Come as You Are

The Story of Nirvana

By: Michael Azerrad

Narrated by: Kurt Loder, Michael Azerrad

Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

“Amazingly raw and candid . . . Come As You Are is as good as rock bios get.”—Billboard

Nirvana came out of nowhere in 1991 to sell nearly five million copies of their landmark album Nevermind, whose thunderous sound and indelible melodies embodied all the confusion, frustration, and passion of the emerging Generation X.

Come As You Are is the close-up, intimate story of Nirvana—the only book with exclusive in-depth interviews with bandmembers Kurt Cobain, Krist Noveselic, and Dave Grohl, as well as friends, relatives, former bandmembers, and associates—now updated to include a final chapter detailing the last year of Kurt Cobain's life, before his tragic suicide in April 1994.

©1993 Michael Azerrad (P)2019 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Amazingly raw and candid . . . An unsparing and extremely honest depiction of the group’s highly tumultuous history . . . A wizardly combination of smart journalism and intelligent analysis, Come As You Are is as good as rock bios get.”—Billboard

“Really takes you inside both the business and soul of rock ’n’ roll, providing the lurid details and lucid pop criticism, too.”—Los Angeles Times

“Come As You Are is the first [book] to comprehensively tell the band’s tale from Aberdeen, Wash., to world domination.”—Rolling Stone

Rediscovering a great read!

I had the paperback copy of this book years ago when I was in high school. I just re-discovered it on Audible and bought it instantly.

And just like when I 1st read it in highschool, I couldn't put it down! A great read about my favorite band of all time! We miss you Kurt.

Not like every other book

Enjoyed the fact this wasn’t written in the post death voice. Made it feel less skewed.

Highly recommend for Nirvana fans.

If you want to know the truth about the band this is the book to get. This book was written when Kurt was still alive so a lot of the info is coming straight from Kurt himself. There is a lot of good info in this book and is worth the read.

So much better than I expected

Come as You Are is a contemporary rock biography of Nirvana, meaning it was written in their era and not posthumously. I didn’t think it could match Heavier Than Heaven, but the access the writer had to Kurt, Dave, Kris and even Courtney, among others, really brought it to life. I didn’t learn anything I didn’t know from the other biographies and documentaries, but the way it was put together, and the vibrancy of Kurt really had an impact on me. Any Nirvana lover will love this book!

real

it was very cool that Kurt loder was the one reading the book. this gives a great insight into the band not just Kurt Cobain and looking at him in a very holistic point of view very well written in red

one of the better books about a rock band

Great read if you are a fan of nirvana. the author did a great job of giving an inside look of the band without adding personal commentary. I really enjoyed this.

Great insight

Great insight in to the life of a band and it’s members. A reminder that all can be so fragile.

Good read!!

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it highly. I learned so much about Kurt and Courtney.

It’s gripping my read for any Nirvana fan

I caught myself re listening to chapters just so I didn’t miss anything. If I’m honest I’ll probably re listen to it from time to time Nirvana always centers me. Now I’m aware that certain realizations weren’t made yet and I’m gonna go down a rabbit hole. However just the simple fact that he claims to be such a good friend of Kurt’s I just would have left out idea of and term of suicide altogether just my opinion.
(I believe that he was killed just in case anyone’s wondering) regardless good job with the narration thank you to everyone who allowed the book and took the time to make it happen. It’s a very special things to us fans RIP peace love empathy I love you Kurt thank you for saving me.

Definitive

Kurt Loder is the voice of the 90s on MTv so it's rather fitting he narrate. They leave a little bit out, but you can pick up the rest in the Everett true novel. Well done.