As sad as we got while reading the details of her divorce from Thurston Moore, there is a lot to love about Sonic Youth babe Kim Gordon's interview in the latest issue of ELLE magazine — there's even a Buffy mention!
Gordon was, is, and always has been a rare bird in the entertainment industry. Her words are always frank and yet inspiring at the same time. On the subject of her much-lamented breakup, she says: "We seemed to have a normal relationship inside of a crazy world. And in fact, it ended in a kind of normal way — midlife crisis, starstruck woman." Aside from that, she's now moving deeper into her own work, outside of group life. That includes painting, an ad campaign for Saint Laurent, and designing a capsule collection for Surface to Air (which, incidentally, is a match made in heaven). “I never really thought of myself as a musician,” she explains. “I’m not saying Sonic Youth was a conceptual-art project for me, but in a way it was an extension of Warhol. Instead of making criticism about popular culture, as a lot of artists do, I worked within it to do something.”
In addition to her enlightened attitude, her lifetime of incredibile experiences, and her deep thoughts on a variety of subjects, we wanted to point out one other thing: She looks incredible, just as she is. ELLE made the choice to use this relatively un-retouched Richard Kern photo, and we really appreciate that. It's presumably been edited to some extent, but it's nothing compared to this. If this frank, honest, and expansive interview were accompanied by a perfectly-airbrushed image, something just wouldn't feel right. As writer Lizzy Goodman explains, "it would be rude to say Gordon doesn’t look her age, which is 59. That’s a line reserved for those who are desperately trying to appear young. There is nothing desperate about Kim Gordon." No, there's not, and there's nothing desperate about this portrait, either. Kudos all around — and above all, big ups to Kim for being born awesome. Read the full story, here — we highly recommend it!
Photo: Courtesy of Elle.