Nirvana sued by Killing Joke

Melody Maker - August 15th, 1992.

Nirvana are being sued by Killing Joke


According to bassist Paul Raven, papers have filed in Los Angeles claiming that the guitar riff of Nirvana’s "Come As You Are" is a direct copy of Killing Joke's 1985 hit, "Eighties". A spokesperson for Killing Joke told The Maker:

"We have the reports of two independent musicologists who say that there is a case to be answered and we are going ahead with the action."

Joke bassist Raven added: "I recently signed a new deal. The label called me and told me they were into pursuing it, so they got in touch with the head of Virgin Publishing in America. It's been going on for a month now. Basically, w have to prove that they’ve heard of us - the legal guys call it coercion. They have heard of us cos we've got Christmas cards from them when they were a baby band. They've also namechecked us as an influence in loads of their early interviews.

Raven and singer Jax Coleman claim that the guitar riff that "Come As You Are" is built around is a slowed-down version of the one that forms the backbone of "Eighties". The pair claims that Nirvana even used the same guitar effects for the song.