The Daily World 9/09/04 "Come As You Are" into Aberdeen
By Paula Horton Tourists and residents will soon be welcomed into the City of Aberdeen with a tribute to Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain and a simple reminder to be themselves. A sign with the words "Come As You Are" -- the name of one of the grunge band's most well-known and commercially successful songs -- will soon be placed below the "Welcome to Aberdeen" sign near the bluff in East Aberdeen. This is the first of three goals established by the non-profit Kurt Cobain Memorial Committee, which formed in May to honor Aberdeen's most famous son. Committee co-chairmen Jeff Burlingame and Paul Fritts presented the idea of the "Come As You Are" sign to the council Wednesday night. The council wasnąt required to formally approve the sign addition, but Fritts, an Aberdeen City Council member, said Mayor Mike Wilson wanted to make sure they were behind the idea before giving his OK. "I'm extremely pleased to see our city is willing to shift its focus away from the negative aspects of Kurt's legacy and instead choose to focus on the positive," Burlingame, The Daily World's Arts & Entertainment editor, said. "A lack of progressive thinking is what led Kurt and so many others to feel out of place here. This is our committee's first step toward changing that." "This is the simplest and cheapest of the three goals," Fritts said. "This is a very subtle way to recognize (the band). It also embodies Aberdeen in general. Take Bridges (restaurant), whether you're wearing a suit or a flannel, it makes no difference. That's how Aberdeen is." The committee had originally planned to also incorporate "Birthplace of Nirvana" into the welcome sign, but decided against it after receiving feedback from hundreds of fans who thought it would be a commercialization of the name. "Come As You Are" alone is a sufficient tribute to Cobain and his band because "for diehard Nirvana fans and millions of others who are more casually into the band, it will be easily recognizable upon entering the city, showing Aberdeen acknowledges and appreciates its most popular son," Burlingame said. The words are also multi-interpretable, the co-chairmen said. "It would be hard to find a statement more welcoming to tourists than telling them to OCome As You Are," Fritts said. There was little to no discussion from council members, who all appeared to be supportive of the committee's plans. "I trust the committee in terms of what is appropriate to Kurt and his fans," Councilman Tom Laufmann said. The Kurt Cobain Memorial Committee members will now approach local sign companies to solicit a bid or donations. No city funds will be used to complete the sign project, the co-chairmen said. In addition, the committee will refurbish the exiting sign, "sprucing it up so as to match the newness of the addition," Burlingame said. "Come As You Are" was released in 1991. Cobain killed himself April 5, 1994.
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