The author of the Kurt Cobain biography "Heavier Than Heaven" examines the legacy of the Nirvana frontman and discusses why he still matters twenty years after his death. On April 5, 1994, 27-year-old Kurt Cobain took his own life. His desperation to kick drugs, his complicated relationship with fame, his tortured soul--all these elements came together in one terrible moment, and the landscapes of music and pop culture were forever changed. Two decades...

Since its origins in the 1970s, punk has had an explosive influence on fashion. With its eclectic mixing of stylistic references, punk effectively introduced the postmodern concept of bricolage to the elevated precincts of haute couture and directional ready-to-wear. As a style, punk is about chaos, anarchy, and rebellion. Drawing on provocative sexual and political imagery, punks made fashion overtly hostile and threatening. This aesthetic of violence...