The Tragic Beauty of Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York
On November 18, 1993, Nirvana took the stage for MTV’s Unplugged series—a moment in music history that no one could have predicted would become one of their most defining live performances. This is the heartfelt story of that show and the live recording that graced so many of our speakers when it was released a year later on November 1, 1994 on CD and vinyl, just months after Kurt Cobain’s death.
👉 Subscribe for More Vinyl Videos: https://youtube.com/c/AndyFenstermaker/?sub_confirmation=1
🏆 Become a Member: https://fensepost.substack.com/subscribe
WATCH NEXT:
✓ The Story of Smells Like Teen Spirit: https://youtu.be/cCbufj7nskY
✓ The Story of Today by the Smashing Pumpkins: https://youtu.be/sHrImJFDuYM
✓ The Story of Creep by Radiohead: https://youtu.be/vzab4SglvHw
🎥 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLylroYWVYWWXL84MH1T4Qr0wrRzjwlGMR
Get Nirvana on Vinyl 🎧 and Books Referenced 📕
🎧 MTV Unplugged in New York: https://amzn.to/485a5U1
🎧 More Nirvana Vinyl: https://amzn.to/3UcivDr
📕 Serving the Servant: https://amzn.to/3YprWlh
📕 Heavier Than Heaven: https://amzn.to/48pv7wZ
FensePost Vinyl Channel is run by Andrew (Andy) Fenstermaker.
CHAPTERS:
0:00 The Story of Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York
1:17 Nirvana’s Rise to Fame: The Teen Spirit Phenomenon
2:56 The Lead-Up to a Historic Night
4:50 The Setlist: Song Choices That Made History
6:29 The Performance: Raw Emotion And Vulnerability
7:38 After the Show: Kurt Cobain’s Tragic Final Chapter
9:47 The Final, Haunting Note
#vinylcollection #andyfenstermaker #fensepost #vinylchannel #poeticwax #musicdocumentary #musicstory #musicstorytelling #nirvana #kurtcobain #mtvunplugged
@AndyFenstermaker
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
CORRECTION: On a select track or two there was a distortion pedal used, as a few people noted in comments.
NEXT: Dig into the story behind "Smells Like Teen Spirit" https://youtu.be/cCbufj7nskY
@JayFortran
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
One thing that makes it unique is also that Kurt used a pedal or something that made the acoustic guitar sound electric on the cover they did of Bowie
@JayFortran
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
Is Krist's name really pronounced like Christ?
@zengillian
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
I feel like you may be missing the entire essence of Nirvana and what Kurt would actually want. I think he would HATE being summed up in this way. No one really knows how he felt about his fame, and I don’t think he would want his legacy to be about this single unplugged performance. People pay attention to it because it’s more palatable for the general audience and that wasn’t nearly all of Kurt. I find this video a mostly annoying, incomplete summary of a complex human that shouldn’t ever be summarized in ten minutes.
@josephbarkley3301
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
Nirvana was amazing. Huge fan.
@lourdesbastida9203
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
Love it!
@GreatAwakeningBoy
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
Not a suicide. Good vid
@sbbudj
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
Kurt absolutely nailed it that night. Especially where did you sleep…
@michaelvmjrphoto
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
Great video!
@ericvincentcarbone3471
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
Very good but they played many more songs that night than were filmed. I'm seeing all these songs that they never filmed. Actually the last song was Rape me. In the audio the crowd starts yelling Rape me. & Kurt says back MTV won't let us play it. Then he says either fuck it or fuck you. & then says this is the last song of the night. Look it us. It's fucking great.
@Ashley-q2u
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
You are destroying all of it
@bburns86
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
Perfect commentary thank you
@Man_Ray78
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
Their version of Where did you sleep last night, was very identical to Mark Lanegan's version from his 1990 debut, even though that one was electric. Cobain sang backing vocals and played guitar with Nirvanas bassist, Krist on that song.
@WallFood
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
Bruh… "Christ" Novoselic
@TheUnknownReject
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
There was a distortion pedal though
@boneappletea3858
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
3:45 technically, there was a distortion pedal on the Man Who Sold the World;)
@PrettyboyAshtun
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
even the little mistakes add to the album
@Noloveforspectre
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
I think he was dead by the time this was released on cd/tape, but ill always remember going to tower records and getting this tape and my mom got the cd i think, that and in utero were the only tapes i listened to until i got a cd player later on
@t8br00k36
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
The highlights for me are the meat puppets songs.
@wilfredwayne7139
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
Only one other unplugged was better in my opinion and that was Alice in chains. So raw and emotional.
@krisfrederick5001
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
“I was simply blown away when I found that Kurt Cobain liked my work, and have always wanted to talk to him about his reasons for covering ‘The Man Who Sold the World’” and that it was a good straight forward rendition and sounded somehow very honest. It would have been nice to have worked with him, but just talking with him would have been real cool.”
-David Bowie
@krisfrederick5001
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
"It might be nice to start playing acoustic guitars and be thought of as a singer and a songwriter, rather than a grunge rocker you know? Because then I might be able to take advantage of that when I’m older, and sit down on a chair and play acoustic guitar like Johnny Cash.” -Kurt Cobain late 1993. You did Kurt, and we loved it. He was looking to the future. Doesn't sound like a man planning to die. Just leaving Nirvana and Courtney. #JusticeforKurt and watch the AmericanSpyFox, decide for yourselves…
@DakotaTyree-t3q
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life
@DakotaTyree-t3q
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
Trust Jesus Christ 🙏 to be your Lord and Savior and receive Heaven to be your eternal life
@ExpandtheBliss
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
This was great Andy! You have articulated the feelings of the Nirvana's fans most accurately. Nirvana's music was deep, almost transcendental. I am happy someone has done Kurt's music a nice tribute (your video).
@METERMAN215
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
The guy was at the end of his ropes he would be found dead just 5 months later …devastating the world
@Ilovemusic-i7c
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
#JusticeforKurt
@peyton_0826
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
3:48 great vid but kurt used his ds1 on the man who sold the world
@1-eyed-bastard
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
i think that most of the unpluged sesions suck big donkey dicks. the only two songs i like from nirvana's unpluged set is lake of fire, and their cover of david bowies the man who sold the world. i also like the guitar kurt is playing, but as a whole its not a good album
@leepark5064
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
"No distortion pedals were played"
Incorrect the Boss DS1 was used and the small clone chorus pedal were used.
@marklechman2225
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
I was there for the rise and eventual fall of “grunge” and I still say Nirvana was the Beatles and all the rest were just all the rest.
@josephpullen1153
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
This was the only show Kurt was nervous about playing. He needed Valium before playing. He was nervous about sucking, or messing up.
@paulciampo2104
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
Nice. Authenticity trump's all. I think Kurt understood that a performance is more than playing music, but an expression of your soul
@blakeschwab7518
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
you said that they only played one song from nevermind at unplugged, but thats not true. on plain, come as you are, polly, and something in the way are all on nevermind. so they played 4 songs from it, not one. was cool to hear your insight regardless
@lenafranklin7262
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 pm
❤
Comments are closed.