Iconic?

20 years ago, almost to the day, Geffen records released Nirvana's Nevermind.

They expected to sell up to 200, 000 copies of it - the first shipment was just over 46000 copies. Clearly, they did not expect the levels of demand that occurred, and they almost immediately, production and release of other albums for other artists was put on hold for 6 weeks in order to meet the demand.

Ultimately, 30 million copies were sold worldwide and in the USA, the album went diamond, for selling 10 million copies.

Now, new generations are coming through who still are taken in by what has come to be considered in some circles as an iconic album.

Me - I love it. I don't love ALL of Nirvana's stuff - some of it I find simply noisy and brash. But a lot of it, I love.

From the ashes of Nirvana sprang my favourite band - Foo Fighters.

Interestingly, Radio 4's "Today" programme included a segment on the album, it's success, it's impact and discussion around the late Kurt Cobain. Ponderings from his biographer about what he would be doing now, had he not taken his life, interested me. As did the suggestion that there is not, and never will be, an iconic punk rock star of his ilk again. I winced a little at this statement as I do consider that some of Cobain's iconic status has arisen from the circumstances of his short life and the tragic decision to end it. I also felt that perhaps because of Nirvana, there IS another icon, in the form of Dave Grohl, who we all know I would build an altar to and worship daily!

So, since I've got home, I've been pondering on what causes a person to be deemed iconic. Is one person's icon completely irrelevant or insignificant to another person? Can someone only be considered iconic if their impact has been very publicly recognised, bringing with it fame? Ultimately, does that very outcome of being an icon cause the downfall or fall from grace that so many 'iconic figures' seem to experience?

Alternatively, can someone be your icon because of less public, more personal, more intrinsically valuable qualities? I'd like to think so. Maybe icon and iconic are overused or misused too frequently these days and therefore are losing their value.

Maybe, the things that are wrong with our fame crazed, big brother, x-factor, strictly come dancing b-list celebrity stalking phone voting society is that we create icons far too readily. We mix up the concept of being an icon with being a role model. At least that's what I think. Too many people look up to and hold 'celebrity' in awe - to what end? Kurt Cobain was not a good role model - he had so many flaws, but he was iconic and I can see that, but I don't necessarily agree with it. He impacted, despite his flaws, on an industry and a culture, and that influence is still felt today. I enjoy the music and I do remember exactly where I was when I heard of his death.

I don't know - I just feel that being an icon should mean more than it does. Particularly when so many people on this planet do so much to impact positively on others, but with so little said about them or acknowledgement of their influence beyond a small circle. That to me seems unfair.