UPDATED: I’m running out of grocery stores I’m allowed to go back to

in I'm not really full of mosquitoes, mixing medications, Random Crap, rants, terrible titles

So yesterday at the grocery store the cashier asked if we wanted to try some 99 cent deodorant which seemed less helpful and more of a subtle insult but then I saw she had a big box of it beside the register and Victor’s all “No thank you” but I couldn’t even speak because the one on the top was this:

No. No. No.
No. No. No.

And I’m all “You have got to be fucking kidding me” and Victor’s like “Wow. That’s…terrible” and I’m all “Kurt Cobain would kill himself if he saw this and hadn’t already killed himself” and the 16-year-old-ish cashier chick was like “Um…I don’t get it.  Is there a problem with the deodorant?” and I’m all “You know…“Smells like Teen Spirit?”  Kurt Cobain?” and she stares at me blankly and I’m all “NIRVANA?!” and she’s all “I don’t know what that is” and then I almost punched her and Victor’s all “Calm down.  You’re gonna break a hip” so I take a deep breathe and I’m all “Okay, once, long before you were born…apparently…there was a thing called Rock.  And a band called Nirvana.  And they changed the fucking world” and she says “Oh.  I’m only allowed to listen to Christian music” and I’m all “Your parents should be imprisoned” but I only said that last part in my head because I try not to judge other people and their horrible parenting choices but I made her promise to go home and at least listen to Lithium and she didn’t respond to me at all, probably because she was so overwhelmed with my passion.  Then Victor pushed me out of the store because apparently I was “causing a scene” and I was so flustered that it wasn’t until I got to the car that I realized I still had the deodorant in my hand and I’m not sure if I even paid for it.  So basically Lady Speed Stick made me steal.

PS.  Victor just informed me that what I actually said to the cashier was “I am not leaving here until you swear that you will go home and at least try lithium“.  Which, I’ll admit, could be misconstrued.  Awesome.  Now we can never go back to Krogers.

UPDATED: Okay, so apparently the deodorant has been around since before Nirvana actually penned that song and I’ve been living in a hole my entire life and am the only person in the entire world who is not shocked this deodorant exists.  My only comfort is the fact that when Kurt Cobain wrote “Smells Like Teen Spirit” he didn’t know it was a deodorant either and was quite put-out when someone told him he’d just written a song about deodorant.  I read this on wikipedia so it has to be true.

Comment of the day: There has never been a better song about female deodorant. Except maybe Mr. Roboto, “Secret, secret, I I’ve got some secret.” Many people don’t know this, but Styx used to be “Speed Styx.” They changed it right after Jefferson dropped the airplane and added starship and then dropped Jefferson, making them a bad band. ~ MayoPie

158 thoughts on “UPDATED: I’m running out of grocery stores I’m allowed to go back to”

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  3. It’s definitely the parenting, not the age. I’m nineteen and I know better than that. I bet she not even able play video games or watch Bravo either. Family services has really let the ball drop on that one.
    .-= Kaylynn´s last blog ..State Changes =-.

  4. Now I’m upset that my Clinical Strength deodorant doesn’t come with a pink top that says “Cute & Girlie.” It just comes with a solid black top that says, “Repulsive & Mannish” and I have to buy it from the back counter at Dick’s Sporting Goods.
    .-= Wendi´s last blog ..The 5-Year-Old Graduate =-.

  5. I too get irrationally angry when kids these days don’t know who Nirvana or Kurt Cobain is. HE CHANGED THE MUSIC INDUSTRY JACKASS! Even worse are the kids who think they just discovered something brand new.
    .-= Becky Mochaface´s last blog ..Tuesday Trivia: Literature =-.

  8. I, too, wore Teen Spirit before the Nirvana song. In fact, when that song did come out, I thought he was just a pervert who liked to smell young girls.

  9. The deoderant existed before the song. Although hopefully not that particular stick. Maybe that’s why it was only 99 cents though.

  10. Oh yeah, I had that deodorant as a kid. I rememeber when the song came out and I was all “wow, he wrote a song about deodorant” – cool….

  11. Oh God! TOO damn funny! This reminds me of the day at Target when the cashier asked us if we wanted 10% off if we got a credit card. Of course, she has to ask this as the banking meltdown was in full swing. So my husband asked her if she wanted to apply for the “God” credit card – the more you spend – the more points you earned toward getting into heaven! Now living in the most conservative area of the South, this wasn’t received well. She shoved our bag into my husband’s hands and loudly proclaimed (so that the angels were sure to hear her), “NO Thank You!” I didn’t see why she was so damn mad because it made complete sense to me and I’m sure if Cobain was alive today, he would written a song about it.
    .-= Carolyn´s last blog ..A Day At The Fort – As Brought To You By The Hubs =-.

  17. Hahahaha u r too funny! I do remember that awful deodorant. There’s a reason it’s .99 cents. At least the cashier hadn’t heard of the song/band cuz of her strict upbringing. I was gonna feel really old there for a minute.

  18. I’m constantly running into these overly sheltered teens who are utterly clueless. And I’m constantly making a scene, too. And yes, I would probably have much the same reaction at seeing “cute and girlie” on a stick of teen spirit deodorant. they should post a picture of backstreet boys on the label, so the tween consumer can sigh with adoration while she rubs her armpits down with scented antiperspirant. Actually, I remember using that deodorant when I was a teenager. I believe I used it BECAUSE I liked the similarity in name to the nirvana song. I should have known better, though. “pink crush” or “romantic rose” should never be on the same line as a nirvana song.
    .-= dani´s last blog ..in which i inherit a doggy =-.

  20. Try Lithium – What great advice! And what’s up with the Christian music only scenario? It will be just that much harder to function in real life after living such a sheltered existence.
    .-= Pop and Ice´s last blog ..Our Weekend Outpost =-.

  22. The deodorant actually existed BEFORE the song. Urban Legend has it that the lead singer of Bikini Kill implied that Kurt Cobain “smelled like Teen Spirit” because he was dating one of the other members of her band – the implication being that Kurt had been marked with the scent of one of the band members. Supposedly he was upset when he found out she was referencing a brand of deodorant.

    Um. I am a geek. Sorry.
    .-= Lawmommy´s last blog ..Whatcha do with all them donuts that you bake? =-.

  23. I’m pretty sure the song title is a straight up reference to the perfume or the deodorant of that name. The song is about selling out to the mainstream and MTV and,therefore, about how their new popularity as “pop” stars has changed the crowds that are at their concerts. The concerts don’t smell like sweat and beer anymore…Now they smell like “Teen Spirit.”
    .-= Nate´s last blog ..The violently insane wheel gets the news coverage =-.

  24. you have to change the world one person at a time. maybe you should wait for her in the parking lot to see what car she drives and then you can put a CD with some life changing music on it. you should probably ask when her shift ends, though. or you could be waiting a long time. it all depends on how passionate you are about the world and saving it. and also polar bears.
    .-= mylittlebecky´s last blog ..what’s up chuck (part trois) =-.

  26. “I read this on wikipedia so it has to be true.”

    Are we to believe you didn’t actually WRITE that on Wikipedia?

  27. Hmn…I always thought he was trying to be ironic and literary with that song. You know, sort of a weird pun….I guess I am terrible wrong about everything I thought I knew of Kurt. I don’t know who’s more ashamed: him or me.
    .-= Nancy´s last blog ..New Sketchbooks and Studio Tour. =-.

  28. Oh, I bought some deodorant I had a coupon for a few weeks ago that had some ridiculous, painfully teen-oriented slogan on it, like “For all your OMG moments”. I facepalm every single time I put on that stuff, imagining the boardroom full of middle-aged corporate suits who were tossing that slogan around.
    .-= The Mother Tongue´s last blog ..Puzzle pieces at BlogHer =-.

  29. You know, this wouldn’t have happened if MTV actually still played videos. And I’m not sure what title Kurt (I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if I called him Kurt) would’ve used instead, “Smells Like Teen Sweat”? It doesn’t have the same appeal.
    .-= Dingo´s last blog ..Dingo’s Gambit =-.

  30. It isn’t the “Teen Spirit” that bothers me; it’s the “Pink Crush” part. What does that mean? That you have a crush on the singer “Pink”? Does she get royalties? At the very least, it reinforces the notion that teenage girls should sit around mooning over people who are NEVER GOING TO LOVE THEM BACK, not that I’m bitter.

  31. That was just one long string of wrong — not you, although, yes, you got the song-deodorant order backwards but that pales to insignificance alongside the rest of the Oh-So-Wrong.

    I think her parents belong to the same cult mine do. My dad made me hide my CDs and Harry Potter books when they brought my brother to visit. I leaned a lot about Christian rock when buying him Christmas gifts, though.

    Cute & girlie? Armpits?

    I’ve got nothing.
    .-= Julie Pippert´s last blog ..…and that’s why it made perfect sense that the cats peed on my business suit. =-.

  35. So I went out with a fucking crazy guy who I suspect is now making a suit of my skin or little dolls out of my hair (it was only a week, but I shed a lot. Not skin. Hair…never mind). And he swears that Kurt Cobain did not indeed kill himself, but that there’s a vast conspiracy to cover up that he was actually murdered. And Courtney Love had something to do with it. She’s a crazy bitch, yo, so I might even believe that. But he spent like an hour going through all the “evidence” that the police covered up before I said, “So if the police covered it up, as you say, how the fuck do you know about it?” He just blinked. That was our last date.
    .-= shine´s last blog ..My very first award. And I got it twice! =-.

  36. I’m sure the fact that his then-girlfriend wore Teen Spirit was a driving force in the eventual move to Courtney Love. I’m not sure what she smells like, but it sure as hell ain’t Teen Spirit.

  37. You are so fucking awesome. My husband refuses to acknowledge the awesomeness that is Nirvana so I love that I can come here and find other people who get it.

  38. Little known fact: Kurt was a huge sell-out. Worse than a mommyblogger. The money he made from Mennen the Teen Spirit product placement gig fueled his Elvis-like escape to Peru where he has the sweetest set-up in the Andes with monkeys as maids and about 43 children running around making avant garde films and directing worldwide hacking projects while Kurt sits back and laughs. I was there in 98. The food, the view…the cocaine alone would blow your…well, it blows.

    Also, the line in All Apologies? It’s like this:

    In the sun
    In the sun I feel as one
    In the sun
    In the sun
    I Love Wendy’s
    french fries

    yeah yeah yeah
    .-= Deb on the Rocks´s last blog ..Say What? Pepsico Interview at BlogHer =-.

  39. I’m just amazed at how many of your readers actually *wore* the deodorant “back in the day”. It’s like you attract readers who used to be poor teenage girls. I bet it’s the midget porn but I’m not much of a gambler.

    Also, take heart. That just means this cashier will be reading your blog in 10 years.

  40. I thought Nirvana did that on purpose. It smelled like really cheesey deodorant called “pink crush” as well as teen spirit. A double entendre

  42. There are people out there who have never heard of Nirvana???

    She should try lithium.

    Then listen to Lithium.
    .-= Jen´s last blog ..Yum =-.

  44. I really do not understand how you can be alive and over the age of 10 and not have heard “Smells like Teen Spirit”. This is not a possibility I am even willing to entertain. The wikipedia pop-out makes me wonder if the song would have been called “Smells like Cheap Booze and Regret” if it had been written during his Courtney Love years.
    .-= Dani´s last blog ..We are "pick-up bed swimming pool" classy… =-.

  45. I had no idea. I always thought it was a stupid name for a song, but also knew that I’m totally devoid of artistic ability, so just assumed it was something I didn’t get and left it at that, enjoying the song for as much as my artistically devoid little could absorb – nice thrashy beat.

    I come here for knowledge – you supply. I am a better person today because of The Bloggess.
    .-= harmzie´s last blog ..Where the World Came From – by Pepper =-.

  47. I think every popular band should have a deodorant named after their songs…..we could completely do away with the Top 100 Billboard…And just check, like I don’t know, the deodorant stock exchange or something to see who’s the most popular band of the time. It’s like killing two birds with one stone – except not having any dead birds at all – but rather supporting a band and not smelling at the same time.
    .-= Kerrie´s last blog ..My VeggieSaurus =-.

  48. Cobain’s favorite book, of which he carried a dog-eared copy, was “Perfume.”
    So my guess is that subconsciously he knew Teen Spirit had something to do with smell, especially if his gf used it, even if he never saw the container.

    His song, “Summer’s Eve” didn’t make it to the charts at all, and the follow-up to that, “Vinegar And Water” would have except that someone thought it an oblique reference to female problems, so he had to cross out the lines “bad day on the tuna boat” and “smell hath no fury like a porn woman” and then he flushed the whole thing.

  49. I left the store with the same damn deoderant, had no idea why, but with six kids in tow you end up with a lot of shit, it’s like the surprise in the cracker jack box, anyway, when I handed it to the one year old she took the top off and smeared it on her ass cheeks and the tops of her feet. Apparently Teen Spirit in deodorant form makes one think of sweaty ass and stinky feet, so if we think of it in those terms we are only inches from Rock as we know it.

  51. I wouldn’t feel too bad if I were you. There’s a globe in the background of your picture. So even if you didn’t know the deodorant was around before the song you can still claim smartness by the fact that you have a fucking GLOBE in your house. Who does that?! Incredibly smart people with the desire to impress, that’s who.
    .-= Samantha´s last blog ..Why old people shouldn’t be allowed to have credit or debit cards. (It’s because I have to deal with them at the end of the day.) =-.

  53. Omg! The same thing just happened to me at my office. Its like we’re on the same wave-length or something and I don’t know if Sprit is charging me for the service to be on your wave-length but even if I call and complain they’ll tell me its under “other charges”; and now that we’re on the subject of other, what other charges could they possibly come up with, but I digress, back to our ESP. My co-workers 15 year olds were having a conversation on how Britney Spears revolutionized the world with her CD’s and of course I was all like; hells no; she revolutionized how medication is administered to teenage has bens and I tried to calmly explain that the best LP off the 90’s and 2000’s was Tragic Kingdom and Hybrid Theory. They thought I was talking about a car, cuz you know, the word hybrid, but when I explained No Doubt was around way back in the 90’s they just commented on how old that way and it was so un-cool. Which I know I’m not un-cool because I still wear teen spirit.

  55. Dude I just watched some VH1 documentary on grunge rock and they totally told the story of the song and the connection to the deodorant and I was all, so that is why he killed himself and then my husband was all, that’s rude and kinda mean and then I felt bad so I was totally going to email Kurt with an apology but then I remembered he killed himself over some pink deodorant and then I felt bad about that and tred to write him an apology email…..wait I think I’m stuck in a loop.
    .-= mountainmomma18´s last blog ..I am so not that girl =-.

  56. What sucks even more, is that now that Kurt killed himself the deoderant probably sells like a lot more which would make one think they’d slip some Lithium or a sawed-off shot gun into the bottles and tell parents it’s a marketing thing and not the real drug or a real gun but rather the song by Nirvana in crushed powder form and is totally okay to be absorbed through the armpits because that’s where lymph nodes are and those totally protect from viruses and bacteria so it’d be clean lithium and sawed-off shot gun they’d be taking in through their overproductive teen pits. Besides most teens are depressed and if they not they better listen to Nirvana which I just realise actually went the other way there with their name like an oxymoron. OR is a really clever subliminal way of advertising suicide as a solution to all your problems which is perhaps something you’d not want your kids to think. So maybe NO ONE should buy Teen Spirit so we don’t kill ourselves because of enlightened roll-on. Even at 99c suicide isn’t worth it, I don’t think.
    .-= JL´s last blog ..Pharmacies have secret rooms for public displays of affection which would be unnecessary if they could just train a minotaur to protect the Xanax =-.

  57. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” would have been a very different song if it had been written from the “cute and girlie” point of view.

  59. Yes Jenny, you’ve been living in a hole called “Texas”.

    And now I’m all concerned about what you do or do not know about the actual existence of things like Coca-Cola. John Lennon did not invent Coke, although I’m quite sure he may have done it.
    .-= Cat´s last blog ..Melty Hair =-.

  61. Nirvana was a grunge band, like Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam and a bunch of other groups in Seattle back in the 90’s and not technically Rock..or maybe a genre of rock…..or you really don’t care do you and I am just babbling because I am from Seattle and we all still believe his wife…nevermind.

  64. There has never been a better song about female deodorant. Except maybe Mr. Roboto, “Secret, secret, I I’ve got some secret.” Many people don’t know this, but Styx used to be “Speed Styx.” They changed it right after Jefferson dropped the airplane and added starship and then dropped Jefferson, making them a bad band.
    .-= MayoPie´s last blog ..Don’t forget the Grabies =-.

  66. I totally get this. Some kid working at Virgin records (the one that used to be in Chicag) had no clue who Marc Bolan or TRex was. I wanted to slug him. I get that he wasn’t even born when Marc Bolan died, but he worked at a record store! Shouldn’t he know about that era of music (TRex, Mott the Hoople, etc).

  67. I care nothing at all about Nirvana or Kurt Cobain or even deodorant, but the fact that I’m so old that todays youth doesn’t even know who Nirvana or Kurt Cobain is… I am now my parents, and that’s just frightening.
    .-= C @ Kid Things´s last blog ..On Being a Girl =-.

  68. Ok, this blog spoke to me on many levels. Smells Like Teen Spirit came out when I was like 15 or 16 and even though they apparently played it every third song on the radio I had never heard of it. Why? BECAUSE I WAS ONLY ALLOWED TO LISTEN TO CHRISTIAN MUSIC!! And when I finally heard the song and asked the fatal question, “What is this song?” everyone looked at me like I just said, “What is that yellow ball in the sky that makes things hot?” Which I might as well have. I had heard people mention it but thought for some reason they were talking about the deodorant and some special smell it had. Yeah. Thanks for bringing back such great memories. And thank YOU Mom and Dad for making me miss out on one of the greatest moments in music history. I’m not bitter AT ALL, by the way.
    .-= Jessie´s last blog ..Grill or Be Shunned, Birthdays, and Life After Teenagers =-.

  69. Frankly, I recollect that the smell of teen spirit is tres funky. Not a good name for deodorant.

    However, it would be great if you keep wigging out at grocery stores because pretty soon, Victor will have to do the grocery shopping and you can stay at home and blog. I like the way you think.
    .-= Lynn from For Love or Funny´s last blog ..On occasion, I cheat. =-.

  71. hehe I do remember wearing Teen Spirit when I was younger and now my kids do as well. But the sad thing wasn’t that you had stole the deodorant but that she had no clue who Nirvana was.
    .-= homemom3´s last blog ..Bird Comes Smashing in…. =-.

  72. I am dumbfounded that she didn’t know about Nirvana. WTF?! (I will remain commentless on your lack of knowledge about the deodorant…) As someone else said, you should have told her to also listen to “Rape Me”, and a lesser known “Moist Vagina”. That would have been awesome. Walking out yelling, listen to “Moist Vagina!”
    .-= js´s last blog ..Exhausted =-.

  73. I wasn’t allowed to listen to Nirvana. I had to do it in secret. I wore the deodorant though, and thought it was kind of like a rebellion in my armpits. Until I got old enough to realize that my armpits were sweaty and real rebellion involved boys wearing dog collars and 40s of OE down behind the smoke pit. I smelled better after that.
    .-= emvandee´s last blog ..Cobbling together a cobbler while baking in the heat. =-.

  74. Well. THAT makes me a sad, sad little nymph. Nirvana was simply… well, they picked a good name, you know? So you’d hope that later generations would be just as in love with them and heartbroken by his tragic death. Guess not. *nymphtears*
    .-= Cynical Nymph´s last blog ..Yum Yum post =-.

  75. Love this. Completely hilarious. Nothing like anger-induced-unconscious-shoplifting. And I particularly appreciate the footnote about how this product is not in fact new. Don’t you love how we all treat Wiki as the gospel these days? New in this wonderful, witty world, but I love your blog and your odd, delicious brand of humor. Thanks.
    .-= Aidan Donnelley Rowley´s last blog ..Cardio Parenting =-.

  78. Wait, I thought he picked the name for the song after he wrote it BECAUSE he saw the deodorant and thought it was all ironic.

    And, only Christian music? Can you really think of anything that would make you want to kill yourself more? Maybe Christian music mixed with a little John Tesh. That’d do it for me.
    .-= Fairly Odd Mother´s last blog ..It’s In the Photograph =-.

  79. Being little when Nirvana was popular isn’t an excuse! I’m 13 and I listen to them!

  82. If this Amish-Martian cashier hadn’t heard of Nirvana, think of all the other important manufacturers of pop music she’s probably never experienced: Lady Gaga, Kanye West, the complete works of David Hasselhoff. You know, life’s a trade off. I’m afraid you and Victor might be responsible if she does follow your crazed urgings to listen to “Lithium” and it ignites a fire in her loins to don a tank top emblazoned with an anarchy symbol and dance in slo-motion like a possessed cheerleader in the “Smells Like Teen Spirit’ video, find a Nirvana cover band and run away on their bus.
    .-= Eliz´s last blog ..7 Casting Suggestions for an Alternate-Universe ‘Saved By the Bell’ Reunion =-.

  83. This post totally takes me back. Yep, I wore the stuff too. I can almost smell it now and feel the flannel shirt tied around my waist. Crazy! Nirvana was the first concert I ever went to and they kicked ass. Thanks for the memories.

    The really sad thing is, pretty soon I will have to explain to my nieces and nephews what VHS was (and Laser Disks, God that investment was short-effing-lived and don’t get me started on BETA!) and that Auntie Evening was born before the internet was invented. Then they are going to look at me like I am older than dirt. Crap-tastic!

  84. God- I bet her parents are friends with my mom. My mom was the type to go through my CD’s when I was in high school and throw away anything with a black person on the cover because it was probably, ‘rap crap.’ (real quote).
    Once she heard me listening to Natasha Bedingfield- and called it rap too, so she’s pretty much all over the place.
    .-= Prosy´s last blog ..Comedy Club =-.

  86. I’m laughing pretty hard right now…trying to catch my breath, actually. Weird that I knew about Teen Spirit the deodorant and the song but somehow never connected to two AT ALL. Hmm.
    .-= Jennifer´s last blog ..Healthy Treats =-.

  87. Don’t worry Jenny, I didn’t know it was deodorant either. But my parents didn’t let me wear deodorant because it is made with chemicals and prevents you from sweating which causes cancer or something, I don’t know but my mom gave me a crystal when I was like 11 and was like try that if you want deodorant. Um, yeah, those don’t work either.

    However, I did know about Nirvana. So, it’s not totally a parenting fail?
    .-= Deidre´s last blog ..Cold and Unresponsive: A post you should probably skip. =-.

  88. I hate cashiers that were born after the Clinton controversy and think that their birthday was the dawn of time. I would not only be banned from Kroger, but I’d be in lockup right now, because I’ve got a really short fuse, and I would have thrown the teen spirit at her head for being a snot nosed ignoramus. Kudos for your self-control. Tell Victor to chill cause being the voice of reason isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
    .-= Aria’z Ink´s last blog ..The Most Important Thing About Nostalgia =-.

  89. One time in college I laughed for about 45 minutes because I was checking to see if my armpits stunk and I actually smelled like teen spirit.

    It was college, I was probably high.

    (Also, it was my roommate’s deoderant.)
    .-= Sarah, Goon Squad Sarah´s last blog ..Evil Twins? =-.

  92. I thought that deodorant came out after the song, because of the song. All this time I thought Courtney Love was raking in the deodorant dough and frittering it away on Judy Garland Trail Mix.

    Teenagers should be forced to listen to Nevermind as part of their high school exit exams.
    .-= blissfully caffeinated´s last blog ..Vacate is the word =-.

  93. WTF? Why is deodorant packaging pink? I get it – they’re trying to appeal to all those pre-pubes that dance around to KidsBop, but it’s deodorant, people, not an effin’ lollipop. Lady Speed Stick – you blow.

    As for the stupid cashier – why is it they always have a dazed look on their faces? I feel like I’m in an f’d up version of Footloose and Kevin Bacon and Lori Singer are gonna dance across the grocery aisles.
    .-= twig´s last blog ..Get Off My Lawn! =-.

  94. The way I heard it is that someone wrote it on one of Kurt’s bandmates’ dorm room door as an insult. “So and so smells like ‘Teen Spirit'”–and they decided it would be a cool name for the song.

    I hope I haven’t repeated someone else’s comment but honestly, you’re so popular that I got tired after reading the first twenty and gave up. I think I read it in a Cobain interview but he could’ve been bullshitting. How frigging young does someone have to be not to remember Kurt Cobain? Thank God I wasn’t too old, fat and floppy to dance to this song when it came out.
    .-= kathcom´s last blog ..Magick Monday Rerun: 5 Lessons from Customer Service =-.

  95. i just want to hug you and squeeze you and feed you and call you george. ok. maybe not george. maybe just jenny. or not “just jenny” but just “jenny”. but not in a room full of jennys because then that would get confusing. for everyone. especially me. and i’m not even a jenny. but used to want to be a christie. but i’m not. and so even though i’m not a christie, i just totally heart you. i don’t comment enough because i’m a google reader whore. (don’t tell my mama) and i’m afflicted with laziness. (my mama already knows) so i was really like super compelled to leave a post to tell you that you just rock the crap out of awesomeness, but you know that already because you ARE the bloggess afterall, but one can never get enough compliments in my humble opinion. so there. thank me later. oh and i wouldn’t hug you or squeeze you in a weird funky kinda way, just a rainbows and stars and flowers and unicorns kinda way.
    rock on!
    .-= jacque´s last blog ..Wanna Do List: Out & About in NYC =-.

  97. Nirvana wasn’t a rock band- they were GRUNGE!!!

    feel free to stab me now…. 😛

    In other news- the first time Nirvana was played on a “classic rock” station in my area- I think I died a little inside and promptly requested lithium from my doc for the depression that ensued.
    .-= PottyMouth Mommy´s last blog ..Tale of the pantsless man =-.

  98. I knew the deodorant has been around a while but thought it came out after Nirvana’s song. And yeah, Grunge, but I couldn’t remember the name of what they called that music. I betcha now they are playing Come as you are (or whatever the title is to that song) on the Oldies Lite station. Man, getting old(er) sucks. Loved Nirvana though, and that nudey little baby swimming in the water.
    .-= MaNiC MoMMy´s last blog ..BuZZeD =-.

  99. I hate when cashiers ask you if you want to buy things, especially if the item is sitting right next to them and you’ve already seen it. If I’m at the cashier’s desk you can safely assume I have already selected the things I need (or want) to buy, so don’t offer me more things!
    .-= Katie´s last blog ..The Delicate Art of Eating … Snails =-.

  100. I can hear Smells like Teen Spirit in my sleep because when my son was learning to play the guitar, that is what he chose. Maybe I need to send him over to the cashiers house.
    .-= Deb Wilson´s last blog ..Teen recall notice… =-.

  103. Dude. I didn’t know about the deodorant until a year ago. And I love Nirvana. I’ve seen them in concert. I’m THAT OLD. And apparently certain medications make it hard to type because I keep getting squiggly lines under my words. Fuck that shit.
    .-= Sam´s last blog ..Waking Up =-.

  107. My sister-in-law teaches an Arts and Letters class and covers a music section. It’s high school, approximately 10th grade level. She says it’s amazing, some of these kids don’t know Nirvana, even the Beatles. She told me one story of how she was going to show a tape of Bob Dylan, popped in the tape, a black jazz musician was playing and the kids go “Is that Bob Dylan?”

    It’s also amazing how many kids where shirts by Pink Floyd, Led Zepplin, The Doors, without even knowing thier music, or if they do, not knowing any music that’s not one of the biggest hits.
    .-= Anaaki´s last blog ..It’s inevitable =-.

  108. Teen Spirit may smell like twats on toast, but that free deodorant we got at BlogHer that looks like a sea anemone when you crank it up smells so good my husband thought I was wearing a new perfume. Damn good timing too, because I’m almost out of my Dolce & Gabana Light Blue. This Dove stuff is going to be a hell of a lot cheaper.
    .-= califmom´s last blog ..The Essence Of The Hole =-.

  109. Oh man. I just realized that I actually thought that song was about deoderant. In my defense, I wsa 12 when Kurt offed himself. But still… I’m pretty ignorant. Thanks for drawing my awareness to it.
    .-= Jessica´s last blog ..A Rather Convenient Truth =-.

  110. It may sound sarcastic, but I assure you it’s not– you should have slapped her. Because then she might have suddenly realized she HAD heard of fucking Nirvana. Or, she’d say she did just to make you stop hitting her, and then she’d go walk outside into the modern world and learn about fucking Nirvana.

    Either way, you’d have done the world a favor.
    .-= LiteralDan´s last blog ..Amusing searches, Vol. 1 =-.

  111. Duuuuuuude. How can you be a Nirvana fan and not know that he wrote the song after the line graffitied by a girl that said “Kurt smells like Teen Spirit”?!
    The Australian VH1 channel played the whole Nirvana unplugged set last night and I left it on while I buggerised around the house. You know you’ve listened to quite a bit of Nirvana in your youth when you can anticipate every sound and stupid, random thing he says in between songs.
    Christ, I could go for some smack right now.

  113. I may need to wear my Nirvana smiley face shirt this weekend to educate the young.

    I don’t know which is sadder honestly, the fact the cashier had no idea who Nirvana or Kurt Cobain were or the fact Victor was worried you would break a hip.

    I bet she could name all the guys from Fallout Boy though.
    .-= Houston´s last blog ..You Are Evil Will Ferrell =-.

  114. Who cares?

    Is it some sort of life or death thing to know who this rock group was?

    Did you know all of the rock groups of the 70s or 60s when you were a teen? Imagine some old idiot wanting to whop you over the head for not.

    Get over it! You are not the apex of pop culture anymore. People have moved on from 1992, believe it or not. You sound like some bitter 39-year-old that’s POd that you aren’t 17 anymore.

  115. what the fuck? i just actually read a Wikipedia page on fucking teen spirit deodorant. by my own free will. Kill me now.

  116. Kathleen Hanna of Le Tigre used to be in an Olympa, Washington based band called Bikini Kill.
    The drummer of Bikini Kill was a woman named Tobi Vail who I’m told dated Kurt for quite some time.
    Growing up in Olympia the next generation after them, I was told that the song’s name was taken from some graffiti that Kathleen wrote that said “Kurt smells like teen spirit” ostensibly because he had used his girlfriends deoderant.

  118. Clueless? I met a early 20-something the other day whose name was Ishmael. I said to him “So I can just call you Ishmael, right?” and he was all “that’s my name, don’t wear it out” and I answered “Seen any white whales lately?” and he was “Huh?”
    The guy had never heard of Moby Dick in his life, and was born and “educated” in America. Just another WTF? moment.

  119. My 7 year old bought Teen Spirit, brought it with her on our trip to Jamaica, and then locked it in the hotel safe. You know, just in case.
    .-= Carolyn Online´s last blog ..Zoom. =-.

  120. She didn’t know who Nirvana was? I would have reported her to her manager.

    All that’s missing from that deodorant packaging is a picture of Hello Kitty.
    .-= Laura´s last blog ..It’s not a tumor =-.

  121. You make me feel so old… I never heard of the song or, for that matter, the deodorant.
    Incidentally, my wife is extremely sensitive to most antiperspirants and deodorants. She’s been using milk of magnesia lately. Yeah, I know, it sounds weird but it’s a great deodorant.
    .-= Don Crowder AKA eldergeek´s last blog ..No, I wanna hear about your problems =-.

  123. I have to admit…I probably would have gotten thrown out of the store for yelling and/or starting a riot after she said she didn’t know what you were talking about. Good thing someone was with you.
    .-= Kim´s last blog ..Ghosts of Choices Past =-.

  126. How, I ask, how can deodorant be cute and girlie? It masks armpit-based body odor. For no reason should it ever shine, sparkle, or boast any qualities of gender-specific adorability.

    Though I too rely on the oft-unreliable Wikipedia as a major source of knowledge, I wonder if that little Nirvana anecdote is remotely factual. Either way, it makes a good story to tell your kids. Or your check-out girl. Really, whoever is in need.

    And don’t feel bad. We all get banned from grocery stores every now and again.
    .-= Children of the 90s´s last blog ..Push Pops and Ring Pops =-.

  127. Nirvana was after my time. I was 80’s hair bands. But the deodorant thing stands out. I remember a Nun I had, Sister Carl giving us the lecture about our changing smelly bodies and that should would in fact embarrass us public if need be. I just remember telling my mother that Sister Carl said we were all stinky and had to have deodorant for school. At which point my older sister threw it at me and told me it wouldn’t help me because it was my ass that smelled. Ah…I miss catholic school, lol.

  131. Oh please.. Kurt Cobain didnt change music or the music industry. He ripped off punk rock, watered it down so it get more mainstream appeal and released slickly produced records under the guise of being new and authtentic

  132. I think it’s extremely funny when someone spends their time reading (an obviously awesome blog) and then posts a hater comment (i’m talking about you #114 Reallly – get a dictionary. Duh, you can stop reading at any time.) Anyway, you get much better hate mail than I do. That’s just how fabulous you are that people are so jealous they have to strike back.

    Anyway, I would have told that girl how pitiful her life is to not know real music before I smacked her because what kind of self-respect can you have if you’re a teenager and you actually do what your parents tell you to do?
    .-= Twitter Fail´s last blog ..Hippy Dippy =-.

  134. Liar….only HEB sells you stuff right at the counter, not Kroger.

    Signed,

    The chick that bumrushed you at Blogher by saying ‘I lived in Houston, too!!’
    .-= traci´s last blog ..My Soul Bearing Credo =-.

  136. You know, I actually had to look up the lyrics. Does anyone really believe this is correct?

    A mulatto, an albino
    A mosquito, my libido
    Yeah, hey, yay

  137. I love you. Lets be friends!

    When I can read someone’s blog and totally hear a person’s voice inside my head narrating it, like we’re having a conversation, I know its going to be one of my favs for a long time.

    I’ev just stumbled upon you and added your blog to my blog’s blog roll… Can I say blog one more time? Arg.
    .-= AC Siapno´s last blog ..Pier 46 Seafood =-.

  138. I love you. You totally made my day. For the first time in my life, I was actually rolling on the floor laughing my ass off with tears streaming down my face, when I read this. Thank you for being brilliant.

  139. A quote from Heavier Than Heaven (a biography about Kurt)

    “During on rambunctious night of partying at Kurt’s house, Kathleen Hanna [ex gf] spray-painted ‘Kurt smells like teen spirit’ on the bedroom wall. She was referring to a deodorant for teenage girls, so her graffiti was not without impication. Tobi [his girl at the time] used Teen Spirit and by writing this on the wall, kathleen was taunting Kurt about sleeping with her, implying he was marked by her scent”

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  141. Jimbo, those lyrics are correct.

    I remember slam dancing to Teen Spirit and thinking, “Did he just say mulatto? A mosquito?” And then Nirvana blew my mind.
    .-= Azucar´s last blog ..A Humble Nomination =-.

  143. Teen Spirit made my armpits break out into a horrible rash to which I then dubbed it “Mean Spirit”. Ok, it was funny when I was 13 and mad because I couldn’t hang with the cool kids deodorant.

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  153. This is awesome! I love reading your posts! A similar thing happened to me when I used to live in Plano, TX, at a Krogers. It also included a Jesus-loving person -_-
    .-= Ron´s last blog ..Future Projects 2009 =-.

  154. Its not true. That website lies. He wrote that song because at the time he was dating Tobi Vail, and she and her friend spray panted”smells like teen spirit” on his wall and they made fun of him about how he slept with her and now her deoderant was on him. Then she broke up with him and he wrote the song.

  155. I’m trying to find and buy one or more bottles of the original.

    TEEN SPIRIT Hair Spray – Romantic Rose is scent

    Please contact me if you have it and I will make a good offer to buy it from you. I’ve been looking for this for many years. I know they stopped making it, but hoping someone has some of it. Half bottles are ok too.

    doreeisat@yahoo.com
    Oct 2010

  156. Pingback: Best In Show: Week Of August 3rd | bethsix

  157. One time I was talking with some friends about Smashing Pumpkins and one friend was like “I wonder how they even got their name.” And I went off in some _genius_ improv and said that they met on Halloween at a party and started smashing pumpkins and voila. He believed me. It was awesome.

  158. Oh, wow…I actually had a thing of Teen Spirit deodorant!!!
    And surprisingly, though I am only 19 now and was like maybe 13 when I got it, my first thought was “Smells Like Teen Spirit” too.
    Although I have no clue who Kurt Cobain or Nirvana are. I listen to country music. I just notice stuff. Also my mom raised me in the wrong decade…I can talk for hours about Wonder Woman (with Linda Carter), Macgyver, Fantasy Island, Love Boat, Quantum Leap, The Equalizer (awesome show!)…I hardly watched tv from my own decade. Like, ever. I can tell you I used to watch Hey Arnold and Lizzie McGuire, and really, that’s about all I can remember.

    Actually, hang on *goes to check* holy crap, I still have the container from the deodorant! Which means it moved 1500 miles cross-country with my family when I was 15, survived four years, then moved another 2000 miles back towards where it came from (we overshot a little). Dang. It’s missing the label though. But it has the pink lid!

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