Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’ Celebrated With a Week of MTV Coverage

Any self-respecting rock fan worth his or her salt knows that the end of the week -- Sept. 24, if you want to be exact -- marks the 20th anniversary of the watershed album 'Nevermind' by Nirvana. The album single-handedly defined alternative rock in the '90s.

MTV is celebrating the landmark anniversary by revisiting their archival footage for a week's worth of remembrance, as part of the 'Nevermind You Knew' promotion. Of course, Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' video was played ad nauseum on the network during the period in which it actually aired music videos. (There was no 'Jersey Shore' or 'Teen Mom' back then, kids -- it was all videos, all the time.)

One of the first pieces of classic interview footage that MTV drudged up was bassist Krist Novoselic simply defining Nirvana as "just this crazy rock and roll band." Novoselic made that declaration during the band's initial MTV interview, which aired on Sept. 30, 1991, when 'Nevermind' had been in stores for just six days. He then joked that he hadn't had a psychiatric evaluation lately.

MTV also rolled out another classic interview with Kurt Cobain, where he doesn't want to talk about the band name and instead discusses the humble beginnings of the band. He also says that "the Beatles and punk rock" were the band's biggest influences.

We're also struck by how young former drummer, current Foo Fighters leader Dave Grohl, who continued to redefine our conceptions of alternative music through the '00s and current day, looks in this clip.

Watch MTV's Sept. 1991 Nirvana Interview