[alphi]

Not sure if I should create a new thread just for this (did not find a dedicated thread to interviews, etc...)

Just read that article from the French Télérama website by Hugo Cassavetti. Very interesting !!


http://www.telerama.fr/musique/le-ro...uth,123807.php

[whorefrost]

Originally Posted by alphi

Not sure if I should create a new thread just for this (did not find a dedicated thread to interviews, etc...)

Just read that article from the French Télérama website by Hugo Cassavetti. Very interesting !!


http://www.telerama.fr/musique/le-ro...uth,123807.php

Thanks man. Interested to see the interviewer ask about Kim's book as I was curious to see Thurston's stance on it. Trust this to come up in a bloody French interview! If anyone is able to translate, that would be sweet!

[whorefrost]

Having said that, I think I've more or less got the gist of it from Google Translate hehe.

[greenlight]

cheers.

it would be nice if someone would comment on some interesting questions and answers, if there are any.

[ann ashtray]

As far as Kim's book, he more or less states that it's her right to say what she wishes and that he himself doesn't wish to comment on it beyond that.

He also feels that his relationship with Kim, his wife (well, ex now) is/was a very different relationship than with Kim his band mate. This was in response to the interviewer comparing them to Lux and Ivy (Cramps).

Some of the English translation is a bit broken, but he seems to think it's a bit weird that some people can't listen to the music any more because of the whole situation...which I personally agree is extremely creepy and weird.


It's a good interview. Nothing special.

[greenlight]

Originally Posted by ann ashtray

As far as Kim's book, he more or less states that it's her right to say what she wishes and that he himself doesn't wish to comment on it beyond that.

He also feels that his relationship with Kim, his wife (well, ex now) is/was a very different relationship than with Kim his band mate. This was in response to the interviewer comparing them to Lux and Ivy (Cramps).

Some of the English translation is a bit broken, but he seems to think it's a bit weird that some people can't listen to the music any more because of the whole situation...which I personally agree is extremely creepy and weird.


It's a good interview. Nothing special.

thanks!

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by greenlight

thanks!

that's not exactly what he said. but translating all would be a huge pain in the ass!

maybe point to some of the googletranslate obscurities and some of us can clarify.

funny thing he said about brooklyn-- that it's nothing like the old manhattan (too rich). he got asked about the "brooklyn scene". lol trustafarian hipsters.

[ann ashtray]

You come from a time when rock was defined in opposition to the system, institutions, the academic ...

TM: Yes, but everything has changed so much , changed so dramatically since. Would not that the way we consume music, and therefore the way for an artist to present it. Because nobody buys records, how to continue to offer ? New ways must be devised to exist, to make its working musician . Record discs or playing in small clubs seems of another age , we must now go through the world of art or literature . Look PJ Harvey, she recorded her new album in an art gallery , it is a kind of public performance, such as " come and see these animals creating their funny sons!


You find yourself in London today , where there is a long tradition of rockers from art schools ...

TM: London always fascinated me for that. The link seemed normal , logical, between studying art and rock'n'roll . Because in England the schools were open to all , whereas in the US they are expensive and do not brew a very privileged wildlife.


Where this gap still much stronger across the Atlantic between rock called primary and the other, more intellectual ?

TM: Absolutely . The New York magic of the late 1970s is that the two have finally crossed , mixed . There was one side the Ramones and Talking Heads another . It was amazing to see them play at the same place at the same club. But they shared the same spirit of perversion. Talking Heads were aware of what the avant-garde, the other purely instinctive . The meeting of this cerebral approach and the momentum reinvention of primitive rock'n'roll was so exciting to see. It no longer seems possible today, because everyone knows everything about everything , nothing is spontaneous ... Rock is taken seriously everywhere. Every old fanzines, posters or flyers rock sell like works of art ...

Who could have imagined that Johnny , Joey, Dee Dee and Tommy , the four original members of the Ramones , could all disappear? Them who were the emblem of eternal youth power! It's scary to think about. But perhaps that their death has only strengthened the artistic value of punk ?

How and where did you grow up ?

TM: In a rather conservative environment . In Florida, then when I was 10 years old , we settled in Connecticut, because my father landed a position at the university . I stay happy . We were in 1968 and in 1972 , I followed , in Creem magazine , all the New York underground scene , the Velvet Underground , the New York Dolls ...

[ann ashtray]

It's your mother, on the cover of your album The Best Day?

TM: Yes, in 1942 , Florida. She has twenty years . I found this picture on one of his old notebooks . I love the feeling of happiness and fulfillment it gives off. This photo exudes calm , tranquility , recklessness .

My mother still lives and wants to go back to Florida to end his days . She is 85 years old . My father died in 1976. So there has never known anything of my fate with fabulous musician Sonic Youth ! What would he think? Mystery. He did not take rock seriously, he did not care very often. There were only the classic home, even jazz . I was not at all unhappy or in conflict with it , but I was attracted to this marginal rock'n'roll subversive ...

These are my older brothers who made me discover the rock, in the 1960s ; the Beatles, the Stones ... everybody talked about it, it intrigued me . I liked especially the idea that it could been disturbing, radical.

But I remember he came to my father to play the piano quite dissonant things, Rachmaninov and others. And it displeased my grandmother, too pianist. She always said, "Oh! your father, why does he insist on playing this unpleasant and dissonant music? ". It must have marked me deeply enough, this idea of ​​a slightly offbeat approach, disturbing music.

It was enough that I see a picture of Iggy Pop and Patti Smith to want to hear their music. James Taylor, so popular at the time, left me unmoved. Almost no one bought the album New York Dolls at its output in 1973. But I do. I was not buying the Allman Brothers or Yes, no, something drew me to the most disturbing and uncontrollable musicians like Captain Beefheart. It's also strange that all these discs were in the balances bins. Nobody wanted. And I was the only ones I could afford. As if we were made for each other. In any case, they suit me perfectly, in their strangeness. The Spotlight Kid, Beefheart, Ege Bamyasi, Can, or Yeti, Amon Düül II suit me, while my older brothers listened to Led Zeppelin and all the more mainstream rock. I am also interested to Alice Cooper and David Bowie, because they too seemed different, weird. And yet I was a boy everything he's more


It was an attraction to what you were not ?

TM: I do not know. But punk fell at just the right time for me. In 1976, I was 17 years old. The heart of New York was an hour and a half from Connecticut and I was able to find me in the front row . I saw Suicide and Cramps at Max's Kansas City, and I immediately felt in my element. At the opposite extreme of Rick Wakeman and all the pompous rock that dominated . But I was the only one to experience this. Finally , no, we were two . There was this guy who was with me , but he was because he was gay. The difference reassured him

[ann ashtray]

When did you started playing guitar ?

TM: Around the same time. Not before. I was already playing the piano, because of my father. And I was always given the bases. But this is my big brother who introduced a guitar at home. He worshiped Hendrix and Duane Allman, or dreamed of playing like them. It was pretty good, but it left me indifferent. But as soon as I discovered punk in 1976, I expected that kind of home to let off steam like a brute on his instrument. I plugged it on the stereo and just trying to make the biggest fuss as possible. I felt like writing songs for the Ramones and the Sex Pistols! I was not planning accomplished musician myself, I just wanted to be part of a group.

I loved the minimum side and thought the Ramones. I thought "that's my thing, others only keep their Blue Oyster Cult! ". By installing me in New York, I was playing with everyone and anyone. That's how it worked for everyone, chance encounters and circumstances. I worked in a record store with a guy who was in college with Talking Heads ... We met all lofts in Soho ... There was this whole world would become a famous day as David Byrne, Lydia Lunch, Gus Van Sant and Jean-Michel Basquiat hanging there. Glenn Branca'll often. It was never a question of money, but of pleasure and desire to create, to be together. And then we were all going to see the Ramones at CBGB!


This is where the two circles , one more arty and one more rock, were so mixed ?

TM: Because we had in common not to have money. This brought us together . Below 14th Street , you could really live for nothing. There was even a certain pride in the idea that there was no commercial purpose in what we were doing. The money was in no way a sign of success , only had artistic interest . This is also what destroyed everything in New York in particular, as soon as the money began to point his nose. Lydia Lunch is the first to have felt the wind . She started very young teenager in 1974 and in 1980 she left. For her, it was already over .

You have followed the scene of Brooklyn , which has a lot compared to Manhattan before?

TM: Honestly, the New York of the past no longer exists. Of course, there were whole scene a bit creative and artsy Brooklyn , but this has not much to see. These types are not rich , but it still feels a certain comfort, environment, standard of living. Brooklyn is certainly cheaper than Manhattan , but it's impossible to live in Brooklyn or Williamsburg nothing , as one would do in Manhattan in the 1970

And London , much less ...



TM: Sure, living in London is not cheap! I can, because after thirty years of Sonic Youth and a large back catalog , I do not go too badly . But I am far from wealthy , I saw correctly , with the need to always work regularly. Basically , I live in London as I live in New York. In less space. I live in a small apartment , nothing fancy . However, I found some wild energy who deserted New York. In New York 's cultural life has been cleaned , moved to the washing machine. It still trembles slightly in Brooklyn , but...


You play with British musicians now ...

TM: Because I live here. It happened spontaneously. James Sedwards , my guitar is my neighbor, and I loved what he did. It was he who suggested I call Debbie Googe , My Bloody Valentine, for the bass. Everything happened naturally , envy , affinity . As for Steve Shelley , drummer of Sonic Youth , it is virtually connected telepathically. We get along well and it's the best drummer I know. But I have to share it with Lee Ranaldo and many others who are fighting over ! In addition , he lives in America. I hope to continue with it, but it is not always simple. Anyway, I'd really like to record another album with them as a real band. The Best Day is a solo project in which they participated .



It is essential for you to play with a second guitarist ?

TM: Absolutely. First, I do not trust at all to my technique. I'm an instinctive first. To be completed by a much more accomplished guitarist brings a lot technically . Lee was already much better guitarist than me, with his classical training. And I think James is an expert musician more than him. James is a pure technician, but who knows how to play . His first teacher was Jimmy Page, but it is also influenced by Swell Maps or The Fall ! There was even a fan of Sonic Youth ! He reminded me that when Sonic Youth played at Reading in 1991 with Nirvana , he had managed to get backstage and hanging around with us. He had peine16 years . More than twenty years later, we play together . That's cool ...

[ann ashtray]

Sonic Youth is gone, but still lasted thirty years , staying fit and productive

TM: Yes, I think so. It is not so common . And all this without the slightest hit or gold record ... But we have received good reviews . Not to mention a large core of loyal fans . Because even Lou Reed was in part due to its tube Walk on the wild side . But we do not have a title like that , as everyone knows .

By choice ?

TM: No, not at all. I would have loved to have a song that so marks the spirits .

When you have recorded The Eternal , you knew it would be the last album of Sonic Youth ?

TM:No, honestly . I was only aware that I did not know where I was, the future seemed very uncertain. My life was about to switch , nothing would be the same . A break seemed necessary ... Maybe it motivated me to make The Eternal the best album possible.


You also recorded this album in the wake of a tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of Daydream Nation as any group installed turning his past ...

TM: I think that is our Daydream Nation "tube" by default, in any case our classic album. We were lucky that it falls on him. That this album was to celebrate the point - it has even been selected by the Library of Congress as one of the key works of 1988 - assured us our integrity. I am very sensitive to any form of recognition. When Sonic Youth is referenced , it affects me personally. Sonic Youth was a profoundly democratic group in its operation, but I still claim credit . I am originally and, hence , I always feel like it 's my baby first. But it was essential to me that Sonic Youth is still a group where every vote counts , is worth . I never wanted to follow the example of Lou Reed or Mark E. Smith ( The Fall ), which perpetually changing musicians. Sonic Youth would not have been able to function




At the same time, nothing was as thoughtful. This has become quite instinctively. It was of course, as Lee and Kim had strong personalities, they were made to live together rather than compete. A group of three leaders, in short, which is still very rare. I think that's what made us so strong.

I remember in the late 1990s, I thought to want to separate credit the lyrics. I wrote much. But I resisted. Until the end, the common credit we kept "all music by Sonic Youth," and that's fine. I think Lee Ranaldo was very well explained. For him, the texts were inspired by the band's music. Similarly, Steve Shelley's drumming fully contributing to our style. The magic of a group, is this: give the best to the other to create a whole that is always more than the sum of its parts.

Take the MC5. The first two albums were credited with the MC5, but the third specified for each title, the name of his composers. And the band imploded. Wayne Kramer said it is this decision that has really caused the end of the MC5. Because, suddenly, the collective no longer existed, it was no longer a question of ego, who deserved to win more

Sonic Youth would be the most instinctive thought groups?

TM: I think it really started in instinct and, little by little, a concept is specified, refined. And it is this "refining" that always has divided fans. I remain marked by a comment I read after a concert of Sonic Youth in France in 1983 in Poitiers. We were the first part of Killing Joke and we were still out of control, especially on the song Making the natural stage. I thought we had achieved a great performance. And then I read a review that said that Sonic Youth had become boring and predictable that our sound explosions were now expected as planned ... And the guy was not wrong, because it was actually what was going on . We were trying, after two, three years of anarchy, to put some order into our chaos. Because the total improvisation lasts a time, that of youth and some incompetence. Sometimes born of chaos songs pretenses. But just as the musician, music grows and matures. Because we acquire a technique, a skill which in the best case, remains personal and original. The Eternal is an incredibly sophisticated and melodic drive to Sonic Youth. It is light years away from the noise we were doing at Poitiers. And for me, that's the beauty of what we've accomplished: to have evolved while remaining ourselves. The savagery of the beginnings can replicate indefinitely. It would be treading water.

[ann ashtray]

Always the same dilemma evolve and risk becoming boring or ever reproduce the same show , like Iggy Pop ...

TM: But Iggy Pop always said he was a " entertainer ". Basically, he's a stripper who rock Strip off when he hears the signal he sings himself: " Here comes Johnny Yen again ... "


You never had the sensation of falling into a kind of routine?

TM: Not at this point, anyway. I have seen so many bands that I liked reproduce night after night exactly the same show. And I always swore I would not do the same. Never cut the opportunity at any time to be worn by instinct. But over time, I realized that there were things that worked well on stage, such a song, and it was silly to force himself not to reproduce the principle. Because a concert is also a show, a performance that people come to enjoy a little fun. When Kim would dance every time amid Kool Thing, it was great and sincere. It was therefore realized that these were important time, provided they do not fall into a programmed from beginning to end set. Long been insisted on playing only new titles. But the public, even our own, like rehear pieces he knows. And when you finally do a little, it was amazing to see the smiles on people's faces instead of eternal concentrated or frustrated expressions.

From there, it has always tried to balance the two aspects in our concerts: a little familiar, a little experimentation. But it is the only calculation which one is to be delivered. Otherwise, it was, on stage and in the studio, exactly what we wanted to do. When I think of the number of groups that come into the studio with the head to try to approach a particular sound or style in vogue at the time, it's scary.

You felt , at a specific time that you had changed status ? That you were no longer a group of outsiders alternative but become a kind of institution ?

TM: I do not know. What I remember, however, is that at a time the audience changes, it becomes less demanding, more complacent. Rather than being surprised or reserved, he came to our shows as if he was at home. Was it because we were doing that could divert gradually trivialized, generalized? More and more groups began to have a rack with several guitars tuned differently on stage, for example. It was no longer singular. I had the impression that suddenly everything would be okay no matter what. Long been provoked very strong reactions, or rejection, or jubilation. At the turn of the 2000s, it had completely disappeared. As if everyone was on safe ground, signposted. Although cinema attendance has stabilized, I had the feeling of playing for the same audience every time. I was torn between gratitude and a desire to rush, assaulted them. Everything has become too polite. I believe that from there I started to tell me that I would not do that all my life. It was great, in a sense, to have almost four thousand people to see us everywhere we went. But there was a sense of stillness. If we were playing in front of crowds of four hundred thousand people, it would be a different story. I'd be a millionaire, I would offer me a beautiful villa in Italy, for the world, I would like to do something else. But money has


When you mentioned " your life in music " for Télérama , you quoted Blitzkrieg Bop Ramones as fetish drive your daughter when she was little . She did not like Sonic Youth ?

TM: If , even a little, ha ha! I think it was around the time of the Murray Street album. We took her with us on tour in the summer. Every evening, she examined the setlist to check that there was at least one song she loved. If it was not, it was a crisis until we agree to do it. How can you resist that? Otherwise, I have nieces and nephews who were nice Kool Thing . But it is certain that we never had such a universal and obvious as the Ramones with their " Hey! ho! let's go . "

You give importance to the texts , even though most people remember all about you dissonance , guitars jousting ...

TM: I have always considered that the texts were very important. They have never been written hastily. I always looked after, both for their sense for their sound. If you look at the texts of Kurt Cobain, you will find an easy rhymes package. There are not devote much time. When I told him about it, he told me he did not care a bit. He stuck together words that sounded much like "libido" and "mosquito" and mumbled: "If anything, it makes sense. "It's okay, it's only rock and roll, punk. But I think we read in his writings much there really.

For my part, I have always written, in addition to song lyrics. I even published enough confidence, a lot of works of poetry or various texts. I would do it officially one day. I have always taken the same approach with the written word with the music. Create a reaction, find an audience on a small scale and, if possible, develop from there. Sonic Youth did not work otherwise. We started without a second thought and, little by little, people are interested in us, we wanted to help. Small labels like SST and Blast First, then a major. They wanted us as we were, not to make us what we are not. Ideally, this should always be that way. Same for editing, people should be first know, not directly target the public.

About the book, that of Kim Gordon has just appeared ...

TM: Yes, I know ... It's her choice. I have not much to say. Except I do not think I could do the same. It's personal , it only looks at us.

[ann ashtray]

You understand that you and Kim as Lux Interior and Poison Ivy from The Cramps , have embodied a kind of romantic ideal , couple dreamed rock ...

TM: It does not surprise me. I understand, though I've never experienced this. Sonic Youth was a completely separate entity from the couple I was training with Kim. Our association was creative and musical as part of the group. Really. Obviously, there have been few practical implications logistics. From the moment we took our daughter, we had to adapt the schedule of touring the school holidays. But I do not believe at all that our marriage has influenced the musical direction of Sonic Youth. There was the life of the group, and that the couple, well separated. Kim might think otherwise, it is his right. As is his choice to express today. I accept it. But I do not wish to comment. It's no use.

What amazes me is these people who say they can not hear my music from. I would have ruined everything for them. It's crazy. Why listen Sonic Youth, then, is to ask ... Who can claim to know what is really happening when a couple separates. Nobody knows the truth, can not give a rational and objective explanation. Kim even in his book ... There is a lot of pain and pain on both sides when a strong couple separates. To me, this would not automatically the end of Sonic Youth. People are disappointed, I see. But I do not believe that a group must necessarily last forever. Personally I do not care about going to see The Who play today. Good for them if they are fun, but I still prefer to see Townshend try to do something new. Keith Moon and John Entwistle died. I have no fantasy about Sonic Youth playing until ...

Is your journey satisfactory?

TM: Yes, I think we can be proud of what we accomplished , the work to be left behind. I do not feel frustrating feeling of incompleteness . Although it was not the intention, The Eternal closes perfectly the story. Even the title sounds prescient.

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by ann ashtray

but he seems to think it's a bit weird that some people can't listen to the music any more because of the whole situation...which I personally agree is extremely creepy and weird.

yeah this is what i meant by not accurate

he didn't say "it's creepy and weird" and so you "agree"

he said that it surprises/shocks/bewilders him-- and that it's crazy/unbelievable

"creepy and weird" connotes some sort of pervert shit going on-- like peeping toms or public transit frottists.

Ce qui me sidère, ce sont ces gens qui déclarent qu’ils ne peuvent plus écouter ma musique, depuis. Que j’aurais tout gâché pour eux. C’est dingue. Pourquoi écoutaient-ils Sonic Youth, alors, c’est à se demander…

-->

What astounds me are those people who declare that they cannot listen to my music, afterwards. That I have ruined everything for them. That's unbelievable. Why did they listen to Sonic Youth, then, one has to wonder...

=====

I do not find it that surprising that he's ruined it for some. Saving the considerable distances, there are a lot of people who can't watch old Cosby reruns or Woody Allen movies post-accusations.

For some, the art is separate from the artist. For others, the art is a sort of projection of the artist's personality and yes it ruins all for them to find their hero was flawed.

I'm not saying that rape or pedophilia are equivalent to toying with your spouse (some will say it is a high crime regardless), but I can totally understand why some people feel that way about him now. (Me I never liked Thurston's solo stuff before the split.)

And I can understand why Thurston is frustrated with the public's reaction, but it's not astonishing as he claims. That has been discussed to death and he's playing dumb a little bit. "Oh, I cannot understand...!" Yes, of course you can-- you might not like it or agree with it, but you can understand. Punk has always latched itself to ethics as opposed to the older degenerate sellout rockstar. That, and not sound, was the point of it for many people. (Me, I don't mind old degenerate sellout rockstars provided they're not hypocrites about it).

Agree or disagree but it's not such a mental leap to be able to see another's point of view especially when it's so commonly held.

[woofwoof]

I don't know, I listened to all of Sonic Nurse the other day and not once did any of this shit come to mind. That's just a kick-arse album.

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by woofwoof

I don't know, I listened to all of Sonic Nurse the other day and not once did any of this shit come to mind. That's just a kick-arse album.

i am not saying that it's not true for you. i listened to washing machine the other day and it was great.

but it's one thing to say "this is true to me" and another to say that other people's experiences are impossible if they differ from yours.

why is narcissism so common and empathy so rare these days? i am astonished! it is unbelievable!

lol. but seriously. what is so difficult about understanding other people. it is not difficult except maybe for navel gazers.

understanding is not agreeing.

uff, i'm tired.

[!@#$%!]

friend, call your mental health support team RIGHT NOW.

[!@#$%!]

okay. don't overthink it though. you're getting anxious about fantastic scenarios that only exist in your head.

try to put your mind in the present instead.

[greenlight]

funny how this thread has developed so far. bit lost, hehe.

thanks very much for this (how to name it) "rough" translation. was it via google translation? wow! fair play! I got the point. looks like Eternal pretty much is a wrap.

[woofwoof]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

i am not saying that it's not true for you. i listened to washing machine the other day and it was great.

but it's one thing to say "this is true to me" and another to say that other people's experiences are impossible if they differ from yours.

why is narcissism so common and empathy so rare these days? i am astonished! it is unbelievable!

lol. but seriously. what is so difficult about understanding other people. it is not difficult except maybe for navel gazers.

understanding is not agreeing.

uff, i'm tired.

I know what you mean. I would classify those types as being a tad obsessive. It's not like Thurston committed genocide.