New Scott King film details how "Kurt Cobain's lighter" made him a "rebel"

Back in 1989, former i-D and Sleazenation graphic designer Scott King caught Kurt Cobain’s lighter at a gig at Ecstasy in Berlin, he says. Later when he started smoking, he found that when he used the lighter it transformed him from a “shy” kid to a “rebel.” This story, and those of Scott’s other rock memorabilia, are detailed in a new short film produced to promote Berlin music festival Pop-Kultur. Entitled Kurt’s Lighter, the 18-minute short directed by Paul Kelly casts a wry glance at the peculiar world of banal rock-related collections.

The film is being used in place of more traditional ad spots like posters or direct promotional videos for the festival. “It’s not a mass-market festival, it’s not really about younger audiences like Glastonbury,” says Scott. “We realised this audience was more sophisticated than wanting traditional ads, so we wanted to make something different, that people would pass around. It taps into the madness that’s inherent in rock fandom.”