Entertainment
Nirvana: Who was the baby on Nevermind and were they underwater?
Nevermind has sold over 30 million copies worldwide
The man who was depicted on Nirvana’s iconic Nevermind album cover as a baby is suing band members and the estate of the late Kurt Cobain for ‘sexual exploitation’.
The infamous image features a baby swimming naked in a pool, following a dollar bill on a hook, and has become one of the most famous record covers of all time.
However its star has now launched a lawsuit against 15 defendants for $150,000 (£109,000) each, alleging he could not consent to being pictured on the artwork and has suffered ‘lifelong damages’.
Just who was the Nevermind baby – and was the photograph really taken underwater?
Who was the Nevermind baby?
The baby who features on the cover of Nirvana’s Nevermind album was called Spencer Elden.
Now 30, Spencer – who is an artist in LA – was just four months old when he appeared on the cover of Nevermind, which has gone on to sell over 30m copies worldwide.
Spencer previously recreated the album cover as a teenager and adult – wearing swimming trunks each time – on the 10th, 20th and 25th anniversaries of its release, most recently in 2016.
Elden has recreated the album cover as a teenager and adult (Picture: SplashNews.com)
He admitted in 2016 that he ‘got a little upset’ about his appearance on the album’s cover as he got older.
‘It’s hard not to get upset when you hear how much money was involved,’ he told Time Magazine.
When I go to a baseball game and think about it: “Man, everybody at this baseball game has probably seen my little baby penis,” I feel like I got part of my human rights revoked.’
Was the baby really underwater in the photo?
The photo was indeed shot in a pool, at the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center in Pasadena.
Spencer’s father Rick took his then four-month-old son to the shoot after being offered the chance by photographer Kirk Weddle, who was a friend of his.
He recalled in 2008 that Weddle offered him $200 (£145) to take part.
Speaking to NPR Rick explained: ‘I was like, “What’s up?” And he’s like, “Well, I’m shooting kids all this week, why don’t you meet me at the Rose Bowl, throw your kid in the drink?” And we just had a big party at the pool, and no one had any idea what was going on!’
The family subsequently forgot about the shoot until they saw the photo on the wall of Tower Records in LA a few months later – with Geffen Records later reportedly sending Spencer a ‘platinum album and a teddy bear’.
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