Newsweek has approached lawyers for Nirvana and Universal Music Group for comment. Nevermind was released on September 24, 1991, and ended up topping the Billboard 200 and selling millions of copies worldwide. However, the dollar bill in front of Elden was taken by "a guy in New York," according to Weddle, meaning the two things were taken separately and placed together.Įlden explained the image was about "abandonment of innocence and everyone chasing money sooner and faster" but said it had been a "positive thing and opened doors for me." "But the label loved the original shot of Spencer and went with that." he's a well-hung kid for a four-month-old, you know? I didn't know if the label would go for it. I thought, "Man, it's such a dick shot!" His unit was so prominent in the picture. "But when I looked at it more closely I had some doubts. That's the thing about old-school photography-as a pro, you have to know that you've got it before you leave. Weddle said he was concerned Elden's prominent penis in the image would mean it would not work for the record label, and went to a swim school and took an image of a 10-month-old girl as an alternative.
Weddle, the photographer, was a specialist in underwater photography, but had never shot a baby before this image. He said the band originally wanted the image to be of a woman giving birth underwater, but the record company decided that was too graphic. They were paid $200 and went to eat tacos afterwards. "My parents took me down there, apparently they blew in my face to stimulate my gag reflex, dunked me in, took some pictures, and pulled me out. He said: "So his friend the photographer Kirk Weddle called him and said: 'Do you want to make some money today and throw your kid in the pool?' And he agreed. Speaking to The Guardian about the image in 2015, Elden said his parents were friends with Weddle and didn't give his being in the photo "too much thought." "Despite this knowledge, defendants failed to take reasonable steps to protect Spencer and prevent his widespread sexual exploitation and image trafficking."Įlden was four months old when his picture was taken, with photographer Kirk Weddle behind the iconic image. In the lawsuit, via Deadline, Elden claims Nirvana and the defendants in the lawsuit "knowingly produced, possessed, and advertised commercial child pornography depicting Spencer, and they knowingly received value in exchange for doing so. Read more The 35 Most Recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductees The former 'Gossip Girl' actress is pictured naked on the album cover of 'Going to Hell,' the latest record by her band The Pretty Reckless.