Ongoing History Daily: The aftermath of the “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video

Here’s another quick story about the video for Nirvana’s “Smell Like Teen Spirit.”  This remains one of the best-known videos of the last couple of decades–and, given that it cost just $33,000 to make, one of the best investments ever made. 

They might have even brought it in for even less had bass player Krist Novoselic passed out dead drunk halfway through filming.  The crew spent a chunk of the day resuscitating him.  Take a look at him the next time you see the video.  He’s just blasted. 

And where did all the kids in the video come from?  They showed up after an announcement at a local college radio station the night before.  They weren’t paid–which explains why when everything gets trashed at the end, a lot of the extras made off with guitars and drums and cymbals.  I wonder what those are worth on eBay these days?