Kim being honest
 

about the DDN shows:
http://www.drownedinsound.com/articles/1945406

Bling bling bling KG!

I don't see any problem in trying to make a living.

I wholeheartedly agree on this, I don't get why most indie people punish artist who try to go mainstream.

Generally, I don't care so much about why artists do what they do as much as I'm interest in what it is they did/are doing. Sure, "selling out" may be a reason for why a band's latest album might suck but I don't see how it guarantees sucking. Same with this tour.

Like every other previous SY tour never maybe any dough what so ever, let's also not forget that their shit doesn't stink and they don't live in the same dimension as use mere mortals. :rolleyes:

Fair enough. If SY had split up in the nineties and reformed now (like Dinosaur Jr, Pixies, Gang Of Four) they'd be making a lot more instead of being taken for granted..

"Trying to go mainstream" by changing yr values and morals is absolutely fucking stupid, and punishable by saying fuck that band. However, this is not "trying to go mainstream," it's more like "Our fans will come see it, and they want it."
Plus, the fact that Sonic Youth are not fucking billionaires doesn't make sense. They've done so much for music (not to mention me personally...)

Only one of their records has sold over a million copies I think, if that...

I do actually feel a lot better about these shows now.

I love that she is honest. It really shows how down to earth the band is, when they can be completely honest when being interviewed.

But how do you know she is being honest? It could be that one of the ATP guys knows some dark secret that the band doesn't want exposed and has blackmailed them into doing the shows, and "we're doing it for the money" is just a cover-up.




;) :D

Haha.

well,nobody can be free

i am not really that bothered if they are doing it for the money or not. i dont really see them doing this as some kind of artistic venture.

i personally believe she wouldn't have agreed if Mark wasn't there to do the bulk of the bass duties, I love Kim, but sometimes she isn't up for certain things

it's odd how people tend to appretiate things when they are gone and then come back, rare do things get credence for just being, it's cliche, but if they broke up say after Dirty or so, how many albums would have been lost

Actually, I don't think that any of their albums have even gone gold. Except for Dirty, perhaps. Anyone?

http://www.sonicyouth.com/gossip/showthread.php?t=10528

check the last post for the sales info, which is likely a few years out of date

thanks for the link, the rest of the article was really interesting.

http://east.drownedinsound.com/articles/1945401
Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon on the band's April shows in China
Artists: Sonic Youth
Legendary New York noise-rockers Sonic Youth – 26 years and counting – visited China for the first time ever earlier this year, playing a pair of shows in April, in Beijing and Shanghai. DiS got on the phone to the band’s Kim Gordon to talk about their trip.

Hi Kim. How was China?
Well, we really had a great time. The promoter was great – he took us out for great meals – and we were happily surprised with the audiences, as they were mostly Chinese. There’s a big ex-pat presence there, but the audiences were great, some of the best ever ones we’ve played to.

And you played just two shows, in Beijing and Shanghai? How did playing before totally new audiences affect you?
They knew most of the songs, and they seemed to know the news songs more than the old songs. I guess that’s because it’s more recently available, and there’s access to the internet, too. Although I don’t know what kind of restrictions there are on the internet in China, if there are any. I think there is some moderating, and I remember seeing something about Google about how they’re in cahoots with the Chinese government, because when you search for Tiananmen Square you only get all these beautiful tourist sites, and no information about what went on there. So there definitely is some censorship going on, but Thurston [Moore] found some Chinese nose musicians through their sites, so there is information out there for sure.

Did you do much research before going to China? Did you have to leap through any hoops to get there?
I don’t know, because we didn’t really have to take care of that. I know it wasn’t as difficult as one might think. When Lee [Ranaldo] was in Japan – he went to Japan before we did – he had to get his visa there, and that took only a couple of days. It’s opening up more for western artists, but I’m sure it’s very bureaucratic from the promoter’s point of view. I don’t think it’s as difficult as getting a visa to Russia though, bureaucracy wise.

Did you have any concerns at all about how full the shows would be? Did you go into the shows quite blindly?
Ha, yeah, I guess we did. But I figured that if the promoter thought he’d get a good turn-out… well, we wouldn’t have been brought out there if they thought we’d be playing to an empty cave. I also think there’s a big enough ex-pat community there – one of the biggest in the world – so I think we’d have been okay. We didn’t know that, but they knew that.

I read that there were problems with tickets in Shanghai, and that the venue was taking a very high percentage from their sale…?
I don’t really know. I think the venue – which was a state-run place, a really beautiful theatre – could decide whatever percentage they took. They wanted twenty per cent of ticket sales, and then another twenty per cent if they sold them on the day of the show. We didn’t sell any personally – we had nothing to do with it – but the promoter sold some out of a van.

So what were you doing while the business side of things was being sorted? Did you get to see the sights?
In Beijing there was this great artists complex, built out of these industrial factories. This French woman we met took us there – the promoter introduced us to her, and the artist who started the complex, and they showed us around. We had so little time that we basically hit all the tourist spots – the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, and Tiananmen Square. They had a tour guide for us, and we weren’t used to that! We wanted to go look at the old parts and wander around, but no… But I lived in Hong Kong when I was twelve, so I was pretty familiar with Chinese culture. I think one thing you don’t get, in the cities there, is the impression that outside the cities ninety per cent of the population lives in poverty. You see people living in crowded circumstances in the older areas, where they’re on low incomes, but you don’t really get the sense that it’s worse elsewhere.

So it was as much of a vacation as a business trip?
It was, but it was also very moving to play there, I think. China is one of those countries that has been so inaccessible for so long, and it’s so mythic. More western artists will go out there. We did feel as if we were breaking some ground – I’m surprised that bigger bands on our management haven’t been there. We’re the first, but Beck’s not been there yet, and nor have Foo Fighters, but they will go in time. It’s interesting that there’s no network of commercial western influence there, so for a band like us it’s interesting that we have such a high standing – people there haven’t been brainwashed by MTV, and made to like certain things. There aren’t labels out there, working all these records. Most of our audience seemed to really be fans, which was nice.

So did playing China make you think about shows elsewhere any differently?
No, but it did make Coachella seem like something of a let down. It was like, “Oh, we have to go do this…” But festivals are always kind of touch and go. It wasn’t a brilliant Coachella this year.

So would you go back, to China that is?
Oh definitely. It’s such a huge, vast… it’s our future master, China. The manufacturing machine that it is…

yeah, honest injun kim! sy never really had wads of cash so why the fuck not!!!!
im scared of the irish date in september tho. its the only europen date that isnt subtitled "performing daydream nation".... make it fucking happen sy

So did playing China make you think about shows elsewhere any differently?
No, but it did make Coachella seem like something of a let down. It was like, “Oh, we have to go do this…” But festivals are always kind of touch and go. It wasn’t a brilliant Coachella this year.

:( :( :( :(

I find it hard to believe that they've sold so little - I mean like now in time since it's release i would have though stuff like daydream nation had sold over a million. I remember looking at post mellon collie pumpkins sales thinking they were really small - like 300,000 to 500,000. But it is like the thing like complaining that someone like michael jackson only sold 2mil of whatever album because thriller sold shit loads.... You know it's not such a bad think - though i feel a little cheated at how they dip after EJTNS though. Just thinking about all those asshole bandwagon jumpers.

i dont mind that sy is doing a previous album tour its hip its not like there the rolling stones who havent recorded anything new or atleast listen worthy in the past 20 yrs and are a novelty act basically (And greatest hits albums dont count)

I agree with you on the kind of boring point, but I posted about that a whole lot already. To me, the fun of seeing Sonic Youth is wondering what will come next in the set. Imagine knowing, exactly, song for song. That takes away so much. It really sounds like Kim agrees too.

Nonetheless, I'm sure they are probably getting paid more for these gigs than they usually do on tour. If they do it again for Goo or Dirty in a year or two, I'm going to be seriously disappointed in them, but they probably won't.

I feel the same way about them doing it for the money as I did when the Sex Pistols reunited and openly said it was for the money. Yes, they deserve(d) to get paid for what they have done as far as changing the face of rock music forever. Yes, they will probably be good shows, an the band will still put into it all they have. Will I go if it comes through my town? I'm honestly not sure, I'd have to examine the ticket price first.

I'm excited for these shows nonetheless, but I do agree with the general vibe here. I think it would've been cool if they relearned many of the songs and threw them in randomly during normal setlists. That being said, I understand that part of the thrill of seeing Sonic Youth is wondering what will come next in their catalog of 30 years of music, but I still think the shows will be fun.

Also, for all we know, they could bring other songs back too for an encore, perhaps. For example, Disappearer uses the same tuning as 'Cross the Breeze. Although it was hardly ever played live, maybe they'll see it as an opportunity to bring it back? This is arbitrary.

I was at those shows, at least the one at Union Station in Seattle, and that makes me less likely to want to see them do it live now. It would just fuck up my memories to see them do the same thing today (only even more in the exact order and without any chance of them throwing in "I Love Her All of the Time" which I think they did back then, or "Expressway".)

I'll admit, if they toured Bad Moon Rising all over again, I'd be sorely tempted though. Of course they'd lose money doing that.

I understand what people are saying about wanting to be surprised, I want to see "Teenage Riot" and "Hey Joni" and others performed live, when I saw them with "Sonic Nurse" I was quite let down that they didn't vere off all that much from "Nurse" songs, the only song I remember then doing was "Kool Thing". So to that extent it was a disappiontment that thier set wasn't as diverse as I was expecting/hoping.

You probably saw them pretty early in the tour, eh? They tend to do that with new albums at first, then as they keep playing the new songs over and over, they start mixing in the old stuff. Late in the Nurse tour they were doing tons of old stuff.

I have to say though, that to me means they are always playing what they are most into hearing themselves. When songs are new, they want to hear them most. When they get a bit older, they want to hear some of their old songs to freshen things up. That's apparently NOT the case with these Daydream shows where Kim is freely admiting she's going to get sick of "Eric's Trip" right after "Cross the Breeze".

Wait, just wondering, where did Kim say that? I'm not doubting it, just wondering if there's an article or something.

The article is in Moshe's post at the top of this thread.

So why don't they play all twelve songs, but just out of order?

Wrong, there's other dates where they aren't performing daydream nation, the two ones in France (Istres + Cergy Pontoise) for instance

A band that has stuck together with the same core lineup since 1985 and has continuously released music ranging from good to amazing, should be able to do whatever they want... including "sell-out."

I don't get why everyone is so down on the idea. it's a sonic youth show and they're going to be playing some good songs. sure, knowing whats going to come next kinda bores it down - but the idea is really interesting to me. i wonder what exactly is going to happen. its just the curiousity that intrigues me.

Well, this DDN thing is really only going to be attended by the fans, and unlike fans of bands who have reunited, there isnt this expectation that theyll play everything note for note. If anything else its gonna be fun watching them play stuff they havent played for years and improvising if things go astray.
Its my first SY gig as well.

it's just a handful of shows, on a tour with other "normal" shows. i am excited for it. an interesting idea to try a few times, not a good idea to start doing a whole lot, or they would become a cartoon of themselves. i'm hoping they really streatch out and jam some of those songs, like when i saw 'em do an epic teenage riot for a set closer last fall in LA. the new DDN book makes a point of saying that sections of the songs were improvised, and on "destroyed room" they make a point of wanting to showcase their looser instumental side; so they could potentially take all their improv knowledge/skills gained in the last 20 years to reinterpret their old classic in an even-more-mindblowing fashion...

imagine hearing teen age riot > silver rocket > the sprawl
and you're expecting cross' the breeze but what comes next is for instance death valley '69
now then you would be fucking surprised, even more than knowing you're gonna be surprised by the next song

Or they could put on a recording of "March of the Ciccone Robots" on the highest volume and then start randomly shooting into the crowd.

I think I would be more surprised at that.

sorry, but sometimes honesty isn't always the best policy. wasn't really gonna go before but now i'm definitely not.

why does anyoe care the motivation behind playing what is TO ME, the single greatest rock album of the past 27 years?


just enjoy and enjoy. the geffen gravytrain has ended.