As I delved into music industry veteran Danny Goldberg's memoir of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain; Serving the Servant: Remembering Kurt Cobain, I was struck by Goldberg's admission that time, age, and what ever other degradating factors, have caused gaps to form in his recollections of Cobain and the era.
Goldberg's rather revealing comment in the introduction of a book with the word "remembering" in the title, certainly seemed to me that was seeking a proverbial get out of fan-boy jail free card, in case his recollections miss the mark with Cobain super-fans.
As I progressed through the book, at times I was left to wonder if this was a Cobain memoir or just an opportunity for Goldberg' liberal political screed. My advice would have been to stick to the music - I for one don't care about your politics or your desire to once again spread the missed-take on Nancy Reagan's purchase of new china for the White House. Just for the record Mr. Goldberg, a private foundation funded the purchase, not taxpayer dollars. Guess I should have expected this stuff from the former CEO of the Titanic liberal talk radio network, Air America.
For a guy who should have had an extremely intimate relationship and first hand knowledge of Cobain from his time as Nirvana's manager, there was a surprising lack of revelatory stories based on that insider proximity. In short, not much new to see here that hasn't already been posited in any number of prior Cobain tomes.
Serving the Servant, isn't a bad book as much as a missed opportunity to tap into first hand interactions, access to band members and those closest to Cobain for unique stories to either build on the legend or to dispel myths and inuendo surrounding this often tortured man-child.
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