Music fans looking to celebrate the Melvins this spring beyond their litany of upcoming releases can now own a piece of rock history in the form of a van once owned by the iconic sludgesters.
As you can see in the picture above, the 1972 Dodge Sportsman Royal Van affectionately known as the "Melvan" is looking a little rough these days, but so far the vehicle is going for $14,000 U.S. on eBay. The online auction ends next Tuesday (March 13).
Aside from being used "on at least one U.S. tour," the mobile piece of memorabilia is being pitched as a piece of art worked on by former roadie and Nirvana leader Kurt Cobain. A mural of a makeup-era Kiss was drawn on the outside of the van in black sharpie marker "shoplifted from the Thriftway grocery store in Montesano Washington" by the deceased rocker sometime in the '80s. It's said that Cobain occasionally drove the van for the Melvins too.
Also included are a couple of autographs from Melvins guitarist/frontman King Buzzo (aka Roger Osborne) and former bassist Matt Lukin, which come on two separate vehicle registration forms.
While another piece of Pacific Northwest grunge history came into play when it was initially reported that the van was being sold by former Tad singer Tad Doyle, this has since been proven false. A Q&A section on the item explains that it's just some dude named Mitch who's selling the vehicle.
"No, Thank You for the question, there have been lots of false reports online saying Tad Doyle, front man of the Band TAD is selling this this van, I am not Tad Doyle, nor Have I ever claimed to be," the seller wrote. "My name is Mitch, & I have listed the MELVAN for my friend Ben, I am however a HUGE TAD FAN & I highly encourage you to check out his new band, BROTHERS OF THE SONIC CLOTH. They are BAD ASS !"
Just so you know what you're in for, Mitch adds that the van hasn't been driven since 1998 and was last insured in 1994. The reserve price has not yet been met, but a down payment of $10,000 must be met within 72 hours of winning the vehicle.
As you can see in the picture above, the 1972 Dodge Sportsman Royal Van affectionately known as the "Melvan" is looking a little rough these days, but so far the vehicle is going for $14,000 U.S. on eBay. The online auction ends next Tuesday (March 13).
Aside from being used "on at least one U.S. tour," the mobile piece of memorabilia is being pitched as a piece of art worked on by former roadie and Nirvana leader Kurt Cobain. A mural of a makeup-era Kiss was drawn on the outside of the van in black sharpie marker "shoplifted from the Thriftway grocery store in Montesano Washington" by the deceased rocker sometime in the '80s. It's said that Cobain occasionally drove the van for the Melvins too.
Also included are a couple of autographs from Melvins guitarist/frontman King Buzzo (aka Roger Osborne) and former bassist Matt Lukin, which come on two separate vehicle registration forms.
While another piece of Pacific Northwest grunge history came into play when it was initially reported that the van was being sold by former Tad singer Tad Doyle, this has since been proven false. A Q&A section on the item explains that it's just some dude named Mitch who's selling the vehicle.
"No, Thank You for the question, there have been lots of false reports online saying Tad Doyle, front man of the Band TAD is selling this this van, I am not Tad Doyle, nor Have I ever claimed to be," the seller wrote. "My name is Mitch, & I have listed the MELVAN for my friend Ben, I am however a HUGE TAD FAN & I highly encourage you to check out his new band, BROTHERS OF THE SONIC CLOTH. They are BAD ASS !"
Just so you know what you're in for, Mitch adds that the van hasn't been driven since 1998 and was last insured in 1994. The reserve price has not yet been met, but a down payment of $10,000 must be met within 72 hours of winning the vehicle.
