Jim O
 

I was looking for controversy...

What do you think about Jim' involvement in SY ?
As for me, I think he didn't bring so much to the band, I 've been disappointed.
I wonder why he left the band. Does somebody know ?

for me he did a lot, for example sonic nurse - which is masterpiece for me (for production and for album)

he left cuz he is studying in japan sth with movies.

That proves he was not very interested in the band...

that proves just that he does what he wants do to with his life.

Jim's solo albums are great, if he put as much effort into his solo albums as he did with SY then this decade would be my favourite SY decade.

If you have the opportunity to play in a such good band, what would you do ?
I'm not sure I 'd go in Japan to make films...

i would go to japan and make movies in a second. even if it means quitting a great band.

^^ Liar !!!^^

I would, if that's what I want to do.
Jim doesn't "need" opportunities, he gives opportunities. a ha ha a :D
zen post.

Well, I mean I don't understand his choice.
Man, it's SONIC YOUTH !!!!

It's artistic direction. He feels the need to express himself through movies, rather than music.

I know why he really left the band. If you wan to know you should read the upcoming sy bio.

Ok, I'm gonna wait for this bio to have some answers.

so fucking what? sy existed before jim'o and they still exist after jim'o.

and jim'o was awesome before he joined sy and he is still very fucking awesome. he should start doing more music.

Hope I can snag a copy of Eureka soon.

yeah, i got mixed up with the reissues and thought of a new album slipped my mind.

i'm mad at jim because i wasn't aware he played in a band called osorezan and i wanted to use that name myself.

well said!

Jim is super interested in Film and particulary japanese film (from an article I read in BOMB magazine a few years ago) some of his favorite film makers are japanese along side experimental folks like Tony Conrad, Nicolas Roag, Michael Snow.. etc etc.
I think it was a within a few weeks after he formally left SY when a friend of mine who works at the University of Buffalo Media Studies Dept., spotted him in the hallways of the dept. hanging out with Tony Conrad (professor in the dept.) and they were probably discussing alot about Jim's future in the subject. I'm guessing he's obviously formally studying Film in Japan, and also trying to keep involved with musical projects when the opportunity exists.

What a jip. Just tell us now.

I don't really have any comment on him. NYC Flowers and ghosts and Sonic Nurse and both fantastic & my favs

but

leaving a band like SY is the biggest act of wankerdom ever.

Why is it the biggest act of "wankerdom?" Just because he wanted to go on his own direction?

ugh, do you get worked up when someone in a band talks bad about another band?

Jim O was great in SY. Some of their best output is with him.

he makes great solo stuff. i admire him

Jim's solo career and other projects (like Gastr del sol) blow away almost everything SY ever did. SY were great before/during him being with them and they'll probably be good again soon (Rather Ripped sucked).

Jim's great, he was in the band for, what, 4 or 5 years? That's a pretty long time to be in a band for such an active person.

Also, "wankerdom"? Go listen to the new Mindless Self Indulgence album or something, "d00d".

Why is it the biggest act of "wankerdom?" Just because he wanted to go on his own direction?

I understand that he presumably had alot to offer to a band like SY and vice versa. And without sounding, 'careerist', I just don't see many other opportunities like that for anyone.

It is stimulating to follow your muse and go your own way as an artists nature dicates but the wind could blow forever as well.

I also bought Eureka and it just didn't do anything for me. In fact I was let down...

hahahahaha, you make it sound like if it was jim's big chance at "making it" as a musician.

sy was jim'o's american idol.

Eureka's awesome.

are you kidding? i thought be brought sy out of their bried, but stil present, late 90's slump. i think murray street is their best major label release since ddn, and jim (and probably lee) helped them embrace their stoner, psychedelic jam, greatful dead influences and did it in a way which sounded totally awesome. he helped bring sonic youth into the new millenium, and here they are, still one of the most important bands we have.

whoa, i missed that comment about wankerdom. jim never made the implication he was gonna be in sy forever, it was just another bleep on his absolutley mindblowingly brilliant carreer.

does anyone remember the first time they heard o rourke was gonna be a full time member of the youth? i dont recall ever being that stoked on any music news in my life.

What is the upcoming SY bio?

What are you talking about? I have heard some of his solo stuff. Yes, some of it doesn't do much for me, but most noise or experimental doesn't or whatever you want to call it. SY wasn't the only opportunity, is it wrong to do what you want, even if you have this opportunity in front of you?

Like most said already, he wasn't in the band for good. He was just stopping by, and to be honest he did changed the direction they where going, or crashing into.

Jim's discography is amazing. The amount of great albums he's been involved with i don't think can be calculated.
Him being in sonic youth was a very small factor for me.

he is a great musician.
I'm digging Loose Fur now.

"We’ve got a great sales plan for May — and if you’ve been paying attention, you know we’ve been bragging about it: Jim O’Rourke reissues, the likes of which ye’ve seldom seen! Seriously, the Osorezan Mimidokudesuka CD didn’t get too far out of Japan back in aught-five, despite an all-star free-power-jams lineup of O’Rourke, Darin Gray and Chris Corsano. And Mimidokudesuka was never pressed on vinyl — until now, motherfucker. Then Tamper goes all the way back to 1991, an age where either you weren’t born already or were carrying on as if you shouldn’t have ever been to begin with! Man, it’s some tasty stuff bro — instruments for the sake of instruments, music in purest sonic form. So pure, you don’t even recognize it!"


A snippet from the last Drag City newsletter... can't wait.

I don;t see how Jim did anything to alter SY's sound. he was more about teaching them how to record things in thjeir studio on a digital level.

He helped live, which was always cool, but i do not see how the sonic youth was altered by his presence. it was cool though.

is it wrong to do what you want, even if you have this opportunity in front of you

Of course its not wrong. All I'm saying is that there are not many opportunites like that.

but why does JO need an opportunity like that if he can do and has done whatever he wants whenever he wants. if you didnt like eureka i suggest insignificance, its more rockier. and bad timing is simply beautiful. if you want more experimental-happy days is a masterpeice

I don't think Muray Street would be the same without Jim.