Founding Hole guitarist Eric Erlandson will further explore the ties between his old band and Nirvana when he publishes a book of poetry and prose as a tribute to Kurt Cobain this spring called Letters to Kurt. The tome, which collects 52 pieces, arrives April 8 through Akashic Books, three days after the 18th anniversary of Cobain's death.
Considering Erlandson's strained relationship with Cobain's widow Love (the band initially dissolved in 2002, and Erlandson did not participate on the revived Hole's 2010 disc Nobody's Daughter), the performer did not contact his former bandmate about the book.
"Up until September of last year, October, she was asking me to play with her," Erlandson told the New York Times of his relationship with Love. "But I felt like there was no transformation in our relationship at all. So that kind of worked its way into the book. I never mentioned to her that I had written the book, and I'm sure she's heard of it now."
According to the interview, the project had been on Erlandson's mind for years, and had initially taken form as a more direct memoir before evolving into the collection of poetry and free association. Throughout the tome, he apparently deals with topics like the death of Cobain, substance abuse and a life in rock'n'roll.
"It just wasn't feeling right to write a memoir-style book and this one just came out of me a couple years ago," the six-stringer explained. "It felt like the right way to go, but at the same time, I had a lot of hesitation. At some point it just started to click and I started to honour it."
Erlandson has plans to take Letters to Kurt on a book tour, though is apparently still figuring out how he'll present the personal material.
"I've had all these fantasies of, like, the way we used to bring kids up onstage, and throw a guitar around their neck and let them play the shows," he said. "I was just thinking maybe I could grab somebody in the book store and make them read the piece."
Considering Erlandson's strained relationship with Cobain's widow Love (the band initially dissolved in 2002, and Erlandson did not participate on the revived Hole's 2010 disc Nobody's Daughter), the performer did not contact his former bandmate about the book.
"Up until September of last year, October, she was asking me to play with her," Erlandson told the New York Times of his relationship with Love. "But I felt like there was no transformation in our relationship at all. So that kind of worked its way into the book. I never mentioned to her that I had written the book, and I'm sure she's heard of it now."
According to the interview, the project had been on Erlandson's mind for years, and had initially taken form as a more direct memoir before evolving into the collection of poetry and free association. Throughout the tome, he apparently deals with topics like the death of Cobain, substance abuse and a life in rock'n'roll.
"It just wasn't feeling right to write a memoir-style book and this one just came out of me a couple years ago," the six-stringer explained. "It felt like the right way to go, but at the same time, I had a lot of hesitation. At some point it just started to click and I started to honour it."
Erlandson has plans to take Letters to Kurt on a book tour, though is apparently still figuring out how he'll present the personal material.
"I've had all these fantasies of, like, the way we used to bring kids up onstage, and throw a guitar around their neck and let them play the shows," he said. "I was just thinking maybe I could grab somebody in the book store and make them read the piece."
