Serving the Servant

The book was announced in July 2018, and was released April 2nd, 2019, around the 25th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death. It was published by Ecco Press.{{cite book |last=Gaar |first=Gillian G |date=April 3, 2019 |url=https://bookandfilmglobe.com/nonfiction/book-review-serving-the-servant/ |title=The Man Who Loved Kurt Cobain |website=bookandfilmglobe.com |accessdate=April 18, 2020}} In May 2019, Goldberg held an "Ask Me Anything" Session to promote the book, on Reddit.{{cite web |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Nirvana/comments/bq6tco/danny_goldberg/ |title=Danny Goldberg |website=reddit.com |accessdate=April 18, 2020}} The book is named after the Nirvana song "Serve the Servants" which is the first track on the band's 1993 album, In Utero.{{cite web |last=Smoak |first=Shelby |url=https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/serving-servant |title=Serving the Servant: Remembering Kurt Cobain |website=nyjournalofbooks.com |accessdate=April 20, 2020}}

In promotion of the book, Goldberg stated:

{{blockquote|I think that in terms of icons, Kurt was kind of the last icon of the rock era and then the hip-hop era started.

Then, obviously, in our kid's generation, hip-hop has been a dominant voice for adolescence. It's not the only one, there were still rock artists but not only was he iconic in terms of depth in which he touched people, that music was pop. Those songs were as big as Rihanna, Travis Scott or Justin Bieber or anything today.

They were pop hits as well as touching the underground culture. That fusion of pop and underground, I don't think rock has produced someone else who could do that since Kurt. I think he's arguably the last of that era.

You could almost have bookends of an era that started with The Beatles and ended with Kurt. I mean, yeah, there was rock and roll before The Beatles but The Beatles broadened it and I think you can make that argument.{{cite news |date=April 20, 2019 |url=https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/nirvana_manager_i_dont_think_dave_grohl_touches_people_as_deeply_as_kurt_did_i_suspect_dave_would_acknowledge_that_too.html |title=Nirvana Manager: I Don't Think Dave Grohl Touches People as Deeply as Kurt Did. I Suspect Dave Would Acknowledge That Too |work=Ultimate Guitar |access-date=December 11, 2023}}{{cite news |last=Jenke |first=Tyler |date=April 21, 2019 |url=https://tonedeaf.thebrag.com/nirvana-manager-kurt-cobain-last-icon-rock-era/ |title=Nirvana's manager calls Kurt Cobain the 'last icon of the rock era' |work=Tone Deaf |access-date=December 11, 2023}}{{cite news |last=Mazzarone |first=Mike |date=April 20, 2019 |url=https://www.alternativenation.net/nirvana-reveal-dave-grohl-made-money-kurt-cobain/ |title=Nirvana Reveal If Dave Grohl Made More Money Than Kurt Cobain |work=Alternative Nation |access-date=December 11, 2023}}}}

The book was well-received. Rolling Stone writer Angie Martoccio stated of the book "[Goldberg] added a fascinating perspective to one of rock’s most harrowing stories, one that will certainly enhance the late icon’s legacy."{{cite magazine |last=Martoccio |first=Angie |date=April 5, 2019 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/book-review-danny-goldberg-serving-the-servant-nirvana-817624/ |title=Book Review: Danny Goldberg's 'Serving the Servant' is a Fascinating Account of His Years Inside Nirvana's Drama |magazine=Rolling Stone |accessdate=April 18, 2020}}

Gillian Gaar, for bookandfilmglobe.com, wrote that "The pain he feels over Cobain’s death still lingers, and he writes of still wondering if there’s something he could’ve said or done that might have made a difference. But while Goldberg’s feelings of loss run deep throughout the story, Serving the Servant never hesitates to accentuate the positive".

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Category:2019 non-fiction books

Category:Cultural depictions of Kurt Cobain

Category:Works about Nirvana (band)

Category:Ecco Press books