Novoselic Quits Music Business, Eyes Politics
Former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic says he has “quit” the music industry. The news comes in a letter to fans on the official Web site of Eyes Adrift, Novoselic’s most recent musical project. The artist cites frustrations over distribution of the band’s 2002 self-titled spinART debut, unevenly attended club gigs that put operations in the red and an increasing desire to pursue a political career.
“As far as the music industry goes, I quit. I can’t deal,” Novoselic writes. “I can’t read the magazines, listen to the radio or watch music television without feeling like I’ve just come in from outer space. I just don’t get it and I probably never did. My lot in life is that every band I’ve ever been in just falls apart. That hurts but I’ve got a thick hide from years of conditioning.”
Novoselic says that he hasn’t quit music, just the business. “I can’t complain about the business side of Nirvana. I’m not crying a river by any means,” he confesses, adding that he wants to play more with Eyes Adrift guitarist Curt Kirkwood (formerly of the Meat Puppets) and ex-Sublime drummer Bud Gaugh. Despite the fact that his bandmates live in different cities, Novoselic says, “they’re too good for me not to plug in my bass thus plugging into the cosmo-stream of transcendental rocking good times that those two charge me with.”
Calling Eyes Adrift an “artistic success,” Novoselic concedes that the “commercial side is anything but successful.” Speculating if the CD has even sold 20,000 units, he jokes, “A flop? No way!!! At this rate we’ll go gold in about a hundred years. Too long you say, but isn’t music eternal? I’m in no rush.” The set has sold 9,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan.
The project was conceived simply as a means for Novoselic, Kirkwood and Gaugh to make music together and “tour forever,” Novoselic told Billboard.com last fall. “We’re just going to go out there and work it because basically that’s the only option available for us. We’re not making a video. There’s no radio single because we’re not plugged into that whole system. But there are opportunities for us to just play for people.”
A spinART spokesperson had no comment on Novoselic’s post.
As for the 38-year old Novoselic’s future, all signs point to a run for political office. “I’m relatively young and I want to follow my compulsions,” he writes. “I have big plans for 2004. Next year will be a pivotal year politically for every one of us in the U.S.A. and for myself, even more so. I’ve come off of nine years of political success and see some real opportunities to make change. You’ll all hear about my plans soon enough. If you’ve been following my politics, you know that I will continue to work for inclusion, fairness and freedom.”
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