stratocaster, and Rickenbacker's solidbodies and had a single-coil and a humbucker pickup. In an early 1999 interview, Love said about the Venus: "I wanted a guitar that sounded really warm and pop, but which required just one box to go dirty (...) And something that could also be your first band guitar. I didn't want it all teched out. I wanted it real simple, with just one pickup switch. Because I think that cultural revolutions are in the hands of guitar players". She also declared, "my Venus is better than the Jag-Stang". The Squier Vista Venus model is currently discontinued, as is the Jag-Stang as of 2006.

Hole toured Australia in 1999 to support the album, then the U.S. on a tour with Marilyn Manson. The two bands mocked each other on stage. Hole dropped off the tour, citing the obligation to pay 50% of Manson's staging costs as a reason. The singers of both bands told MTV there was no animosity and they were happy to end the tour. Hole finished the year's dates with Imperial Teen opening.

Solo career

thumb|160px|right|Love performing in London, England on her 43rd birthday (2007).With Hole in disarray, Love began a "punk rock femme supergroup" called Bastard during autumn 2001, enlisting Schemel, Veruca Salt co-frontwoman Louise Post, and bassist Gina Crosley, whom Post recommended. Though a demo was completed, the project never reached fruition: conflicts between Love and Crosley, then between Love and replacement bassist Corey Parks from Nashville Pussy, led to the group's demise. On May 24, 2002, Hole officially announced their breakup amid continuing litigation with Universal Music Group.

A whirlwind of legal troubles surrounded Love beginning in 2003, when public attention fell on her for various arrests and drug charges, most notably after the release of her solo album, ''America's Sweetheart''. Love had begun composing the album with Linda Perry in 2002. ''America's Sweetheart'', released on Virgin Records in February 2004, was embraced by critics with mixed reviews. ''Spin'' called it a "jaw-dropping act of artistic will and a fiery, proper follow-up to 1994’s ''Live Through This''" and awarded it eight out of ten stars, while ''Rolling Stone'' suggested that, "for people who enjoy watching celebrities fall apart, ''America's Sweetheart'' should be more fun than an Osbournes marathon."

The album sold a disappointing 86,000 copies in its first three months, with the singles ''Mono'' and "Hold on to Me", both of which earned competent spots on album charts. Love has publicly expressed her regret over the record several times, calling it "a crap record" during a 2010 Oxford Union speech, reasoning that her drug issues at the time were to blame. During the promotion for the record, Love battled various highly-publiciezd legal issues as well as drug sentences, which eventually resulted in six months of lockdown rehab.

In June 2005, Love started recording what was going to be her second solo album, ''Nobody's Daughter'', collaborating with Linda Perry and Billy Corgan in the writing and recording of the album. Love had written several songs, including an anti-cocaine song entitled "Loser Dust", during her time in rehab.

Some tracks and demos from the album (initially planned for release in 2008) were leaked on the internet in 2006, and a documentary entitled ''The Return of Courtney Love'', detailing the making of ''Nobody's Daughter'', aired on the British television network in the fall of that year. A rough acoustic version of "Never Go Hungry Again", recorded during an interview for ''The Times'' in November, was also released. Incomplete audio clips of the song "Samantha", originating from an interview with NPR, were also distributed on the internet in 2007.

Hole reformation

On June 17, 2009, ''NME'' reported that Hole would be reuniting. Former Hole guitarist Eric Erlandson stated in ''Spin'' magazine that contractually no reunion can take place without his involvement; therefore ''Nobody's Daughter'' would remain Love's solo record, as opposed to a "Hole" record. Love responded to Erlandson's comments in a Twitter post, claiming that "he's out of his mind, Hole is my band, my name, and my Trademark".

''Nobody's Daughter'' was released worldwide as a Hole album in April 2010. Hole now consists of Love (guitar, vocals), Micko Larkin (guitar), Shawn Dailey (bass guitar), and Stu Fisher (drums, percussion). Some songs from the sessions with Linda Perry and Billy Corgan are on the album, including "Pacific Coast Highway", "Letter to God", "Samantha", and "Never Go Hungry", although they have been re-produced with Micko Larkin.

The first single from ''Nobody's Daughter'' was "Skinny Little Bitch", which was the most added song on alternative rock radio in early March 2010. Hole performed on ''The Late Show with David Letterman'' on April 27, 2010, and Courtney Love was interviewed. Hole also performed on ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' on April 29, 2010, on the outdoor stage.

The album received mixed reviews, though the majority of them leant toward positive. ''Rolling Stone'' gave the album three out of five stars, saying that Love "worked hard on these songs, instead of just babbling a bunch of druggy bullshit and assuming people would buy it, the way she did on her 2004 flop, ''America's Sweetheart''." ''Slant Magazine'' also gave the album three out of five stars, saying "It's Marianne Faithfull's substance-ravaged voice that comes to mind most often while listening to songs like "Honey" and "For Once in Your Life." The latter track is, in fact, one of Love's most raw and vulnerable vocal performances to date. Co-penned by Linda Perry, the song offers a rare glimpse into the mind of a woman who, for the last 15 years, has been as famous for being a rock star as she's been for being a victim."

The album's subject matter was largely centered on Love's tumultuous life between 2003 and 2007, and featured a polished folk-rock sound with much more acoustic work than previous Hole albums. Love toured Europe, Japan, and the United States promoting the album in the spring and summer of 2010, ending the tour at Seattle's Bumbershoot festival in September. In the summer of 2011, the band played at several festivals in Russia, and are slated to tour Australia in September and October.

Acting career

Love actually started out acting before breaking into the music industry. In 1987, she submitted an audition tape to director Alex Cox, which earned her a bit part in the Sid Vicious biopic ''Sid and Nancy'' (1986). Impressed by Love's energy and "star attitude", Cox offered her $40,000 for a leading role in his following film ''Straight to Hell'' (1987), which she filmed in Spain in 1986. ''Straight to Hell'' was a critical flop, and in 1987, Love starred in Andy Warhol's ''Fifteen Minutes'' television show with Robbie Nevil in a segment titled "C'est la Vie" (eponymous for Neville's hit song). The segment features Love dressed in vintage clothes from the Paramount costume department discussing her aspirations about being a poet and an English major, but how she "mostly would have been a bag lady".

Nearly a decade later, in 1996, Love returned to acting in the midst of her success and work with Hole. She had small parts in ''Basquiat'' and ''Feeling Minnesota'', but her largest role came in that of Larry Flynt's wife, Althea, in Miloš Forman's 1996 film ''The People vs. Larry Flynt'', opposite Woody Harrelson as Flynt. Forman chose Love, unaware of her history as a musician, because she was "an extremely talented actress." Initially, Columbia Pictures had been hesitant to hire Love for the role, because she wasn't a "big enough name", and they were also worried about her "troubled" past. Nonetheless, Forman fought the company and Love was given the role; however, Columbia Pictures refused to insure her during the making of the film. Ultimately, Forman, co-star Woody Harrelson, Oliver Stone, Michael Hausman, and Love herself pooled their money together in order to pay for her insurance, which demanded weekly urine tests, which she passed.

Love received unanimous critical acclaim upon the film's release, as well as a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Drama and a New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress. Film critic Roger Ebert called her work in the film "quite a performance; Love proves she is not a rock star pretending to act, but a true actress".

The late 1990s— after Hole released ''Celebrity Skin''— saw Love in the party film ''200 Cigarettes'' (1998), and starring opposite Jim Carrey in ''Man on the Moon'' (1999). In 2001, Love returned to acting and took a leading role in ''Julie Johnson'' (2001) as Lili Taylor's lesbian lover, for which she won an Outstanding Actress award at L.A.'s Outfest. She followed with another leading part in the thriller film ''Trapped'' (2002), alongside Kevin Bacon and Charlize Theron.

Other projects

In 2004, Love collaborated with manga illustrators Misaho Kujiradou and Ai Yazawa to create a manga series title ''Princess Ai'', based in part on Love's life. Love wrote the stories for the series, and it was released through Tokyopop in two volumes between 2004 and 2005. The manga focused on an amnesiac alien who is transported to Tokyo where she becomes a rock star, and the key to her past is locked inside of a heart-shaped box. The series was released by publishing company Tokyopop, and was also featured in Japanese shōjo magazine ''Wings''.

Although Love said she would "never write a book", she did publish a memoir in 2006 titled ''Dirty Blonde: The Diaries of Courtney Love''. The memoir was composed of years' worth of diary entries, poems, letters, drawings, personal photos, and lyric compositions spanning from Love's childhood up until the year 2006, shortly after her release from a six-month rehab sentence. The book was generally well-reviewed by critics, and Love did book readings in promotion for it.

In more recent years, Love has expressed a great deal of interest in fashion, coining her flamboyant outfits and accessories with the term "kook". Love attended various fashion shows in 2009 and 2010, and performed with Hole at several of the shows, including the Givenchy fashion party in Paris. She also started a fashion blog titled ''What Courtney Wore Today'' . In October 2010, Love and Michael Mouris created an animated short film detailing Love's "kooky" fashion sense, titled ''The Dark Night of the Soul''.

Personal life

Relationships

Love's most prolific relationship was with fellow rock musician Kurt Cobain. The two first encountered one another at the Satyricon nightclub in January 1989, where Nirvana was playing a show. Cobain passed by a booth where Love was seated with a friend, and she blurted to him, "You look like Dave Pirner" (lead singer of Soul Asylum). The two purportedly playfully wrestled on the floor in front of a jukebox that night, but Love left the club before Cobain did. They later became reacquainted through Jennifer Finch, one of Love's longtime friends and former bandmates, who was dating Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl at the time. Love told Grohl she had a crush on Cobain, and later sent him a heart-shaped box with a letter and porcelain doll head inside of it. Love and Cobain officially began dating in 1991, and were married on Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii, on February 24, 1992. Love wore a satin and lace dress once owned by actress Frances Farmer, and Cobain wore green pajamas. Six months later, on August 18, the couple's only child, a daughter named Frances Bean Cobain, was born. In 1994, Cobain committed suicide. In speaking of her marriage with Kurt Cobain, she has been adamant about the fact that she loved him, but in more recent years has been less inclined to discuss it. In a 2010 interview with ''NME'', Love said she was "sick of talking about it". "I am not his spokesperson on Earth," she told the magazine. "I don't know what he'd be like now; he could be into society girls, he could be into fat girls, he could be homosexual. We don't know, he died at 27."

Prior to her relationship with Cobain, she married "Falling" James Moreland, vocalist of The Leaving Trains, in Las Vegas in 1989. Moreland was a transvestite and Love later referred to their wedding as "a joke"; an annulment was filed within the first few months of the marriage. In 1991, Love also dated The Smashing Pumpkins guitarist Billy Corgan. Beginning in 1996, Love dated actor Edward Norton when the two met on the set of ''The People vs. Larry Flynt''. Her relationship with Edward was described as her "most stable". The two were together for several years and were at one point engaged, but separated in 1999. Love was also romantically linked to Trent Reznor in 1995 and once left a suicide note in her room in the Sunset Marquis Hotel in West Hollywood after a fight with Reznor. According to her book ''Dirty Blonde: The Diaries of Courtney Love'', she left a suicide-note-like apology letter addressed to deceased husband Kurt Cobain and daughter Frances Bean, saying that ''I love you. Please forgive me. ... You are both too beautiful for me. I love you forever''. Love was also briefly involved with British comedian Steve Coogan in the mid-2000s.

Love's relationship with her daughter, Frances, has likewise been turbulent. After a 2003 oxycodone overdose, Love temporarily lost custody of the 13-year-old, who went to live with Kurt Cobain's mother, Wendy O'Connor. Love regained custody of Frances in January 2005. In December 2009, it was reported that Love had "lost" custody of Frances again, though her spokesperson Keith Fink told the media: "Courtney's been clean for years and is perfectly fine. This is simply about Frances preferring to live with her grandmother at this time. Frances is 17 and a strong-willed child, and this is a decision she made on her own." Nonetheless, legal guardianship of Frances was placed in the hands of O'Connor, whom had guardianship over Frances until her 18th birthday in August 2010.

Substance abuse

Love has struggled with substance abuse problems for a great deal of her life. Love admitted to trying marijuana in her teenage years, but was first introduced to heavier drugs at age 16 while living in Taiwan, using heroin after mistaking it for cocaine. She also revealed that she first tried cocaine with friend Jennifer Finch at age 19; Finch shot an entire roll of film of them as they did lines of the drug, but Love referred to it as "[not] a very pleasant experience." According to Love, "Later that day Jennifer gulped down a bunch of dilaudid and overdosed. I had never driven a car in my life, but I threw her in a car, and drove her to the hospital, and the doctors saved her life. After that, I was really scared of drugs."

As Love transitioned into the public eye in the 1990s, her struggle with drug abuse was subject of many media outlets, first beginning in a ''Vanity Fair'' article by Lynn Hirschberg in 1992, which alluded that Love was addicted to heroin during her pregnancy. Though Love has admitted she used heroin before she knew she was pregnant, she asserts that she stopped "damn fast": "My daughter knows I did drugs in my first trimester of pregnancy. She weighed 7lb 6oz when she was born and she was healthy. [Kurt and I] were excellent parents and I say that despite pretty much always having an edge on."

In 2004, Love's drug use came to public attention again while she promoted her solo album. On March 17, 2004, Love was arrested in New York for possession of a controlled substance after a concert. Love protested her arrest, denying charges and describing the drugs found on her as "one expired Percocet and one Ambien". The police, however, alleged possession of oxycodone and hydrocodone without prescription. After several probation violations, Love was sentenced to six months of lock down rehab after struggles with prescription drugs and cocaine. She made a public statement after her release, saying: "I would just like to thank the court for allowing me these 90 days... [It] helped me deal with a very gnarly drug problem, which is behind me... I've just been playing guitar and taking care of my daughter. I want to [take this opportunity] to let the community know I'm doing great... I've been really inspired and have remained inspired."

In retrospect, Love has jokingly referred to 2004-2007 as "The Letterman Years", in reference to her public breakdown and drug-fueled behavior first surfacing during a chaotic interview with David Letterman in 2004. Love has also admitted to abusing rohypnol and other opiates. In May 2011, Love made public statements that she was "tired" of her reputation as a drug addict: "I've been maligned as this drug freak for years, and I'm getting tired of it. That's not the way I live anymore. I try to work a good program. I don't do smack. I don't do crack anymore." Love has credited Buddhism as having helped her through her addictions several times.

Love has also been a lifelong smoker. In a 2010 interview, she commented, saying: "Someone compared me to Bette Davis in that I make smoking cool for kids. And I think it was a tragic and truthful statement. And it made me feel, as you can imagine, just horrible. Then they challenged me to quit smoking – because if I can quit smoking, anyone can quit smoking. So while I ''am'' smoking a cigarette right now, I have written 'The Last Pack' with a Sharpie on every pack since then. And I'm gearing up to quit."

Beliefs

Love is a member of Soka Gakkai, a branch of Nichiren Buddhism, having started exploring the religion in 1991. Love stated that in 1990, she would chant ''Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō'' daily, and in retrospect, has credited her spiritual awakening as a being responsible for her success with Hole. Love was raised by a Roman Catholic mother and attended a Catholic girls' school while living in New Zealand as a young child.

Love has advocated for several liberal causes, including stricter gun control laws and reform of the "corrupt" record industry. Love has also been an advocate for gay rights; during a 1997 award speech at VH1's Fashion Awards, Love said "I think that great personal style is being true to yourself and speaking your mind, which, since I'm up here, I'm going to do... I feel that keeping gay people in the closet with our actions and attitudes is cruel and tacky, and most of all, it's boring. I think we need to respect each other and ourselves, and who we are, and what we are, and not be afraid to be what we are, whether we're gay, or straight, or... insane." Love voted against California's Proposition 8 during the 2008 elections.

In January 2011, while attending an Oxford Union debate, Love publicly endorsed her support of Julian Assange and WikiLeaks, and called it "a step in the right direction for democracy".

Love is also self-identified feminist, a theme that has not only come across in her music, but in her own persona. Love was written about in the journal ''Bad Subjects'' for her subversive feminism and "slut/diva" image, and her "self-conscious parody of female sex roles", which is often misinterpreted because the public "only sees the 'slut' without the critique of the system that creates categories like 'slut.'"

Influences and style

Love has often cited new wave and punk groups/musicians as being great influences on her. Such musical acts as Echo and the Bunnymen, The Smiths, and Joy Division have been mentioned by Love, including songs by several of them being covered by Hole in live performances and, in some cases, studio recordings as album B-sides. In the early '90s, Hole as a group was greatly influenced by no wave music— in the initial advertisement placed by Love which resulted in Hole's formation, she cited Fleetwood Mac, Sonic Youth, and Big Black as her three major musical influences.

In a 1995 interview with Kurt Loder, Love divulged that in the late 1980s, guitarist Joe Strummer of The Clash told her that she was "the worst guitar player he'd ever heard", but she insisted she had improved by the early 1990s: "I'm fine... I have my style... and, you know what's funny, is most of the songs [from ''Pretty on the Inside''] are complete Bauhaus rip-offs." During the same interview, Love said she was greatly influenced by guitarists Will Sergeant of Echo and the Bunnymen and Johnny Marr of the Smiths.

Although emphasis on new wave and punk rock influence has been noted by Love as well as critics, her favorite artists vary across genres and time periods. In her teenage years, Love was cited listening to jazz and lounge singers such as Billie Holliday and Frank Sinatra, as well as punk rock acts such as Flipper and The Dead Kennedys. Over the course of Hole's career, the band has done various live and studio covers from a wide array of artists, such as: Fleetwood Mac, The Velvet Underground, Wipers, The Germs, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Donovan, Nirvana, Guns N' Roses, Neil Young, Leadbelly, Duran Duran, and Carole King.

Although Hole's sound changed over the course of the band's career, the pretty/ugly dynamic has often been noted as a consistent theme in Love's music, most prominently in Hole's first two studio albums. In conjunction with the extremes between beauty and ugliness, Love's musical style has also been remarked for its layering of harsh and abrasive riffs which often bury more sophisticated musical arrangements. Upon the release of ''Pretty on the Inside'', the album was lauded for its "fascination with the repulsive aspects of L.A.— superficiality, sexism, violence, and drugs." In Love's later musical career, however, on both ''Celebrity Skin'' and her solo ''America's Sweetheart'', Los Angeles and the state of California was cast in a different light; such songs as "Malibu", "Sunset Marquis", and "Celebrity Skin" all highlight aspects of the glamourous nature of L.A. and its relationship with Love's own life. ''Celebrity Skin'' has been referred to as Love's "personal love letter to Los Angeles."

In terms of musical equipment, Love has used several different guitars during her career. In 1989 and the early 1990s, Love was seen several times with a Rickenbacker onstage, and, more often, a Fender Jazzmaster, which she played in the music video for "Miss World"; Love's Jazzmaster is now on display at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City. In the later '90s, Love played several Fender Stratocasters, as well as her own line of Squier Venus guitars. Most recently, in 2010, Love played a Rickenbacker 360 while touring.

Legacy

Once labelled by ''Rolling Stone'' as "the most controversial woman in the history of rock", Love has been influential in the music world, particularly in the area of alternative rock and female-driven musical acts.

Most notable has been her vision of female potential in rock music—an industry and art form that has been notorious for its male dominance. Of the slew of female-driven rock and punk bands that emerged in the 1990s—from alternative punk bands such as L7 to "riot grrrl" musical acts like Bikini Kill—Hole was also perhaps the most successful of its time, garnering a widespread fanbase, critical accolades, and notable album sales. In a 1996 New York Magazine piece on women in rock music, it was noted that Love "had the ambition most people would associate with a male rock star... One thing you have to admire her for is that she refuses— just refuses— to be overlooked in any way."

Likewise, Love has been cited as a gay icon by several LGBT publications, such as ''The Advocate'', probably due to her perseverance and endurance through adverse situations in her life. Love's devoted gay fanbase was later written about in a New York Press article when Hole released their fourth album in 2010. In the article, John Russel writes:

In more recent years, Love's presence in music has been noted: in 2004, ''Spin'' magazine ranked Love No. 18 in their list of "The 50 Greatest Rock Frontmen Of All Time", calling her "a great band leader because onstage or off, she always makes sure we're paying attention". In January 2002, Love ranked at No. 14 in ''Q Magazine'''s list of "100 Women Who Rock the World". The Biography Channel called Love "outspoken, brash, and sometimes out of control", and "one of alternative rock's most fascinating figures".

Discography

;Hole

''Pretty on the Inside'' (1991)

''Live Through This'' (1994)

''Celebrity Skin'' (1998)

''Nobody's Daughter'' (2010)

;Solo

''America's Sweetheart'' (2004)

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1986	''Sid and Nancy''	Gretchen
1987		Velma
1988	''Tapeheads''	Norman's spanker	Uncredited
		Big Pink
''Feeling Minnesota''	Rhonda the Waitress
''The People vs. Larry Flynt''
	''200 Cigarettes''	Lucy
	Lynne Margulies
2000		Joan Vollmer Burroughs
2001	''Julie Johnson''	Claire
2002		Cheryl
2005	''Trailer for a Remake of Gore Vidal's Caligula''	Caligula	Short film

As herself:

Year	Film/program	Notes
1987	''Andy Warhol's Fifteen Minutes''	Segment "C'est la vie"
1992	''1991: The Year Punk Broke''
1995	''Not Bad for a Girl''
1997	''Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's''	Uncredited
1998	''Kurt & Courtney''
1999	''Clara Bow: Discovering the It Girl''	Narrator (documentary)
2000	''Bounce: Behind the Velvet Rope''
	''Last Party 2000''
''Crossover''
2003	''Mayor of the Sunset Strip''
2004	''(This Is Known As) The Blues Scale''
2006	''The Return of Courtney Love''	Channel 4 special
2010	''Alan Carr Chatty Man ''	Channel 4 interview

See also

Hole

List of female rock singers

''Live Through This'' (1994)

List of 54th Golden Globe Award nominees

List of feminists

List of punk rock bands

Kurt Cobain

Grunge

Riot grrrl

List of alternative rock artists

List of Buddhists

References

External links

Official Hole website

''What Courtney Wore Today''— a personal fashion blog created by Love in 2010

Courtney Love Interview (2006) on her book ''Dirty Blonde'' by AOL Books

Category:1964 births Category:Living people Category:People from San Francisco, California Category:American Buddhists Category:American female guitarists Category:American female singers Category:American feminists Category:American film actors Category:American punk rock singers Category:American diarists Category:American poets Category:American multi-instrumentalists Category:American rock singers Category:Musicians from California Category:Custard Records artists Category:Faith No More members Category:Female rock singers Category:Female post-grunge singers Category:Female punk rock singers Category:Feminist musicians Category:Grunge musicians Category:Hole members Category:People self-identifying as substance abusers Category:Sympathy for the Record Industry artists Category:Kurt Cobain Category:San Francisco Art Institute alumni Category:Members of Soka Gakkai

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Coordinates	53°24′″N23°30′″N
name	Corey Taylor
background	solo_singer
birth name	Corey Todd Taylor
born	December 08, 1973
origin	Des Moines, Iowa,
alias	#8, The Great Big Mouth, Faith, The Sickness,
genre	Alternative metal, nu metal, heavy metal, post-grunge, hard rock, alternative rock
occupation	Musician, songwriter, author
years active	1990–present
instrument	Vocals, guitar, bass, piano, keyboards, banjo
voice type	Baritone
label	Roadrunner, Great Big Mouth
associated acts	Slipknot, Stone Sour,
website	Slipknot Official WebsiteStone Sour Official Website }}

Corey Todd Taylor (born December 8, 1973) sometimes known by the number 8, is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of Slipknot and Stone Sour. Taylor was raised by his single mother. He developed a fond feeling toward classic rock after his grandmother introduced him to it. Taylor first met his father on March 28, 2005, and the two have developed a strong relationship. He currently has a wife, an ex-wife, and two children. By the release of Stone Sour's ''Come What(ever) May'', he was sober. On August 3, 2009 and July 29, 2010 he co-hosted the Kerrang! Awards alongside Scott Ian of Anthrax and The Damned Things.

Corey Taylor is a founding member of Stone Sour, and has released three studio albums with the band. Taylor joined Slipknot in 1997 to replace their original singer Anders Colsefni. He has released four studio albums with the band. Taylor constantly alternates between bands, as seen in 2001, after the release of ''Iowa'', where he reformed Stone Sour immediately after touring. He has worked with several bands, including Junk Beer Kidnap Band, Apocalyptica, Anthrax and Soulfly. Taylor writes and sings in styles that vary by genre. He is well known for his four octave Baritone vocal range. Taylor was ranked number 86 in Hit Parader's ''Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time''.

Personal life

Corey Taylor was born in Des Moines, Iowa on December 8, 1973, the first of three children. He lived in Orlando briefly with his uncle, George Robson though Taylor was mostly raised by his mother in Waterloo, Iowa, a place described by Taylor as a "hole in the ground with buildings around it."

In 1979, Taylor and his mother saw the science fiction series ''Buck Rogers in the 25th Century''. Before the series, there was a trailer for the 1978 horror film ''Halloween''. Taylor said this "developed some sense of Slipknot in [himself]." While ''Halloween'' introduced Taylor to masks and horror themes, Taylor's grandmother introduced him to rock music, showing him a collection of Elvis Presley records from the mid-fifties to late seventies. He especially found some songs like "Teddy Bear", "In the Ghetto", and "Suspicious Minds", to appeal to his interests the most, describing them as "good times." Taylor also began listening to Black Sabbath at a young age, beginning with their early work.

Taylor, along with his mother and sister, lived in an "old dilapidated farmhouse," which on days in late autumn would "look like Black Sabbath album covers." By age fifteen, Taylor had developed a drug addiction and had overdosed on cocaine twice. By this time, Taylor was living in Waterloo, Iowa, but later set out on his own and ended up at his grandmother's trailer in Ohio. She took legal custody of him and helped him buy musical equipment. When Taylor was eighteen, he left his grandmother's trailer and went to various places, Des Moines being a place he commonly went back to.

Taylor and his father first met when Taylor was an adult, and now have a strong relationship. On September 17, 2002, Corey's then-fiancée, Scarlett Stone, gave birth to their son Griffin Parker. Taylor also has a daughter named Angie, born on October 29, 1992 from an earlier relationship.

Taylor has also had alcohol abuse problems, which his ex-wife, Scarlett, helped him through as well as keeping him from committing suicide. In 2006, Taylor told MTV that he had attempted to jump off a balcony of the eighth floor of the Hyatt on Sunset Boulevard in 2003, but "somehow [Scarlett] stopped me". Scarlett then told him that either he would have to get sober or she would annul their marriage. Before Stone Sour started recording ''Come What(ever) May'' in January 2006, Taylor was sober. On August 3, 2009, he co-hosted the 2009 Kerrang! Awards alongside Scott Ian of Anthrax. The following year, they both once again co-hosted The Kerrang Awards, where Corey collected the K! Services to Metal award on behalf of Paul Gray who died after an accidental overdose of morphine and fentanyl, and had also shown signs of "significant heart disease". In early September, 2010, Taylor announced that his book, ''Seven Deadly Sins: Settling The Argument Between Born Bad And Damaged Good'' and was released on July 12, 2011 through Da Capo Press.

Music career

Slipknot

In Des Moines, Iowa, Joey Jordison, Shawn Crahan, and Mick Thomson approached him asking him to join Slipknot. He agreeably went to one of their practices, and ended up singing in front of them. They asked him to join the band because of his melodic vocals. While Taylor was positioned as lead vocalist for the band, their previous vocalist, Anders Colsefni, was moved to backing vocals and percussion. Unhappy with the position, Colsefni later left the band. thumb|left|250px||alt=A man wearing a mask while singing into a microphone.|Taylor performing with Slipknot in 2005 Feeling he could expand more in Slipknot than in Stone Sour, Taylor temporarily quit Stone Sour, even though they were recording an album with Sean McMahon. Taylor's first gig with Slipknot was on August 22, 1997, which according to band members did not go well. During his first gig, Taylor did not perform wearing a mask; however, for his second show nearly a month later, Corey wore a mask that resembles his debut album mask. Taylor's current mask was described by MTV's Chris Harris as looking "as though it were made of dried, human flesh—like Leatherface, if only he used moisturizer." One of the old dreadlocked masks is now in the possession of Dom Howard of British rock band Muse, after the two bands both played MetalFest. He was apparently subjected to Taylor's "sit the fuck down!" routine face-to-face during Slipknot's set and can be seen reliving the experience (wearing the mask) on Muse's Hullabaloo DVD. Despite rumours that Howard had stolen the mask, he in fact received it from a fan afterwards.

Taylor has recorded with Slipknot since the release of their second demo album, a self-titled demo used to promote the band to prospective labels and producers. As permanent vocalist, he recorded with Slipknot at Indigo Ranch in Malibu, California and released ''Slipknot'', the band's debut album that peaked number one on the Top Heatseekers chart, went 2× Platinum in the United States, and was included in the 2006 book ''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die''. Taylor was accused of copyright infringement, regarding the lyrics of the song "Purity". Taylor began recording for their second studio album, ''Iowa'', in 2001 at Sound City and Sound Image in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California. It was released August 28, 2001 and peaked number one on the UK Albums Chart, as well as number three on the ''Billboard'' 200. While writing ''Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)'', Taylor decided to write lyrics that would not warrant an explicit label. It peaked number two on the ''Billboard'' 200. ''All Hope Is Gone'' was the first Slipknot album to peak number one on the ''Billboard'' 200.

Stone Sour

Taylor is a founding member of the American hard rock band Stone Sour. After forming the band with drummer Joel Ekman, Shawn Economaki joined filling in the bass position, leaving the electric guitar position to be filled by Josh Rand. Stone Sour recorded a demo album in 1992, and another in 1994. In 1997, Taylor was approached by the metal band, Slipknot, resulting in him abandoning Stone Sour while they were recording a demo album with Sean McMahon at SR studios. Taylor did not return until five years later to record their debut album, ''Stone Sour'' in 2002. Both Taylor and guitarist Josh Rand contacted Jim Root, Slipknot's guitarist, and Shawn Economaki, Stone Sour's original bassist, to begin writing songs for their debut album. Drummer Joel Ekman came back on board as well. This "reformation" later resulted in Stone Sour recording at Catamount Studios in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Their self-titled debut album was released August 27, 2002, and it debuted at number 46 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Their second album, ''Come What(ever) May'' debuted at number four on the Billboard 200. It was released August 1, 2006, and charted on several different charts. ''Live in Moscow'' is currently their only album specifically released only for music download. During the recording of the album, drummer Joel Ekman left the band for personal reasons. As a result, drummer Roy Mayorga was recruited, taking his place. The group released their third studio album, ''Audio Secrecy'', on September 7, 2010.

Other work

Taylor has appeared as a guest musician on albums by Soulfly, Apocalyptica and Damageplan. At one point, he was heavily involved in the recording of thrash metal band Anthrax's album, ''Worship Music'', but the sessions remain unreleased. He also contributed to the ''Roadrunner United'' all-star album in 2005, providing vocals for the song "Rich Man". Taylor has also made a brief appearance in Steel Panther's singles "Death to All but Metal", "Eyes of a Panther", and "Asian Hooker". In 2006, Taylor founded the record company Great Big Mouth Records. Taylor has produced two albums: Face Cage's self-titled album and Walls of Jericho's ''Redemption''. Taylor provided guest narration on the track "Repentance" for Dream Theater's 2007 album ''Systematic Chaos''. In an interview with ''Billboard magazine'', Taylor confirmed that on January 13, 2009, he was planning on making a solo album, as well as returning to his side project Stone Sour after Slipknot's All Hope Is Gone World Tour. Taylor has stated that he is currently been writing songs that states "don't fit either of his main bands." He describes them as a cross between Foo Fighters, Johnny Cash, and Social Distortion, saying that there's "a country background that comes built-in with living in Iowa".

On the March 30, 2009, it was confirmed that Taylor and the Junk Beer Kidnap Band would be performing at Rockfest in 2009. The group performed on April 24, 2009 at People's Court in Des Moines, Iowa, marking Taylor's first official solo show. Taylor constantly performs with his band the Dum Fux, who make covers for 1970s punk rock and 1980s hair metal. Taylor also performs with Audacious P, a band that is primarily a Tenacious D covers band. Rapper Tech N9ne confirmed that Taylor was to perform on his album ''K.O.D.'', but was removed because Taylor did not submit his vocals in time. Taylor recently admitted that he tried out for the vacant singer spot in the band Velvet Revolver, but said that it just did not work out. However, according to a recent ''Billboard'' article, it seems likely that he may in fact become the vocalist for Velvet Revolver, though no official confirmation has been made. Duff McKagan added that they can neither "confirm or deny" Taylor's membership in the band but believes that Taylor is the "real deal". Slash has since ruled Corey out as the possible new vocalist explaining that "[it] just wasn't right" although he does love him. He however, has recorded 10 new songs with the band, drummer Matt Sorum stated it's unlikely it will ever be released. Taylor explained to Mark Hoppus on Hoppus on Music that McKagan and him were writing new music for a possible new supergroup.

As a solo artist he recently recorded a new song, "X-M@$", for The Teenage Cancer Trust. The video itself is dedicated to those who hate Christmas. The single was made available to digital retailers on December 12, 2010. It debuted at number thirty-seven in the UK.

In 2011, Taylor collaborated with Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker on Barker's solo album Give The Drummer Some on the song "On My Own".

Style and influence

The first two Slipknot albums that Taylor performed vocals on, ''Slipknot'' and ''Iowa'', both contain gratuitous explicit content, and many critics claimed Taylor relied on the profanity, which is why Slipknot's third album, ''Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)'' is profanity free and did not warrant the explicit label. Unlike the previous vocalist for Slipknot, Ander Colsefini, Taylor has a vocal style that was characterized by drummer Joey Jordison as "really good melodic singing". Taylor's vocal style led him to getting placed at number 86 on the Hit Parader’s ''Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time''.

Taylor is currently involved in two major projects which have moods and genres considered to be different. Slipknot is considered to be heavy metal and alternative metal, and express moods such as hostility, anger, and rebellion. Stone Sour is considered to be hard rock, alternative metal, heavy metal, and post-grunge, and express moods such as bleakness, somberness, and anger. Taylor cites Mötley Crüe, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Nine Inch Nails, Dokken, Misfits, Black Flag, Slayer, Def Leppard, Sex Pistols, The Damned, The Cramps, Journey and Bob Dylan as influences.

Discography

Stone Sour

style="background:#dde; width:50px;"	Year	Name	Ref
2002	''Stone Sour (album)>Stone Sour''
2006	''Come What(ever) May''
2007	''Live in Moscow (album)>Live in Moscow''
2010	''Audio Secrecy''

Slipknot

style="background:#dde; width:50px;"	Year	Name	Ref
1998	''Slipknot Demo''
1999	''Slipknot (album)>Slipknot''
2001	''Iowa (album)>Iowa''
2004	''Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)''
2005	''9.0: Live''
2008	''All Hope Is Gone''

Other works

''Soularium'' SmakdabTons (band)Soulfly Slitheryn Slitheryn Black Flag (band)Anthrax (band)DamageplanRoadrunner UnitedKorn FaceCageApocalypticaDream TheaterWalls of Jericho (band)Steel Panther Corey Taylor Travis Barker, Corey Taylor

style="background:#dde; width:50px;"	Year	Artist	Album	Track(s)	Position	Ref
1998	Sister Soleil	|	"Liar"	Singing>Backing vocals
1998	|	''Smakdab (album)''	"Shadowed"	Vocals
2000	Snot ||	''Strait Up''	"Requiem"	Vocals
2000	|	Primitive (album)>Primitive''	"Jumpdafuckup"	Vocals
2001	|	''Slitheryn''	"Lost"	Backing Vocals
2001	|	''Slitheryn''	"Get Up"	Backing Vocals
2002	Black Flag ||	Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three>Rise Above''	"Room 13"	Vocals
2003	Anthrax ||	''With Full Force Festival in Germany''	"Bring the Noise"	Vocals
2004	|	''New Found Power''	"Fuck You"	Vocals
2005	|	''The All-Star Sessions''	"The Rich Man"	Vocals
2006	|	Family Values Tour 2006 CD>Family Values Tour 2006''	"Freak on a Leash (Live)"	Backing vocals
2006	|	''III''	—	Producer
2007	|	''Worlds Collide''	"I'm Not Jesus"	Vocals
2007	|	''Systematic Chaos''	"Repentance"	Spoken word>Spoken word contribution
2008	Walls of Jericho ||	Redemption (EP)>Redemption''	"Ember Drive", "My Last Stand", "Addicted"	Record producer>producer
2009	|	''Feel the Steel''	"Death to All But Metal", "Asian Hooker", "Eyes of a Panther"	Vocals
2010	|	''X-M@$''	X-M@$	Record producer>producer
2010	|	''Give the Drummer Some	"On My Own"	Vocals

Solo singles

Year	Title	Peak chart positions	Album
!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"	!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"	!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"
2010	"X-M@$"				Non-album single

Filmography

rowspan="9" ''We Sold Our Souls for Rock 'n Roll'' ''Rollerball (2002 film) ''Disasterpieces'' ''Cable TV'' (Episode four, season two) ''Voliminal: Inside the Nine''

style="background:#dde; width:50px;"	Year	Film	Character	Director	Ref
1999	''Welcome to Our Neighborhood''	Self ||	Thomas Mignone
2001	|	Penelope Spheeris
2002	Rollerball'' ||	John McTiernan
2002	|	Matthew Amos
2003	|	Stuart Cable
2005	|	Shawn Crahan
2009	Slipknot (album)>Of the (sic): Your Nightmares, Our Dreams''

Book

On July 12, 2011 Corey released his first book titled Seven Deadly Sins: Settling the Argument Between Born Bad and Damaged Good. In the book Taylor explains his view on each of the seven deadly sins and shares experiences he has had with them.

Equipment

style="background:#dde; width:175px;"	Instrument	Years used	Ref
Audio-Technica AEW-T6100#Wireless Handheld Microphone	2000–present
Shure#Wireless microphones	Shure Wireless system		2004–2005
Ibanez	Ibanez Voice Chorus		1999–2000
Gibson Guitars	2009–present
Ibanez Custom Artcore Talman Semi-Hollow Body	2003–2005

References

;Literature ;Cited

External links

Corey Taylor Official Website

Corey Taylor Fansite

Slipknot website

Stone Sour website

Corey Taylor interview

Metal Underground: interview

NY rock: article

IGN: article

Duff McKagan on Corey Taylor in Seattle Weekly

Category:1973 births Category:American baritones Category:American heavy metal singers Category:American male singers Category:American rock singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Musicians from Iowa Category:Living people Category:People from Des Moines, Iowa Category:People from Waterloo, Iowa Category:People self-identifying as substance abusers Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics Category:Roadrunner Records artists Category:Slipknot members Category:Stone Sour members

bg:Кори Тейлър cs:Corey Taylor da:Corey Taylor de:Corey Taylor et:Corey Taylor es:Corey Taylor fa:کوری تیلور fr:Corey Taylor id:Corey Taylor it:Corey Taylor he:קורי טיילור lb:Corey Taylor lt:Corey Taylor hu:Corey Taylor nl:Corey Taylor ja:コリィ・テイラー no:Corey Taylor pl:Corey Taylor pt:Corey Todd Taylor ro:Corey Taylor ru:Тейлор, Кори simple:Corey Taylor sk:Corey Taylor fi:Corey Taylor sv:Corey Taylor tr:Corey Taylor uk:Корі Тейлор

Coordinates	53°24′″N23°30′″N
name	Rick Nielsen
landscape	Yes
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth date	December 22, 1946
Birth place	Rockford, Illinois, USA
genre	Rock, hard rock, power pop
occupation	Musician, songwriter
associated acts	Cheap Trick
instrument	Guitar, backing vocals
years active	1972–present
website	Official Cheap Trick website }}

Rick Nielsen is the lead guitarist, backing vocalist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Cheap Trick. For the band's first few albums, Nielsen wrote the majority of the material himself. He is well known for having many custom-made guitars from Hamer Guitars, including his famous five-neck guitar.

Career

Nielsen formed Cheap Trick in 1972 with bassist Tom Petersson, another Rockford, Illinois native. Before Cheap Trick, he was in a number of bands, including Grim Reapers and Fuse. The latter recorded a one-off debut album released on Epic Records which sold poorly. After the record failed to gain any attention, the band moved to Philadelphia and the band changed their name to Sick Man Of Europe.

The group toured Europe unsuccessfully in 1972 and returned to Illinois in 1973. Upon their return to Rockford, Nielsen and Petersson renamed the band Cheap Trick after adding drummer Bun E. Carlos and vocalist Randy "Xeno" Hogan. In 1974, Hogan left the band and lead singer Robin Zander joined after his contract with a Wisconsin resort was completed.

Appearance

The look or appearance of Rick Nielsen on stage and in public venues can be traced to several elements. One source is certainly Huntz Hall, of The Bowery Boys fame; Nielsen wears a flipped up old style ball cap, Nielsen's face resembles Huntz Hall, and some of Nielsen's on-stage antics have been compared to Hall as well.

Nielsen's use of the black and white checkerboard motif on his clothing was in line with (if not inspiring) the use in other parts of pop culture. Checkerboard Vans sneakers, made famous in the 1982 movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High, is an example of such use after Nielsen.

References

Further reading

External links

Cheap Trick Official Site

2008 Rick Nielsen Interview

An interview with Rick about his collection of guitars and some guitar photos from the Hamer website

Category:Living people Category:American rock guitarists Category:Songwriters from Illinois Category:People from Rockford, Illinois Category:Musicians from Illinois Category:Cheap Trick members Category:People from Winnebago County, Illinois Category:Lead guitarists Category:1946 births

es:Rick Nielsen fr:Rick Nielsen it:Rick Nielsen

Coordinates	53°24′″N23°30′″N
name	Krist Novoselic
background	solo_singer
birth name	Krist Anthony Novoselic II
alias	Chris Novoselic
born	May 16, 1965Compton, California
genre	Alternative rock, grunge, punk rock
occupation	Musician, politician, songwriter, author, director
years active	1987–present
instrument	Bass, accordion, guitar, vocals, farfisa organ
label	Sub Pop, DGC / Geffen, SpinArt
associated acts	Nirvana, Eyes Adrift, Sweet 75, Flipper, No WTO Combo, The Stinkypuffs, Sky Cries Mary, Aya, Foo Fighters
notable instruments	Gibson RipperGibson ThunderbirdGibson RD ArtistIbanez Black Eagle
website	}}

Krist Anthony Novoselic II (; ; born May 16, 1965) is a Croatian-American rock musician, best known for being the bassist and co-founder of the grunge band Nirvana.

After Nirvana ended, Novoselic formed Sweet 75 and then Eyes Adrift, releasing one album with each band. From 2006 to 2009 he played in punk band Flipper, and contributed bass and accordion to the song "I Should Have Known" from the Foo Fighters' 2011 album ''Wasting Light''.

Apart from his musical endeavors, Novoselic has been active politically, including the creation of the political action committee JAMPAC. From November 2007 until September 2010, Novoselic wrote a weekly column on music and politics for ''Seattle Weekly's'' website.

Biography

Early life (1965–1986)

Novoselic was born to Croatian immigrants Kristo and Marija Novoselić in Compton, California. He lived there for one year, before his parents relocated to the Los Angeles Croatian neighborhood of San Pedro, California, where he remained for most of his childhood. He has two brothers, Robert Alan Novoselic and Dillon Malloy Novoselic, and in 1973, Novoselic's sister Diana was born. The Novoselic family moved to Aberdeen, Washington in 1979, due to rising property prices in California. In 1980, his parents sent him to live with relatives in Zadar, Croatia, then part of SFR Yugoslavia. There, Novoselic attended the gymnasium. Novoselic was already interested in bands like Led Zeppelin, Devo, Black Sabbath, Van Halen, and Aerosmith. He also enjoyed rock bands like Zabranjeno Pusenje, Prljavo Kazaliste and Azra. While in Croatia, he picked up an interest in punk rock, and discovered bands like the Sex Pistols and the Ramones. He has cited Paul McCartney, Geezer Butler, John Entwistle, and Gene Simmons as the fundamental influences of his bass playing.

Sometime later, Novoselic's brother Robert introduced him to his friend Kurt Cobain, who had noticed loud music coming from upstairs. Robert told Cobain that it was his older brother, who listened to punk rock. Cobain eventually befriended the elder Novoselic and the pair ended up sharing similar musical tastes, including a fondness for local band The Melvins. The two had several mutual friends and began hanging out shortly thereafter. Some time later, Cobain gave Novoselic a demo tape of his former band Fecal Matter. After several months, Novoselic finally listened to the tape, liked it, and agreed to start a band with Cobain.

Nirvana (1987–1994)

Cobain and Novoselic's first band lasted barely a few weeks before it disbanded, leaving the pair to move on. However, the duo eventually discovered that the Melvins could pull $80 a night for one show. Inspired, Cobain and Novoselic started a Creedence Clearwater Revival cover band, in which Cobain played drums and Novoselic sang and played guitar. That band was short-lived as well. Some months later, Cobain and Novoselic met Aaron Burckhard. While the new band never used the name, it was the first incarnation of Nirvana.

Burckhard lasted barely a few months and Melvins drummer Dale Crover filled in until Novoselic and Cobain met Chad Channing. The trio recorded their debut album ''Bleach'', released in 1989. Channing left the band in 1990 and was briefly replaced by Crover and Mudhoney drummer Dan Peters.

Later in 1990, Melvins singer-guitarist Buzz Osborne encouraged Novoselic and Cobain to check out a punk band called Scream. The pair were impressed by their drummer, Dave Grohl. A few weeks later, Scream disbanded, and Grohl placed a call to Osborne for advice. Osborne gave him Novoselic's phone number, and Novoselic invited Grohl up to Seattle, (from where?). Grohl passed the audition and joined Nirvana. A few months later, in the spring of 1991, the band recorded their major label debut, ''Nevermind'', which launched the band as a worldwide phenomenon with their hit single "Smells Like Teen Spirit."

Nirvana ended abruptly in April 1994 following Cobain's death. For most of the rest of that year, Novoselic retreated from the spotlight. Novoselic and Cobain had been virtually inseparable for almost a decade, and the loss of his close friend was especially hard on him. One of few public appearances came that September at the MTV Video Music Awards, where the video for Nirvana's "Heart-Shaped Box" was awarded for Best Alternative Video. Novoselic took the opportunity to pay tribute to his bandmate and best friend.

Post Nirvana (since 1995)

The following year, Novoselic continued to dabble in musical endeavors. He was offered the position of playing bass in a new band, the Foo Fighters, with friend and former bandmate Dave Grohl but both decided against it because they believed people would think of Foo Fighters as a new incarnation of Nirvana. Novoselic instead formed the band Sweet 75 in 1995, releasing a single self-titled album in 1997. Even though he turned Foo Fighters down, in 2002 he performed uncredited background vocals on one song during the ''One by One'' album sessions. The track is "Walking a Line", released on the ''One by One'' bonus DVD and as an iTunes bonus track to the album, in a tribute to Cobain.

In 1998, Novoselic directed his first movie, ''L7: The Beauty Process'', a pseudo-documentary that utilizes concert footage taped in 1997 in three American cities. In 1999, he joined Jello Biafra and former Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil in the No WTO Combo. He then joined former Meat Puppets front man Curt Kirkwood and former Sublime drummer Bud Gaugh to form Eyes Adrift, which disbanded in 2003. This band was significant as it was the first official release in his career where he sang lead vocals. He also took a highly active role in the song writing process, co-writing several songs with Kirkwood.

Following the end of Eyes Adrift, Novoselic announced that he was quitting the music business, noting that he disliked the process of building up publicity for new records. However, in recent years, Novoselic has occasionally worked on music for a possible solo album, noting, "Right now, I'm just doing it for myself, and that's what it's all about."

In November 2006, it was announced that Novoselic would join Flipper, replacing Bruno DeSmartas on bass, for a tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland. He was a full time member of the band and had been working on their new album. On September 22, 2008, due to responsibilities at home, Novoselic announced his departure from the band. As a result, the band canceled the remainder of the tour. Rachel Thoele then replaced Novoselic. In 2009, he played a newspaper vendor in the movie ''World's Greatest Dad'' starring Robin Williams. In October 2010, Dave Grohl, former Nirvana band mate of Novoselic, announced live on BBC radio that Novoselic will be joining the Foo Fighters on their next album as a bassist and accordionist which was released in 2011: Wasting Light. Novoselic also played bass on children's music artist Caspar Babypants' (aka Chris Ballew of The Presidents of the United States of America's) 2010 album ''This Is Fun!'', for a cover of the Nirvana song "Sliver."

Performance and recording with Foo Fighters

Novoselic's first experience with the Foo Fighters, as a guest musician, was performing backing vocals for a non-album track titled "Walking A Line," later released on a special edition of the band's album ''One by One''. Later, during the encore of the Foo Fighters' secret show at Paladino's in Tarzana, California on December 22, 2010, the band, with Grohl on drums was joined onstage by Novoselic and the band's live guitarist Pat Smear for a version of Nirvana's "Marigold" a 1992 Grohl original, which was also a b-side on Nirvana's "Heart-Shaped Box", the first single from ''In Utero''. Novoselic also recorded bass and accordion on the song "I Should Have Known", appearing on the Foo Fighters' 7th studio album called ''Wasting Light'', released on April 12, 2011.

Politics

In 1992, the Washington state legislature attempted to pass a bill called the Erotic Music Law. The law would allow courts to declare certain albums "erotic" by their content, and would make it illegal to sell those albums to those under the age of 18. A lobbying group called the Washington Music Industry Coalition formed as a response to the bill. Novoselic and Nirvana actively campaigned against the bill and performed a benefit concert for the lobbying group in September 1992.

In 1995, the Erotic Music Law was reintroduced to the Washington State Legislature as the Matters Harmful to Minors bill. Noting that the music industry had serious clout in Seattle given the success of the scene, Novoselic proposed creating a political action committee, which was named JAMPAC (Joint Artists and Musicians Political Action Committee). Over the next several years, JAMPAC fought a number of different issues, including the Teen Dance Ordinance, a 1985 law that severely limited the ability of minors to attend shows. With JAMPAC, Novoselic began to turn his focus more and more towards politics.

Novoselic remains active in politics as an elected State Committeeman, making appearances to advocate electoral reform (especially instant-runoff voting and proportional representation) and running the website. He considered a 2004 run for Lieutenant Governor of Washington (as a Democrat, challenging an incumbent of the same party), but ultimately decided against it. He also joined the board of FairVote, then the Center for Voting and Democracy), and was appointed chair in January 2008. His first book, ''Of Grunge and Government: Let's Fix This Broken Democracy'', was published in October 2004. It covers Novoselic's musical past, including Nirvana's rise to a world wide phenomenon of the early 1990s. Novoselic also covers how he got involved in politics, his support of electoral reform, and his belief in the need to return to grassroots movements and clean up politics in general.

Novoselic spoke on matters of electoral reform at the 2006 Libertarian National Convention. He supported Democratic Senator Barack Obama in the 2008 Presidential election, though it was erroneously reported in some media outlets that he had endorsed libertarian Republican Congressman Ron Paul.

He withdrew from the campaign for county clerk of Wahkiakum County. He was running under the "Grange Party." He is a member of The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry. However, the Grange is not actually a political party. He was running in order to protest Washington State's system in which a candidate can claim any party as their own (real or fictional).

Personal life

Novoselic has been married twice. His first wife was Shelli Dilley; he met her in high school, and they began dating in 1985. They were married in December 1989; they divorced in late 1999. Two sons and a daughter were born from this marriage. In early 2004, Novoselic married artist Darbury Ayn Stenderu. He currently resides near Deep River, Washington, in rural Wahkiakum County, Washington.

He wrote a blog for the ''Seattle Weekly'' website from 2007 to 2010. He currently attends Lower Columbia College and is studying for a law degree.

Quotation

Notes

References

Bloch-Garcia, Peter. "Kick Out the Jams". ''Real Change News''. 2000.

External links

Krist Novoselic's blog at the Daily Weekly

Murkyslough.com – A webpage managed by Novoselic.

Krist Novoselic w/ Flipper

Novoselic.com – a website dedicated to Krist Novoselic

Krist Novoselic on Twitter

Official forums

Category:Nirvana members Category:Grunge musicians Category:American rock bass guitarists Category:American punk rock bass guitarists Category:Sub Pop artists Category:Musicians from California Category:American activists Category:American democracy activists Category:Washington (state) Democrats Category:American political writers Category:American rock guitarists Category:American bloggers Category:American vegetarians Category:People from Aberdeen, Washington Category:People from Seattle, Washington Category:People from the Greater Los Angeles Area Category:American people of Croatian descent Category:1965 births Category:Living people

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