NEW YORK: A quarter century after grunge’s enigmatic rhapsodist took his own life, Kurt Cobain’s iconic cigarette-singed cardigan worn during Nirvana’s 1993 “Unplugged” performance has sold for $334,000.
The tattered, olive-green, Manhattan-brand, button-up sweater, which has never been washed since Cobain wore it, came with dark stains and a burn hole.
The seller, Garrett Kletjian, owner of Forty7 Motorsports, bought it four years ago for $137,500.
“This cardigan, it’s the holy grail of any article of clothing that he ever wore,” said Darren Julien, CEO and president of Julien’s Auctions.
“Kurt created the grunge look; he didn’t wear show clothes,” Julien said at a New York exhibition preview.
The auction house had predicted it would fetch $200,000-300,000.
The music cable channel MTV began its “Unplugged” series in 1989, recording live performances of acts that generally played their normally electrified music on sparse acoustics.
Cobain’s haunting “Unplugged” performance with Nirvana — recorded less than six months before his suicide at age 27 — is considered one of the most iconic shows of the series, and was released posthumously.
Already deep into an emotional, drug-addled downward spiral, the depressive but singular talent with ocean-blue eyes reportedly lamented to “Unplugged” programmer Amy Finnerty after the set that the audience seemed not to like the show.
“Kurt,” she told him, “they think you are Jesus Christ.”
Cobain’s left-handed Fender Mustang guitar, which he used during the band’s “In Utero” tour, sold for $340,000.
Kurt Cobain’s cigarette-burned sweater sells for $334,000
Kurt Cobain’s cigarette-burned sweater sells for $334,000
- The seller, Garrett Kletjian, owner of Forty7 Motorsports, bought it four years ago for $137,500
- ‘This cardigan, it’s the holy grail of any article of clothing that he ever wore’
6 planets will parade across the night sky at the end of February
NEW YORK: Six planets are linking up in the sky at the end of February, and most will be visible to the naked eye.
It’s what’s known as a planetary parade, which happens when multiple planets appear to line up in the sky at once. The planets aren’t in a straight line, but are close together on one side of the sun.
Skygazers can usually spot two or three planets after sunset, according to NASA. Hangouts of four or five that can be glimpsed with the naked eye are less common and occur every few years. Last year featured lineups of six and all seven planets.
When will they be visible?
On Saturday, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn will be visible to the naked eye if clear skies allow. Uranus and Neptune can only be spotted with binoculars and telescopes.
What time is optimal for viewing?
Go outside about an hour after sunset and venture away from tall buildings and trees that will block the view. Look to the western sky and spot Mercury, Venus and Saturn close to the horizon. Jupiter will be higher up, along with Uranus and Neptune.
How to know if you’ve spied a member of the parade?
“If it’s twinkling, it’s a star. If it is not twinkling, it’s a planet,” said planetary scientist Sara Mazrouei with Humber Polytechnic in Canada.
The parade should be visible over the weekend and in the days after. Eventually, Mercury will bow out and dip below the horizon.
At least one bright planet is visible on most nights, according to NASA.
Glimpsing many in the sky at once is a fun way to connect with astronomers of centuries’ past, said planetary scientist Emily Elizondo with Michigan State University.
Ancient astronomers used to make sense of the universe “just by looking up at the stars and the planets,” Elizondo said, “which is something that we can do today.”
