Daydream Nation & How Sonic Youth Brought Noise Rock Overground

Sonic Youth are a band perhaps known more for their influence than their music. Formed in New York in 1981, they made their name on swirling avalanches of noise and guitars with odd tuning, breathing in a mix of no wave, hardcore, 60s pop, pulp sci-fi and b-movies. Their love of all kinds of popular culture was second only to their willingness to deconstruct the tropes of classic rock. By the end of the 80s they had made that most-pretentious of progressive rock ego-trips, a double-album, and with it launched the next decade of alternative music. Noise and pop in equal measure, this is the story of Daydream Nation and how Sonic Youth reinvented rock’n’roll.

#SonicYouth #alternative #MusicDocumentary

Fact-checking by Chad Van Wagner.

00:00 Introduction
00:56 The Early Years of Sonic Youth
10:05 SST, EVOL & The Material Girl
20:07 Sister: "My Future is Static"
27:33 Daydreaming in a Daydream Nation
38:11 After Daydream Nation & Enduring Influence

Soundtrack
Luar - Citrine (  / luarbeats  )
Jesse Gallagher - The Golden Present
Luar - Anchor (  / luarbeats  )

Sources
I Dreamed of Noise by Ignacio Julià and Jaime Gonzalo, 1994, Ruta 66
Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azerrad, 2001, Back Bay Books
Goodbye 20th Century by David Browne, 2008, Piatkus
Sonic Youth’s Daydream Nation 33 1/3 by Matthew Stearns, 2008, Bloomsbury Academic
Daydream Nation Deluxe Liner Notes by Byron Coley, 2008
Girl in a Band by Kim Gordon, 2015, Faber & Faber
Sonic Life: A Memoir by Thurson Moore, 2023, Faber & Faber
“Put Blood In The Music” (1989) dir. Charles Atlas
“Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation (in 5 Minutes) | Liner Notes” Pitchfork, 2017
“Sonic Youth Interview” Bryon Coley, Spin Magazine, Aug 1985
“Sonic Youth: Super Sonic Sisterhood” Mark Sinker, NME, Jun 1987
“Sonic Youth And The Great Cosmic Blender” Mark Dery, RIP Magazine, Aug 1987
“Boys Are Smelly: Sonic Youth Tour Diary, ’87” Kim Gordon, Village Voice, Sep 1988
“Hot Band: Sonic Youth” Robert Palmer, Rolling Stone, May 1989
“Sonic Youth: A Tzar is Born” Keith Cameron, Sounds, May 1989
“Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy” Kim Gordon, Spin Magazine, Sep 1989
“Sonic Youth: A Load Of Tony Baloney” Roy Wilkinson, Sounds, Sep 1990
“They Tried With Their Boots On: Sonic Youth” Gavin Martin, NME, May 1991
“Sonic Youth: Young At Art” John Robb, Melody Maker, Aug 1991
“The Importance of being Sonic Youth” Mac Randall, Musician, Dec 1995
“Thurston Moore Interview” Michael Azerrad, Spin Magazine, Sep 2007
“Youth movement” David Peschek, The Guardian, Jun 2009
“Dusting ‘Em Off: Sonic Youth – Daydream Nation” Zach Schonfeld, Consequence, Oct 2013
“1985: A Noise Revolution” Thurston Moore; Stevie Chick, Mojo Magazine, Oct 2015
“Sonic Youth’s January 1989 Daydream Nation Feature: Bring The White Noise” Erik Davis, Spin Magazine, Oct 2017
“Thurston Moore on Madonna: ‘She had credibility, she was really ahead of the game’” Kate Hutchinson, The Guardian, Jul 2018
Classic Album Review: Sonic Youth’s “Daydream Nation Became a Guiding Light for Fearless Artists” Robert Ham, Consequence, Oct 2018
“Sister - Review” Rebecca Bengal, Pitchfork, May 2019
“Sonic Youth: where to start in their back catalogue” Grayson Haver Currin, The Guardian, May 2020
“Don’t Give Me Your Soul: The Oral History of Sonic Youth’s Goo” Ron Hart, Spin Magazine, Jun 2020
“The Cover Uncovered: The story behind “Sonic Youth’s landmark album ‘Daydream Nation’” Arun Starkey, Far Out Magazine, Aug 2021
“Exceptional Sibling” R.W. Watkins, Rock Solid, Jun 2022
“Burning the Candle at Both Ends” R.W. Watkins, Rock Solid, Oct 2023
“Teen Age Riot: Sonic Youth’s Landmark Daydream Nation Turns 35” Fred Barrett, Slant Magazine, Oct 2023
“Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore Discusses His ‘Sonic Life’” Sandra Ebejer, Shondaland, Oct 2023
“The Legacy of Sonic Youth” Michael Azerrad, The Yale Review, Nov 2023


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