I just rewatched the '02 Blues- what a lineup, and everything just came together that night.  The entire band was perfect- god I miss that lineup.  Also, The Blues was so much more powerful in that incarnation.

Get well fast, Bucket!

Stop.  Reverse that.  "more out than in"

It's less them directly, than it was Axl's falling out with The Eagles of Death Metal.  I believe Josh Homme had some unkind words for Axl after Axl kicked them off the tour and referred to them as The Pigeons of Shit Metal.

I'm not way up on anyone other than Cornell.  What Kim's story? Is he invisible for a reason?

I'm a fan of both bands, too. I always thought Kurt's early snub of GnR was a shame, and sincerely wish he'd stayed around long enough to rethink his stance.  I think he would have mellowed a bit had he stayed around.

That said, one of the problems I used to have with Cobain was his snobby belief that he was somehow keeping it real while bands like GnR were sellouts or something. I mean, look at the "rock n roll checklist": hugely popular band, addicted to heavy drugs, enjoyed wrecking their own equipment on stage- even, sadly, a way-too-early death.  Nirvana ended up being pretty much stereotypical in so many ways.  This doesn't detract from the fact that they ushered in a new genre of rock, and deserve to be recognized and remembered for it.

As I get older, I start to be more forgiving of the stupid things we say and do when we're young.  I remember scorning things that I thought were too "mainstream."  I wonder sometimes, if Kurt could have just gotten past that stage- of caring about being in the world while somehow standing completely apart from it (an impossible ideal), if he could have forgiven himself his own success.  Maybe he'd be alive today.  Extremely sad.