GW: I know it wouldn't be the same. For me, the original band is you and Chris and Dave.

COBAIN: I consider that the original band too, because it was the first time we had a competent drummer. And for some reason, I've needed a good, solid drummer. There are loads of bands I love that have terrible drummers, but a terrible drummer wasn't right for this music. At least, it isn't right for the music that we've written so far.

GW: You haven't really been on the road for a year, not since the Nevermind tour.

COBAIN: I've been recuperating.

GW: Why did the drugs happen? Were they just around?

COBAIN: I had done heroin for about a year, off and on. I've had this stomach condition for like five years. There were times, especially during touring, when I just felt like a drug addict-even though I wasn't-because I was starving [an outgrowth of his condition-GW Ed.] and couldn't find out what was wrong with me. I tried everything I could think of. Change of diet, pills, everything. . . exercise, stopped drinking, stopped smoking, and nothing worked. I just decided that if I'm going to feel like a junkie every fucking morning and be vomiting every day then I may as well take a substance that kills that pain. I can't say that's the main reason why I did it, but it has a lot to do with it. It has a lot more to do with it than most people think. GW: Did you find out what the stomach thing was?

COBAIN: No.

GW: Do you still get it?

COBAIN: Every once in a while. But for some reason it's just gone away. I think it's a psychosomatic thing. My mom had it for a few years when she was in her early twenties, and eventually it went away. She was in the hospital all the time because of it.

GW: Are you feeling a bit better now?

COBAIN: Yeah. Especially in the last year, since I've been married and had a child, my mental and physical states have improved almost 100 percent. I'm really excited about touring again. I haven't felt this optimistic since right before my parents' divorce.

GW: Did you find it disheartening that you'd started this band and you were playing these great songs when suddenly, all this weird stuff started happening in the media?

COBAIN: Oh yeah, it affected me to the point of wanting to break up the band all the time.

GW: Was it mainly the Vanity Fair article? [The September 1992 issue of Vanity Fair insinuated that Cobain's wife, Courtney Love, was on heroin during her pregnancy with their daughter, Frances. -GW Ed.]

COBAIN: That started it. There were probably 50 more articles based on that story. I'd never paid attention to the mainstream press or media before, so I wasn't aware of people being attacked and crucified on that level. I can't help but feel that we've been scapegoated, in a way. I have a lot of animosity towards journalists and the press in general. Because it's happening to me, of course, I'm probably exaggerating it, but I can't think of another example of a current band that's had more negative articles written about them.

GW: Why do you think that is?

COBAIN: A lot of it is just simple sexism. Courtney is my wife, and people could not accept the fact that I'm in love, and that I could be happy. Because she's such a powerful person, and such a threatening person, every sexist within the industry just joined forces and decided to just string us up.