Comment by dml2135 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by dml2135 | Hacker News Reader

Huge Sonic Youth fan, albeit a younger one. I caught the tail-end of their career in my HS/college days, c. 2003-2010. I can't think of an equivalent band today that has the kind of stature they had at the time in the indie scene.

Part of what I loved so much about them is the number of free shows they put on. I can always pin the year that I saw them in Prospect Park at 2010, because the iPhone 4 had just been released, and my friend who I was with proceeded to watch the entire show through her new phone, being completely enamored with the "retina display" while tripping on acid.

When I saw them in 2008 in Battery Park, I had the pleasure of sitting on the lawn next to 90s child star Danny Tamborelli, who many will remember as one of the stars of Pete & Pete (a show with its own sort of indie cred). My friend I was with turned to me and said "That's Danny Tamborelli, we need to say hi to him" and before I could get "No we absolutely do not" out of my mouth, he dragged me over and proceeded to introduce us saying "We're great fans of your work". So I shook his hand, way too high for this interaction, as Thurston took a drumstick to his guitar in the background.

I miss Sonic Youth a lot.

Saw them first in 2004 with my brother. Wolf Eyes opened, my brother ended up leaving because he was sick.

It was my first “real” concert. I’d been listening to music heavily by then, we’ll into indie, but being poor and 17/18/19 it was hard to see live music. I’d been to others concerts small and big (Closing Olympic Ceremonies) - but that one cemented my love for live music, and I got really into the local scene after seeing another smaller show (Q and not U) after that.

I saw them again ~2008 and it was good, not as good, but Rather Ripped was a great album so got to see a bunch of stuff from them.

Pavement was up there for me too, and I just saw them twice over the last 12 months.

but being poor and 17/18/19 it was hard to see live music

I count my lucky stars I grew up in a city with a lot of cheap, all ages shows. Of the shows I've been to over the years, seeing Q and not U in a church basement in ~2003 still sticks out in my mind.

Damn, Wolf Eyes?? That's a name I haven't heard in a minute. Man, miss the days of the sounds of Black Dice, Sightings, Load Records, and the likes

The Load Records/Three One Gee/Troubleman era was incredible.

Blogs and forums were ubiquitous, but the average person's attention had not yet been strip mined by * platform companies. Pitchfork was just getting started, too, and (cruicially) Spotify wasn't even an idea yet, so independent artists could reliably make money the old fashioned way (CD/album sales) but had access to a much larger community of potential listeners.

Everything still had a very decentralized and DIY feel.

So true. Got me reminiscing on show papers and Todd P lol

> Saw them first in 2004 with my brother. Wolf Eyes opened, my brother ended up leaving because he was sick.

Sounds like hyperacusis to me. /s

In all seriousness, that sounds like an amazing show.

The SLC Olympics? I saw Modest Mouse play at what was apparently the Ice Village (had to Google it). If I remember correctly, it was a weird and not great show.

If they had huge stature in your scene, it’s funny how different experiences can be. My interest in SY was piqued in 2000 because they had recorded an EP with song titles in Esperanto, something I dabbled in then. In spite of having a large circle of friends interested in indie music, and being active on some music forums, no one listened to SY or was even very aware of them. My conclusion at the time was that their star had waned and they must have been an ’80s or earlier ’90s thing.

They were definitely in the old guard by 2000 or so, just in that they had already had a career and half by then. They toured with Nirvana!

But that doesn't mean their later albums aren't also great and squarely in the canon. Sonic Nurse, in particular, is one of their best imo.

They really were older mentors to Nirvana. They and their band were about 10 years older (1 Beatles career), recruited them to Geffen, and really got them their first exposure outside Seattle. They also were largely responsible for getting Dinosaur Jr. their break.

I did not realize how old they were when I was obsessed with Daydream Nation and Dirty in high school. Kim’s just younger than my parents and they could never have been that cool. I went back into their catalog from there and followed along with them. That’s when I realized they formed the year after I was born. Blew my mind. Listening to the stuff like No New York that they emerged out of is kind of fascinating. Not my thing, but interesting historically.

Kim’s autobiography was an interesting view into the era my folks grew up in. I’ll have to read Thurston’s some time. Still bugs me they fell apart. I don’t normally care about famous people relationships, but they were like some kind punk rock institution to me. They were together since I wandered into that kind of music and nurtured so many bands I loved. But they’re just pretty normal people with pretty normal problems.

I totally agree on Sonic Nurse and Rather Ripped as well. The stuff from A Thousand Leaves until then was interesting, but not stuff I play often. Those have stood up well next to the aforementioned albums, Goo, EVOL, etc.

Damn we were at the same show dude. That was a great one. Saw them two other times in the northeast a year or so before that one and man they (did :/ ) put on a hell of a show.

Random side note, saw Kim Gordon at a book signing in Brooklyn like 10 years ago (iirc post-Sonic Youth), and man she was looking rough unfortunately and was really out of it. Guess the whole situation she and everyone was dealing with took a bad toll :/

Kim is fine, she is not "rough" by any means. Thriving actually, from my IRL interactions.

Just saying that's the impression that my friend and I had after leaving the book signing 10 or so years ago.

Either way, that's good to hear she's well and thriving.

Yeah, I've been to 2 recent shows of hers at Zebulon in LA. Definitely still bringing the noise and intensity.

https://www.skatevideosite.com/videos/nike-sb-nothing-but-th...

This video came out in 2007

> Paul Rodriguez: Sonic Youth - Teen Age Riot

Opened my eyes...

Similarly for me I saw a skate video a million years ago had the song Bloodstains by Agent Orange. Living in Darkness became one of my favorite albums & I still see Agent Orange whenever they come to town.

https://youtu.be/miNe-qDMUAc starts at 1:05:18

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