http://www.stern.de/unterhaltung/mus....html?nv=ct_cb
lame translation... it works fine, but maybe someone could work on this a bit, it's a good interview.
July 11, 2007
"Women are communication talents"
Since the beginning of Sonic Youth, you have and the other volume members as Sonic Youth or as a solo-artist almost each year a disk published. Will that to go further or are you it slowly tired?
Not at all! In September comes again a solo-album of Thurston, "Trees Outside of The Academy", that we just produced.
They write, you paint, you produce other volumes and sketched for your own Label "X-Girl" dress. They seem to burst before creativity...
I sold "x-Girl", but I think already again about that after to establish a new Label. I write excites myself at present a little, but most momentarily forming art: Painting and installations. In April I had with the German artist Jutta Koether, a friend of me, a Performance by the name of "Dead Already" in New York in which it concerned dance, film and music.
How does one create to come out it as a volume so long together? Others separate themselves and celebrate 10 years later its joint comeback...
We work as a volume very democratically. And we do not take very so many drug. Every of us has on the side its own projects at the running. That brings new energy into the volumes. One cannot expect of a volume, of a relation that it fulfills all needs.
In publications was written often over the three rules, determined that you to the foundation of Sonic Youth...
Three rules? Which then?
No member the volume should receive the roll of the front man, the music should remove itself of the Mainstream-skirt and should solve itself the volume members of all tying up of musical.
I do not know say... that nothing to myself. But you know yes how journalists are. One summarizes somewhat and everyone others write off that. That is like "quiet postal service".
How are the rolls in the volume distributed then? Is there an optimist, a pessimist, a mediator?
Here that has more with the zodiac signs to do. Lion is Thurston - it is often the initiator for something new. Steve is the realist...
And how would you describe yourself?
Women are communication talents. We try to retain and to mediate the large entire in the view.
They play on your current tour all songs of "Daydream nation" in the same sequence how they are on the album. Songs that you wrote before almost 20 years. How does that feel itself?
It is exciting. It transfers one back into an intellectual bearing, of which one had forgotten, that it ever existed. And it is a quite conceptual Herangehensweise for us, that to play through album of ahead until behind. We so never made that. It is simultaneous however also irritating.
Did you publish the disk once again in order to close a circle? Did it or have a financial background? There is busies itself a department in universally, that with our previous publications. There is thought differently - these people find our old things exciting. They asked us three years ago whether we want newly put on some albums: "Goo", "Dirty" and now "Daydream nation". We considered a while and decided then for that.
And what does it have with the Starbucks-Compilation on itself?
About a year ago, when our last album "Rather Ripped" came out, we were frustrated rather over the bad marketing.
A problem, that it already 1988 in that banished gave of "Daydream nation".
Honestly said, in every of our disks. Thurston were been noticeable this Starbucks-Compilations, for which well known people select songs, that like it. It meant, it would be yet a good idea if persons, that are more famous much than we, out of our songs which choose itself, that are summarized then to an album. Lou Reed for example. Or actor as well as me yard of Williams. We wanted persons who are fewer nearly lying. Persons whom we do not know, but that like us. The Compilation will come probably in December out. We must balance out another new song for that.
Will the CD be internationally available?
I do not believe. It is on display probably only in certain branches. In areas where people live, who hear Sonic Youth. They must play the CD namely in the store and goes that only, if its customers our music also abkönnen.
Sonic Youth to go?
I know, that will become release again the large "Sonic Youth commercially" -discussion. But I find that laughably. We have been since 1990 in major-Labeln under contract. Can star cheek be worse than that? It is yet naive, to think. One must see the irony therein. In order around to be honest: It was also a despair deed.
You and Thurston bogs have a daughter in the teenager-age. How did the birth of Coco Haley affect your life as a musician?
I had to learn to set priorities. To consider me exactly, to which projects I want to dedicate my time. And it was difficult for me to preserve me the free room in the head, that I need for my creativity. On the other hand Coco gave me a perspective. And its drawings inspired me very.
More to the subject of Sonic Youth concert: We wanted yet so much after your daughter 1994 came into the world, published you an album with the title "what cliff Machine". Did you come on the title in the diaper change?
Not entirely. We were included and thought about in Memphis, when we the album about that to rename ourselves in what cliff Machine. As Sonic Youth, we had loaded ourselves so much ideal baggage, that we dragged with us around and we thought, that someone never would buy our disks. Therefore we thought about over typical India-skirts-names and came on what cliff Machine. We thought about earnestly about that! But our management was on the other hand.
Although Sonic Youth counted always as a very earnest vanguard-rock bands, you seem to take yourself not very so seriously. Nevertheless you had a guest entrance in the Simpsons...
That was fun! We know mat Groening quite good, it comes even out of the skirt-scene. Displaced was that we newly had to balance out the Simpsons-Titelsong - Danny eleven man who wrote the melody, a High-School is-dear of me.
And in the series Gilmore Girls, you appeared also.
Yes. Thurston, Coco and I.
How did it come in addition?
Oh, we are large fans of the series! We saw it regularly home and fell ourselves sometime up that the performers spoke again and again about Sonic Youth. Therefore I have its authors who asked married couple Palladino, whether they would want a song. Before both of the maker Warner Bros. separated have itself, they wrote another last sequence in which we appeared then too third.
Did you like the series because of its strong women roll?
The women are crazy. And I like the pop culture-quotations. Vincent Gallo refer to and its film "Brown Bunny" for example. Very clever.
How do you think over a strong woman of the tip of the USA?
Hillary Clinton has a good chance. It has much political experience. I personal favor Barack Obama, but I think, it has not its power, also if it won clearly at execution done. On the other hand Hillary has served selected just a Celine--title as a campaign-song - I believe, I must think about there another time about that. Bill Clinton had chosen himself at that time nevertheless Fleetwood Mac.
They turned 1992 with other feminine stars an advertisement for the right to legal abortion in the USA. Are you yet always active feminist?
I try only to be a good person. But the feminine image in the music industry makes me worries. In the moment, I see only setback. It is to be believed naively that the things will change ever. That is already clear to me. In the Mainstream-area, the motto was already always "sex sells". But just seems to reach the entire a highpoint to me. Hollywood, the music industry in L. A., the Porno-industry - all holds together that.
How would you react if your daughter would hear disks of Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera?
Oh, I explained its already some years ago that this music is written by thick, old men. Therewith the subject was settled.
You the volume Modest Mouse should have prevented even an entrance before a couple of years in the Lollopalooza-festival because its singer Isaac Brock had to fight at present with an accusation because of rape, that became later fall let. Does that agree?
No! I like Modest Mouse. Incidentally its tour-manager with a good friend of me is married. That is a rumor.
And what is would have commercialized with its statements, Kurt Cobain the Grunge too deaths?
Grunge had to be killed! (Laughs loudly) bring honestly said I Nirvana not at all with Grunge in connection. There will be always volume, that imitate a successful music direction in order to become part of a movement. But therewith the movement goes also toward its end.
How did Sonic Youth create it in spite of Top-40-Platzierungen in the Charts to be perceived always as an Underground-volume?
Because we made always Underground-music! No, it lies that our Label had to issue hardly something for us. We may make what we want, for that they do not invest in us. But that is anyway snow of yesterday. We fulfilled the contract with them. No idea what brings the future.
Interview: Jessica brown