The three year anniversary of the death of Nirvana singer/songwriter Kurt Cobain approaches. I remain agnostic on the issue of whether Cobain’s death was a result of suicide or foul play. That issue is not particularly relevant to the focus of this column — I’d just like to wax philosophical on Cobain’s music.

Marc Hansen of The Des Moines Register wrote a column following Cobain’s death in 1994 about how Cobain was not really that great of a songwriter compared to people like Bob Dylan. Dylan’s lyrics are a little more poetic and socially conscious, but Cobain wrote some great lyrics as well. The great thing about music (and art in general) is that the interpretations of it are open-ended. A really great song can mean different things to different people.

The strength of Cobain’s music was the emotions he put into his full-throated wails and quiet, scarred sing-talk, with ear-grabbing melodies and guitar riffs. I don’t care what the critics say, Nirvana is twenty-something alienated rock rebellion at its best, in my book.

“Teenage angst has served me well/Now I’m bored and old,” Cobain mumbles on “Serve The Servants” (from the album In Utero). Talk about an understatement! Nirvana’s teenage angst on Nevermind sold nine million units, so yeah, you could say it paid off well. This lyric also serves as Nirvana’s admission that they’ve been forever dirtied, commercialized and commodified by the culture industry.

Much of the album In Utero seems to lash back at the music business merchants of greed who slapped grunge music on the auction block. “It’s so relieving, now that you’re leaving as soon as you get paid,” Cobain sings on “Francis Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle.”

We all know how some people aren’t really down with the cause and are just in it for a few quick bucks before they take off for something else. The great thing about bands like Nirvana is the same thing that syndicated columnist Dave Barry finds so great about the song “Louie Louie”: Many if not all of the songs are easy to play on guitar.

Surely I’m not the only ISU student who’s found enjoyment and emotional release from strumming “Lithium,” “Come As You Are,” and other tunes on a cheap guitar. Playing guitar seems to be a hobby that’s quite popular among my fellow scholars here in Cyclone land.

Every time I meet somebody new at a house, apartment, or dorm he/she seems to always have a guitar in the residence.

I highly recommend guitar playing as a fun way to procrastinate from studying. And Iowans could sure as sam hell use a hobby to replace gambling, before more and more people go bankrupt from the gambling addiction.

You could buy a decent guitar and some music sheets for $250 or less. Too expensive, you say? Unless you’re extremely impoverished, it’s probably just a question of priorities — try selling that TV, VCR, downsize that stereo, trade in that expensive car for a cheap one and ride the bus more, and you ought to be able to afford a guitar just fine.

Spring is here again. So come outside and play. Bring your guitar outside, and maybe people will flip you a few dimes when you play some Nirvana as they pass on by.

Drew Chebuhar is a senior in journalism and mass communication from Muscatine.