Nicole Brodeur / Times staff columnist
Novoselic's new sound is political

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In John Hiatt's "Perfectly Good Guitar," he laments a rock star who ends a song by smashing the guitar he used to play it. His inspiration: former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic.

But in the years since the death of Kurt Cobain and his groundbreaking band, Novoselic, 38, has gone from destroying guitars to "fixing our broken democracy."

"I was part of a musical revolution," Novoselic said recently. "So I guess I am starting a political one."

Once a raging scarecrow of rock, he's now a smooth, suited activist who reads The Nation, seeks to change the state voting system and, at 6-foot-7, has been towering over an array of political events.

The other night, he co-hosted a fund-raiser for Seattle City Councilwoman Heidi Wills' re-election campaign. And Thursday night, Novoselic will be at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture for the 30th anniversary reception for the Washington State Public Interest Research Group (WashPIRG).

WashPIRG is thrilled to have Novoselic's star power as it drums up support for a renewable clean-energy bill, among other things.

"Krist is somewhat of an anomaly in the music business," said WashPIRG executive director Robert Pregulman. "He's given up all these other projects to devote himself to progressive politics."

Novoselic is particularly passionate about creating "super districts" which would be represented by more than one candidate, and thus give voters more choice — and voice.

"Anything else is taxation without representation," he said.

As a kid growing up in Aberdeen, Novoselic was "disaffected" with politics until high school, when he was drawn to the Dead Kennedys and other bands that sang of liberation and political freedom.

When Nirvana took off in 1991, "We were outspoken about issues that we cared about," Novoselic said. "Human rights, women's rights, personal freedom.

"I guess we were more 'anti-stupidity' than anything."

Cobain's death in 1994 "was like a spaceship or a plane exploded," he said. "I just stayed at home."

(Novoselic and his partner, textile artist Darbury Stenderu, live near the Columbia River in Southwest Washington, where they grow vegetables, and Novoselic hosts the "Stuck on Vinyl" radio show on KMUN, out of Astoria, Ore.)

A year after Cobain died, Novoselic was roused by the "Harmful to Minors" bill being debated in Olympia. The bill sought to ban the dissemination of sexually explicit films, CDs and other media to minors, unless the materials had "serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value." It also would have hamstrung voices like Nirvana.

"It was an insult," Novoselic said. "After all the music industry had done for this state. ... "

His outrage moved him to act, starting with a tour of the Legislature. A far cry for a guy who used to tour the world, smashing guitars.

"I find something fulfilling about standing up for democracy," Novoselic said. "It's America, damn it."

Nicole Brodeur's column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Reach her at 206-464-2334 or nbrodeur@seattletimes.com. More columns at www.seattletimes.com/ columnists. Antidisestablishment- arianism. Sure.

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