Fillmore East CD Contest Winners

Danny Whitten and Kurt Cobain

In the recent Thrasher's Wheat contest to win a Fillmore East CD we asked the question: Who reminded Neil of Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten? And why?

We received well over 200 entries and spent some time sorting them out. Most entries correctly answered that Kurt Cobain reminded Neil of Danny Whitten. And many entries also had a number of possible answers as to why for the tiebreaker. Similarities between Danny and Kurt included:

- looked similar with dirty blonde hair
- singer-songwriter-guitarist
- died tragically before age of 30
- used heroin

But the entry from James H. of Cambridge, MA summed it up best by making the connections between Tonight's The Night and Sleeps With Angels. Here is James' entry:

Neil Young was reminded of Danny Whitten by Kurt Cobain. Both were young when they died, confused about their place in the world and in the music business, and bombarded by dangerous addictions to heroin and other drugs. The comparison arose in the wake of Cobain's suicide note, wherein he quotes from the Young song "My, My, Hey, Hey (Out Of The Blue)"...this wracked terrible feelings on Neil, that in some way a misinterpretation of his lyrics had fueled Cobain's internal urge to end his life. These feelings surfaced on the "Sleeps With Angels" album, an album that has been compared to "Tonight's the Night," Young's tribute to Danny Whitten and roadie Bruce Berry, both of whom had recently succumbed to premature deaths. Neil was especially bothered by Whitten's overdose, as he had just kicked Whitten out of the band for awhile until he could get his act together. Neil gave him 50 bucks and sent him home, and a little while later, he was dead. Neil's feelings that he somehow played a role in Whitten's death are so much like the awful feelings he experienced with the revelations from Kurt Cobain's suicide note. It is this sense of anger and grief that pervades the two albums, "Tonight's The Night" and "Sleeps With Angels."

Wendy S. of Lachine, Quebec, Canada was the runner-up winner. Congratulations to both. Your CDs are on their way.

And thanks to all who submitted entries! Thrasher enjoyed reviewing your submissions.

More on the story of Danny Whitten, Kurt Cobain and Neil Young.