Thurston Moore is an American musician, widely recognized for his pivotal role as a singer, songwriter, and guitarist in Sonic Youth. Beyond his iconic band, Moore has engaged in a prolific array of solo endeavors and group collaborations, alongside managing an independent record label. His musical output beyond Sonic Youth showcases a diverse and innovative spirit, mirroring the boundary-pushing ethos of his work with the band. Moore's solo career and extensive collaborations further illuminate the depth of his artistic vision and his enduring impact on the alternative music landscape.
The memoir offers an intimate look at the author's journey from a music-obsessed teenager in small-town Connecticut to a key figure in the iconic band Sonic Youth. It explores his artistic evolution, highlighting three decades of creativity, experimentation, and the profound impact of music on his life. Through personal anecdotes, the author reflects on the formation of the band and the transformative power of art, providing insights into the music scene and his experiences within it.
A visual history of counterculture music T-shirts, spanning the defining era of indie music. Ripped is the first book to document the shirts of the post-punk and indie period, after the submission of 1960s rock ‘n’ roll to mass popularity and before the onset of ironic consumerism. Carefully selected from the archives of vintage fashion collector Cesar Padilla, the 200 T-shirts in this book are classic examples of rare and extremely limited shirts created by and for the very bands who embodied the true essence of the DIY and indie movements—from The Ramones to Sonic Youth, John Cale, Talking Heads, Madonna, X, Pil, The Germs, and many others. Each shirt has been photographed in all its gritty, sweat-stained glory just as it was found—on the street, in a thrift store, or inherited from a friend. Introduced by Lydia Lunch, the book includes recollections and ruminations from musicians, fashion designers, and pop culture personalities on the enigmatic and enduring appeal of the rock band T-shirt.
Presents an illustrated tell-all account of the life and death of the Grunge movement - which emerged in late - 1980s Seattle before taking over pop culture proper for the better half of the 1990s. This book covers the whole scene from a wide variety of angles.
A Sunday Times, Times, Irish Times and Mojo Book of the YearRough Trade #1 Book of the YearResident Music #1 Book of the Year 'Were you there? Well this is as close as it gets! Thurston Moore's compelling and spirited account of the streets, the songs, the clothes, the clubs and the contenders! A sensitive and authentic testimony to Moore's life lived through art and music. Beats with the heart of a true artist and mutineer.' Viv Albertine 'Downtown scientists rejoice! For Thurston Moore has unearthed the missing links, the sacred texts, the forgotten stories, and the secret maps of the lost golden age. This is history-scuffed, slightly bent, plenty noisy, and indispensable.' Colson Whitehead A music-obsessed retrospective, beginning with his childhood epiphany of rock 'n' roll in the early 1960s into an infatuation with the subversive world of 1970s punk and no wave blasting forth from New York City - where he eventually runs off to join a band in 1978. By 1981 Moore would form the legendary and notorious experimental rock group Sonic Youth, who proceeded to record and tour relentlessly for almost 30 years, always progressing, always exploring. Along the way we meet a constellation of artists and musicians who colluded and collided with Sonic Youth including Velvet Underground, Stooges, Patti Smith, Television, Sex Pistols, Clash, Nirvana, Hole, Beastie Boys, Neil Young and a cavalcade of other musical visionaries, as well as figures from the art world - Jean Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and Gerhard Richter. Simply put, Thurston Moore and Sonic Youth changed the sound of modern alternative rock music and opened the minds of a generation of artists to new possibilities within the form. This is essential reading. 'I thoroughly enjoyed Thurston Moore's trip down the gauntlet of memory lane, dodging beer bottles and pools of blood as he balances the demands of art and survival. Plus I'm a sucker for anyone who name-checks Saccharine Trust. A raw, rollicking document.' Nell Zink