Bands, Celebrities, Pop Culture
Courtney Love Goes “Behind the Music”
Danielle Johnsen :: Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010 1:29 pm
Love her or hate her, its pretty difficult not to be completely enthralled with Courtney Love — which is why Vh1 gave the rocker her own “Behind The Music“. The two-hour special premiered this past Monday, allowing us an inside look into glorious crazy that is Courtney. From Courtney’s early childhood, where she was abandoned by nearly every family member, to her search for success in Hollywood, it was riveting to see the usually eccentric Love being frank and openly discussing the dark periods of her life. Love described her inherent awareness that she would one day be famous, her quest to lead the biggest rock band and her tendency to self-sabotage.
One of the qualities I have always loved in Courtney is her sheer ambition, and the fact that she has never let it get in her way. While this helped her succeed with her band Hole, it has also been the reason for her many mental breakdowns and her various issues with her daughter Frances Bean. “BTM” tackled the 90’s answer to Romeo & Juliet/John & Yoko/Sid & Nancy with a frankness rarely seen when it comes to Courtney and Kurt Cobain’s love affair. And it was oddly refreshing to finally hear folks who actually KNEW Kurt describe his depression, his love of his daughter and wife and his inability to cope with his life anymore. Mixed in with the media backlash and overwhelming depression that Courtney faced after Kurt’s death was her band Hole finally reaching the big time with the release of “Live Through This” (which in my opinion should be mandatory listening for any teenage girls aged 12 -15). We got a behind the scenes look at the full on meltdown of Courtney, her losing custody of her daughter multiple times and finally, her arrival in Hollywood. Love’s band went on to another successful record with “Celebrity Skin“, which coincided with Love’s success in the movie business and her four-year relationship with “The People Vs. Larry Flynt” costar Ed Norton. Love discussed her various love affairs with Billy Corgan, Ed Norton and Trent Reznor, which led to one of the funniest quotes from the show “Don’t call your band Nine Inch Nails if you’ve got a three inch one”. For a look at all the gems, check out Jezebel’s amazing video of the goodies dished out by Love.
I will watch a “Behind The Music” on just about anyone, but this episode was a true classic. Courtney Love is truly a force, be it for good or bad. And I’m sure its been one hell of a ride to be her child or close friend, but those of us lucky enough to be just far enough away from her, she can remain one of the true bold role models of a generation of women who won’t give in or give up. The program will re-air all week on Vh1 and is currently available in entirety on Vh1.com.
I can’t believe I missed this!
Posted by: KourtneyM June 23rd, 2010 at 2:43 pm
Its online and repeated like a bazillion times. And it is soooo worth it.
Posted by: Danielle Johnsen June 23rd, 2010 at 2:50 pm