Electrotrashers Gravy Train!!!! were in New York this month to perform at the Brooklyn Pool Party with Prince Paul. The night before the show, lead singer Chunx (Heather Jewett) told me about her pre-teen encounter with Courtney Love at the “Miss World” video shoot, and I had to record the account. It is the saddest story of idol disappointment that I’ve ever heard, but like so many stories about Courtney Love, I can’t decide if I like her more or less now.

SBTVC: So take me from the beginning.

Chunx: The very beginning is me at the age 11 sitting on the toilet and reading that Vanity Fair article over and over and over again and that’s how I found out who Courtney Love was–this was before the internet. I had to buy everything this person had ever made and I became a huge fan without ever hearing her music [laughs].

When did you meet her?

I was 12-years-old when I was listening to alternative rock KROQ radio in L.A. and I was a super grunge pre-teen and they made casting call for extras in the new Hole video and I was like, I have to go to this. This is my big chance; I can finally meet her! I asked my dad to take me and he was a really good sport. He couldn’t find a babysitter so he brought my little brother who was eight. There was hardly anyone there because no one knew who she was.

What was the shoot like?

The set-up was like you see in the video–the “Cleanliness Is Next to Godliness” banner on the stage. I remember we were waiting outside for a really long time and everyone was singing songs to make the time pass, and one of the songs that we sang over and over again was “All That She Wants” by Ace of Base [laughs]. Even my dad was singing it! We filed in and we were really exciting. All they did was play the song a lot while the band lip-synced and pretended to play. And we just had to jump up and down and mosh.

After the shoot was she signing autographs?

In between takes she’d come down to the side of the stage and sign autographs and talk to people. I was freaking out. They were handing out Hole stickers and I was going to get my heart-shaped Hole sticker signed and it was going to be the best moment of my life.

So she signed it?

Um… no. A bunch of people were crowded around her, I was one of them. She was signing autographs, and when it was my turn she took one look at me and turned on her heels like I was a repulsive human being. And I think she did that because I thought it would be really cool to wear a Nirvana shirt to show her that I supported her husband [laughs], like she needed to see that one person supported him. And she just looked at my shirt–looked me right up and down. I was 12-years-old! I was just this little kid and I couldn’t believe she would turn me down like that. It was devastating!

Jesus, did it scar you?

Yeah. I had run-ins before where I was excited to be around celebrities and they disappointed me, but she was probably the hardest because I liked her so much and because it was so personal. She literally signed everyone else’s except for mine and she just glared at me. I mean, we were standing face to face.

Oh, no!

The most humiliating moment probably wasn’t her dissing me. I was really young and I had never been in a mosh pit before, and I was really scared when this guy stage dived and his Dr. Martin was right next to my head. Instead of pushing my arms up to hold him, I just cowered in fear and totally pussed out.

It’s funny because I remember Courtney always complaining about Nirvana fans.

I had read an interview from after the video shirt where she was complaining about the wannabe riot grrrls who were extras in that video and how she was so disgusted by them, and I thought she was totally talking about me.

You said you went to her book signing last year…

Yeah, she was really sweet at the book signing and it was this kind of thing where they just rush you through, she signs the book, and then you leave. I wanted to give her a piece of my mind 15 years later, but they wouldn’t let me say anything!

No related posts.