Dave Grohl shares feelings about whether Nirvana sold out: “I didn’t feel personally conflicted”

nme.com:

Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Steve Albini have addressed claims that Nirvana‘s success conflicted with their punk roots.The trio are due to appear on Conan O’Brien’s podcast Conan Needs A Friend, where their episode will be released on Monday (October 23).

In an exclusive preview clip from Billboard, they discussed the 30th anniversary of ‘In Utero‘, where O’Brien asked whether the band’s success went against their DIY punk background.In response, producer Albini said he had often encountered this criticism from people “outside the culture of punk”, saying: “I have never experienced that genuinely from anybody in the punk scene that wasn’t purely an expression of jealousy.” He continued: “on the whole, Nirvana’s fans wanted Nirvana to become successful and self-sustaining and beloved.”Grohl also chimed in to give his thoughts on navigating Nirvana’s success. “Before we made the record ‘Nevermind’ we were pretty much living in squalor,” he said, describing the tiny “fucking disgusting” apartment he shared with frontman Kurt Cobain covered in “corndog sticks” and “cigarettes”. “I would have done anything to have my own apartment and to be able to do that through making music.”“I know that the transition happened quickly, but you didn’t just wind up with 1 milllion dollars in your mailbox the next day,” he joked.The Nirvana drummer also went on to say he didn’t feel “conflicted” or “shame” for paying off his mother’s house or buying her a car with the band’s money.