Krist Novoselic
Encyclopedia
Krist Anthony Novoselic II (icon; ; born May 16, 1965) is a Croatian-American rock musician, best known for being the bassist and co-founder of the grunge
band Nirvana
. After Nirvana ended, Novoselic formed Sweet 75
and then Eyes Adrift
, releasing one album with each band. From 2006 to 2009 he played in punk band Flipper
, also recording an album, and contributed bass and accordion to the song "I Should Have Known" from the Foo Fighters
' 2011 record Wasting Light
.
Apart from his musical endeavors, Novoselic has been active politically, including the creation of the political action committee
JAMPAC. From November 2007 until September 2010, Novoselic wrote a weekly column on music and politics for Seattle Weekly
's website. Since 2008 he has been board chair of the electoral reform organization FairVote
.
immigrants Kristo and Marija Novoselić in Compton, California
. He lived there for one year, before his parents relocated to the Los Angeles Croatian neighborhood of San Pedro, California, where he remained for most of his childhood. He has two brothers, Robert Alan Novoselic and Dillon Malloy Novoselic, and in 1973, Novoselic's sister Diana was born. The Novoselic family moved to Aberdeen, Washington
in 1979, due to rising property prices in California. In 1980, his parents sent him to live with relatives in Zadar
, Croatia, then part of SFR Yugoslavia. There, Novoselic attended the gymnasium
. Novoselic was already interested in bands like Led Zeppelin
, Devo
, Black Sabbath
, Van Halen
, and Aerosmith
. He also enjoyed rock bands like Zabranjeno Pusenje
, Prljavo Kazaliste
and Azra
. While in Croatia, he picked up an interest in punk rock
, and discovered bands like the Sex Pistols
and the Ramones
. He has cited Paul McCartney
, Geezer Butler
, John Entwistle
, and Gene Simmons
as the fundamental influences of his bass playing.
Sometime later, Novoselic's brother Robert introduced him to his friend Kurt Cobain
, who had noticed loud music coming from upstairs. Robert told Cobain that it was his older brother, who listened to punk rock. Cobain eventually befriended the elder Novoselic, as the pair ended up sharing similar musical tastes, including a fondness for local band The Melvins
. The two had several mutual friends and began hanging out shortly thereafter. At one point, Cobain gave Novoselic a demo tape of his former band Fecal Matter
, and asked him to form a band together. After several months, Novoselic finally listened to the tape, liked it, and agreed to start a band with Cobain.
Cobain and Novoselic's first band lasted barely a few weeks before it disbanded, leaving the pair to move on. However, the duo eventually discovered that the Melvins could pull $
80 a night for one show. Inspired, Cobain and Novoselic started a Creedence Clearwater Revival
cover band
, in which Cobain played drums and Novoselic sang and played guitar. That band was short-lived as well. Some months later, Cobain and Novoselic met Aaron Burckhard
. While the new band never used the name, it was the first incarnation of Nirvana.
Burckhard lasted only a few months and Melvins drummer Dale Crover
filled in until Novoselic and Cobain met Chad Channing
. The trio recorded their debut album Bleach
, released in 1989. Channing left the band in 1990 and was briefly replaced by Crover and Mudhoney
drummer Dan Peters
.
Later in 1990, Melvins singer-guitarist Buzz Osborne
encouraged Novoselic and Cobain to check out a punk band called Scream
. The pair were impressed by their drummer, Dave Grohl
. A few weeks later, Scream disbanded, and Grohl placed a call to Osborne for advice. Osborne gave him Novoselic's phone number, and Novoselic invited Grohl up to Seattle (from San Francisco, where Scream broke up). Grohl passed the audition and joined Nirvana. A few months later, in the spring of 1991, the band recorded their major label debut, Nevermind
, which launched the band as a worldwide phenomenon with their hit single "Smells Like Teen Spirit
."
Nirvana ended abruptly in April 1994 following Cobain's death. For most of the rest of that year, Novoselic retreated from the spotlight. Novoselic and Cobain had been virtually inseparable for almost a decade, and the loss of his close friend was especially hard on him. One of few public appearances came that September at the MTV Video Music Awards
, where the video for Nirvana's "Heart-Shaped Box
" was awarded for Best Alternative Video. Novoselic took the opportunity to pay tribute to his bandmate and best friend.
, with friend and former bandmate Dave Grohl
but both decided against it because they believed people would think of Foo Fighters as a new incarnation of Nirvana. Novoselic instead formed the band Sweet 75
in 1995, releasing a single self-titled album in 1997. In 2002 he performed uncredited background vocals on The Foo Fighters song "Walking a Line", written as a tribute to Cobain, during the One by One album sessions. The track is included on the One by One bonus DVD, as well as being an iTunes
bonus track to the album.
In 1998, Novoselic directed his first movie, L7
: The Beauty Process, a pseudo-documentary that utilizes concert footage taped in 1997 in three American cities. In 1999, he joined Jello Biafra
and former Soundgarden
guitarist Kim Thayil
in the No WTO Combo
. He then joined former Meat Puppets
front man Curt Kirkwood
and former Sublime
drummer Bud Gaugh
to form Eyes Adrift
, which disbanded in 2003. This band was significant as it was the first official release in his career where he sang lead vocals. He also took a highly active role in the song writing process, co-writing several songs with Kirkwood.
Following the end of Eyes Adrift, Novoselic announced that he was quitting the music business, noting that he disliked the process of building up publicity for new records. However, in recent years, Novoselic has occasionally worked on music for a possible solo album, noting, "Right now, I'm just doing it for myself, and that's what it's all about."
In November 2006, it was announced that Novoselic would join Flipper
, replacing Bruno DeSmartas on bass, for a tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland. He was a full time member of the band and had been working on their new album. On September 22, 2008, due to responsibilities at home, Novoselic announced his departure from the band. As a result, the band canceled the remainder of the tour. Rachel Thoele then replaced Novoselic. In 2009, he played a newspaper vendor in the movie World's Greatest Dad
starring Robin Williams
. In October 2010, Dave Grohl
, former Nirvana
band mate of Novoselic, announced live on BBC radio that Novoselic will be joining the Foo Fighters
on their next album as a bassist and accordionist which was released in 2011: Wasting Light.
Novoselic also played bass on children's music artist Caspar Babypants
' (a.k.a. Chris Ballew
of The Presidents of the United States of America
's) 2010 album This Is Fun!, for a cover of the Nirvana song "Sliver."
for a version of Nirvana's "Marigold
" a 1992 Grohl original, which was also a b-side on Nirvana's "Heart-Shaped Box
", the first single from In Utero. Novoselic also recorded bass and accordion on the song "I Should Have Known", appearing on the Foo Fighters' 7th studio album called Wasting Light
, released on April 12, 2011.
In 1995, the Erotic Music Law was reintroduced to the Washington State Legislature
as the Matters Harmful to Minors bill. Noting that the music industry had serious clout in Seattle given the success of the scene, Novoselic proposed creating a political action committee
, which was named JAMPAC (Joint Artists and Musicians Political Action Committee). Over the next several years, JAMPAC fought a number of different issues, including the Teen Dance Ordinance
, a 1985 law that severely limited the ability of minors to attend shows. With JAMPAC, Novoselic began to turn his focus more and more towards politics.
Novoselic remains active in politics as an elected State Committeeman, making appearances to advocate electoral reform
(especially instant-runoff voting
and proportional representation
) and running the website. He considered a 2004 run for Lieutenant Governor of Washington (as a Democrat, challenging an incumbent of the same party), but ultimately decided against it. He also joined the board of FairVote
, then the Center for Voting and Democracy), and was appointed chair in January 2008. His first book, Of Grunge and Government: Let's Fix This Broken Democracy
, was published in October 2004. It covers Novoselic's musical past, including Nirvana's rise to a world wide phenomenon of the early 1990s. . It also covers his interest in politics, his support of electoral reform, and his belief in the need to return to grassroots movements and clean up politics overall.
Novoselic spoke on matters of electoral reform at the 2006 Libertarian National Convention. He supported Democratic
Senator Barack Obama
in the 2008 Presidential election
, though it was erroneously reported in some media outlets that he had endorsed libertarian
Republican
Congressman Ron Paul
.
He withdrew from the campaign for county clerk of Wahkiakum County. He was running under the "Grange Party." He is a member of The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry. However, the Grange is not actually a political party. He was running in order to protest Washington State's system in which a candidate can claim any party as their own (real or fictional) without consent or support from the party.
Novoselic continues to support political reform, even looking at social networks such as Facebook
and Twitter
, as major factors in shaping the political future. .
, in rural Wahkiakum County, Washington.
He wrote a blog for the Seattle Weekly website from 2007 to 2010.
He currently attends Lower Columbia College
and is studying for a law degree.
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
band Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
. After Nirvana ended, Novoselic formed Sweet 75
Sweet 75
Sweet 75 was a band formed by Krist Novoselic in 1994 after the death of Nirvana band member Kurt Cobain. The band released one album before splitting up in 2000.-History:...
and then Eyes Adrift
Eyes Adrift
Eyes Adrift was a three piece rock supergroup consisting of Krist Novoselic , Curt Kirkwood , and Bud Gaugh...
, releasing one album with each band. From 2006 to 2009 he played in punk band Flipper
Flipper (band)
Flipper is a punk band formed in San Francisco, California in 1979, continuing in often erratic fashion until the mid-1990s, then reuniting in 2005. The band influenced a number of grunge,, punk rock and noise rock bands...
, also recording an album, and contributed bass and accordion to the song "I Should Have Known" from the Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
' 2011 record Wasting Light
Wasting Light
Wasting Light is the seventh studio album by American alternative rock band Foo Fighters, released April 12, 2011, on RCA Records. It was produced by Butch Vig and described by the band's lead vocalist and guitarist Dave Grohl as their "heaviest album yet." The title is taken from the lyrics of the...
.
Apart from his musical endeavors, Novoselic has been active politically, including the creation of the political action committee
Political action committee
In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group, regardless of size, organized to elect political candidates or to advance the outcome of a political issue or legislation. Legally, what constitutes a "PAC" for purposes of regulation is a...
JAMPAC. From November 2007 until September 2010, Novoselic wrote a weekly column on music and politics for Seattle Weekly
Seattle Weekly
Seattle Weekly is a freely distributed newspaper in Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded by Darrell Oldham and David Brewster as The Weekly...
's website. Since 2008 he has been board chair of the electoral reform organization FairVote
FairVote
FairVote is a U.S. non-profit organization based in Takoma Park, Maryland, whose mission is to achieve universal access to participation, a full spectrum of meaningful ballot choices and majority rule with fair representation for all...
.
Early life (1965–1986)
Novoselic was born to CroatianCroats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
immigrants Kristo and Marija Novoselić in Compton, California
Compton, California
Compton is a city in southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, southeast of downtown Los Angeles. The city of Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county and on May 11, 1888, was the eighth city to incorporate. The city is considered part of the South side by residents of Los...
. He lived there for one year, before his parents relocated to the Los Angeles Croatian neighborhood of San Pedro, California, where he remained for most of his childhood. He has two brothers, Robert Alan Novoselic and Dillon Malloy Novoselic, and in 1973, Novoselic's sister Diana was born. The Novoselic family moved to Aberdeen, Washington
Aberdeen, Washington
Aberdeen is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States, founded by Samuel Benn in 1884. Aberdeen was incorporated on May 12, 1890. The city is the economic center of Grays Harbor County, bordering the cities of Hoquiam and Cosmopolis...
in 1979, due to rising property prices in California. In 1980, his parents sent him to live with relatives in Zadar
Zadar
Zadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Population of the city is 75,082 citizens...
, Croatia, then part of SFR Yugoslavia. There, Novoselic attended the gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
. Novoselic was already interested in bands like Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, Devo
Devo
Devo is an American band formed in 1973 consisting of members from Kent and Akron, Ohio. The classic line-up of the band includes two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs and the Casales . The band had a #14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It", and has maintained a cult...
, Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
, Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
, and Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
. He also enjoyed rock bands like Zabranjeno Pusenje
Zabranjeno pušenje
Zabranjeno Pušenje is a Yugoslavian garage rock band from Sarajevo, closely associated with the New primitivism cultural movement and the radio and television satire show Top Lista Nadrealista...
, Prljavo Kazaliste
Prljavo kazalište
Prljavo kazalište is a rock and roll band from Zagreb, Croatia. Since its formation in 1977, the group changed several music styles and line ups but remained one of the top acts of both the Croatian and the former Yugoslav rock scenes.-Beginnings:Prljavo kazalište was formed in 1977 in Dubrava,...
and Azra
Azra
Azra was a rock band from Zagreb that was popular across Yugoslavia in the 1980s. Azra was formed in 1977 by its frontman Branimir "Johnny" Štulić. The other two members of the original line-up were Mišo Hrnjak and Boris Leiner . The band is named after a verse from "Der Asra" by Heinrich Heine...
. While in Croatia, he picked up an interest in punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, and discovered bands like the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
and the Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
. He has cited Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, Geezer Butler
Geezer Butler
Geezer Butler is an English musician and songwriter. Butler is best known as the bassist and lyricist of heavy metal band Black Sabbath. He was also involved in Heaven & Hell from 2006 to 2010.-Career:Butler formed his first band, Rare Breed, with old friend John "Ozzy" Osbourne in the autumn of...
, John Entwistle
John Entwistle
John Alec Entwistle was an English bass guitarist, songwriter, singer, horn player, and film and record producer who was best known as the bass player for the rock band The Who. His aggressive lead sound influenced many rock bass players...
, and Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...
as the fundamental influences of his bass playing.
Sometime later, Novoselic's brother Robert introduced him to his friend Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
, who had noticed loud music coming from upstairs. Robert told Cobain that it was his older brother, who listened to punk rock. Cobain eventually befriended the elder Novoselic, as the pair ended up sharing similar musical tastes, including a fondness for local band The Melvins
The Melvins
The Melvins are an American band that formed in 1983. They usually perform as a trio, but in recent years have performed as a four piece with two drummers. Since 1984, singer and guitarist Buzz Osborne and drummer Dale Crover have been the band's constant members...
. The two had several mutual friends and began hanging out shortly thereafter. At one point, Cobain gave Novoselic a demo tape of his former band Fecal Matter
Fecal Matter (band)
Fecal Matter was a short-lived punk band from Aberdeen, Washington, that formed in late 1985. It was the first band conceived by Kurt Cobain, who would become famous as the frontman and guitarist of the seminal grunge band, Nirvana. The band recorded only one demo tape, Illiteracy Will Prevail,...
, and asked him to form a band together. After several months, Novoselic finally listened to the tape, liked it, and agreed to start a band with Cobain.
Nirvana (1987–1994)
Dollar sign
The dollar or peso sign is a symbol primarily used to indicate the various peso and dollar units of currency around the world.- Origin :...
80 a night for one show. Inspired, Cobain and Novoselic started a Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums....
cover band
Cover band
A cover band , is a band that plays mostly or exclusively cover songs. New or unknown bands often find the cover band format marketable for smaller gigs, and these bands may be known as a wedding band, party band and function band. A band whose covers consist mainly of songs that were chart hits is...
, in which Cobain played drums and Novoselic sang and played guitar. That band was short-lived as well. Some months later, Cobain and Novoselic met Aaron Burckhard
Aaron Burckhard
Aaron Burckhard is an American musician who was the first drummer recruited for Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic's rock group that soon came to be known as Nirvana. Burckhard played drums for the band until December 1987...
. While the new band never used the name, it was the first incarnation of Nirvana.
Burckhard lasted only a few months and Melvins drummer Dale Crover
Dale Crover
Dale Crover is an American rock musician. Crover is best known as the drummer for Melvins and Men of Porn, Shrinebuilder, and for a brief time, drummer for Nirvana. He is also guitarist and vocalist for Altamont...
filled in until Novoselic and Cobain met Chad Channing
Chad Channing
Chad Channing is an American musician who is best known for being the drummer of the band Nirvana from 1988 until 1990, during which time they recorded and released their debut album Bleach...
. The trio recorded their debut album Bleach
Bleach (album)
Bleach is the debut album by the American rock band Nirvana, released in June 1989 through the independent record label Sub Pop. The main recording sessions took place at Reciprocal Recording in Seattle, Washington between December 1988 and January 1989...
, released in 1989. Channing left the band in 1990 and was briefly replaced by Crover and Mudhoney
Mudhoney
Mudhoney is an American alternative rock band. Formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1988 following the demise of Green River, Mudhoney's members are vocalist and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Guy Maddison, and drummer Dan Peters. Original bassist Matt Lukin left the...
drummer Dan Peters
Dan Peters
Daniel Joe Peters is the drummer for Mudhoney. He joined Bundle of Hiss when he was fifteen years old. He also played drums for Nirvana, appearing on one single, "Sliver". Peters' only live appearance with Nirvana was on September 22, 1990, in Seattle, Washington, at the Motor Sports International...
.
Later in 1990, Melvins singer-guitarist Buzz Osborne
Buzz Osborne
Roger "Buzz" Osborne , also known as King Buzzo, is the guitarist/vocalist/songwriter and technically the only remaining founding member of the Melvins...
encouraged Novoselic and Cobain to check out a punk band called Scream
Scream (band)
Scream is a hardcore punk band from Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia active from 1981 to 1990. As of 2009, the band has reunited to play several shows.-Biography:...
. The pair were impressed by their drummer, Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl
David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
. A few weeks later, Scream disbanded, and Grohl placed a call to Osborne for advice. Osborne gave him Novoselic's phone number, and Novoselic invited Grohl up to Seattle (from San Francisco, where Scream broke up). Grohl passed the audition and joined Nirvana. A few months later, in the spring of 1991, the band recorded their major label debut, Nevermind
Nevermind
Nevermind is the second studio album by the American rock band Nirvana, released on September 24, 1991. Produced by Butch Vig, Nevermind was the group's first release on DGC Records...
, which launched the band as a worldwide phenomenon with their hit single "Smells Like Teen Spirit
Smells Like Teen Spirit
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana. It is the opening track and lead single from the band's second album, Nevermind , released on DGC Records...
."
Nirvana ended abruptly in April 1994 following Cobain's death. For most of the rest of that year, Novoselic retreated from the spotlight. Novoselic and Cobain had been virtually inseparable for almost a decade, and the loss of his close friend was especially hard on him. One of few public appearances came that September at the MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
, where the video for Nirvana's "Heart-Shaped Box
Heart-Shaped Box
"Heart-Shaped Box" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. The song was released as the first single from the group's third and final studio album, In Utero, in 1993. It was one of two songs from the album mixed by Scott Litt in order to augment...
" was awarded for Best Alternative Video. Novoselic took the opportunity to pay tribute to his bandmate and best friend.
Post-Nirvana (since 1995)
The following year, Novoselic continued to dabble in musical endeavors. He was offered the position of playing bass in a new band, the Foo FightersFoo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
, with friend and former bandmate Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl
David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
but both decided against it because they believed people would think of Foo Fighters as a new incarnation of Nirvana. Novoselic instead formed the band Sweet 75
Sweet 75
Sweet 75 was a band formed by Krist Novoselic in 1994 after the death of Nirvana band member Kurt Cobain. The band released one album before splitting up in 2000.-History:...
in 1995, releasing a single self-titled album in 1997. In 2002 he performed uncredited background vocals on The Foo Fighters song "Walking a Line", written as a tribute to Cobain, during the One by One album sessions. The track is included on the One by One bonus DVD, as well as being an iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
bonus track to the album.
In 1998, Novoselic directed his first movie, L7
L7 (band)
L7 was an American rock band from Los Angeles, that was active from 1985 to 2000. Due to their sound and image, they are often associated with the grunge movement of the late 1980s and early 1990s.-History:...
: The Beauty Process, a pseudo-documentary that utilizes concert footage taped in 1997 in three American cities. In 1999, he joined Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra is an American musician, spoken word artist and leading figure of the Green Party of the United States. Biafra first gained attention as the lead singer and songwriter for San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys...
and former Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
guitarist Kim Thayil
Kim Thayil
Kim Thayil is an American guitarist best known as the lead guitarist of the Seattle-based grunge band Soundgarden, which he cofounded with singer Chris Cornell and bassist Hiro Yamamoto in 1984...
in the No WTO Combo
No WTO Combo
The No WTO Combo was a one-shot punk rock band started by Krist Novoselic . The band consisted of Jello Biafra ; guitartist Kim Thayil of Soundgarden; and the rhythm section of Sweet 75, with Gina Mainwal on drums and Novoselic on bass.They were originally scheduled to play the Showbox November 30,...
. He then joined former Meat Puppets
Meat Puppets
The Meat Puppets are an American rock band formed in January 1980, in Phoenix, Arizona. The group's original lineup was Curt Kirkwood , his brother Cris Kirkwood , and Derrick Bostrom . The Kirkwood brothers met Bostrom while attending Brophy Prep High School in Phoenix...
front man Curt Kirkwood
Curt Kirkwood
Curtis Matthew Kirkwood is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, but currently resides in Austin, Texas....
and former Sublime
Sublime (band)
Sublime was an American ska punk band from Long Beach, California, formed in 1988. The band's line-up, unchanged until their breakup, consisted of Bradley Nowell , Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh . Michael "Miguel" Happoldt also contributed on a few Sublime songs, such as "New Thrash." Lou Dog, Nowell's...
drummer Bud Gaugh
Bud Gaugh
Floyd "Bud" I. Gaugh IV is a rock music drummer who played in the bands Sublime , Long Beach Dub Allstars , Eyes Adrift Volcano , Del Mar and Sublime with Rome...
to form Eyes Adrift
Eyes Adrift
Eyes Adrift was a three piece rock supergroup consisting of Krist Novoselic , Curt Kirkwood , and Bud Gaugh...
, which disbanded in 2003. This band was significant as it was the first official release in his career where he sang lead vocals. He also took a highly active role in the song writing process, co-writing several songs with Kirkwood.
Following the end of Eyes Adrift, Novoselic announced that he was quitting the music business, noting that he disliked the process of building up publicity for new records. However, in recent years, Novoselic has occasionally worked on music for a possible solo album, noting, "Right now, I'm just doing it for myself, and that's what it's all about."
In November 2006, it was announced that Novoselic would join Flipper
Flipper (band)
Flipper is a punk band formed in San Francisco, California in 1979, continuing in often erratic fashion until the mid-1990s, then reuniting in 2005. The band influenced a number of grunge,, punk rock and noise rock bands...
, replacing Bruno DeSmartas on bass, for a tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland. He was a full time member of the band and had been working on their new album. On September 22, 2008, due to responsibilities at home, Novoselic announced his departure from the band. As a result, the band canceled the remainder of the tour. Rachel Thoele then replaced Novoselic. In 2009, he played a newspaper vendor in the movie World's Greatest Dad
World's Greatest Dad
World's Greatest Dad is a 2009 American black comedy film written and directed by Bobcat Goldthwait. It stars Robin Williams, Daryl Sabara, and Alexie Gilmore. The film was released on July 24 on video on demand providers before its limited theatrical release on August 24, 2009...
starring Robin Williams
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
. In October 2010, Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl
David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
, former Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
band mate of Novoselic, announced live on BBC radio that Novoselic will be joining the Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
on their next album as a bassist and accordionist which was released in 2011: Wasting Light.
Novoselic also played bass on children's music artist Caspar Babypants
Caspar Babypants
-History:Ballew's first brush with children's music came in 2002 when he recorded and donated an album of traditional children's songs to the nonprofit Program for Early Parent Support titled "PEPS Sing A Long!" Having a son and daughter himself, he enjoyed making the record but didn't think about...
' (a.k.a. Chris Ballew
Chris Ballew
Christopher "Chris" Ballew is a member of the alternative rock group The Presidents of the United States of America and performs as a children's artist under the pseudonym Caspar Babypants....
of The Presidents of the United States of America
The Presidents of the United States of America (band)
The Presidents of the United States of America, commonly referred to as Pot USA or "PUSA" or The Presidents, are a twice Grammy-nominated American alternative rock band. The band formed in Seattle, USA, in 1993. The three-piece group currently comprises vocalist and "basitarist" Chris Ballew,...
's) 2010 album This Is Fun!, for a cover of the Nirvana song "Sliver."
Performance and recording with Foo Fighters
Novoselic's first experience with the Foo Fighters was performing backing vocals for a non-album track titled "Walking a Line," later released on a special edition of the band's album One by One. Later, during the encore of the Foo Fighters' secret show at Paladino's in Tarzana, California on December 22, 2010, the band, with Grohl on drums was joined onstage by Novoselic and the band's live guitarist Pat SmearPat Smear
Pat Smear is a rock musician who has been a guitarist in several well-known bands including The Germs and Nirvana. He is currently a guitarist for the Foo Fighters...
for a version of Nirvana's "Marigold
Marigold (song)
"Marigold" is a song written and composed by American rock musician Dave Grohl, that was first released on Pocketwatch, an album Grohl issued under the pseudonym Late! in 1992....
" a 1992 Grohl original, which was also a b-side on Nirvana's "Heart-Shaped Box
Heart-Shaped Box
"Heart-Shaped Box" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. The song was released as the first single from the group's third and final studio album, In Utero, in 1993. It was one of two songs from the album mixed by Scott Litt in order to augment...
", the first single from In Utero. Novoselic also recorded bass and accordion on the song "I Should Have Known", appearing on the Foo Fighters' 7th studio album called Wasting Light
Wasting Light
Wasting Light is the seventh studio album by American alternative rock band Foo Fighters, released April 12, 2011, on RCA Records. It was produced by Butch Vig and described by the band's lead vocalist and guitarist Dave Grohl as their "heaviest album yet." The title is taken from the lyrics of the...
, released on April 12, 2011.
Political and Social Activism
In 1992, the Washington state legislature attempted to pass a bill called the Erotic Music Law. The law would allow courts to declare certain albums "erotic" by their content, and would make it illegal to sell those albums to those under the age of 18. A lobbying group called the Washington Music Industry Coalition formed as a response to the bill. Novoselic and Nirvana actively campaigned against the bill and performed a benefit concert for the lobbying group in September 1992.In 1995, the Erotic Music Law was reintroduced to the Washington State Legislature
Washington State Legislature
The Washington State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a bipartisan, bicameral body, composed of the lower Washington House of Representatives, composed of 98 Representatives, and the upper Washington State Senate, with 49 Senators.The State Legislature...
as the Matters Harmful to Minors bill. Noting that the music industry had serious clout in Seattle given the success of the scene, Novoselic proposed creating a political action committee
Political action committee
In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group, regardless of size, organized to elect political candidates or to advance the outcome of a political issue or legislation. Legally, what constitutes a "PAC" for purposes of regulation is a...
, which was named JAMPAC (Joint Artists and Musicians Political Action Committee). Over the next several years, JAMPAC fought a number of different issues, including the Teen Dance Ordinance
Teen Dance Ordinance
The Teen Dance Ordinance was a controversial Seattle law which severely curtailed the ability of concert and club promoters to hold events for underaged patrons. During its existence from 1985 to 2002, it was routinely criticized for its severity and its effects on the local music scene and industry...
, a 1985 law that severely limited the ability of minors to attend shows. With JAMPAC, Novoselic began to turn his focus more and more towards politics.
Novoselic remains active in politics as an elected State Committeeman, making appearances to advocate electoral reform
Electoral reform
Electoral reform is change in electoral systems to improve how public desires are expressed in election results. That can include reforms of:...
(especially instant-runoff voting
Instant-runoff voting
Instant-runoff voting , also known as preferential voting, the alternative vote and ranked choice voting, is a voting system used to elect one winner. Voters rank candidates in order of preference, and their ballots are counted as one vote for their first choice candidate. If a candidate secures a...
and proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
) and running the website. He considered a 2004 run for Lieutenant Governor of Washington (as a Democrat, challenging an incumbent of the same party), but ultimately decided against it. He also joined the board of FairVote
FairVote
FairVote is a U.S. non-profit organization based in Takoma Park, Maryland, whose mission is to achieve universal access to participation, a full spectrum of meaningful ballot choices and majority rule with fair representation for all...
, then the Center for Voting and Democracy), and was appointed chair in January 2008. His first book, Of Grunge and Government: Let's Fix This Broken Democracy
Of Grunge and Government: Let's Fix This Broken Democracy
is a political non-fiction book written by rock musician Krist Novoselic, who was the bassist for Nirvana. Published in September 2004, the book details how politicians need to return to grassroots movements and clean up politics in general.In the book, Novoselic discusses how Nirvana emerged as...
, was published in October 2004. It covers Novoselic's musical past, including Nirvana's rise to a world wide phenomenon of the early 1990s. . It also covers his interest in politics, his support of electoral reform, and his belief in the need to return to grassroots movements and clean up politics overall.
Novoselic spoke on matters of electoral reform at the 2006 Libertarian National Convention. He supported Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Senator Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
in the 2008 Presidential election
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
, though it was erroneously reported in some media outlets that he had endorsed libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Congressman Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ronald Ernest "Ron" Paul is an American physician, author and United States Congressman who is seeking to be the Republican Party candidate in the 2012 presidential election. Paul represents Texas's 14th congressional district, which covers an area south and southwest of Houston that includes...
.
He withdrew from the campaign for county clerk of Wahkiakum County. He was running under the "Grange Party." He is a member of The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry. However, the Grange is not actually a political party. He was running in order to protest Washington State's system in which a candidate can claim any party as their own (real or fictional) without consent or support from the party.
Novoselic continues to support political reform, even looking at social networks such as Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
and Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, as major factors in shaping the political future. .
Personal life
Novoselic has been married twice. His first wife was Shelli Dilley; he met her in high school, and they began dating in 1985. They were married in December 1989; they divorced in late 1999. In early 2004, Novoselic married artist Darbury Ayn Stenderu. He currently resides near Deep River, WashingtonDeep River, Washington
Deep River is an unincorporated rural village in Wahkiakum County, Washington, United States. It is the current residence of Krist Novoselic, the bassist for early 1990s grunge rock band, Nirvana...
, in rural Wahkiakum County, Washington.
He wrote a blog for the Seattle Weekly website from 2007 to 2010.
He currently attends Lower Columbia College
Lower Columbia College
Lower Columbia College is a community college located in Longview, Washington. Established in 1934, it serves the Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties. The current campus was established in 1962 and is made of 27 buildings on...
and is studying for a law degree.
Quotation
External links
- Krist Novoselic's blog at the Daily Weekly
- Krist Novoselic w/ Flipper
- Novoselic.com – a website dedicated to Krist Novoselic
- Krist Novoselic on Twitter
- Official forums