Thursday, Sep. 22, 2011
'In Bloom' (1992)
Despite its retro feel, Kerslake's video also delivered breaking news: Nirvana has a sense of humor! Shot with a vintage Kinescope camera and intercut with footage of shrieking teenyboppers, 'In Bloom' imagines Nirvana as a toothy pop combo on an early-'60s variety show. (Rivers Cuomo of Weezer lifted his entire early-career shtick from Cobain's glassy affect and nerd-chic eyewear here.) But in some alternate reality, they're also members of a rambunctious punk outfit who put on pretty dresses and thrash the set and their equipment. Cobain plays his part with a sort of deranged serenity that's two parts Beach Boy, one part cult leader. There wouldn't be a funnier lip-synch until Zach Galifianakis discovered Kanye West.