Eternally portrayed in the press as a bad influence on the image of the ninetie's music yet at the same time regarded as an important female role model for aggressively ambitious young women, Courtney Love has faced an uphill battle in establishing her integrity. Regulary accused of marrying to further her career, of being an incompetent mother and of perpertrating self-destructive behavior beyond the realms of sanity,Clove has much to answer for to the unsympathitic media but if they new the whole story they might just back off.
Courtney was born Love Michelle Harrison in San Franciso in July 1965. Her parents Hank and Linda lived a hippie lifestyle and had a weak relationship that caused a divorice and a custidy battle over Courntey which her mother won.
Whenever Love is obliged to recalling childhood memories of Hank, she says she retieves images of a bad dream. In 1972 Linda migrated to New Zealand and started a sheep farm. Courtney was left behind in Oregon with a friend of Linda's. With her parents out of the picture, Courtney became more and more unmanageable, gettin kicked out of school regularly and continually being arrested for shoplifting. Soon she was sent to Neww Zealand and lived nearby her mother at her mother's friend's home. Courtney had a close bond with her and when Linda discovered this she was jealous and sent Courtney back to the US to live with her divoriced stepfather. She was constatly being shipped back and forth from the US and New Zealand.
Because of Clove's delinquint ways she began the first of several appearences in reform schools."I learnt a lot. To be quite honest I got into it. It did not have and adverse affect on me." At one reform school she was exposed to punk music. "An intern who was working fro school credit came back from England and said 'You should really be into this stuff, its really you.' and gave me three records: Pretenders,Squeeze,and 'Nevermind the Bollocks.' I decided then that I was going to be a rock star."
With her teens coming to an end, Courtney decided to travel alone around the world with her stripping supporting her. On her return to Portland, music disloged stripping on her priority list. Her first band (initally called Sugar Babylon, later called Sugar Baby Doll)broke up in 1984 with her and Kat forming Babes in Toyland with Lori and Jennifer. But Kat felt like Courtney wasnt cutting it anymore cuz,"We just wanted to play punk rock. Courtney thought we were crazy. She hated punk then."
"After Kat kicked me out of my own band I got really depressed. I was just gonna become a stripper for the rest of my life and never be in a band again." But something changed her mind."I heard Mudhoney's 'Touch ME I'm Sick' one night and I was saved. I knew I could scream on cue like that." Later in 1989 in La she placed an ad with the Recycler. After intesive auditions Love formed Hole with Eric Erlandson. Although she was immedately impressed with him. in typical Love fashion she didnt contanct him until weeks after his audition. Soon joined drummer Caroline Rue and bassist Jill Emrey.
In July 1990 Hole released 'Retard Girl'followed by 'Dicknail.' Both songs became cult classics and caught on like wild fire.
Courtney got her first glimps of Nirvana in 1989. She took particular notice of the blonde, scrawny frontman, Kurt Cobain. Kurt had heard of Love's legendary status on the circuit. He knew she was at the show, spotted her table and uncharismatically took the aggressive step of approaching her. Courtney was blowed away,"i dont know, i felt embarressed. I thought he was really beautiful. He was really cool and had beautiful hands. He was really beautiful, I cant explain it." But the did end up goin their different ways.
Later Love made contact with Dave Grohl and told him how she thought Kurt was gorgeous and he mentioned that Kurt felt the same way. So she made an assortment of objects (shells and doll furniture), placed them in a heart shaped box and gave them to Dave to give to Kurt. Kurt never called to thank her but Love says if he had she would never have been so strongly drawn to him.
Finally in May 1991 they bumped into each other at the La Palladium. They spotted each other across the room. They hooked up and were inseperable. Courtney says if she had an inkling that Kurt would eventually be revered as one of rock's biggest names she would have steered well away from him.
While Kurt concenterated on making the epic'nevermind' Courtney started developing Hole's debut album 'Pretty on the Inside' Kurt and Courtney were married on Febuary 24, 1992 in Waikiki. Kurt and Courtney's personal lives were awash with stories about drug abuse. How the bonded , Kurt's addiction and Love's pregnancy and Kurt's death at times seemed like a horror story. The tabliods and evill media put all the blame on Love and accused her of taking herion while pregnant. They also had some thought of her helping in Kurt's death to further her career because she had recently came out with 'Live Through This'.And through all this she had to deal with another death, Jill Emery's 2 weeks after Kurt's. But press coverage can be two-edged sword:one minute the hate u the next they are completely on your side. Lately they are sayin Love is a survivor (which she is.)
After four years she started workin on a new album with a new bassist, Melissa Auf der Maur. The ablum titled 'Celebrity Skin' with its powerful, sweet lyrics showed a softer Love.
"My goal keeps me alive and no personal issue is going to interfer with that. If people try and put me in the crazy box-'Crazy Fucking Courtney'-go ahead. But if u think you're going to stop me where i'm going you're not going to do it. I work my ass off. I deliver the goddamn goods. And I will deliver them again." -Courtney Love