KRIST NOVOSELIC Biography - Musicians

 
 

Biography » musicians » krist novoselic

KRIST NOVOSELIC

Name: Krist Novoselic                                                                   
Birth name: Krist Anthony Novoselic                                                     
Born: 16 May 1965 Compton, California, U.S.                                             
                                                                                         
Krist Anthony Novoselic II (born May 16, 1965) is an American rock musician best         
known as the bassist for Nirvana. In addition to Nirvana, Krist has played for           
Sweet 75, Eyes Adrift, and currently plays in Flipper. Apart from his musical           
endeavors, Novoselic has been active politically, including the creation of the         
political action committee JAMPAC. The original Croatian spelling of his surname         
is 'Novoselic' (English: Novoselich). His first name is pronounced "Chris" or "Kris".   
                                                                                         
Krist Novoselic was born to Croatian immigrants Krist and Marija Novoselic on           
May 16, 1965, in Compton, California. He lived there for one year, before his           
parents relocated to San Pedro, California, where he remained for most of his           
childhood years. He has two brothers, Robert, and in 1973, Novoselic's sister           
Diana was born. 1979 saw the Novoselic family on the move again, due to rising           
property prices in California, this time to Aberdeen, Washington. Worried about         
Krist's depression, his parents sent him to live with relatives in Zadar,               
Croatia, then part of Yugoslavia, in 1980. There, Novoselic attended the                 
gymnasium. Krist was already interested in bands like Led Zeppelin, Devo, Black         
Sabbath, and Aerosmith. While in Croatia , he picked up an interest in punk rock         
music, and discovered bands like deadline and Ramones.                                   
                                                                                         
Sometime later, Novoselic's brother Robert walked into 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 and 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. Some time later, Cobain gave Novoselic a           
demo tape of his former band Fecal Matter. After several months of indecision,           
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 eighty dollars 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 barely 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. 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.         
                                                                                         
For most of his life, Novoselic had chosen to go by the English spelling of his         
name, Chris. However, following a 1993 trip to Croatia, Novoselic decided to             
honor his heritage and return to the original spelling of his name, Krist.               
                                                                                         
Nirvana ended abruptly in April of 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 Novoselic. 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 and Grohl took the opportunity to pay tribute to their bandmate.