Courtney Love reveals who she considers a ‘musical genius’ after late husband Kurt Cobain

Courtney Love’s music playlist consists of “only two true musical geniuses’ she’s ever known.”

Speaking on Marc Maron's WTF podcast, the singer/songwriter identified her late husband Kurt Cobain and one other person as the only true musical geniuses that she’s ever personally known, via People Magazine.

And that other person is none other than Lana Del Ray.

Love, 58, who previously toured with Del Rey, 37, described the Born to Die singer as “an actual true, great friend” while speaking with the 59-year-old comedian and likened her talents to both Cobain and filmmaker Steven Spielberg.

“Lana and Kurt are the only two true musical geniuses I've ever known, and by that I mean they can Spielberg anything," she said, comparing Del Rey's take on Allen Ginsberg's Howl for her 2013 film Tropico to Nirvana's cover of three Meat Puppets songs during the band's iconic MTV Unplugged special.

“She's a genius, too. She's got the integrity that Kurt had. The only two people I know that I can say [that about]," continued the Hole musician. “By the way, [R.E.M.'s Michael] Stipe? Bono? Yes, these are people that I know and love. Billie Joe [Armstrong], sure. But Lana? She's got a magic thing. And she's not even f----d up!"

Love also shared a story about how she introduced Del Rey to Joni Mitchell’s music when the two were killing time in Portland, and it changed Del Rey's “f-----g whole thing.”

“My boomer rock critic friends are calling after Norman Rockwell, 'Hey your friend, she's pretty good,'" Love recalled. "And I said to her, 'Welcome to the Thunderdome, Ms Del Rey’.”

Citing a comment about the Born In the U.S.A. musician made on a 2020 episode of his SiriusXM series, From His Home to Yours, she added, “Even Springsteen! He goes, ‘She's our greatest songwriter’,” she recalled.