Krist Novoselic facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Krist Novoselic
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Novoselic in 2024
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Krist Anthony Novoselic
May 16, 1965 Compton, California, U.S.
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| Political party | Forward (2023–2024) Cascade (2024) |
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Shelli Hyrkas
(m. 1989; div. 1999)Darbury Stenderu
(m. 2004) |
| Children | 2 |
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Krist Anthony Novoselic (born May 16, 1965) is an American musician and activist. He is best known as the co-founder and bass player for the famous rock band Nirvana.
In 1987, Novoselic and his friend Kurt Cobain started Nirvana. The band became a major part of the Seattle grunge music scene in the late 1980s. Nirvana released three albums and became one of the biggest bands in the world. The band ended in 1994 after the death of Kurt Cobain. For his work with Nirvana, Novoselic was welcomed into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
After Nirvana, Novoselic stayed active in music. He formed other bands like Sweet 75 and Eyes Adrift. He has also played bass and accordion with the Foo Fighters and other musicians.
Besides music, Novoselic is involved in politics. He has worked to change how elections are run to make them fairer. He has written about music and politics and has been a leader in groups like FairVote and the Forward Party. In 2024, he started his own political party called the Cascade Party of Washington.
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Early Life
Krist Anthony Novoselic was born in Compton, California, on May 16, 1965. His parents, Kristo and Marija, were immigrants from Croatia. The family moved to the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles, which has a large Croatian community. Because of this, Krist's first language was Croatian.
In 1979, his family moved to Aberdeen, Washington. For a year, his parents sent him to live with relatives in Zadar, Croatia. He returned to Aberdeen in 1981. Growing up, he loved listening to bands like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and The Who. While in Croatia, he discovered punk rock bands like the Sex Pistols and the Ramones. He said his biggest influences for playing bass were Paul McCartney, Geezer Butler, John Entwistle, and Gene Simmons.
Krist's younger brother, Robert, introduced him to Kurt Cobain. Robert told Kurt that his older brother listened to punk rock. Krist and Kurt quickly became friends because they liked the same kind of music, especially a local band called the Melvins. Kurt gave Krist a demo tape of his early music. After a few months, Krist listened to it, liked it, and agreed to start a band with Kurt.
Music Career
Nirvana (1987–1994)
Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic's first band didn't last long. But they were inspired when they learned the Melvins could make $80 for a single show. They started a cover band, but that also ended quickly. A few months later, they met a drummer named Aaron Burckhard, and this became the first version of Nirvana.
After a few different drummers, they found Chad Channing. With him, they recorded their first album, Bleach, in 1989. In 1990, they were looking for a new drummer and saw a band called Scream. They were very impressed with their drummer, Dave Grohl. When Scream broke up, Grohl called Novoselic, who invited him to Seattle. Grohl joined the band and became Nirvana's final drummer.
In 1991, the band recorded their second album, Nevermind. The album was a huge success all over the world. Its hit single, "Smells Like Teen Spirit", made Nirvana famous worldwide.
At the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards, Novoselic had a memorable moment. While performing the song "Lithium", he couldn't hear his bass. In frustration, he threw his bass guitar high into the air. He tried to catch it but missed, and it hit him on the head. He later said he faked being knocked out.
Nirvana released its third album, In Utero, in 1993. It went straight to number one on the charts. Later that year, the band performed on the show MTV Unplugged. This special acoustic performance was released as an album called MTV Unplugged in New York and won a Grammy Award.
The band's final studio recording was the song "You Know You're Right". Nirvana's time as a band came to a sudden end in April 1994 with Cobain's death.
After Nirvana (1995–Present)
After Nirvana ended, Novoselic continued making music. In 1995, he formed the band Sweet 75 and released one album with them. He also worked with other famous musicians, like Johnny Cash.
In 2002, he started another band called Eyes Adrift with members of the Meat Puppets and Sublime. This was the first time Novoselic sang lead vocals on some of the songs. The band toured the United States but broke up in 2003.
For a while, Novoselic stepped away from the music business. But he soon returned, joining the punk band Flipper from 2006 to 2008. In 2011, he played bass and accordion on the song "I Should Have Known" for the Foo Fighters album Wasting Light.
In 2012, Novoselic and Dave Grohl teamed up with Paul McCartney to record the song "Cut Me Some Slack". The song was for the movie Sound City, which was directed by Grohl. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.
From 2017 to 2020, Novoselic played in a band called Giants in the Trees. More recently, he started a new band called 3rd Secret with members of Soundgarden and other Seattle musicians. They have released two albums.
Political Activism
Novoselic has been interested in politics since he was young. In 1992, he and Nirvana fought against a proposed law in Washington state that would have made it illegal to sell certain albums to people under 18.
In 1995, he started a political action committee called JAMPAC. The group worked to protect the rights of musicians and music fans. Through JAMPAC, Novoselic became more involved in politics, especially in changing election rules to make them fairer for everyone. He became the head of an organization called FairVote, which works on this issue.
In 2004, he wrote a book called Of Grunge and Government: Let's Fix This Broken Democracy. The book talks about his time in Nirvana and his ideas about politics.
Novoselic has supported candidates from different political parties over the years. He often describes himself as an independent who sees good ideas on both the left and the right. In 2023, he joined the leadership of the Forward Party, a group that wants to reduce political division. In 2024, he started his own minor political party, the Cascade Party of Washington, to give voters more choices.
Personal Life
Novoselic was married to his high school girlfriend, Shelli Hyrkas, from 1989 to 1999. In 2004, he married artist Darbury Ayn Stenderu. They have two children and live on a farm near Deep River, Washington.
Novoselic is also a licensed pilot and enjoys flying planes. He has a strong interest in science, nature, and animals. In 2016, he earned a degree in social sciences from Washington State University.
Discography
With Nirvana
- Bleach (1989)
- Nevermind (1991)
- In Utero (1993)
With Sweet 75
- Sweet 75 (1997)
With Eyes Adrift
- Eyes Adrift (2002)
With Flipper
- Love (2009)
With Giants in the Trees
- Giants in the Trees (2017)
- Volume 2 (2019)
With 3rd Secret
- 3rd Secret (2022)
- 2nd 3rd Secret (2023)
See also
In Spanish: Krist Novoselic para niños
