Nirvana Bassist Joins Kurt Cobain's Beloved Vaselines Onstage
Kurt Cobain once called Scottish indie duo the Vaselines his "most favorite songwriters in the whole world," and his daughter's name (Frances Bean) is a partial tribute to co-lead vocalist Frances McKee.
To show his Vaselines fandom and boost the underground band's visibility, Nirvana covered them not once, not twice, but THREE times during their heyday (more than any other artist Cobain paid homage to). An amped-up version of "Molly's Lips" appeared on 1992's Hormoaning EP along with a cover of "Son of a Gun," but it was the duo's "Jesus Don't Want Me for a Sunbeam" that received the most exposure with its inclusion in Nirvana's massively successful MTV Unplugged performance in 1993.
So it was a fitting tribute to the Vaselines, Cobain and Nirvana's legacy when Krist Novoselic—bassist for the immortal grunge trio—joined the Vaselines onstage at Seattle's Bumbershoot fest. Taking up the accordion (which was about level with McKee's head given that Novoselic is 6'8"), Novoselic jammed with them on a lovely live version of their "Jesus Don't Want Me for a Sunbeam."
Watch it above and try not to smile (despite how depressing the song itself is).
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