Jacopo Sannazaro
Italian writer
American musician and artist, most known as co-founding member of Sonic Youth
Kim Gordon, the co-founder of the influential alternative rock band Sonic Youth, has had an impressive and versatile career as a musician, singer, songwriter, and visual artist. From her early days in New York City to her recent solo work, Gordon has continued to push the boundaries of creativity and expression.
Table of Contents
About the Kim Gordon
Kim Althea Gordonis an American musician, singer, songwriter, and rapper best known as the bassist, guitarist, and vocalist of alternative rock band Sonic Youth. Born in Rochester, New York, she was raised in Los Angeles, California, where her father was a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. After graduating from Los Angeles’s Otis College of Art and Design, she moved to New York City to begin an art career. There, she formed Sonic Youth with Thurston Moore in 1981. She and Moore married in 1984, and the band released a total of six albums on independent labels before the end of the 1980s. It then released nine studio albums on the label DGC Records, beginning with Goo in 1990. Gordon was also a founding member of the musical project Free Kitten, which she formed with Julia Cafritz in 1993.
Sonic Youth released its 15th and final studio album, The Eternaland I’m Not Thereand guest-starring on several television series. In 2015, she published a memoir, Girl in a Band, by HarperCollins imprint Dey Street Books.
Frequently Asked Questions
Kim Gordon is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and rapper best known as the bassist, guitarist, and vocalist of the alternative rock band Sonic Youth.
Kim Gordon was born on April 28, 1953 in Rochester, New York.
Kim Gordon co-founded the influential alternative rock band Sonic Youth in 1981 with Thurston Moore, and the band released several successful albums on independent and major labels throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
In addition to her work with Sonic Youth, Kim Gordon has also been a founding member of the musical project Free Kitten, and has released solo work, including the album ,No Home Record, in 2019.
Beyond her music career, Kim Gordon has also worked as a producer, fashion designer, actor, and visual artist, debuting her memoir ,Girl in a Band, in 2015.
After Sonic Youth disbanded in 2011 following Gordon’s separation from Thurston Moore, she formed the experimental duo Body/Head with Bill Nace and the group Glitterbust with Alex Knost, continuing to explore new creative avenues.
Kim Gordon is widely regarded as a pioneering and influential figure in alternative and indie rock, known for her innovative musicianship, songwriting, and commitment to artistic expression throughout her diverse career.
17 Quotes by Kim Gordon
- 1.
I mean, most of it is probably more obscure and just more noisy than either of those two bands, but Thurston has stuff all the time that he’s involved with that is fairly obscure and experimental.
Kim GordonAmerican musician and artist, most known as co-founding member of Sonic Youth
- 2.
It’s really hard for me to sing and play bass.
Kim GordonAmerican musician and artist, most known as co-founding member of Sonic Youth
- 3.
Unless you’re singing something that’s kind of in rhythm with the bass, the melodies, it’s just difficult.
Kim GordonAmerican musician and artist, most known as co-founding member of Sonic Youth
- 4.
The last two records I liked playing a lot.
Kim GordonAmerican musician and artist, most known as co-founding member of Sonic Youth
- 5.
Well, it was kind of accidental that Jim started playing with us, although it wasn’t sudden… we hadn’t really looked around to think who could be a fifth member.
Kim GordonAmerican musician and artist, most known as co-founding member of Sonic Youth
- 6.
I have a really hard time writing my own lyrics for this record, because one, I had to write so many and also I was kind of perplexed by the idea of how I was going to sing and play… because at that time, we hadn’t really thought about asking someone else.
Kim GordonAmerican musician and artist, most known as co-founding member of Sonic Youth
- 7.
Anyone becomes mannered if you think too much about what other people think.
Kim GordonAmerican musician and artist, most known as co-founding member of Sonic Youth
- 8.
I just happened to start playing music for the conceptual ideas.
Kim GordonAmerican musician and artist, most known as co-founding member of Sonic Youth
- 9.
Because our daughters have school and it’s just such a hassle going down to New York all the time, we can really only go on the weekends, we kind of… Steve came up here and worked out stuff for the second half of the record.
Kim GordonAmerican musician and artist, most known as co-founding member of Sonic Youth
- 10.
I try not to think too much about what the audience is thinking and what they think I should do.
Kim GordonAmerican musician and artist, most known as co-founding member of Sonic Youth
- 11.
I mean, I don’t even think of myself as a musician, really.
Kim GordonAmerican musician and artist, most known as co-founding member of Sonic Youth
- 12.
You know, we have our own audience, and it’s not like – they just know we’re not going to do certain things.
Kim GordonAmerican musician and artist, most known as co-founding member of Sonic Youth
- 13.
I just think that playing bass, like punk rock bass with a pick, wasn’t meant to be done for 25 years.
Kim GordonAmerican musician and artist, most known as co-founding member of Sonic Youth
- 14.
But everything has been so gradual that it’s sort of all come from, just hard work and basically being at it.
Kim GordonAmerican musician and artist, most known as co-founding member of Sonic Youth
- 15.
There’s only so many small shows you can do. A lot of the smaller things are more side project things. Not everything is appropriate for Sonic Youth to do.
Kim GordonAmerican musician and artist, most known as co-founding member of Sonic Youth
- 16.
I see it as more of a teenage activity than, you know, she’s only 11, but you know, I think it’s great that she knows so many girls who want to play music. And I see it more as a teen activity than I do as going into music.
Kim GordonAmerican musician and artist, most known as co-founding member of Sonic Youth
- 17.
And then, I was thinking of doing a record just like starting with voice, because I did this one song that was just kind of a cappella, and I did it for this art piece I did where people could come and play music to go with a voice.
Kim GordonAmerican musician and artist, most known as co-founding member of Sonic Youth