n the late 1980s I was working at Sub Pop records in Seattle as a jack of all trades, and also doing in-house photography. One evening I went to see the label’s new signings, Nirvana, but I just didn’t get it. I didn’t even photograph them that night, as I wasn’t impressed. But that all changed very quickly. I heard their debut album,, and was blown away. And the next time I saw them I was like, “Oh my God, this is not the same band.
I watched Kurt go from the wallflower in the corner to a rock god. Obviously it all happened much too fast It’s become an iconic photograph – I don’t need to be humble about that. It represents an era, not just in music but in the culture. Everyone is completely lost in the music in their own sort of way. I have two very close friends who are a long-term couple who are each in the photo, only yards away from each other but two years before they met. I think that’s amazing.