NIRVANA: UNPLUGGED IN NEW YORK

This MTV special's images are so ingrained in our subculture that it felt like I just watched it yesterday.

I was surprised to find out that Nirvana: Unplugged in New York had never been released on video in any form until now. What? Really? The show was recorded almost 15 years ago on MTV, on November 18, 1993, and aired on MTV Unplugged a month later, just a mere 4 months before Kurt Cobain's suicide. The CD version of the performance was so ubiquitous, with its somber mood, that it became Nirvana's second highest-selling album. I suppose it has had occasional airings on TV since then, but maybe its images are so ingrained in our subculture that it felt like I just watched it yesterday.

Luckily, the DVD release has been worth the wait. It has been souped up to feature the options of both Dolby Stereo and 5.1 Surround Sound. The DVD includes the original broadcast version of the show (at 44 minutes), plus—more interestingly—the full, unedited studio show that is 66 minutes long, includes a couple more songs, plus all the banter and milling about in between tunes. Kurt jokes with his bandmates, they all take whatever opportunity to smoke, and at the very end, even after the sound cuts off, you see Kurt taking time to sign autographs for some very excited teens sitting in the audience. Kinda sweet.

What I found most interesting, watching the show all this time later is how shy and nervous Kurt looked (there is much speculation among fans on the IMDb about his teeth grinding habit while he sings... drugs? anxiety? keeping time?). He makes some small talk with the band, and a little with the audience, but the mood is so mellow that they let the music speak for them instead. And I remember then, and now, being surprised at how good some of the songs sounded acoustic, especially "All Apolgies"—it is no wonder this version became Kurt's sort of swan song months later.

Among the extras are many scenesters and pals looking back on the day (however none of the original band members participate). The MTV heads are probably the most interesting, as they remember freaking out over Nirvana's choice to play obscure songs and covers, rather than their big hits, which until then was the norm for Unplugged. There are short clips of a grunge girl and a 90210-coiffed boy standing outside the studio, gleefully hoping to hear "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (which was not played). Plus there is some raw rehersal footage of the band practicing before the show. Kurt reiterates that he is going to screw up his cover of David Bowie's "The Man Who Sold the World". But as we all know, he ended up doing just fine.