EFFIE BATEMAN | Lifestyle | Contact
*TW, this article discusses suicide.
They say there’s a few key factors in a boy’s formative years, that suggests he’s well on his way to becoming a man.
Growing facial hair, discovering Pulp Fiction, finding a way to bring penises into every conversation (peppered with the occasional slur to impress the mates), and of course, discovering and romanticising the ‘27 club.’
The 27 club refers to musicians and actors who died at the peak of their career at age 27, after years of fast living saw them meet their untimely end and usually the result of drug overdoses or suicide. And though this term took on popularlity between the 1960s and 1980s, with huge stars such as Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin unfortunately meeting the criteria, it was the death of Kurt Cobain that really made it a common term – and the gateway for local Betoota Grove teen to discover his newfound love of all things rock.
Like many teens before him, Tim Harris [15] had found himself listening to the Nirvana Nevermind album on repeat, and viewing Kurt Cobain as the pinnacle of cool – even watching old interviews and browsing grunge fashion websites so he could emulate the iconic look of his favourite musician. Parroting the long debunked arguments that Courtney Love was behind the trigger, Tim would ignore all evidence that Kurt not only battled a drug addiction, manic depression and debiliating pain issues but that he likely also had a genetic propensity for it, considering two of his uncles also died by their own hand.
It’s unknown how long Tim’s grunge phase will last or if he’ll manage to convince his mum to buy a guitar, but if so, it’s likely the Harris household will be hearing some bungled versions of the two few bars from ‘Come as you are.’
*If you’re struggling with mental health, please know that there’s help available. You can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 for immediate support, or book in with your local GP to discuss a mental health plan which allows for up to 20 subsidised sessions with a psychologist.
More to come.
