Nirvana’s final studio album, 1993’s In Utero, celebrates its 20th anniversary this month, and with it comes the obligatory deluxe reissue. But that’s not all; in a publicity stunt that doubles as an attempt to lure in diehards who probably already own the fan-favorite album in all available formats, a trio of record stores in California, Long Island, and Seattle will be offering free — permanent — Nirvana smiley face logo tattoos with purchase on the reissue’s September 24 release date. Now, that’s certainly not the worst Nirvana memento to have committed to your skin for all eternity — but, as the tattoos below prove, it’s also neither the best nor the weirdest.
Photo credit: Katherine Tyler for iHeartRadio
Yasmine Yousaf’s Kurt Cobain tattoo: haunting, beautifully rendered… and also uncomfortably reminiscent of Gus Fring.
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A chronically under-appreciated bit of Nirvana imagery — the cuddlier of the two Cobain-drawn figures on the cover of Incesticide.
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On the one hand, it’s hyperrealistic; on the other, it kind of makes Cobain look like he fronted a nu-metal band.
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This may be the only possible way to improve on the Nevermind cover.
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A far more stylish deification choice than all those crown of thorns portraits out there.
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This is one tattoo where you really have to hope that most of the people likely to see that part of your body get the reference.
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The rare tattoo that captures Cobain’s goofy side.
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Fred Durst has a tattoo of Kurt Cobain snuggling up to Elvis. If you don’t know, now you know.
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The anatomy-model angel from Nirvana’s In Utero cover is a popular tattoo. This one is notable for its vibrant colors, and also for celebrating both Nirvana and one of the band’s nemeses, Guns ‘N Roses.
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MySpace celeb Jeffree Star chooses a somewhat unlikely Nirvana quote to accompany his Cobain portrait…
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This might be my favorite Cobain portrait tattoo.
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There doesn’t tend to be much excitement in a simple band name tattoo, but here’s some lovely, lyrical minimalism.
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“They told me that blue flowers would be good to use as memorial flowers but I said I wanted purple because I got it to celebrate Kurt’s life and spirit through his words, not his ‘death,'” writes the deviantART user who bears this tattoo.
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There are a lot of “Come As You Are” tattoos, but I’m into the script on this one.
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OK, this one creeps me out.
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