Do you think Nirvana owes all their success to the Pixies?

Question

I'm having an argument with my friend. She believes if the Pixies had never existed, Nirvana would still be at the level they are today. I disagree. Kurt had even said himself that "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was his attempt to copy the Pixies. What do you think?

Answer 1

No, bands have influences that help shape them but not build them... unless yer in Limp Bizkit

Answer 2

Ask your friend if she has an original thought.

She is just repeating the most repeated cliche of the last ten years. Why don't you ever hear how much he owes to the Meat Puppets?

In retrospect, the merger of punk and metal seems inevitable, as was a break out band with a new style, incorporating this merger. So if not Nirvana, some other band, If not ripping off the Pixies, Nirvana would have just copped something else, because all bands do this. All music is derivative.

Answer 3

Actually the lineage of Nirvana owes to many bands:

Hüsker Dü
Sonic Youth
Dinosaur Jr
Pixies

Nirvana sound is clearly in those models. Crashing guitars combining with heavy bass to create a wall of sound with drums backing in timbre. No doubt Nirvana found more of their own sound in later albums.

They also claim The Melvins, Scratch Acid and Gang of Four as influences. Kurt was not shy about listing influences or copying a sounds

This was supposely quoted by Black Francis:

"In fact, the newspaper advertisement placed by Black Francis of the Pixies, which was answered by Kim Deal, described the band he wished to form as a Hüsker Dü/Peter, Paul, and Mary-type band"

Avowed fan Kurt Cobain's acknowledgement of the debt Nirvana owed to the Pixies

Answer 4

Kurt Cobain was an awesome songwriter. I don't think anyone in their right mind would disagree that Nirvana was heavily influenced by the Pixies. Teen Spirit IS basically a super-produced version of Gouge Away. Nirvana was also influenced by Husker Du and about a dozen other bands no one has heard of.

So, the level they are today? Probably not. Great, influential, etc etc? Yes.

Answer 5

Not at all. It is true that Kurt was inspired by The Pixies but he was also inspired by many other grunge bands such as The Melvins and The Vaselines. The Vaselines inspired so much that they did a few covers from them. At most, I guess you could say they owe a bit of their success to the Pixes, but thats probably not something Nirvana would deny.

Answer 6

I think Nirvana would still be very big, just not revolutionary. if Nirvana didn't change music and cause the grunge explosion, then it probably would have been Pearl Jam, who debuted at abouth the same time. since PJ was formed out of bands that weren't influenced by the pixies, and the other big seattle bands (Alice in Chains, Soundgarden) also were not heavily influenced by the pixies, so grunge would still have exploded and nirvana would most likely be seen more as pearl jam, or if kurt still died young they would probably been see more as a Mudhoney type band.

Answer 7

If The Pixies had never existed then the entire altrock scene would be very, very different. The Pixies influenced everyone during their time and after so to that point, yes Nirvana owes them lol.

Answer 8

Perhaps if you changed the word "all" to "a part of" your case would be a lot stronger. Based on your statement, no way. Kurt was said to have been inspired by a number of bands other than just the Pixies.

Gang of Four
Scratch Acid
Mudhoney
The Jesus Lizard
Big Black

I am sure there were more. Why, do you think Frank Black should be collecting royalties?

Answer 9

The Pixies weren't their only influence. Given, their sound might have not been the same. But they still would have existed.

Answer 10

I think Nirvana owes their success to many different things.
1. People's growing disinterest in hair metal
2. He was in the right place at the right time
3. He was one of the more attractive grunge frontmen
4. They had catchy songs.

I think they were an enjoyable band but I also think they were incredibly lucky.

Answer 11

i respectfully disagree with you. Nirvana was barely, if at all influenced by the Pixies. but they both rocked.