• Heavier than Heaven

  • A Biography of Kurt Cobain
  • By: Charles R. Cross
  • Narrated by: Lloyd James
  • Length: 14 hrs and 50 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (1,160 ratings)

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Heavier than Heaven  By  cover art

Heavier than Heaven

By: Charles R. Cross
Narrated by: Lloyd James
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Publisher's summary

When Kurt Cobain died by his own hand in April 1994, it was an act of will that typified his short, angry, inspired life. Veteran music journalist Charles R. Cross fuses his intimate knowledge of the Seattle music scene with his deep compassion for his subject in this extraordinary story of artistic brilliance and the pain that extinguished it.

Based on more than 400 interviews, four years of research, and exclusive access to Cobain's unpublished diaries, lyrics, and family photos, Heavier than Heaven traces Cobain's life from his early days in a double-wide trailer outside of Aberdeen, Washington, to his rise to fame, success, and the adulation of a generation.

©2001 Charles R. Cross (P)2006 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"Definitive...Cross untangles the soul of a man." ( USA Today)
" Heavier than Heaven sets a high, new standard." ( Rolling Stone)
"One of the most moving and revealing books ever written about a rock star." ( Los Angeles Times)

What listeners say about Heavier than Heaven

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wow captivating book!

What did you love best about Heavier than Heaven?

I loved the authors approach. It seemed even more accurate than an autobiography. I loved,loved,loved it.

What other book might you compare Heavier than Heaven to and why?

Nothing compares!

Which character – as performed by Lloyd James – was your favorite?

Kurt Cobain

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Both

Any additional comments?

I grew up with Nirvana so I was captivated from the beginning to the end.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
  • J
  • 03-28-16

Pathetic

This writer should be ashamed of taking such a one sided view of this story.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Cross and courtney dramatic novel more than a bio

Would you ever listen to anything by Charles R. Cross again?

After watching and reading some interviews with Cross - No, this guy doesn't know how to do a good job all the way, strong opinions and inflexibility are present in his work

How could the performance have been better?

All the kids will eat it up/ if its packaged properly...

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

This book has some good stories but then also lots of exaggeration fiction and lies.

Any additional comments?


The author contradicts the very close friends of Kurt, like band mates, ignores a lot of well known and documented facts which are important and had to be in the book, in fact, is replaced by fiction like "he took one more sip of root beer and then the took the shells from his pocket and loaded the shotgun" like the author knew exactly every detail of what happened in the end.. And in general I think the author doesn't know much about what he's writing but tries hard to make look real .. And watch MTV unplugged and then try to see if the stories in the book about it make sense.. Really?Waiting for a much better biography, and there's no doubt that one will be out.. Only how much Novoselic, Grohl and Grant would say..

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great subject, flawed book

I was interested and entertained throughout this entire audio book. The reason for this was mostly the fascinating subject - Cobain and Nirvana - rather than the writing. Many of the author's anecdotes were frustrating. He often describes odd behavior - how could he not when the subject is Cobain and the people around him? - but the author often does not explain or even speculate about why the people behave as they do. I'm referring mainly to small things - not suicide, drug addiction, depression, etc. For example, Cobain tackles and wrestles with Courtney Love in public shortly after they meet. Does he do this playfully, or as a result of his social awkwardness? Or are they both just wasted? The author doesn't say or speculate. There are lots of sloppy flaws like this in the book, which can be distracting and frustrating. If a real biographer (not a rock journalist) wrote a book about Cobain, it would move to the top of my list immediately. For now, "Heaver than Heaven" appears to be the best book available about Cobain and Nirvana.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Not the rock god i thought he was.

If you want to listen about an obviously mentaly ill person complaining constantly about his whole life and do heroin and blame it on medical problems then this ones for you. Kurt clearly has somekind of mental issue and needs somebody to hold his hand and tell him every 5 seconds he's important, once he was addicted to heroin it was all down hill from there for him. After listening to this I believe if Kurt would have gotten some brain drugs (the legal ones from a doctor) he would still be alive. I lost respect for Kurt after listening to this but i would recomend it to any nirvana fan. I wish they had a book about Bradley Nowell and Sublime, my musical Hero.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Simply amazing

A very heartfelt book that manages to really capture a true legend. Highly highly recommended

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Best books I ever read

I am a big Nirvana fan and absolutely loved it. Definitely need to check this out!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great

In-depth look at Cobain from child hood to his suicide. Riveting!
What I really enjoyed was the authors neutrality. They were not trying to sway reader opinion.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wow, Just Wow

What a remarkable memoir for a stunning artist. I learned more about Kurt than I ever thought I could. It's not just about his musical journey, but about his heart and soul that followed it. Simply beautiful!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

The Side of Kurt You Don't Want to Remember Him By

What did you love best about Heavier than Heaven?

The best part for me is that the book wasn't an homage to Kurt, but rather and insightful look into his life and the things that shaped him. I don't really know how to take the book as it's largely opposite from all of what I previously had believed about Cobain, but after this insight, I really felt more sad for those that were close to him than for Kurt himself. His suicide was inevitable, regardless of how anyone wants to believe. Sadly, I was left with the overall impression that he was a great song writer, but an even greater junkie with little regard for those that truly cared for him.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Heavier than Heaven?

Learning of all the overdoses that Cobain somehow survived, including at least one that was very intentional.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Mostly sad that my impression of Kurt is not as it once was. He was perhaps glamorized in life much more than he deserved.

Any additional comments?

I personally didn't care for the implied step by step description of the suicide when it's impossible to know. It seemed to set a tone of sadness, yet without knowing, it really just makes you think the story is telling you how to feel/react instead of leaving it open ended as it truly has been for the last 2 decades.

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