Grohl’s life changed forever when he received a phone call telling him that Kurt died. He knew he would “never see his strange, flat fingers or his skinny elbows, or his piercing blue eyes” (181) again. Grohl was overcome with a deep sadness when suddenly, he received another call saying Kurt was still alive. Over a month later, Kurt was pronounced dead, and the finality of it was real. Grohl says these conflicting reports have affected him to this day, causing him to relive the hope of receiving a second call with better news each time he experiences a loss.

After he processed his grief healthily the first time, Grohl found himself unable to feel it when Kurt actually died. The idea of Kurt dying so young and having been such an amazing friend, father, artist, and person, left Grohl terrified of feeling the pain of loss again. After Kurt’s death, Grohl found himself struggling to cope. Today, Grohl knows that he will “always be that guy from Nirvana, and [he is] proud of it” (185). Although he only knew Kurt for a few years, the time changed Grohl—and the world—forever.

Grohl recounts another significant death in his life: that of his childhood best friend,

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