Aberdeen’s Young Street Bridge holds a sacred place in Nirvana mythology. It’s where Kurt Cobain supposedly slept when he was homeless as a teenager, a period that is dramatized in Nevermind‘s “Something in the Way” (“Underneath the bridge/ The tarp has sprung a leak/ And the animals I’ve trapped/ Have all become my pets”). Now, 17 years after his death, Aberdeen’s city council is debating whether to rename it the Kurt Cobain Bridge and re-christen the park next to it Cobain Landing.
According to local radio station KXRO, the decision to honor Cobain isn’t actually a no-brainer; his suicide, drug addiction, and negative comments about Aberdeen have made him controversial in town. Public opinion may be changing, though. This spring, on the anniversary of Cobain’s death, a statue of his famous Fender Jag-Stang guitar was installed near the bridge. The project also has the support of Councilwoman Cathy Hoder, who told KXRO, “He’s from here, we need to honor him.” [via Spinner]