Where Are They Now?: Courtney Love

Hole frontwoman and widow of Kurt Cobain, rocker Courtney Love, appeared on the WTF podcast from host and comedian Marc Maron.

On the show, Love spoke in detail about her life and her notorious past, as well as what’s to come, saying she’s working on a new album.

But truly what has been going on in Love’s life since the late ’90s? Where has the artist and mom to Frances Bean Cobain been up to?

New Kurt Cobain Song

Love’s seminal rock band Hole released its first album, Pretty on the Inside, in 1991, and its last album, Nobody’s Daughter, in 2010. It was the band’s fourth and final album. Love also released a solo record, America’s Sweetheart, in 2004.

[RELATED: The 35 Best Courtney Love Quotes]

Speaking to Maron earlier this year, Love talked about both a forthcoming new album that is almost finished and a song, “Justice for Kurt,” that will not be on it. (Listen to the full episode HERE.)

“It’s great!” said Love of the song. “But like, we’re like, they’re too stupid. It would swallow the entire narrative. Rock does not stream. In fact, I had breakfast…”

“It would swallow the entire narrative how?” Maron asked. 

“It’s not worth it!” Love replied. “It’s 2:24. It’s an earworm and a half. If I’m going to write a fuckin’ song called ‘Justice for Kurt’ it’s going to be a fucking earworm. But I’m not putting it on that record to ruin my record. I don’t need Kurt ruining more of my shit…”

Love did note she may release it as a single down the road.

New Album

That single aside, Love, who is living in the U.K. now, is making a new album. “It’s not rock,” she said of the album. “ It’s a magnum opus ’cause I haven’t made a record in 12 years.”

Love hasn’t released new music since the 2019 song, “Mother,” for The Turning soundtrack. What the new album will sound like is anyone’s guess.

According to Maron’s podcast summary, “Courtney Love is finishing up her first record in more than a decade while she lives in London, perhaps permanently. Courtney fled LA because, as she tells Marc, she needed to get out of the ‘over culture.’ It’s one of many realizations Courtney came upon in recent years, after a lifetime of ups and downs, peace and chaos, fame and infamy. Courtney takes Marc along for the journey as they sip tea in a London hotel.”

New Book

The new album, whatever it will be, isn’t the only thing Love has been working on as of late. The 58-year-old singer also talked about making a new memoir. 

“Dude(s). I think I might have just signed off on my book…,” She wrote on Instagram. “After a fucking DECADE of dragging my ass (@abramovich.alex patience of a SAINT❤️‍🩹🙏) @harpercollins don’t pop the champagne quite yet. ‘The sex work is in! The sex work is in.’

“Yeah but the doll is on a FULL MEDIA BLACKOUT (quoting the great Del Rey genius ‘NO-ONE TELLS MY STORY BUT ME’ motto. Bible💯)  so ☯️⚖️⚖️ #youwinsomeyoulosesome,” she continued. 

[RELATED: Courtney Love Reacts to Usage of Nirvana’s “Rape Me” in TV Show ‘Succession’]

“There’s a (no kidding) very real paper supply chain backup, so don’t ask me when (The important thing is that it’s good now.) Lots of what Alex calls my ‘Victorian adventures’ and I seem to have 29 lives & counting. With crazy luck of being in the right place, right time (and sometimes way wrong!).

“Fun fact. I got into #benningtoncollege class of 1981, from a maximum security Juvie lockdown in Eugene, Oregon. Thanks, @lilianolikwriter in advance for all the fact-checking leads she’s already started, because no way is that going in without receipts,” she added. 

“Lots more fashion too, as I changed the phony rags to riches narrative to include my mother’s/family’s wealth. & My impossibly glamorous af grandmother who went to the Paris collections & would show me the boning & stitches inside of her Balmains & Chanel couture pieces etc. Fuck an untrue narrative bc that’s what people ‘like.’ The truth is so much more fun, more rich, makes more sense. And there’s lots of rags too! Someone said “your class neutral like a Scottish brogue“ as I’ve been all the classes, sometimes simultaneously!

“Anyway. So far, so good. CIAO!”

Husband

Two years ago, Love did an interview for the L,A. Times with best-selling Seattle music writer, Charles Cross. She talked about the Nirvana album, Nevermind, on its 30th anniversary.

Among the number of topics discussed, many fans and outlets are pointing to the fact that Love said she thought the Nirvana track, “In Bloom,” should have been the band’s debut single from the monstrous, 30-million-copy-selling record. Instead, of course, “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” was the first single, rocketing the band to fame. 

“Life would have turned out simpler and better had I been heard,” Love said in the interview. “I’m not really a fan of the idea that it all ‘could have been that different, but ‘In Bloom’ might have shifted things. He might have survived had somebody else [gone first]. Like Eddie Vedder, somebody who had good infrastructure.”

She added, “We were in Salem, Oregon when Nevermind went to No. 1. He cried. I cried. We were really scared. He loved what Nevermind was. He licked his lips and was like ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa.’ But he hid it really well, so he’s attributed these saintly qualities. He possessed modesty, and he put forth this public virtue persona, and he was good at that. But he worked it. He worked it like Kate Moss works her cheekbones.”

Hall of Fame

More recently, Love has highlighted the need for more women in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

The vocalist took to social media to share the words of journalist Jessica Hopper. In response to an article titled “Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame celebrates women who rock,” Hopper wrote, “Do they tho? 719 inductees to the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, only 61 are women. That’s 8.48 per cent. C’mon @rockhall, it’s FUCKING GRIM BRO when yr doing worse than women-artists-on-country radio numbers (10 per cent) and women headliners at major music festivals (13 per cent).”

“@jesshopp DOES THE MATH!” Love wrote when sharing the tweet. “37 years in existence & women make up 8.48 per cent of inductees out of 719.”

She then added a screenshot of a text to the Foo Fighters frontman about his own induction into the HoF and how he should “hold the seats of Tina Turner and Carole King, both who have been eligible for over 30! years each.”

Grohl has been inducted into the Rock Hall twice over. First with Nirvana in 2013 and then again with the Foo Fighters in 2021. In past years, he has been a part of the inductions of Queen (2001) and Rush (2013). 

[RELATED: Courtney Love Calls for More Women In Rock Hall, Shares Texts with Dave Grohl]

“ELIGIBILITY is 25 years after 1st release,” she added before discussing how Foo Fighters “were nominated 4 secs later.”

This is the latest in a long line of feuds between Love and Grohl. The pair’s relationship began to sour soon after Kurt Cobain committed suicide. The pair have gone back and forth over the years in the press.

London

Today, as Maron’s podcast synopsis noted, the San Francisco-born Love lives in London. The daughter of the former tour manager for the Grateful Dead got out of the west coast and lives life in the shadow of Big Ben.

Many are waiting for her new album, hoping it will be great. Which it likely will be.

Photo by Ke.Mazur/WireImage