Deadpan documentary reveals how Kurt Cobain’s lighter made Scott King a “rebel” artist

Scott King parodies pretentious art in new film.

Halfway through Nirvana’s 1989 Berlin gig, Kurt Cobain’s guitar amp blew up. As he waited for a roadie to fix the amp, he lit a cigarette and tossed the lighter into the crowd. By chance, future art director / graphic designer Scott King was there and caught Kurt’s lighter. That moment, Scott says, set him on the path to becoming a “rebel” artist and, “more importantly” a collector of rock memorabilia.

This film, released to coincide with Berlin music festival Pop-Kultur, details this story and those of Scott’s other prized rock items – which include a plug adaptor that once belonged to Marty Rev from Suicide and, what may be, Led Zeppelin manager Peter Grant’s last, solar-powered, calculator. These are the treasures that shaped Scott’s life.

Directed by Paul Kelly, the 18-minute short, entitled Kurt’s Lighter , sends up the the peculiar and sometimes pretentious world of ‘collectable’ items.

Credits
Scott King interviewed by Matthew Worley
Filmed and directed by Paul Kelly
Produced by Moritz Schmall
Music by Pete Wiggs
Sound recording by Sebastian Kleinloh
Interview second camera and sound recording by Fred Burns
Motion graphics by Rob Jones