I agree with most of what you say, Nick, although I don't know the extent of his influence. I wouldn't be suprised to find that it was far-reaching, but I'm not willing to say that would be a positive if it were true.
I do disagree with your assertion that he was assuming a character just like Freddie or KISS. I have no reason to believe Cobain was dishonest (by that I mean assuming a persona for entertainment or other purposes) in anyway as far as his character as a musician. I think he and his fans thought much of the appeal of his music was it's authenticity and rebuke of pop and glam. But that itself is kind of pretentious. He thought his rockin' was more meaningful, and maybe part of the problem was that so many people bought into it.
Oh... and the shotgun shells commercial idea is one of the funnier things I've heard all week.
