The Van Made Famous By Kurt Cobain Is Back On Ebay

Some think the differnce between radio people and Rock Stars is the choice of stages to which we play. Ok maybe...the good news is radio jocks don't have to hire managers to locate a different nightly performance. In reality it's the cars parked outside bars. Radio people connected to incredible endorsement deals get the hook up better than rap artists while beginner jocks just starting are caught slamming cases of oil into engines that should've been dead before they were purchased. Famous bands with famous cars. REO Speedwagon hauled amps and trap sets in the back of a Brady Bunch style station wagon while Fleetwood Mac's inside sleeve of Rumors hoisted their coolness into the forefront of a national van epidemic. Elvis' pink Cadillac which features an onboard 1950's car phone mesmerizes Country Music fans at the Hall Of Fame in Nashville. ZZ Tops 1933 Ford Hot Rod named The Eliminator added thunder to MTV videos while John Travolta's Grease Lightning only added sparks when Hollywood finally decided to release Grease on home video. The Monkeemobile dominated Saturday mornings decades before Pimp My Ride and Cribs. Dylan and The Beatles had swanky limos while Tupac took a famous final ride in a BMW 750il Fans of Nirvana know of a famous Melvan. For some, it's the one piece of band memorabilia that would complete the perfect collection. Greg Prato from Rollingstone Magazine says its back on the block for someone who really likes to rock. In case you've been kicking yourself for not bidding on the "Melvan" the first time around, you're in luck – you now have a second chance to bid on this historical grunge artifact through eBay. Back in March of this year, the vehicle (a beat-up 1972 Dodge Sportsman Royal Van, featuring artwork by Kurt Cobain) reached a bid of $99,999.99 on eBay. However, its reserve wasn't met, and some also questioned the authenticity of Cobain's artwork. This time the van's owner, Ben Berg, who plays bass in the group Weird Beast, has all the bases covered. "The Melvan is going back up on eBay for a 10-day, no reserve auction," Berg told Rolling Stone. "Highest bidder gets it. I finally acquired written statements from Matt Lukin and Steve Shillinger authenticating the artwork. That was sort of a big issue the first go-round with serious collectors." While Lukin's name should be familiar to grunge scholars (he was the Melvins' original bassist and, later, Mudhoney's original bassist), Berg filled us in on this Steve Shillinger gentleman. "Kurt used to live on Steve's parents' couch off and on when Kurt still lived on the harbor. Steve was very close with the Melvins, too. I believe he has been either mentioned and/or interviewed in several books concerning the early days of Nirvana. He still has a bunch of old home movies that he and Kurt made together when they were in their late teens, early 20s." It's the doodle by onetime Melvins roadie Cobain – a replication of the front cover of Kiss' classic 1974 debut – that makes this jalopy truly unique. The Melvan currently calls Montesano, Washington, its home; it is available for local pick-up for the winning bidder. Bidding for the Melvan's second listing will end this Sunday, shortly after 3 p.m. PDT.