[Moshe]

Kim Gordon: The way I see it


Published 30 April 2009
The musician on Yves Klein, equal pay for women and censoring junk TV

 

Does art make a difference?
It makes a difference to the quality of life we live. Art’s main strength is its ability to reflect what’s going on. It didn’t start the French Revolution, but it was a witness.

Should politics and art mix?
I think that art should be disruptive and make people think about their lives. Are Sonic Youth [my band] political? Well, they are, in that they offer an alternative to mainstream music.

Is your work for the many or for the few?
I don’t think it is for everybody but I don’t think art or music should be – that’s why TV was invented.

Which artist do you most admire?
I really admire Yves Klein, because he wasn’t simply an artist. He was an experimenter, he had kooky ideas and he forced Parisian society to change. I particularly like the fact that he referred to himself as “the sacred trickster”.

Which artist do you least admire?
Damien Hirst. His work is almost like Las Vegas entertainment. It also makes fun of his audience in a grotesque way; in this sense he’s mean-spirited. He doesn’t add anything to the dialogue of art or the community.

Which product, if any, would you advertise?
I really can’t think of one.

If you weren’t a musician, what would you be?
A film-maker or a dancer. I could have been a cook, a thief, or even a candlestick-maker.

If you were world leader, what would be your first law?
My first law would be to give women equal pay. I’d essentially try to let women do whatever they wanted to do.

Who would be your top advisers?
Barack and Michelle Obama. I wholly support Obama. I mean, it’s been a pretty fucking hot first 100 days in house. He inherited such a mess yet he seems like he’s having a lot of fun. He’s already opened dialogue with Iran and Cuba. It’s all pretty obvious stuff, in a way, but it takes guts to stick to the liberal agenda.

What would you censor?
First, I’d ask other people what they think should be censored. Though, if I could personally censor things, then I’d target things that caused violence to other people. But it’s hard to draw the line. I’d also censor junk TV.

Who would you banish?
I’d banish Karl Rove, Bush’s strategist, for his part in engineering Bush’s election campaign.

What are the rules that you live by?
My main rule is that I try not to make people wait for me; I don’t like to be late, I really hate that. Also, I don’t like to do anything that I don’t feel good about doing.

What would you like your legacy to be?
I guess I’d like to be remembered as a sacred trickster! I certainly don’t want to be known as the bass player of Sonic Youth.

Do you love your country?
Yes, of course, it’s the only country I have. But I’m not a big flag flyer.

Are we all doomed?
No. Doomed is such a negative word.

Sonic Youth’s 16th album, “The Eternal”, is released on 8 June by Matador Records

[Count Mecha]

Cool interview. That bit about not wanting to be remembered just as the bass player for SY makes me think about Bruce Campbell. And how he always says he doesn't want to be remembered just as the Evil Dead guy. That's gotta be tough for Kim. That'd be tough to seperate from. Good interview.

[RanaldoNecro]

If you were world leader, what would be your first law?
My first law would be to give women equal pay. I’d essentially try to let women do whatever they wanted to do.

sexual politics...yawn

[Decayed Rhapsody]

I think hating Damien Hirst is an American thing. I'm indifferent. Do any Brits hate him?

[blunderbuss]

I think you'll find there's a difference between "hate" and "least admire".

[Kegmama]

Kim's great. Thanks Moshe.

[andrei]

Thanks Moshe as usual!
Go Kim!

[This Is Not Here]

Originally Posted by Decayed Rhapsody

I think hating Damien Hirst is an American thing. I'm indifferent. Do any Brits hate him?

Yes.

[Toilet & Bowels]

yeah, he's a bit of a nob end (hirst), all the YBAs are, aside from maybe the chapmans

[Palmer Eldritch]

Originally Posted by Decayed Rhapsody

I think hating Damien Hirst is an American thing. I'm indifferent. Do any Brits hate him?

Like much of Brit Art he seems to be a 'look at me making art' kind of artist rather than a creator of art. Also the whole 'value of art' thing he ran with for a while just seems rather gauche now.

Having said that that Skull action painting thing he's just done looks lovely.
I think Kim's on the money with the 'mean-spirited' comment. Very interesting observation.

[killthecaliforniagirls]

If you were world leader, what would be your first law?
My first law would be to give women equal pay. I’d essentially try to let women do whatever they wanted to do.

- To me this thing is not as easy as it seems. Yes of course: In the first lane it sounds right to give men and women equal pay. But in my opinion we have to create fair rights for all human. That means that there are several natural conditioned varietes between men and women.
F.E Employers still have the right to take a free choice between a man and a women and often the choice is made to the benefit of men because they are not the one who give birth to children.

In this case women are the losers when they are treated the same way men are. So if you want to treat all human fair you have to enact laws that considers everyone the way she is.

Excuse my bad english. Just don´t get me wrong! In my opinion it´s not a matter of equal treatment... it´s about fairness and about accepting the natural differences.

[barnaclelapse]

I think she was speaking in very broad terms on purpose.

I don't know. That's just how it struck me.

[Toilet & Bowels]

chauvinism, lovely.

[killthecaliforniagirls]

this has nothing to do with chauvinism. it´s meant completley different. i don´t declare giving birth to children as a detriment. it´s a fact. and in term of this often women are still not treated fair. when we treat everyone the same (same rights for everyone) it will lead to unfairness. you get what i mean?

[killthecaliforniagirls]

and i´m talking about a distance of nine months in the life of a "woman". i think a big part of what what´s our definition of the biological gender is an utopia. it´s interesting to read what artists like genesis p-orrdige have written about this. BUT when treat people with so called dissabilities or pregnant "woman" the same way and with the same claim some of them won´t be able to handle that.

[tesla69]

Originally Posted by blunderbuss

I think you'll find there's a difference between "hate" and "least admire".

or "hate" and "indifference"

[EVOLghost]

What would you like your legacy to be?
I guess I’d like to be remembered as a sacred trickster! I certainly don’t want to be known as the bass player of Sonic Youth.



...

[Toilet & Bowels]

Originally Posted by killthecaliforniagirls

this has nothing to do with chauvinism. it´s meant completley different. i don´t declare giving birth to children as a detriment. it´s a fact. and in term of this often women are still not treated fair. when we treat everyone the same (same rights for everyone) it will lead to unfairness. you get what i mean?

i was refering more to ranaldo necro

[RanaldoNecro]

Just because you are not into sexual politics does not mean that you are
chauvinist.

Who is not respecting equality now?

I've always been in love with her. I'm in awe, now. She leaves me speechless, this new record proves that Sonic Youth would never be capable of being the way they are without her. Kim Gordon is a goddess.