Listening to Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York, recorded 32 years ago today, remains a haunting experience.
Taped live in November 1993, and released as a Grammy-winning, chart-topping album a year later, the intimate, informal concert was captured just five months before frontman Kurt Cobain’s death by suicide, aged 27.
The performance has been inextricably linked to that tragic context. But it also risks overshadowing what makes MTV Unplugged so potent.
Released November 1, 1994, MTV Unplugged In New York debuted atop the US charts with the highest first-week sales of Nirvana’s career.
Christchurch writer and former Flying Nun bass player Rachael King hopes her new book series Violet and the Velvets will encourage preteen girls to join rock bands.
It’s a raw, remarkable showcase for Cobain’s gripping presence and singular songwriting talents, giving Nirvana’s noisy grunge rock a nuanced acoustic makeover to stellar results.
Widely hailed as one of the greatest live albums and performances ever, the gig nearly didn’t happen at all.
MTV had long courted Nirvana for its Unplugged series, which launched in 1989 and gained notoriety through artists Cobain would hate to be associated with, such as Eric Clapton, Mariah Carey, Sting, and Poison.
Once Nirvana relinquished, however, Cobain was meticulous about the band’s set list and presentation, including dressing the stage with black candles and stargazer lilies.
“Like a funeral?” MTV producer Alex Coletti remembers asking. “Yes, exactly,” was Cobain’s reply.
The network also allowed the frontman to bend the rules, permitting the use of his amplifier (disguised on stage as a fake monitor wedge) and plugging in his Martin D-18E semi-acoustic, which later became the most expensive guitar ever auctioned.
Nirvana had spent a month preparing by working acoustic numbers into their tour, with help from cellist Lori Goldstein and guitarist Pat Smear, but the band was still nervous about exposing its softer side on such a high-profile TV broadcast.
There were concerns it would “be a mistake to proceed with the show”, guitar tech Ernie Bailey told The Ringer in 2018. “The rehearsals were so loose, I don’t remember them making it through a full set.”
Then there was Cobain’s ailing health. “He was truly falling apart. Physically, mentally. He hadn’t been sleeping,” noted Cobain biographer Charles R Cross.
“And yet, on stage, once the tape starts running, it’s absolutely mesmerising.”
Miraculously, Nirvana nailed 14 songs in a single take, while Cobain rose to the occasion, lightening the mood with self-deprecating banter and bringing magnetic authenticity to each song.
MTV was anxious about the band’s insistence — with the exception of Nevermind single ‘Come As You Are’ — on avoiding recognisable hits.
“We knew we didn’t want to do an acoustic version of [Smells Like] Teen Spirit,” drummer Dave Grohl would later remark. “That would’ve been horrendously stupid.”
The band’s caustic volume often obscured Cobain’s natural gift for melody and songcraft. However, when the group did wind down — as on brooding Nevermind cuts ‘Polly’ or ‘Something In The Way’ — it was clear that stripped-down Nirvana could work wonders. And work wonders they did.
Witness Cobain’s sensitive solo rendition of ‘Pennyroyal Tea’, or the rare sight of a young, pony-tailed Grohl — one of rock’s most muscular drummers — brandishing hot rod sticks (gifted to him by Coletti) on the stirring ‘All Apologies’.
Bassist Krist Novoselic breaks out an accordion — his first instrument — on a folksy rendition of ‘Jesus Doesn’t Want Me For A Sunbeam’ by Scottish band The Vaselines, one of several inspired cover choices since made famous by Nirvana’s unplugged outing.
They introduced David Bowie’s ‘The Man Who Sold The World’ to a new generation and played three Meat Puppets tunes alongside the country-punk group’s own siblings Curt and Cris Kirkwood, long cited among Cobain’s biggest inspirations.
Best of all is the howling hair-raising conclusion: ‘Where Did You Sleep Last Night’, a harrowing take on bluesman Lead Belly’s ‘In The Pines’.
Neil Young, whose lyrics Cobain quoted in his suicide note (“it’s better to burn out than fade away”), once described the tortured vocals as “unearthly, like a werewolf, unbelievable”.
It’s an intense, unnerving performance that inked Cobain’s legacy into the history books. But the musician walked away thinking he’d screwed up, unnerved as rapturous applause fell to eerie quiet as he approached fans in the front rows.
“The silence in the room in-between songs [was] a show of respect,” MTV executive Amy Finnerty remembers.
“That’s what Kurt misinterpreted: that the silence was disapproval. It was just respect.
“Kurt, [I said] they think you are Jesus Christ.
“You knew for sure that history was being made. No doubt about it. You’re lucky if you get to be at something like that once in your lifetime.”
Bringing a countercultural edge to a glossy, mainstream prospect, Nirvana changed the model — you need only look to MTV Australia’s rebooted Unplugged series with Courtney Barnett and Gang of Youths for its lingering influence.
As much as it’s been canonised as a poignant epitaph — gesturing at where Cobain, disillusioned by fame and frustrated by Nirvana’s limitations, could have gone artistically — MTV Unplugged In New York should be treasured for what it captured: the sound of a generational band transcending their roots and reputation in remarkable fashion.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
A new displacement camp set up by the Egyptian Committee in Nuseirat, Gaza Strip on 11 November 2025.Photo: AFP / Eyad Baba
Resolution authorises transitional authority and international stabilisation force
Russia put forward rival resolution
Palestinian Authority has backed resolution, Hamas is opposed
The UN Security Council is set to vote on a US-drafted resolution endorsing President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza and authorising an international stabilisation force for the Palestinian enclave.
Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas agreed last month to the first phase of Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza – a ceasefire in their two-year war and a hostage-release deal – but a UN resolution is seen as vital to legitimise a transitional governance body and to reassure countries considering sending troops to Gaza.
The 15-member council is scheduled to vote on the resolution at 5pm ET (11am NZT).
The latest draft of the resolution, seen by Reuters, says member states can take part in the so-called Board of Peace envisioned as a transitional authority that would oversee reconstruction and economic recovery of Gaza. It also authorises the international stabilisation force, which would ensure a process of demilitarising Gaza, including by decommissioning weapons and destroying military infrastructure.
Trump’s 20-point plan is included as an annex to the resolution.
Israeli settlers walks at an illegal outpost built near the Jewish settlement of Metzad east of the Palestinian city of Sa’ir in the occupied West Bank after being demolished by Israeli security forces, on 17 November 2025.Photo: AFP / Menahem Kahana
Russia, which holds a veto on the Security Council, signaled potential opposition to the resolution last week when it presented a rival resolution that requests the UN explore options for an international force in Gaza.
But a statement on Friday from the Palestinian Authority backing the US-drafted resolution bolstered its chances of passing.
“We expect broad support for the resolution,” said one diplomat at the UN, requesting anonymity to discuss negotiations on the resolution. “Although Russia has at times hinted at a possible veto, it would be difficult to oppose a text backed by Palestine and the region.” That would likely also be the case for China, which also holds a veto, the diplomat said.
The resolution has proved controversial in Israel because it references a future possibility of statehood for the Palestinians.
The latest draft says the “conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood” once the Palestinian Authority has carried out a reform program and Gaza’s redevelopment has advanced.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, under pressure from right-wing members of his government, said on Sunday that Israel remained opposed to a Palestinian state and pledged to demilitarise Gaza “the easy way or the hard way.”
Hamas has so far refused to disarm. An umbrella group of Hamas-led Palestinian factions issued a statement late on Sunday against the resolution, calling it a dangerous step toward imposing foreign guardianship over the territory, and said the proposed resolution serves Israeli interests.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
The US president says he could sue the British national broadcaster for as much as $US5 billion after it spliced together two parts of his speech from January 6, 2021.
In an email to staff, the BBC’s chair Samir Shah says there is “no basis” for the defamation suit.
Two senior executives for the corporation last week resigned over the crisis.
Donald TrumpPhoto: ROBERTO SCHMIDT
Britain’s BBC is “determined to fight” any legal action filed by US President Donald Trump, saying on Monday there was no basis for a defamation case over its editing of one of his speeches.
Trump said last week he would likely sue the BBC for as much as $US5 billion ($7.6 billion) after the broadcaster spliced together separate excepts of one of his speeches, creating the impression he was inciting the 6 January 2021 riot.
The British national broadcaster’s chair Samir Shah then sent a personal letter to Trump to apologise for the edit, the BBC said, but the broadcaster said it strongly disagreed there was a basis for a defamation claim.
But that has done little to quell Trump’s displeasure, with the US president telling reporters on Friday he would sue for anywhere between $US1 billion and $US5 billion.
“I think I have to do that, I mean they’ve even admitted that they cheated,” he said.
In a further email sent to BBC staff on Monday, local time, Shah said there was a lot of speculation about the possibility of legal action, including potential costs or settlements.
“In all this we are, of course, acutely aware of the privilege of our funding and the need to protect our license fee payers, the British public,” he said in the email.
“I want to be very clear with you – our position has not changed.
“There is no basis for a defamation case and we are determined to fight this.”
The BBC issued a personal apology to Trump.Photo: Kin Cheung/AP via CNN Newsource
Broadcaster faces major challenge from saga
The edit to Trump’s 6 January speech has caused headaches for the BBC, which has already been struck by a number of high-profile scandals in recent years.
The spliced-together speech was aired in a Panorama documentary which aired before the 2024 US Presidential election, but only came to light in recent weeks.
The BBC’s director-general Tim Davie and news chief executive Deborah Turness both resigned in the aftermath, plunging the broadcaster into one of its biggest crises in decades.
The BBC also issued a personal apology to Trump, vowing not to rebroadcast the Panorama documentary but rejecting the president’s claims he had been defamed by it.
It also rejected the US president’s demands for financial compensation.
British culture minister Lisa Nandy said on Friday it was right that the BBC had apologised to Trump.
“They’ve rightly accepted that they didn’t meet the highest standards and that’s the basis on which the chairman of the board has offered this apology to the President of the United States,” she told the UK’s Times Radio.
The scandal and subsequent leadership resignations come at a sensitive time for the BBC, which is funded largely by a licence fee paid by any Briton owning a television.
The broadcaster, which has been on air since 1922, is currently navigating the next round of its funding negotiations with the UK government.
– ABC
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Investigators examine the railways damaged in an explosion on the rail line in Mika, next to Garwolin, central Poland on 17 November, 2025, after the line presumably was targeted in a sabotage act.Photo: AFP
Railway explosion ‘unprecedented act of sabotage’, says PM Tusk
Warsaw-Lublin line connects capital to Ukrainian border
Warsaw has said Poland is one of Moscow’s biggest targets
An explosion that damaged a Polish railway track on a route to Ukraine was an “unprecedented act of sabotage”, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said as he vowed to catch those responsible for an incident he said could have ended in tragedy.
The blast on the Warsaw-Lublin line that connects the capital to the Ukrainian border followed a wave of arson, sabotage and cyberattacks in Poland and other European countries since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Warsaw has in the past held Russia responsible, saying Poland has become one of Moscow’s biggest targets due to its role as a hub for aid to Kyiv. Russia has repeatedly denied being responsible for acts of sabotage.
“The blowing up of the railway track on the Warsaw-Lublin route is an unprecedented act of sabotage aimed at the security of the Polish state and its citizens,” Tusk wrote on X.
“An investigation is underway. Just like in previous cases of this kind, we will catch the perpetrators, regardless of who their backers are.”
‘Highly probable’ act of sabotage
Four government ministers told a press conference there was one confirmed and one “highly probable” act of sabotage, referring to an incident on another part of the route where railway traction was damaged.
Warsaw said in October that Poland and Romania had detained eight people suspected of planning sabotage on behalf of Russia.
Local police said on Sunday (local time) that a train driver had reported damage on the railway line, but authorities were not able to immediately confirm that it was a result of sabotage.
“This route is also used to transport weapons to Ukraine,” Tusk said in a video address. “Fortunately, no tragedy occurred, but the legal implications are very serious.”
Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said the military was inspecting a 120km stretch of track leading to the Ukrainian border.
Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said that abundant evidence was collected at the site that should allow for the perpetrators to be quickly identified.
The damaged route that passes through the eastern city of Lublin is used by 115 trains daily, the infrastructure minister said.
– Reuters
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You may have seen people documenting and romanticising their midweek excursions and rituals on social media lately.
There are also spoof versions showing people declaring they’re ‘not just living for the weekend’ before quickly jumping into bed or curling up on the couch.
Emma Dickeson has recently documented a trip to the ballet and a solo swim as part of a ‘not just living for the weekend’ series on TikTok.
Emma Dickeson says she hopes people will be inspired to enjoy their entire week.
Supplied
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Were you there the night Amyl and the Sniffers shouted the city of Melbourne thousands of free drinks?
Perhaps like Woodstock, the number of people who say they were — who will tell mates they scored a beer from one of Australia’s most thrilling guitar bands — might stretch beyond reality.
What is true is that, in the space of a few hours, a bitterly frustrating moment was reconfigured into a lasting memory that summed up the very best of Melbourne’s live music community.
Amyl and the Sniffers have been nominated for a Grammy
supplied
To recap — Friday night should have been a triumphant, crowning communal homecoming.
They currently have a song sound-tracking a Japanese car ad. Not bad for a Melbourne pub band.
On the Friday morning of the Fed Square gig, they encouraged fans on social media to be considerate of younger attendees, clearly mindful that this could be a big one.
Mere minutes before they were due to hit the stage, the show was abruptly cancelled.
Amyl and The Sniffers Fed Square show was cancelled eight minutes before it was scheduled to start.
Jason Katsaras
The Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation (MAP Co), which operates Fed Square, said there had been multiple breaches of security barriers.
The decision to shut it down was “not made lightly” according to MAP Co chief executive Katrina Sedgwick, but the view was “it was unsafe for the audience, the staff and the band to continue”.
The band quickly took to their Instagram page.
“We’re devastated. We’re really apologetic,” said their magnetic lead singer Amy Taylor, sandwiched among some coarse language.
“We were really excited to play. We’re so sorry. Grrrr.”
‘Have a drink on us’
Then, a new post.
Taylor, still jittering with apology, announced the band was relinquishing their performance fee.
Five thousand dollars would go behind the bar at seven of the city’s small live music venues immediately.
“Have a drink on us,” she said in the video, that has since reached more than 1 million views.
“Just have some fun tonight.”
That meant $35,000 worth of free drinks at The Tote, The Old Bar, The Curtin, Labour in Vain, Hell’s Kitchen, Last Chance Rock and Roll Bar, and Cherry Bar.
For a scene hanging on by a frayed guitar lead, that isn’t just generous — it’s unfathomable and unprecedented.
A few kilometres up the road at The Curtin, publican Benjamin “Rusty” Russell found out his establishment was one of the venues.
“I was like … Jesus, that’s wild. Absolutely wild,” he said.
“We talk about Melbourne music community — well that is it. [The band] cut their teeth in places like this, so to see them give back like that is amazing.”
Celebrations rang out across the front bar and drinks (“nothing top-shelf” according to Rusty) began to flow.
In Fitzroy, Louie and his mates were among those lining up outside The Old Bar, having left the “frustrating” Fed Square debacle in search of a free drink.
“We looked up on Instagram and saw they’d put $5K down at a bunch of pubs and bars around town, so we were like, we’ve got to go for one,” Louie said.
“It’s awesome that they’ve pumped a bunch of money into these local venues. Bloody good onyas.”
Around the corner, the $5,000 tab had already run out at the Labour in Vain, but the pub was still heaving.
“We couldn’t have received any more love than what we’ve received tonight from them,” said JP, one of the bar managers.
“We are one of the first pubs they ever played in. We love them, love what they’ve done for the pub, whether it be for publicity or for the community.”
Bar tab comes amid pub woes
There is every chance Friday night will spill into Melbourne’s sticky-carpeted music mythology.
But the once proud label of ‘Australia’s live music capital’ has become something of a grim cliche.
Speak to anyone involved in live music for longer than a politician’s photo shoot, and you’ll find an industry that is hurting.
“It’s terrible right now,” said Fergus, who was working the door at The Old Bar.
“There are so many live music venues closing down, and the government should really do more to support them. It’s great that Amyl are doing it, but they shouldn’t have to, you know?”
Back at The Curtin, publican Rusty used to see Amyl and the Sniffers play to the devoted few in the pub’s front bar.
He’s glad the City of Melbourne is helping them to put on large-scale shows, but believes there’s more to be done to support the next crop of artists.
“A lot of politicians mean well,” he said.
“But when it comes down to it, we are facing significant issues that aren’t really being heard enough.”
It is a point made less diplomatically over the bar by Jess Norman, who walked across from Fed Square.
“You can’t just support people in their glory days,” she said.
“You need to support people when they’re in the dirt and they’re in the grit and they’re doing the hard yards.
“We need to support the venues that support these young acts.”
For Jess and her bar stool companion, Chris Sutherland, beyond any free drinks that may have been poured, this was nonetheless a night to treasure.
“I feel like this could be a huge cultural moment for Victoria and Melbourne,” she said.
“Other acts couldn’t shut down Fed Square. Robbie Williams couldn’t shut down the city! Then you turn around and give everyone a shout at the pub? Like, that’s nuts!
“When Melbourne shuts down your gig and gives you lemons,” Chris Sutherland said, “you turn the answer to lemonade for the whole f…ing town!”
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
For most people, eating a wide variety of fruit and vegetables is the cornerstone of a healthy diet.
But those with hereditary fructose intolerance can endanger their internal organs by consuming foods containing the natural sugar – including honey, some vegetables, sweetened drinks, and many packaged foods.
This rare condition isn’t a food allergy or sensitivity.
Many packaged foods, such as cakes, cookies, sauces and some breads, contain fructose.
Karolina Grabowska
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Trade Minister Todd McClay.Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Tariffs have been removed from more than $2 billion worth of New Zealand’s exports to the United States, Trade Minister Todd McClay says.
US president Donald Trump on Friday (US time) signed an executive order cancelling tariffs on a wide range of food imports, including New Zealand beef and kiwifruit.
The new exemptions marked a sharp reversal, as Trump had long insisted his import duties were not fueling inflation for Americans.
But McClay said climbing prices and declining supply may have prompted the president to change tack.
“If you’re not getting as much beef coming in because of the tariff rate, there are shortages and prices will go up.”
The US buys New Zealand beef because it is high quality and the country does not produce enough of its own, said McClay.
The minister expected beef exports would return to the volume from before the tariffs were introduced.
He said about a quarter of New Zealand’s trade to the US had tariffs removed, but he wanted more products stripped of the taxes.
“I and the prime minister have consistently made the case that we don’t think it’s justified, that our trade is complementary and well-balanced.
“But in the case of the change, particularly for kiwifruit worth about $250 million a year and meat or beef exports about $2b a year for New Zealand, this is welcome news and we would hope there could be more over time.”
Meat Industry Association chief executive Nathan Guy said it was surprising but exciting news for farmers and processors.
“We’ve always thought these tariffs could indeed be inflationary for US consumers,” he said.
“This is a very important market for us, indeed it is our number one, despite the 15 percent tariffs, because the demand has been so strong in the US.”
Guy said it seemed beef would revert back to a 1 percent tariff which was “business as usual” – but lamb was still subject to 15 percent.
“We’ll keep raising that issue, we’ll work with the New Zealand Government and indeed ministers and officials and even the prime minister.”
He was pleased to see prime minister Christopher Luxon recently met with Donald Trump, and believed New Zealand’s relationship with the US was “in good heart”.
“This is a positive step forward.”
The change would restore a level playing field with key competitors like Australia, which had avoided the extra tariffs, Guy said.
From text-based chatbots that mimic loved ones to voice avatars that let you “speak” with the deceased, artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being used to preserve the voices and stories of the dead.
In our research, recently published in Memory, Mind & Media, we explored what happens when remembering the dead is left to an algorithm.
We even tried talking to digital versions of ourselves to find out.
AI memorial platforms encourage users to “capture their loved one’s story forever”, but they also harvest their data to keep engagement high.
Getty Images / Unsplash +
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