Josh Freese Says What No One Expected About Dave Grohl

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Inspiration rarely stays confined to one space. Instead, it moves freely through a shared current where music, film, literature, and art constantly influence one another. Few bands embody that idea as completely as Nirvana, whose creative footprint continues to expand long after their original era ended.

Nirvana didn’t just help define grunge and reshape the sound of the 1990s; they also altered how alternative music fit into the wider cultural landscape. Even decades later, their presence still feels immediate. In 2024, the use of “Come As You Are” in Luca Guadagnino’s film Queer reintroduced the band’s music in a striking cinematic moment, proving their work can still feel urgent and emotionally relevant in entirely new settings. That influence only grows broader, with plans underway for an opera based on Kurt Cobain’s life at London’s Royal Opera and Ballet in 2026—an unexpected but powerful reminder that Nirvana’s legacy crosses genres without resistance.

That wide-reaching impact reflects the band’s own creative habits. Cobain and Dave Grohl were never artists who drew inspiration solely from other musicians. Films, books, poetry, and underground culture all fed into their worldview. Cobain, despite being openly critical of most movies, often saying he was disappointed by cinema, found a rare exception in Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas. Speaking on a radio show with Kurt St. Thomas, Cobain singled out the film’s atmosphere and Ry Cooder’s haunting guitar score as deeply moving. That same soundtrack resonated just as strongly with Grohl, who later described Cooder’s Paris, Texas score as his favorite album of all time, praising its emotional weight and minimalist beauty.