Psychic Confusion: The Sonic Youth Story

by Stevie Chick

Overview

In the early 80s Sonic Youth regenerated the spirit of punk by creating their own spectacular brand of noise rock. Without them, much of the independent rock community that followed would never have come into being and it was a direct result of their influence that Nirvana releases Nevermind on a major label.

Drawing on interviews with the group and the people closest to them, Steve Chick gives a fascinating insight into this most fearless and adventurous of bands, charting their revolutionary path and exploring the aftershocks they left both on pop culture and the counter-culture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780857120540
Publisher:	Omnibus Press
Publication date:	11/05/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	282
File size:	7 MB

Table of Contents

Introduction: NYC Ghosts & Flowers     1
Early American     5
So You Wanna Be A Rock'n'Roll Star?     23
Noisefest     46
Kill Yr Idols     67
Like A Hurricane     81
EVOLution Summer     100
Daydreaming Days In A Daydream Nation     130
From Here To Infinity     150
The Year Punk Broke     180
Post-'Mersh'     212
Goodbye 20th Century     235
Radical Adults Lick Godhead Style     253
Selective Discography     275
Bibliography     279
Acknowledgements     281

Editorial Reviews

Venerable New York guitar abusers Sonic Youth have been the cool older siblings to several generations of the indie/underground rock set for over two decades. Despite reveling in the harsh and free-form edges of musical expression, Sonic Youth have displayed a knack for a pop hook and a Madonnaesque talent for staying on the bleeding edge of new music, taking inspiration from upstart bands while simultaneously mentoring them (Nirvana, most notably). Now two able music journalists have come out with remarkably complete versions of the Sonic Youth story. Browne (Dream Brother: The Lives & Music of Jeff & Tim Buckley) had full, unfettered access to the Youth and confederates and tells a more complete and official version of the band's story. But Chick's scrappy book is a worthy read, too. Writing in the overheated and excitable prose particular to British alternative-music journalists, Chick, who's contributed to MOJO and Plan B, gives a broad, fan's-eye view of Sonic Youth and the various music and art subcultures they have been inspired by and inspired.

So which to choose? It's a somewhat problematic proposition. Each book is thoroughly researched and passionately written, and despite some degree of anecdote duplication, each offers unique, complementary insights. Ideally, larger public and academic libraries with popular music collections should have both titles on hand, as the band has previously been covered extensively only in Alec Foege's premature Confusion Is Next (1994). In many ways, the Youth's work has become more interesting and unpredictable the older they get-putting them in the rarefied company of Neil Young and Tom Waits-anddifferent perspectives on such a varied and lengthy career are essential. However, if it comes down to picking one of two, Goodbye 20th Century is recommended for all public and academic libraries.
—Matthew Moyer

Library Journal