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In September 2011, people in London walk past a large version of Nirvana’s Nevermind album cover marking the 20th anniversary of the album’s release.
Samir Hussein/Getty Images
It’s one of the most iconic album covers in rock history, but doesn’t spark happy memories for the man who appeared on the famous cover as a baby. Spencer Elden, now 30, is suing those who were responsible for the album imagery, including the record label, the art directors and the surviving members of the band.
Elden alleges his parents didn’t sign a release form for porn comix photographer Kirk Weddle to snap him at 4 months old, floating naked in a pool along with a dollar bill. He is suing 17 defendants, including the estate of late Nirvana singer and front man Kurt Cobain, with accusations that they breached child pornography laws in creating the artwork.
The members of Nirvana snapped in 1991: Dave Grohl, Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic.
Paul Bergen/Redferns
According to , Elden, a Los Angeles resident, alleges lifelong damage and is seeking compensation from the defendants. According to documents filed in Los Angeles federal court on Tuesday, Elden says his “identity and legal name are forever tied to the commercial sexual exploitation he experienced as a minor which has been distributed and sold worldwide from the time he was a baby to the present day.”
Nevermind was released in 1991 and has sold more than 30 million copies. Elden re-created the cover for the record’s 10th, 17th and 25th anniversaries.
Cobain died in 1994, while Nirvana members Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic are still performing with different bands, including the Foo Fighters.