New Scott King film details how "Kurt Cobain's lighter" made him a "rebel"

Date
28 April 2016

Back in 1989, former i-D and Sleazenation graphic designer Scott King caught Kurt Cobain’s lighter at a gig at Ecstasy in Berlin, he says. Later when he started smoking, he found that when he used the lighter it transformed him from a “shy” kid to a “rebel.” This story, and those of Scott’s other rock memorabilia, are detailed in a new short film produced to promote Berlin music festival Pop-Kultur. Entitled Kurt’s Lighter, the 18-minute short directed by Paul Kelly casts a wry glance at the peculiar world of banal rock-related collections.

The film is being used in place of more traditional ad spots like posters or direct promotional videos for the festival. “It’s not a mass-market festival, it’s not really about younger audiences like Glastonbury,” says Scott. “We realised this audience was more sophisticated than wanting traditional ads, so we wanted to make something different, that people would pass around. It taps into the madness that’s inherent in rock fandom.”

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Paul Kelly: Kurt’s Lighter, featuring Scott King (still)

Above

Paul Kelly: Kurt’s Lighter, featuring Scott King (still)

Above

Paul Kelly: Kurt’s Lighter, featuring Scott King (still)

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About the Author

Emily Gosling

Emily joined It’s Nice That as Online Editor in the summer of 2014 after four years at Design Week. She is particularly interested in graphic design, branding and music. After working It's Nice That as both Online Editor and Deputy Editor, Emily left the company in 2016.

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