I love how Kim writes about the lITTLE tROUBLE gIRL VIDEO

Ok. I just listened to the Audiobook. Im too lazy to read. It was okay. I think she wasted too much time on certain things and not enough on others. Just when you think shes finally done talking about Keller she brings him up again. Over and over and over. That got old quick. She called EVOL their 3rd album. Which I thought was funny. She didn't even mention tom at all. That was a let down. She never says who I Love You Golden Blue was about, that was a let down. What was unmade bed about? Did I miss that? Shadow of a Doubt was inspired by a Hitchcock film. She didn't talk about NYC Ghosts and Flowers. Ive always wondered if "Nevermind" was about Kurdt? But she didn't go there. The Ending of the book was a total let down. With a story about her making out in front of her rental house in echo park with a "player" in his car. That was awkward and she didn't name him. She's 61 years old and now she's moved back to LA to act like a 21 year old with a no strings attached lifestyle. She's changed and not the Kim she use to be. I don't think the book really gets even with Thurston the way she wanted it too. He's in love and she isn't. It wasn't a happy ending for her. I don't feel sorry for her either. She's a spoiled brat complaining about having to sell their apartment in Soho on Lafayette only the 1% can afford plus having a 6,000 sq ft house in the Northampton and now a rental house in Echo Park. Going to a private school for children of UCLA professors on campus is extremely privileged. She takes so much for granted. Everyone who tries to help her she just treats like the biggest inconvenience she doesn't want to deal with.

dang, that is a harsh reading of it! Methinks your expectations are too much. everyone changes every day and are NEVER the person they "used" to be. so what?

I don't have the energy for a full-on rant, but this 1% mentality is a joke. Both as it applies to Kim and as it applies in general. You see where Kim comes from...the jobs she's had...the hills she has climbed...and the integrity she has maintained throughout. Invest some passion and elbow grease into something and maybe you'll be rewarded too.

INDEED.

like I said in my review, Kim doesn't "owe" anyone anything. She is a writer and what she wants to share is what she wants to share. Kim built a fashion business with a friend (x-girl) sold it (the AMERICAN DREAM) and saved the money so she could buy the house in Northhampton. That is as far away from entitled 1%'er as one can get. Hard work paid off. do not begrudge her her life.

BTW, this was my teenage dream right here.....Both my Kims.....

every post from secretmonalisa is a curious gem...i've had my eye on her(?) for years. ;)

btw jenn - great review!! love the pic that kim tweeted, too.

for me, the book was a good, quick read - i rarely care about an artist's childhood (let's be honest, i would have loved to read kim write 200 pages on nothing but the sonic youth discography, which i'm sure would bore her senseless) but in an autobiography it's always a little more interesting. neil young's book was the same. it is curious how the "thousand leaves"/"nyc ghosts" era is so quickly glossed over - i wonder if she just wasn't feeling the band at this point (young child) and jim's arrival really invigorated her?

i noticed a handful of errors, none more blatant than kim attaching a story to a pic of her and kurt that unfortunately was taken over a year before frances was born (and before he actually met courtney!).

also, somebody has to explain to me how "brother james" corresponds to mystery train, lyrically. this is the first i've heard of her specifically mentioning jim morrison, so has the "james" in the title been jim morrison this whole time?!

I go by the name secretmonalisa because I think I inspired the line in the song, but it was so long ago that I don't remember what song it was! Empty page? Back in my New York city days. I would never kiss a married man, too messy. I would never get married, too messy.

True, maybe. She's always came off as being extremely superficial, however. Is this a bad thing? It depends on who you ask. I for one don't think so, but I usually find these sorts extremely boring.

Still haven't read the book.

Kim superficial? Did i miss the drug party cuz some folks seem a bit not in their right mind to make such comments

Also, "not the Kim she used to be?" (A) seems like more or less the same kim too me aside from (b)the obvious trauma a divorce brings to any person or situation.. again though like i mentioned im not interested in this or any SY related bio book, i like to know them through their art, their shows, and the real life conversations ive been blessed to have with members of the band and even their children. It was a privilege to meet Lee's son, i loved chatting with Kim, Steve is one of the coolest "people in a band" ive ever talked to and i've been in a few bands myself! Fuck this book.. i ain't hatin on kim for writing it but this thread in particular all the more validated why id never read it

That's the vibe I've always gotten. Again, this wasn't exactly meant as an insult.

So, in other words you'd rather not read about Kim in Kim's own words because it might change your opinion on Kim? Interesting, especially considering that you have no qualms arguing over something you, by your own account, haven't read with those who have.

Maybe I'm missing something. In all fairness and to your benefit all the reviews speak of stuff that was already mentioned before the book was actually released. Kind of like a film trailer showing all of the good parts before the film hits theaters.

A rant:

I understand not reading a book by or about someone I don't find interesting. I can appreciate Kim as a vocalist, and her sense of fashion is sometimes interesting (two things I wouldn't have considered "art" some years back. I've changed my mind on that in more recent times which I'm thankful for, for my own sake). I say I don't find Kim interesting, and my opinion regarding her being "superficial" is based off what little she's vocalized through the years. Now she says a lot and there's some newfound interest in her. Or maybe the newfound interest is based more off the fact that she was cheated on than anything else. I mean before this, she was always sort of the "mystery" element of what was Sonic Youth. Then all of this and she just seems soooo obvious as a person. The fans become so obvious as people. It's like watching a bunch of folks whine over some Lifetime movie and I find that strange. I do find her interesting within the context of Sonic Youth. She's important in that realm. I can understand why others might find her interesting in other ways, even if I tend to disagree most of the time. And it's not that I don't appreciate women as some have suggested. I just think it's silly when they have to talk about what it means to be a woman in rock, as opposed to just rocking the fuck out which has endless more to say. Anyone who knows me knows my love for Patti Smith, as a person as well as an artist, is on par with any of those other people I've praised through the years...most notably Iggy Pop. They are both two different sides of the same coin. Both understand the beauty of going batshit crazy for art's sake, as well as how to calm down for the sake of intelligent convo. I like when people are multifaceted and willing to reinvent themselves for virtually any reason. It's OK for people to contradict themselves. It's OK to not be the same person all the time.

This has got to be one of the most comically poorly articulated book reviews I've ever read in my life.

Swa, it is more difficult to be a woman in general. Men don't get objectified, tortured, raped, humiliated etc the same way women do around the world every day. Kim doesn't need to justify the way she feels about this or come up with a distinct plan on how to stop it. The answer is already there for the perpetrators to understand.

dear Jonathan Marks in Edinburg. Your ugly and have nothing to say. your prose blog is the most comically teenage effort I've read since I was in high school. I can't believe guys your age still write that way. You have nothing to say so shut the fuck up and go back to your ugly girlfriend. You limp dick bitch.

wow your a mature individual.

Who have i argued with on this thread and what are you claiming i argued exactly? Also been listening to SY for decades now, talked to kim in person, are you suggesting its impossible to know anything about kim without reading her book? Im simply not interested in learning much more if its about her more personal life outside of her art, why does that bother you?

I think I made my point very clear, as well as understanding where you are coming from. Also, I've spoken with Lee twice, Thurston and Steve once. I don't feel I know much about them as people as a result of these brief after-show fan/artist interactions. You and Kim go out for coffee twice a week? Relax

And just for the record, I didn't get into SY two years ago. Im willing to bet the size of my collection ranks within the top few out of everyone on this here forum. Stu probably has me beat ( I quit "collecting" all things SY related a couple years back sans the random rarity I may come across). It barely matters

i wish i could write better in english to say an "intelligent" review, i already read it...but i think i'm going to a second round. with the soundtrack of body/head...anyway for a first impression was a easy read, like to know some details of the band in her point of view, her youth in L.A, her relation with New York, i think some details about Thurston was unnecessary... ok she's still angry and that boy needs a lesson...but she doesn't win and he didn't loose.
i love them as musicians and i wanna keep that feeling that way.

I don't need to read about every personal detail of kim's life to know she hasn't "changed" or is "not the kim she used to be" so....

Again its not a "sonic youth fanner than thou" pissing contest. I ain't hating on you or anyonefor reading the book, just sharing my own personal perspective as to why I'm not interested

Brilliant posting, my sentiments exactly.. Kim is not my aunt or a personal friend, she is an artist whose work i very much enjoy. So i don't feel the need to delve too deeply into her bio, i like the art to speak for itself

Oh im not reading it either.

I finished reading the book last night. I found it a very tender, fascinating, painful + moving read. And so revealing.

I've long considered Kim to be the 'soul' of Sonic Youth, and this book, to me, was proof of that.

I would have loved more Sonic Youth talk; for example, stuff on the time their gear was stolen; more thoughts on 'becoming mainstream', or the attempt to become so, when they signed to Geffen; more thoughts on individual tracks on each album, not just one or two per album, etc. But this is supposed to be a book anyone could read, and it would be too much for a non/casual fan to have to read about what she thinks of 'Dude Ranch Nurse'.

Yes, she is still angry with Thurston -- and has every right to be angry. I would be too if I gave 30 years of my life to a person who ended up lying to me and cheating on me.

You don't know the whole story. Maybe Kim's side is the whole story and Thurston was just selfish. But none of us knows what happened prior to his affair.

So for those who read or at least own a copy, how much is devoted to personal shit and how much to music? Give me a ratio please im curious

Hard to quantify, but I would say most of the book is personal or at least non-music. For example, talking about her X-Girl clothing line is not music, but I wouldn't consider that "personal", either. But there's a lot in there that gives you an idea of who Kim is as a human being. I've seem people on here discussing how "cold" or stand-offish Kim can be around fans. But after reading this book, you can appreciate why, if you didn't already.

I find it very interesting to learn about the person behind the music.

"You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Magic Wheel Memory again."

Courtney Love finally made a tweet on twitter about the book two days ago. LOL

Courtney Love Cobain ‏@Courtney · Mar 7
@alka_seltzer666 @lynzway @KimletGordon Omg I beat you to it, but I bought 6 copies. you wicked child xx



Looks like Courtney bought 6 copies for her and Francis so they can wipe their asses with it. LOL.

Kim talks about Tobi and Kathleen not being at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the book. But she doesn't talk about why Francis and Coco weren't at the Rock Hall of Fame. I wonder why they weren't there? Why didn't Sonic Youth go? That was really lame of them.

Hahha.. i don't usually support Courtney Love related cat fights but this is brilliant.

Courtney is a badass

that pic. made me laugh.

sonic soul...
 

Honestly, their post SY releases have proven this IMO.

shit man, the whole band used to be mysterious to me. then you grow up and realize nothings really mysterious. you lose yr virginity, but not in like a sexual way or for the first time way, but in finally getting that woman you've always wanted. then saying ok. got it. moving along.

i must disagree with that, the soul of sonic youth was and will be Thurston, since the early days until now, sonic youth it's his vision about rock n' noise.

and yeah if i gave 30 years of my life to a person who ended up lying to me and cheating on me i will be angry.

hahaha she's funny...and also needs some psycho therapy!

Kim says she disliked Eva long before Eva became involved with Thurston, because of her crazy evil ways. I'm guessing the evil ways include becoming pregnant by the son of Princess Christina so he'd marry her, then becoming pregnant with T. so he'd leave Kim for her. Not much feminism there.

pregnant ? what do you know about feminism ? prove it :

Obviously I don't know enough about feminism. When I was in high school and heard that Kim was married to Thurston I thought, "But I thought feminists didn't marry!" And how does royalty fit into the mix? Dutch Princess Christina, whose godfather was Winston Churchill and who lives in London, was born into the House of Lippe. Thurston's recent "Lip" video shows scenes of anti-authority. Eva posted on Facebook a photo of herself holding a sign saying Down with Royalty. Maybe the royals are claiming full rights to the kids who were named after several royals. It reads like a turbulent international romance novel, not just a rock & roll story. Although I'd rather go to a SY concert than read such a steamy story.

humanity = complex

does revolution lie in her hips or in his cock?

Both?

Does it really fucking matter?