Why Playing With Paul McCartney Terrified Nirvana’s Bass Guitarist

One of the most exciting collaborations in the 2010s was when Paul McCartney teamed up with the remaining members of Nirvana. While Nirvana was a legendary band of the 90s, the grunge-rock band couldn’t compare with the iconic status of The Beatles. So, it makes perfect sense that Nirvana’s bass guitarist Krist Novoselic was horrified of playing with Sir Paul. 

Paul McCartney had no idea he was playing with Nirvana

In 2012, Foo Fighters’ lead singer and former Nirvana member, Dave Grohl, invited Paul McCartney to collaborate on a track for his 2013 documentary Sound City. The song is titled “Cut Me Some Slack”, and McCartney performed lead vocals. In an interview with DIY, McCartney said Grohl hadn’t informed him the other Nirvana members would be there, so McCartney had no idea who he was playing with. 

“[Grohl] said he was just having a jam with a couple of mates, so I roll up there with the theory that something will happen and I’m playing this crazy little cigar-box guitar that I’m enjoying, and these other guys join in, Dave gets on the drums. We jam around and then Dave says something like, ‘We haven’t done this forever, man!’ I’m like, what do you mean? He’s like, ‘The band!’ I’m being a total thick-head. And it turns out the other guys are the rest of Nirvana. Then we end up getting a Grammy for this thing we did, just by following the trail, letting things happen.”

Krist Novoselic was terrifed to play with McCartney

Paul McCartney played bass in a revolutionary way for The Beatles, so many bass players would be intimidated to play the instrument around him. That happened when Novoselic recorded “Cut Me Some Slack” with the former Beatle. In an interview with Bass Player magazine, Novoselic said he hoped he wouldn’t be playing bass during their session and compared it to doing “karate with Bruce Lee.”

“I realized we were playing in D, so I did the old grunge trick, and I drop-tuned my bass to D,” Novoselic said. “I played some riffs and boom! Then Paul shot me a riff, and I shot him a riff, and everything started clicking perfectly.”

‘Cut Me Some Slack’ proved to be a big hit for everyone

Bringing Paul McCartney into everything is a recipe for success, and it was for the Nirvana reunion. Upon its release, critics and audiences loved its sound. It’s a heavy track, and McCartney’s vocals harken back to The Beatles’ “Helter Skelter,” which many consider a precursor to heavy metal.

The track won Best Rock Song at the 2014 Grammy Awards, earning McCartney his 17th Grammy. He would win another Grammy for Best Music Film for Live Kisses the year after. It was also the second Grammy for Nirvana as the band only one once with Kurt Cobain. They won back in 1996 for Best Alternative Music Performance for their performance on MTV Unplugged in New York. McCartney is only a Tony award away from earning the prestigious EGOT.