A Look Inside the Kurt Cobain-Decorated Melvins Van
The Melvin's van or "The Melvan," once driven and hand decorated by Kurt Cobain is up for auction on Ebay. A seller by the name of "taddoyal" is listing it, however, it is not the former singer/guitarist of the grunge band Tad (Tad Doyle) who is selling it, but rather a gentleman by the name of Ben Berg, who plays bass in the group Weird Beast. It turns out Berg has been in possession of the vehicle since around 1992.
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Mean Machine
Kurt Cobain, a fan of the Melvins, helped the band add paintings, drawings, and words to the exterior and interior of their 1972 Dodge Sportsman Royal Van.
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KISS
Cobain drew a "Kiss mural" (similar to the cover of Kiss' self-titled debut) on the side of the Melvins' van – and chauffeured the band to their shows.
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‘The Only Bear You’ll Ever Pinch’
The beat-up 1972 Dodge Sportsman Royal Van is a fading musical treasure trove of old graffiti by Kurt and the Melvins.
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The Dash
"I think Kurt's name is carved somewhere in the van, as well. I don't know the exact location. I know that Krist Novoselic's name is carved in there. Dale Crover's name from the Melvins is carved in there."
– Ben Berg, the owner and seller of the van
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Kiss Mural
"I had no idea that Kurt was even affiliated with that van until well after it was in my possession. I was told that the Kiss mural was drawn by Kurt Cobain and it was done in Sharpie markers that he shoplifted. I was also told that he used to drive the Melvins around to their shows in the area."
–Ben Berg, the owner and seller of the van
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Melvan Mileage
And what about the mileage on the Melvan? "Oh god, it's off the chart. When the Melvins had it, they actually used it on their first US tour. They went all the way over to the East Coast in it. Buzz [Osborne] told me one time that somewhere on that tour; they woke up to Lukin trying to put out a fire in the engine. It hasn't been started for years."
– Ben Berg, the owner and seller of the van