Male Vocalists “Nervous” to Sing for Nirvana at Hall of Fame Induction
Many have applauded the move to have the likes of Joan Jett (“Smells Like Teen Spirit”), Kim Gordon (“Aneurysm”), St. Vincent 
(“Lithium”), and Lorde (“All Apologies”) take on the vocal duties during last week’s induction of Nirvana into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Yesterday in an exclusive interview with Rolling Stone, Dave Grohl revealed that many well-known male vocalists were approached about taking on the gig, but couldn’t handle the responsibility.
“Some of them were nervous,” said Grohl. “I think some of them were maybe apprehensive because of how heavy the whole thing is.”
After recruiting Jett, the decision was then made to have different female vocalists tackle the parts of the late Kurt Cobain during the Nirvana induction performance.
“We thought, ‘Wait, it has to be all women,'” added Grohl. “‘Don’t even ask anyone else. If we can fill the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame performance with these incredible women singing Nirvana songs, then we’ll have achieved our own revolution.’ It also added a whole other dimension to the show. It added substance and depth, so it didn’t turn into a eulogy. It was more about the future.”
Grohl and company were also very strategic with regards to the order in which the vocalists would perform: “Joan Jett, who formed the Runaways, changed rock & roll for women. Kim Gordon, from Sonic Youth, was this beacon of light in the predominantly macho, male underground punk rock scene. St. Vincent is a wicked musician that’s pushing boundaries now. And Lorde has an incredible future ahead of her as a writer, performer and vocalist.”
In the same interview, Krist Novoselic suggested that he would never say never to the possibility of Nirvana performing and/or making new music down the road. Grohl, however, was less committal, saying that the possibility hasn’t been discussed.
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