Legendary Seattle grunge DJ on 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' remake: ‘I think it's awesome'

A remake of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” -- one that changes the feel of the song by changing minor chords to major chords -- has gained thousands of views online since being posted by an Austin, Texas, musician.

Will Patterson, 28, found the isolated track for Kurt Cobain’s vocal and wanted to see what the sound would sound like if done as a pop punk track.

The song was getting mixed reviews since being posted January 4: Some people love it, some people don’t.

Marco Collins, who was the flagship DJ and music director at Seattle's 107.7 "The End" during the 1990's grunge explosion and put the original "Smells Like Teen Spirit" in power rotation, was a big fan.

“I think it’s awesome,” Collins told KIRO 7 on Friday. “Drastically changes the song’s demeanor. It’s so hopeful now! To answer your question, yes I would’ve played this back in the day. Hell, I’d play the hell out of it now!”

Patterson, who watched with wonderment as the song was spreading across Facebook, explained how the idea came to him, how he remade the track, and what he’s learned from the experience.

Read the Q and A below the video.

How did the idea come about? 
I was supposed to play a show but stayed home sick with a cold. I was on reddit and saw that somebody posted the stems of the song – the individual tracks separated. So I started playing around with it and I thought I could turn it into a pop punk song. ... I was trying to take it in a completely different direction.

How did you create it?
It was made with Pro Tools. I do music for commercials and film, so I have all these programs where I can put the vocals into different keys and stuff.

How long did it take?
About four hours.

What instruments did you play on the remix?
I played the guitars and bass and just used the original vocals and drums.

What chords did you change it to and from?
I changed it to a super common progression that's used in most pop songs. It's the I-V-vi-IV progression.

[That progression involves the I, V, vi, and IV chords; for example, in the key of C major, this would be: C–G–Am–F. That info comes from "The Total Rock Bassist" by Dan Bennett, cited by Wikipedia. Patterson also referenced the popular online video of Axis of Awesome doing the 4 Chord Song.]

[Patterson said the original Smells Like Teen Spirit is in the key of Fm and follows the pattern F–B♭–A♭–D♭. Patterson’s remake uses the chords E♭-B♭-Cm-A♭]

What has the feedback been? 
I can't believe how it's taking off. I've seen it posted on Facebook by friends of friends and people I don't even know. All my favorite music websites are posting about it. People are saying they're playing it in the office. I'm pretty surprised. People either love it or hate it, which is maybe where it's getting traction, because it's controversial.

What's your take on Marco Collins' comments?
That's a huge honor to hear that from him. That's amazing. I wonder what [Nirvana bassist] Krist Novoselic or [Nirvana drummer] Dave Grohl would think?

How did you learn music?
My parents were in a band. They taught me guitar, and I learned the other instruments. I do music for film for a living, so I've learned to play a whole bunch of different instruments.

What is the take away from this song taking off on the Internet?
People seem to really enjoy things that are made with ease and made with fun. It seems to come through. It's kind of inspired me in my own music to record things without over-producing. It seems that people really pick up on art that comes effortlessly. It's been a realization that I've had after this and the Zelda thing.

[Last year, Patterson used synthesizers to remake the music from the Zelda video game for the original Nintendo. That also took off online, getting thousands of views.]

How can people get your original music?
Sleepgood.bandcamp.com is the best place. I'm also putting out a new album, Bohemian Grove, that will be out in late April, and that will be on the Bandcamp site. We're pressing that on vinyl.

Nirvana first played "Smells Like Teen Spirit" nearly 27 years ago. It's the song that would help launch the Seattle band and grunge rock to international audience.

The show, that took place on April 17, 1991, was performed at the OK Hotel near the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Nirvana played with two other bands that Wednesday night: Fits of Depression and Bikini Kill.

The show was only the second in Seattle that the band played with Grohl, who is now the lead singer and guitarist for the Foo Fighters. The other show was at the Off Ramp Café, which is now El Corazón at 109 Eastlake Ave. E.

The performance was recorded by a three-camera film crew, and part of the show footage was later used in the documentary “Hype!” about the Seattle-area grunge scene in the early and mid-1990s.

A recording of the performance has been posted to YouTube. Watch it below.

Cox Media Group