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Courtney Love calls Kurt Cobain and Lana Del Rey “the only two true musical geniuses” she’s ever known

“They can Spielberg anything.”

Kurt Cobain and Lana Del Rey

Image: Andrew Chin / Jeff Kravitz / Getty Images

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Courtney Love has declared Lana Del Rey and late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain to be “the only two true musical geniuses” she’s ever known.

In a recent appearance on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, Love sang praises of her one-time tourmate Del Rey, calling the musician “an actual true, great friend”.

“Lana and Kurt are the only two true musical geniuses I’ve ever known,” the former Hole frontwoman said. “And by that I mean they can Spielberg anything.”

Citing Del Rey’s performance of Allen Ginsberg’s Howl — which she compared to Nirvana covering the Meat Puppets on MTV Unplugged In New York — Love explained, “She’s a genius, too. She’s got the integrity that Kurt had. The only two people I know that I can say [that about].”

“By the way, Stipe? Bono? Yes, these are people that I know and love. Billie Joe, sure. But Lana? She’s got a magic thing. And she’s not even fucked up!”

Elsewhere in the interview, Love also talked about the new album she’s currently working on with former Dirty Pretty Things guitarist Anthony Rossomando and Del Rey collaborator Justin Parker.

Explaining that her next release won’t be a rock album “because people aren’t really doing rock anymore” and that “rock’s not a thing”, Love said that the trio did, however, produce two “fucked-up guitar songs” during their sessions.

The first, a tentative opener titled Kill Fuck Marry, was said to be inspired by Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s legal battle, while the second, titled Justice For Kurt, was described as “an earworm and a half”.

The latter song addresses conspiracy theories that claim Love was responsible for her husband’s death, though the singer said that it will likely be left off the LP because “it would swallow the entire narrative.”

Listen to the full interview here.

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