How Ex-Fear Factory Vocalist Burton C. Bell Ended Up “Super High” On the Cover of a Nirvana CD Single

Former Fear Factory vocalist Burton C. Bell has never appeared on the front cover of one of his own albums, but apparently he has made a surprise guest appearance on a Nirvana CD single cover in 1990 while “super high.” You can see him in the bottom left of the cover, although it’s unclear which person he is as the whole thing is a negative image in black and white. So we pretty much just have to take Bell’s word that he’s on there.

In a recent Instagram post, Bell explained the story behind how he ended up on the single cover:

“I moved to LA in July, 1989. I started working at Tower Video on Sunset Blvd in September. I was 20 years of age.

“A coworker, Scott, and I became good friends as we talked about the new music that was being created during that time including all things SUBPOP, and I was loving it.

He eventually introduced me to Nirvana’s BLEACH album. That album immediately spoke to me.

“February 15, 1990, 4 days before my 21st birthday, Nirvana was playing Raji’s ; a basement dive on Hollywood Blvd.

“Scott and I got super high before we went inside. We missed the opening band, Distorted Pony, but after they were done, we made our way to the front of the small stage, that went up to my knees. There was no barricade, and there were maybe 100 people there. From what I remember it was a bad ass show.

“SUBPOP released the 45 single Sliver, with the B-side Dive sometime after that. I know this because when I was checking out the cover art of the single, the negative image photograph on the back was from that Raji’s show, and there I was standing right in front, stoned in amazement of #nirvana and #kurtcobain”

So Bell gets immortalized on a Nirvana cover and, unlike the Nevermind baby, he didn’t even have to have his dick out.