EVERYBODY LOVES OUR TOWN

In the lead-up to next week’s release of the trade paperback edition of Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge (out March 13; order info here), I’ll be sharing some of the book’s better outtakes for my faithful blog readers. This first one, former Mudhoney manager Bob Whittaker’s tales of offstage hijinks at the grunge-heavy 1992 Reading Festival, was cut from the final manuscript for pacing purposes: 

BOB WHITTAKER (Mudhoney manager) At the hotel after the show, we were over-served in the hotel lobby and got rip-roaring. There was a rumor that Kurt had a doctor with him at Reading to help him with stomach problems or to deal with all the trappings of rock and roll, I don’t know. [Mudhoney’s Matt] Lukin kneeled down behind Cobain and I shoved him over, and we said, “Where’s your doctor now?” Also, “Where’s John Silva now?”—John Silva being his manager. Those are the two abusive things we shouted as he was falling over backwards.

At some point, I had exchanged clothes with a woman there, so I’m in tights and a ridiculous top or a one-piece, and she’s wearing my scrappy outfit. The next morning, I woke up in bed next to [Screaming Trees’ Mark] Lanegan. We both woke up at the same time. Lanegan’s reaction was something to the effect of, “Oh my God!”

Thankfully I still had the woman’s outfit on, as opposed to being stark naked next to Mark Lanegan. We were tired, so I’m sure it was platonic. I don’t think he molested me.