Lots to compare here, the love of Leadbelly being the chief amongst. Kurt had a love of the blues which is well documented and only in the weeks before his death there was talk of him going to the studio of Greg Sage, of The Wipers fame, to cut an album worth of blues covers. The concept was not the first attempt, having earlier got together with Mark Lanegan of the Screaming Trees to try something similar. Whilst the first attempt didn’t result in the planned album it did result in Mark Lanegan’s solo career, of which we can all be thankful. The love for the blues and Leadbelly isn’t the only cross over between Nirvana and the White Stripes, the other and quite possibly a strong link between the two is none other the mighty Pixies. Kurt was very open about trying to rip off the Pixies, especially with Smell Like Teen Spirit, and his love in general for the band. A love so big he earned the nick name ‘pixies meat’ from lover girl Courtney. Whilst the White Stripes are celebrated as a band that made the blues cool for the new millennium, their best songs are actually the ones that sounded like the Pixies. Whereas Kurt was more interested in the loud/quite dynamics, the White Stripes actually sounded like the Pixies, no more than on ‘Fell In Love With Girl’. Both bands also has a love for making records without being over produced, both followed up their breakthrough album by going out of their way to make unpolished follow ups. Amen to that!!