Kim Gordon's icon status has incredible reach, as the marketers say — she was a member of the pioneering '90s art-noise band Sonic Youth; while in the band, she and her husband, Thurston Moore, became pinups for hip couplehood and later, hip parenthood; she's a renowned visual artist. And, her personal style is unparalleled — she's collaborated with Surface to Air and been the face of Saint Laurent. Basically, she is the coolest.
Most recently Gordon has taken on the mantle of truth-teller with Girl In A Band, a frank — really frank — memoir about her childhood in Los Angeles, her time in Sonic Youth, the dissolution of her marriage, and her work, art, and fears. Now a single mother living in Los Angeles, reviving her artistic practice and reinventing herself, Gordon is still the woman who blew my mind back in the day when I snuck out of school to go see her play: mysterious, vulnerable, confident, funny, brutally honest, and in no doubt about who she is and where she is going. I made my five questions count.
What does being grown-up mean to you?
"Being responsible for your actions. Not blaming other people." Who else has written a great rock memoir?
"I'm with the Band by Pamela Des Barres. That could be maybe the best one I've read."
Must we forgive?
"The Dalai Lama once said something great about being compassionate, especially if somebody doesn't sort of own up to having done something wrong. You don't have to forgive them, but you can use compassion." Should I go see your fellow '90s rock stars Sleater-Kinney on their tour?
"Yes! They kick ass live. Carrie [Brownstein] is an incredible guitar player. You should go." Are you going?
"I would, but I'm on tour. It's probably sold out…but, I bet I could get in."
"Being responsible for your actions. Not blaming other people." Who else has written a great rock memoir?
"I'm with the Band by Pamela Des Barres. That could be maybe the best one I've read."
Must we forgive?
"The Dalai Lama once said something great about being compassionate, especially if somebody doesn't sort of own up to having done something wrong. You don't have to forgive them, but you can use compassion." Should I go see your fellow '90s rock stars Sleater-Kinney on their tour?
"Yes! They kick ass live. Carrie [Brownstein] is an incredible guitar player. You should go." Are you going?
"I would, but I'm on tour. It's probably sold out…but, I bet I could get in."