Love or hate her; you can’t deny that Courtney Love never had it easy. Her early life certainly wasn’t what a child would wish for. We’re not here to learn all about Love’s life, but it might help us understand the complicated relationship between her and Kat Bjelland.
Courtney lived in numerous states and countries by the time she was an adult. Her life changed after seeing Cheap Trick perform. She knew what she wanted to be after that show: a rock star under the spotlight. It wouldn’t be easy, but Love was determined to go ahead and try.
Love spent an unsuccessful few weeks with Faith No More. She was searching for something new when she met Kat Bjelland at an Oregon nightclub in 1984. The pair quickly bonded as they shared interests. They decided to form their first band, Sugar Babydoll. This would later turn into Pagan Babies.
Courtney and Bjelland’s love of music fueled their friendship, and they decided to live together. It was common for them to borrow a dress or two from each other’s wardrobes. Little did they know that this would eventually cause a future issue between the two.
Pagan Babies decided to break up only after only performing a handful of shows. Bjelland was still determined to carry on with a new act: Babes in Toyland. Courtney, the ever-stubborn, wouldn’t give in. She tried forming a new band as well.
Courtney went and announced she was looking for a guitarist in local newspapers. Eric Erlandson gave her a call, and the pair formed Hole. This was excellent news for Courtney on the career side, but things didn’t look much brighter in her friendship with Kat.
Babes in Toyland and Hole performed side by side. The comparisons between Love and Bjelland turned things a bit complicated. You see, the two would dress in a similar fashion when they were on stage. This was the classic punk aesthetic ‘kinderwhore’ fashion with messy makeup, even more disheveled hair, and doll-like dresses.
The arguments wouldn’t end there. Other comparisons also carried on, and the two often criticized one another from here and there. Courtney even once blamed Bjelland for trying to steal Kurt from her. Don’t worry; Bjelland also hit back by criticizing her old friend and Hole.
Even with all the controversies, their bond was strong and, maybe, a bit toxic in the end. But maybe, the media and the competitive Seattle scene never let them have a chance the moment they creatively separated ways. Bjelland talked about how the media pitted them against one another in 2011.
“The media did that,” Kat said as she recalled constantly being compared to Courtney. “And it was really hurtful to me for a long time. They’d say it’s some kind of battle. Which it wasn’t. We were friends.”
Let’s go back a decade from the above statement. Bjelland once again said in 2001 that they were soul sisters with Courtney and their bond would never be broken. Kat said, “I haven’t spoken to Courtney for years, but soul sisters don’t need to. There will always be a bond between us, regardless of whether we speak or not.”
Things also softened on Love’s side. The two made up a bit in the end. Their relationship hasn’t been the best; but what had been easy in Love’s life? The comparisons almost cost them a friendship, and maybe, Courtney, who has had toxic relationships all over her life since the beginning, bonded with Kat to find a bit of peace.
