Nirvana Fans Are Mad At Justin Bieber For 'Mimicking' Kurt Cobain

Justin Bieber isn’t Kurt Cobain, just as Kurt Cobain isn’t Justin Bieber. They’re two popular musicians from two different eras, although I imagine the Nirvana frontman would respect the honest simplicity of “Love Yourself” just as much as Bieber admires him. This last point really pisses people off.

Last year, Bieber was labeled a “poser” — them’s fighting words! — for wearing a Nirvana shirt to the American Music Awards, as if he’s the world’s only 22-year-old who isn’t allowed to love Nevermind and In Utero. Bieber’s stylist told Harper’s Bazaar, “Of course he’s a fan of Nirvana. I think it’s so funny that all these people are up in arms. I’m sure Kurt Cobain would be like—I mean I can’t speak for him, obviously—but I don’t think he was so snotty or that he would diss anyone who appreciated his music. I think he understood that that is like the antithesis of music appreciation.”

Bieber’s appreciation of Cobain turned into a full-blown tribute last week during the first stop in his Purpose World Tour. Seattle’s KeyArena is a good two-and-a-half-hour drive from Aberdeen, Washington, where the “All Apologies” singer (which is exactly what Bieber should do, SMH) was born, but it’s still considered Cobain Country. That leads to headlines like:

Justin Bieber defecated on memory of Kurt Cobain with cringeworthy Seattle gig (Via)

And tweets like:

https://twitter.com/highimn8/status/709988481158750208

1994 was the worst year ever. Kurt Cobain died and Justin Bieber was born.

— Ǝ (@wreckognyz) March 16, 2016

What did Bieber do to provoke such fury?

“[He wore] a Kurt Cobain t-shirt at one point and even performing a stripped down set inspired by Nirvana’s 1993 MTV Unplugged performance. Bieber wore the Cobain t-shirt under not just one, but two flannels, with torn up jeans to top it off.” (Via)

Consequence of Sound adds that Bieber was “mimicking the real-life rocker’s fashion styles to uncomfortable levels.” Okay, take a deep breath. Let’s say a popular rock band traveled to Memphis, and they wore Elvis shirts and covered “Love Me Tender” — would anyone care? Of course not. But because this is Justin Bieber and Kurt Cobain, suddenly an acoustic performance of one of his songs is “inspired by Nirvana’s 1993 MTV Unplugged.” He’s not even wearing Cobain’s iconic cardigan (although he could afford it)!