Sonic humans?
 

Would it bother anyone here if they heard a story about Sonic Youth being mean or not very cool?

I once had a roommate in a band that won a Grammy, and he told me that long ago, in the 80's, they played a festival with Sonic Youth. SY asked to borrow their instruments and then proceeded to destroy them on stage without permission and without reimbursing his band for the money. His band was very poor but didn't wish to make waves because it was after all Sonic Youth.

I don't vouch for the validity of this story, and I certainly don't wish to bring up any bad feelings when my friend asked me not to do it...but I do question in my mind whether this could be true, and if it is true, I ask myself how and why, and what kind of people SY are.

if that's true that's fucked up.
some people on the old board were talking about how the sonics dont maintain freindships in which they won't benifet from. i'm not really sure how to interpet that, but it doesn't sound good

If any band borrowed insturments from another band I don't think they would be stupid enough to break them. That would be really shitty, doesn't matter if you are Nirvana, SY, or The Who. Break your own damn insturments cheapos.

I would definitely be bothered if it were true. They're one of my favorite bands but that doesn't preclude them from being assholes, if they did in fact do what your roomate says they did.

I agree.

But out of curiosity, is there any chance you could disclose the name of the grammy award winning band, Daycare?

why would they borrow guitars. don't they own like a zillion of 'em...

It doesn't really matter to me.
I like SY for the music they make, not who they are. I certainly would not recomend looking to rock stars for role models. Most of them are arseholes

i heard a similar story about thurston renting an amp during a solo improv show and going to town on it... it was rented from the friend of someone who posted on the old board... maybe they are here?

also heard a story about thurston ignoring journalists from small publications after he realised they weren't with any sort of mainstream magazine... this was apparently in the early 90s tho, an era in which thurston himself admitted he had hopes that the band would achieve mainstream success...

I couldn't care any less about what they are like as people as long as they make good music and they dont abuse the NHS.If i was your friend and Thurston Moore had just smashed my guitar what i'd be likely to do is to follow his mum and dad around for 3 years wearing an african mask and nothing except for
sexy, girly underwear.Something tells me that he would pay me back somehow.......

Why must you always post exactly what I was thinking...?

you must spread some moisturizing cream on Glice's face before you kiss him on the cheek

'Moisturizing cream'... that's a new one on me.

Never had a little pampering session?

yes who is this grammy award winning band.... and yes it is fucked if they did this, however 100% verification would be neccasary. stories are stories are stories are fiction unless they are non fiction

kill yr idols

=/...proof is needed

he should be honoured SY trashed his gear, probably was a shite guitar anyways, SY could have been doing them a favor. nahh only joking really, i doubt the accuracy of this story, i reckon yr man could be exaggerating a little - my friend does that and its kinda humerous.
Like my old Dad says..
"theres 3 sides to every story, your side, my side and the truth"

so we'll probably never really know

your Dad knows the score

If that is true then it's bollocks for them to do that.

I don't believe that one for a minute.

I really don't want to say the name of the band, because I doubt my friend would want the story getting back to him....this is after all the Sonic Youth site.

I'm not saying I believe it either....but my friend seemed so hurt when he was telling the story, and he told me that he was shocked they could behave that way...I don't know why he would make it up.

But Sonic Youth got their gear stolen a while back, so if it is true maybe that was karma.

The fact that this is a Sonic Youth site is all the more reason to share the specific origin of this Sonic Youth-related story. If you can actually name the band your friend is in, I'll probably believe everything you said. I don't make a habit of trusting musicians. In general, they aren't decent people, at least not in that aspect.

Sonic Youth playing with a grammy award winning band doesn't sound right to me...

Well I don't really believe or deny the story, but I can kind of understand not saying the band's name if it's true. It does hurt the credibility of the story substantially, but it makes sense. Oh well. It was a while ago, anyway, even if it did happen.

They weren't grammy winning way back when....they only won a grammy recently...they're not really super rich or anything and it's not likely that anyone here is a huge fan of them....if it WERE true, I wouldn't want Sonic Youth finding out that their little episode was being discussed...then it might get back to my friend somehow and I wouldn't want to be responsible...although that is probably not likely to happen.

just name the band because it makes it sound like you are just making shit up

i second that

lol i can understand that, i'm like that but paranoid to the max about these type of things. hearing this doesn't change my opinion of them, i mean it's an awful thing to do, but i can live with the fact that they did that (if they even did) everyone doesn't mean stuff.

Oh the tedium.................

If it's true, then that's all the more reason to take SY to task for it, right on their own message board. I don't believe it's true.

what's the point..?
at best, it's hearsay, and seem highly improbable..
if sonic youth waanted mainstream success, they could've used their chances differently during the 90s.. their preference was in the other way - the chased away the mainstream attention with their attitude and out put..
they take relationships as a mean to an end? i don't think so.. they have so many stoires with influential people, some mainstream.. chloe sevigny, harmony korine, macaulay culkin, not to mention musicians too...

come on..
daycare nation hints something, and the situation gets so awkward, he can't name names, and the story can't be verified, and sonic youth end up looking like assholes..
don't think so...

sonic youth fans are so defensive!

best defense is aggressive offence!

Do you love Sonic Youth or not? Their music? Their lyrics? Art? Does anything else matter, or affect your love of these things in any way? Including their personalities?

You ask a good question. I think there's a difference between loving a band's music and supporting the band. I used to love Rage Against the Machine. Then, I read about their bass player hating all police and imploring people to blow up government buildings. At that point, my conscience would not allow me to support such a lowlife by buying anymore of his records or going to his shows. That doesn't mean I don't think their music is good.

If I thought Sonic Youth were the kind of band that would willfully destroy people's equipment, I wouldn't buy their records, either. But, I have no reason to believe that's true.

I cant believe you guys are actually going along with this shit.....the guys obviously messing with us, grammy award winning band?? With Sonic Youth?? Come on....

Past grammy winners include White Stripes, Wilco, Beck, Radiohead, Nirvana, Green Day, REM, Pearl Jam, Beastie Boys,etc. SY has played with some of these bands.

I have other reasons for not belieiving this story.