have fun slavo, here's some words from steve shelley.
Still making noise
Sonic Youth moves from the cutting edge to the mainstream
Stage Review |
Archives
By
James Scanlon
For
The Prague Post
August 22nd, 2007
Renowned for unorthodox guitar tunings and uncompromising noise aesthetics, Sonic Youth redefined alternative rock with their 1988 album
Daydream Nation. Hailed by the likes of
Rolling Stone as one of the greatest rock albums ever made, and having recently become a permanent fixture in the U.S. Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry, the era-defining opus has just been repackaged and re-released in a swanky new deluxe edition. Featuring an extra CD of unreleased live material and rare covers, it’s a timely reminder of just how important this band continues to be.Speaking from Hoboken, New Jersey, Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley modestly dismisses the overzealous acclaim. “Sure, it’s one of our favorite albums,” he admits. “But as for saying things like it’s a timeless classic, I don’t know. Those are the things journalists say — they’re not things I’ve said.”Inspired by the likes of the Velvet Underground, The Stooges, Patti Smith and Television, and the raucous new sounds bellowing out of clubs such as CBGBs in the late ’70s, guitarists Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo, along with bassist Kim Gordon (later to become Moore’s better half) decided to do their own thing in 1981. They soon made their presence felt on the New York scene by getting involved with other avant-garde experimentalists such as John Cage and Glenn Blanca.“John Cage is someone that we respect and admire,” says Shelley, who has occupied the Sonic Youth drum stool since 1984. “But I don’t think that we’ve borrowed too much from John Cage through the years, although we’ve played some of his compositions and learned a lot from him. As for Glenn Branca, he had a bigger influence on the group before I was a band member. Both Lee and Thurston played in his groups, and he was part of the New York scene in those days. But that was a long time ago.”Sonic Youth’s trademark aggression appeared to become compromised during the ’90s with albums like
Experimental Jet Set, Trash And No Star, Murray Street and
Sonic Nurse, prompting some critics to question the authenticity of their avant-garde ethos. But, according to Moore, this was just part of a more sinister game plan.“I find it more interesting to move away from the vanguard of extrapolated experimental noise music when it’s such a popular musical style right now,” he says. “I think it’s more interesting for us to not delve into that right now, but to do more direct, compact sonic recordings.” Shelley, however, adds, “I think those decisions are not usually conscious decisions. That’s just the way those albums came together. We don’t really sit down and make a plan from album to album; we just sort of get together and see what happens.”Amid cries of betrayal and “sellout,” Sonic Youth has followed in the footsteps of Paul McCartney and Joni Mitchell by striking up a distribution deal with coffee giant Starbucks. The likes of Beck, Jeff Tweedy, Portia de Rossi, Marc Jacobs and Michelle Williams have all lined up to contribute a Sonic Youth song of their choice for a new compilation album. Moore admits that he quite likes the absurdity of being linked to Starbucks, and Shelley also appears to be keen on the idea.“It’s a compilation of older tracks that have already been released,” Shelley says. “They were picked by different friends.”With Beck being the biggest catch, the inevitable question follows: What did he pick? Reluctant to say anything at first, Shelley eventually reveals that it’s a folky version of “The Diamond Sea,” which originally appeared on 1995’s
Washing Machine. Otherwise, the project sounds like another exercise in fans heaping praise on the band.“Yes, it might be like that,” admits Shelley with a laugh. “But we’re not gonna pick people that don’t like us. It’s just a compilation trying to get our music across to different people, that’s all.”This summer, the band has been busy putting on special “Daydream Nation” concerts. “We just played a show at the McCarren Park Pool in Brooklyn, New York, where The Slits opened for us,” Shelley enthuses. “It was a beautiful summer night and we got to play for a huge crowd of New Yorkers, which was a real treat for us.”Unlike a lot of shows on their European jaunt, the band’s upcoming bash in Prague isn’t, according to Shelley, “marked down as a ‘Daydream Nation’ show.” Instead, expect a classic mix of old and new material.“We like Prague a lot and we usually get out and take a walk around,” Shelley says. “It’s a beautiful city and we love going there.” And what about the set? “Well, we don’t really plan what’s going to happen until that day or night.”Start dreaming now.
http://www.praguepost.com/articles/2...king-noise.php