Melissa auf der Maur Reflects on Iconic Courtney Love Photo and Grunge Era

Former Hole drummer Melissa auf der Maur has shared insights into one of her most striking photographs, which captures Courtney Love applying makeup during the band’s 1995 Lollapalooza tour. The image serves as a focal point in her upcoming rock photography book, offering a glimpse into a pivotal moment in alternative music history.

Auf der Maur described the photograph as part of a broader documentary effort to capture her generation’s experience. She stated that she was chronicling how youth culture was “hijacked by corporate greed” and subsequently devastated by the death of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, an event she characterized as a “sacrificial death.”

The publication also features auf der Maur’s first self-portrait, taken at age 13 in Paris’s Père Lachaise Cemetery. Standing before the grave of Jim Morrison, the image reflects her early desire for agency during a trip with her father, who lacked interest in the rock icon. Auf der Maur noted that photography became her primary means of creating a trusted personal universe and asserting control over her surroundings.

Initially drawn into music by radical women and countercultural movements, auf der Maur’s photographic subjects evolved alongside her career. Her camera followed her from backstage encounters with fellow musicians to worldwide tours with Hole, documenting the transition of alternative culture into the mainstream.

The 1995 Lollapalooza tour marked a significant era where what auf der Maur called “wild alternative freaks” entered the mainstream spotlight. She emphasized the importance of these archival images in helping future audiences understand the cultural shifts and personal losses that defined that period.