--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One thing about Kurt [Cobain] is before…" description: "\"One thing about Kurt [Cobain] is before he was a musician, and before he was a rock star, he was an artist, and an artist with a capital A. What that m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f37/brett-morgen-30402_art_one-thing-about-kurt-cobain-is-before-he_2257772.jpg" --- # One thing about Kurt \[Cobain\] is before he was a musician… ![“One thing about Kurt [Cobain] is before he was a musician, and before he was a rock star, he was an artist, and an artist with a capital A. What that means is that he had to create. It wasn't something that he chose to do - it chose him.” quote by Brett Morgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f37/brett-morgen-30402_art_one-thing-about-kurt-cobain-is-before-he_2257772.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f37/brett-morgen-30402_art_one-thing-about-kurt-cobain-is-before-he_2257772.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f37/brett-morgen-30402_art_one-thing-about-kurt-cobain-is-before-he_2257772.jpg) > “One thing about Kurt \[Cobain\] is before he was a musician, and before he was a rock star, he was an artist, and an artist with a capital A. What that means is that he had to create. It wasn't something that he chose to do - it chose him.” [Brett Morgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-morgen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Kurt Cobain saw himself first as a creator, not a performer; creation was an involuntary drive. **In simple terms:** Cobain was driven to create before fame. Key Takeaway Embrace your innate creative impulse. Themes creativity identity artistry Mood reflective introspective Type biographical inspirational When to use this quote - writing songs - visual art - personal expression - career decisions Key Concepts artist musician rock star Questions to Reflect On - How does your inner drive shape your work? - Can you separate creation from expectation? A Different Perspective Creative compulsion can feel burdensome if not balanced with self‑care. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artist Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist-artist/) [Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cobain/) [Cobain Musician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cobain-musician-5182763/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Musician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/musician/) [Musician Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/musician-rock-3564700/) [One thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-thing/) [Rock star](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rock-star/) [Rocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rocks/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Star Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/star-artist-455565/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) [Thing Kurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-kurt-3469032/) ## Related quotes > [ I feel it's such a tragic thing \[Kurt Cobain's suicide\]. Here is a guy, a young guy, that had everything in his hands. He… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-hagar/i-feel-it-s-such-a-tragic-thing-kurt-cobain-s-suicide-here-is-a-guy-a/) [Sammy Hagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-hagar/) > [I'd rather be a musician than a rock star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-harrison/i-d-rather-be-a-musician-than-a-rock-star/) [George Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-harrison/) > [I never considered myself like a pop musician or rock star, because that didn't really exist when I started.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-miller/i-never-considered-myself-like-a-pop-musician-or-rock-star-because/) [Steve Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-miller/) > [There's a difference between a pop star and an artist. Pop stars have to be perfect all the time; an artist is allowed, on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelis/there-s-a-difference-between-a-pop-star-and-an-artist-pop-stars-have/) [Kelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelis/) > [People see me as pretty low key in a lot of ways. And for me, like, even choosing to be John Legend and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-legend/people-see-me-as-pretty-low-key-in-a-lot-of-ways-and-for-me-like-even/) [John Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-legend/) > [A movie star is not an artist, he is an art object.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-schickel/a-movie-star-is-not-an-artist-he-is-an-art-object/) [Richard Schickel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-schickel/) > [People in the media, it makes their day when someone they say is a five-star artist goes platinum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soulja-boy/people-in-the-media-it-makes-their-day-when-someone-they-say-is-a/) [Soulja Boy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soulja-boy/) > [ Kurt \[Cobain\], from the moment he could hold a paintbrush in his hand, was painting. And from the moment he could hold a guitar,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-morgen/kurt-cobain-from-the-moment-he-could-hold-a-paintbrush-in-his-hand/) [Brett Morgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-morgen/) > [I've never had access to another person's art and work or, particularly, someone who is as prolific and was able to externalize his interior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-morgen/i-ve-never-had-access-to-another-person-s-art-and-work-or/) [Brett Morgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-morgen/) > [I never met Kurt Cobain, but I felt like I got to know him in a manner probably more intimate than anyone I've known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-morgen/i-never-met-kurt-cobain-but-i-felt-like-i-got-to-know-him-in-a-manner/) [Brett Morgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-morgen/) > [ Kurt \[Cobain \]was a feminist. A lot of the bashing against Courtney \[Love\] I think has to deal with gender bias and the media,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-morgen/kurt-cobain-was-a-feminist-a-lot-of-the-bashing-against-courtney-love/) [Brett Morgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-morgen/) > [ You have Kurt \[Cobain\], and he's singing about your experiences. They're our collective experiences. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-morgen/you-have-kurt-cobain-and-he-s-singing-about-your-experiences-they-re/) [Brett Morgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-morgen/) > [ Everybody feels protective and possessive about Kurt \[Cobain\] , and I think that can be attributed to his unique gift, an ability to touch… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-morgen/everybody-feels-protective-and-possessive-about-kurt-cobain-and-i/) [Brett Morgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-morgen/) > [I had to learn, because as an artist myself, an artist owns that right to protect their interest of how they want to roll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryce-wilson/i-had-to-learn-because-as-an-artist-myself-an-artist-owns-that-right/) [Bryce Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-wilson/) > [“Every artist, whether he is an artist of music, word or paint, has a signature that sets him apart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-laurens/every-artist-whether-he-is-an-artist-of-music-word-or-paint-has-a/) [Jennifer Laurens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-laurens/) ## More by Brett Morgen > [I never met Kurt Cobain, but I felt like I got to know him in a manner probably more intimate than anyone I've known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-morgen/i-never-met-kurt-cobain-but-i-felt-like-i-got-to-know-him-in-a-manner/) [Brett Morgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-morgen/) > [Sometimes, you chase the moment and you can never catch it. Films take so long to make that you can never anticipate what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-morgen/sometimes-you-chase-the-moment-and-you-can-never-catch-it-films-take/) [Brett Morgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-morgen/) > [When I grew up, we had no babysitters and nobody every observed us. People don't parent like that today. They're very hands-on; kids are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-morgen/when-i-grew-up-we-had-no-babysitters-and-nobody-every-observed-us/) [Brett Morgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-morgen/) > [ Kurt \[Cobain\], from the moment he could hold a paintbrush in his hand, was painting. And from the moment he could hold a guitar,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-morgen/kurt-cobain-from-the-moment-he-could-hold-a-paintbrush-in-his-hand/) [Brett Morgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-morgen/) > [ Everybody feels protective and possessive about Kurt \[Cobain\] , and I think that can be attributed to his unique gift, an ability to touch… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-morgen/everybody-feels-protective-and-possessive-about-kurt-cobain-and-i/) [Brett Morgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-morgen/) > [As a generation, Generation X or whatever we were called, we were not being nurtured. We didn't have Obama. We didn't have Bill Clinton.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-morgen/as-a-generation-generation-x-or-whatever-we-were-called-we-were-not/) [Brett Morgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-morgen/) > [My documentaries have always been very much constructed in the spirit of dominant cinema. From the time I started making non-fiction, I was mainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-morgen/my-documentaries-have-always-been-very-much-constructed-in-the-spirit/) [Brett Morgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-morgen/) > [ You have Kurt \[Cobain\], and he's singing about your experiences. They're our collective experiences. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-morgen/you-have-kurt-cobain-and-he-s-singing-about-your-experiences-they-re/) [Brett Morgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-morgen/) > [ Kurt \[Cobain \]was a feminist. A lot of the bashing against Courtney \[Love\] I think has to deal with gender bias and the media,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-morgen/kurt-cobain-was-a-feminist-a-lot-of-the-bashing-against-courtney-love/) [Brett Morgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-morgen/) > [I have three children, and they have never spent a minute unsupervised in their lives. My generation overcompensated like mad. I'm not even joking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-morgen/i-have-three-children-and-they-have-never-spent-a-minute-unsupervised/) [Brett Morgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-morgen/) > [You can't divorce yourself from your own life experiences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-morgen/you-can-t-divorce-yourself-from-your-own-life-experiences/) [Brett Morgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-morgen/) > [Every second counts. We are only on this earth for a short amount of time, and we get to decide how we want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-morgen/every-second-counts-we-are-only-on-this-earth-for-a-short-amount-of/) [Brett Morgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-morgen/) > [The only people who really love the '80s are millennials. We had Reagan and Bush for our entire youth, the culture was terrible, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-morgen/the-only-people-who-really-love-the-80s-are-millennials-we-had-reagan/) [Brett Morgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-morgen/) > [I've never had access to another person's art and work or, particularly, someone who is as prolific and was able to externalize his interior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-morgen/i-ve-never-had-access-to-another-person-s-art-and-work-or/) [Brett Morgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-morgen/) > [I try and make non-fiction films that feel like fiction, so I'm always looking for the subtext and that's what really excites me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-morgen/i-try-and-make-non-fiction-films-that-feel-like-fiction-so-i-m-always/) [Brett Morgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-morgen/) [Explore all 17 Brett Morgen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-morgen/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One thing about Kurt [Cobain] is before he was a musician, and before he was a rock star, he was an artist, and an artist with a capital A. 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