Are SY the most musically knowledgable band ever?
 

I always enjoy Sonic Youth interviews because they love, listen to and know about music. Are they the most musically knowledgable band ever?

Any idea of their current favourite sounds?

Eh. They know a lot of obscure and underground stuff, though.

To a certain extent, yes. But I wonder what their knowledge of the current bluegrass scene is?

No. They may know about all the cool bands, but theres a lot more to music than that....

They may not be the most knowledgable, but they know about a lot more than just the "cool" bands. I'd say they're pretty well-versed in pop, based on interviews, etc.

Not really at all.

sonic youth rocks!!!

sonic life!!!

best band ever!!!

yeah! defo, they do man, they know it ALL!!! anything they dont know is'nt worth knowing

Thurston recently said that he doesn't listen to much conventional music now - he said he's just into the noise artists like Leslie Keffer, 16 Bitch Pile Up and Lightning Bolt.

I quite like Leslie Keffer.

I think that was on the Air America interview.

yeah!!!

thurston is the best!!!

there's no music he doesn't know or own all the records ever on vinyl!!!

i want to grow up and be like his left nut!!!

you rock fishmonkey!!!!

they are involved in music industry, of course they're knowledgable. not most, but enough

I imagine that Sonic Youth know most of that stuff too. Have you seen Thurston and Kim's record collection? They have more than most record stores...

Based on their being able to instantaneously cover anything they're asked to cover I'd say that Yo La Tengo are probably contenders for the most knowledgeable crown, although, of course, they're not often asked to cover, say, the third song on that old phonograph recording made in some village in Tennessee in 1913.

yeah!!!

sonic life man!!!!

Like anyone could even know that napoleon

If John Peel was still alive he'd win the "most knowledgable guyin music" hands down.

have you heard their new thing, "yo la tengo is murdering the classics"? some of their covers are amazing.

everyneurotic- haha, you take left, i'll be right.

lots of very specific examples don't make phish objectively more knowledgeable than sonic youth. i can say that jim studied under luc ferrari, or that thurston's played with derek bailey, or that sonic youth were early supporters of hip-hop, or whatever. i'm not arguing that sonic youth are definitely more knowledgeable than phish, just that you're not necessarily proving otherwise.

SY only like noise because it is 'in'.

re: Phish. I haven't really given their music a fair crack, but I do worry that a lot of people (Zorn/ Zappa being the first two that spring to mind) who are able to do a wide variety of styles end up just doing shit versions of each - it can end up a bit 'jack of all trades, master of none'. I think it's one thing listening to lots of things, but very, very few people can do several distinct genres well without it seeming like ironic nonsense. I would say Otomo Yoshihide is one of the few I can think of at the moment who is very good in distinct genres (although he hasn't tried to cover every genre ever yet, unlike Zorn/ Zappa...).

It's true that Trey is filthy, but I don't really think a "formal" education in music really is a defining factor. I mean going to art school doesn't necessarily make one have supreme knowledge in art. Either way Phish rules and y'all should check out their live shows if you haven't before (even though I think most of you guys won't like it unless maybe you are a musician). Later.