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Sonic Life

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Sonic Life

By: Thurston Moore
Narrated by: Thurston Moore
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About this listen

'Were you there? Well this is as close as it gets! Thurston Moore's compelling and spirited account of the streets, the songs, the clothes, the clubs and the contenders! A sensitive and authentic testimony to Moore's life lived through art and music. Beats with the heart of a true artist and mutineer.' Viv Albertine

'Downtown scientists rejoice! For Thurston Moore has unearthed the missing links, the sacred texts, the forgotten stories, and the secret maps of the lost golden age. This is history-scuffed, slightly bent, plenty noisy, and indispensable.' Colson Whitehead

A music-obsessed retrospective, beginning with his childhood epiphany of rock 'n' roll in the early 1960s into an infatuation with the subversive world of 1970s punk and no wave blasting forth from New York City - where he eventually runs off to join a band in 1978. By 1981 Moore would form the legendary and notorious experimental rock group Sonic Youth, who proceeded to record and tour relentlessly for almost 30 years, always progressing, always exploring.

Along the way we meet a constellation of artists and musicians who colluded and collided with Sonic Youth including Velvet Underground, Stooges, Patti Smith, Television, Sex Pistols, Clash, Nirvana, Hole, Beastie Boys, Neil Young and a cavalcade of other musical visionaries, as well as figures from the art world - Jean Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and Gerhard Richter.

Simply put, Thurston Moore and Sonic Youth changed the sound of modern alternative rock music and opened the minds of a generation of artists to new possibilities within the form. This is essential reading.

'I thoroughly enjoyed Thurston Moore's trip down the gauntlet of memory lane, dodging beer bottles and pools of blood as he balances the demands of art and survival. Plus I'm a sucker for anyone who name-checks Saccharine Trust. A raw, rollicking document.' Nell Zink

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Thurston Moore (P)2023 Faber & Faber
Entertainment & Celebrities Music Celebrity Thought-Provoking

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All stars
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Thurston Moore tells an incredible story of his band's journey from 1970s New York Punk through hardcore, 80s weirdos, 90s grunge, and all the experimental stuff around it and it is compelling and glorious. Well written, well told.

He skirts around the personal stuff though. Anyone looking for the gory details of his and Kim's marriage ending will be disappointed.

Love of music is what this book is about.

A love story about alternative music

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Thurston reading to you really does add another element to this book, as I had previously read the hardback edition. Very detailed and well researched, I’ve discovered loads of amazing new music from his various references. My only issue is that it did seem to go into fast forward for the last 1/4 of the book, skipping over albums. For example the last, the eternal, wasn’t discussed at all beyond the cover artwork and title. I guess if you’re only issue with a book is that there wasn’t enough that’s a pretty great review!!

Thurston, more please!!

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Being a huge Sonic Youth fan and them being such an influence on my teen music years and beyond I had to listen to this book. It did not disappoint

A deep insight into the makings of Sonic Youth

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Eloquent, moving and evocative. Thurston put me right in the heart of the whirlwind that was New York and the Kitchen when it was all kicking off in the 70s, the one time in History that I would give anything to travel back to and experience first hand myself - this is the closest I've been so far to actually being there.

Engrossing and seductive, like their concerts

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Detailed, eloquent and entertaining story telling of musical history through Thurlston's eyes. A must for any music fan.

Outstanding

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