How Nirvana once ended up playing footy with Chippendale’s strippers

Former music promoter David McLean has spoken out about his time hanging with grunge icons Nirvana and their frontman Kurt Cobain prior to his passing in 1994. 

Speaking to The Guardian, McLean, who began his career by promoting gigs in Dundee and managing artists such as Placebo, dished out some amazing anecdotes about his time with Nirvanan during the peak of their popularity, ahead of the release of his film Schemers later this month.

One such revelation from McLean included that the brooding Kurt Cobain was, surprisingly, a huge ABBA fan.

“Everyone says Dave [Grohl] is the nicest man in rock,” McLean said. “Kurt was great too. I remember his piercing blue eyes. He was such a genuine person. He put up a disco ball in the tour bus and would sing ‘Dancing Queen’ because he loved ABBA.”

McLean also recalled one time when Nirvana ended up playing football against a group of Nottingham Chippendales strippers during their 1991 U.K. tour while they were promoting Nevermind.

“After Nottingham Rock City, the Chippendales – a group of male strippers – were in the hotel bar,” he shares. “For some reason, Nirvana’s manager said, ‘fancy a game of five-a-side?’”

McLean added that Chippendales and Nirvana played the football match in the middle of a car park, saying: “So Nirvana played a game of five-a-side versus the Chippendales in the car park. Kurt was quite fit and Dave got stuck in. I can’t remember who won but for the rest of the night I pulled a bit of a fast one and pull all the drinks on the Chippendales’ manager’s room.”

Check out ‘Come As You Are’ by Nirvana:

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