Sonic Life: a Memoir

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Sonic Life: A Memoir
AuthorThurston Moore
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
GenreAutobiography
PublisherFaber & Faber
Publication date
October 23, 2023[1]
Pages468
ISBN978-0-571-37394-9

Sonic Life: A Memoir is a 2023 autobiography by former Sonic Youth guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Thurston Moore.[2][3]

Publication[edit]

Sonic Life was first published in the UK by Faber & Faber on October 23, 2023.[1] It was published in the United States by Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House. The title is derived from a tattoo the author got to celebrate his marriage to his first wife and then-bandmate, Kim Gordon.[4]

Content[edit]

Sonic Life is an account of Moore's life up to the break up of Sonic Youth, focusing largely on his experiences of the punk and alternative rock scene in the 1970s and 1980s.[5] It contains accounts of Moore's own musical development, which began with hearing The Kingsmen's "Louie Louie" aged five years old,[6] and of his relationships with other major acts of the period, including Glenn Branca,[6] Patti Smith,[7] and Nirvana.[8] The book also discusses the formation of Moore's most famous band, Sonic Youth, and their progress from no-wave outsiders to pillar of alternative music.[7]

Reception[edit]

The memoir received generally favourable reviews. Alexis Petridis of The Guardian noted that the book focuses on a "nerd's eye view" of the American music underground in lieu of "personal confession",[6] a theme also picked up in a more critical review by Pitchfork.[7] In a five-star review for Louder Sound, Paul Brannigan described the memoir as "an absolute joy" praising it as a "fascinating documentation of the genesis and growth of America's alternative rock scene, by one of its key players".[8]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Sonic Life: A Memoir by Thurston Moore". Faber & Faber. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  2. ^ Garner, Dwight (October 23, 2023). "Thurston Moore Revisits His Sonic Youth". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  3. ^ Simpson, Elliott (October 22, 2023). "Sonic Life: A Memoir by Thurston Moore". Louder Than War. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  4. ^ Moore, Thurston (October 23, 2023). Sonic Life: A Memoir. London: Faber & Faber. p. 274. ISBN 978-0-571-37394-9.
  5. ^ O'Hagan, Sean. "Interview: The band, the scene… I put it all in there': Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore on his memoir of a rock'n'roll life". The Guardian. The Guardian Media Group. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c Petridis, Alexis. "Sonic Life: A Memoir by Thurston Moore review – nerd's eye view". The Guardian. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Hyland, Samuel. "Thurston Moore's Memoir Gets Lost in a Punk Neverland". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Brannigan, Paul. ""The feeling that chaos was about to erupt was palpable": Thurston Moore's memoir Sonic Life is a fascinating insider account of life-changing outsider art, and one music geek's insatiable lust for the loud". Louder. Retrieved November 27, 2023.

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