This morning on Fitzy & Wippa, we chat with Aussie music entrepreneur Steve Pavlovic. Pav tells us about the Nirvana memorabilia he has that won’t make it into the exhibition and reveals he was once paid to hang out with Kurt Cobain for a week to make sure that he didn’t overdose.
FITZY Let’s start with nirvana. You were ringing from a payphone in Bondi, Kurt Cobain’s number.
WIPPA You’re kidding me.
PAV I did. The first one we did was a band called Madani and they were good mates for Nirvana and they’re like you should bring our mates to Nirvana Australia. I’m like, mate, I love that that bleach album was out at the time. And they’re like, here’s Kurt’s number here’s Chris’s number call them up. So hey, mate, this is Pav from Australia. Would you like to come down here. I’m friends with Dan they gave me a number. They’re like, Oh, yeah, well, that sounds great. Sometime we’re just making this album. I’m like really, they said just check back in a few months. And I’d met this girl in America at a bar and she had started working for ATNT operators and gave me one of those calling card numbers. So I go down the beach, have a swim come back in my kit, dripping wet sand or me grab a juice to pay for on a Bondi Beach post office and call Nirvana. That just went on and on for a year until next they said we’ve got to manage that new albums finishes called Nevermind, we want you to do our tour.
WIPPA Tell me about when they did finally arrive. The time with Kurt and the band and what you did you do much socially or?
PAV Well, we did a lot. I took him camping down the south coast, which is one of my go to in my kit of hosting tools. And along the way, though, Courtney got involved, and she’s like, mate, you really think we’re going camping? You get me in a hotel. So we’re down the south coast, the only hotel I could find was Batemans Bay motel. So Kurt and Courtney went to the motel and I’ve got the rest of the band down these little cabins down at North Durras or South Durras and we take them out to the kangaroos have a campfire at night, on the beach, drink some beers or make some jaffles, cook some sandwiches.
WIPPA So with the exhibition and all the memorabilia in there, is there anything that you’ve kept just quietly at home? Or what am I suppose I’m asking what is the most prized possession you have?
PAV Well, there’s some sensitive photos that just wouldn’t be right. When you have a relationship with these artists and you’re there because they trust you. So you’re given a position of trust. And you know, you’re allowed to document a lot of stuff. And I think some of those people would be a little disappointed if some of those pictures found the way the world wide web.
SARAH Did you keep in touch after they left?
PAV Absolutely, I became friends with all these people we’re the same age, same interests, and I would go to America and then I they felt obligated to host me. So they’d show me around and was great.
FITZY Pav was asked and when Kurt was at, you know, there was a tough time for Kurt there and now we’re recording more music. Pav was actually asked, Can you look after Kurt for a week and make sure that he doesn’t OD? That was your job for a week?
PAV It was Courtney and the people around them and they did a heart shaped box with you. And they played MTV awards or they went to them. And so they said Kurt’s gonna be on his own here for a few days or a week. Could you just make sure he doesn’t OD? And I’m like, yeah, we’ll pay you. Like, this is weird. So I called up Kurt, my mate, they want to pay me to hang out with you. And he’s like, mate, just take the frickin money. Let’s hang out. Yeah, so we had the adjoining room. And I would drive them around and my job was made sure he didn’t OD but I never thought to ask anyone. What do I do if he does so? No idea.
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