Youth v. Dead
 

So I'm a Sonic Youth fan. My girlfriend's a Grateful Dead fan. I think that the music of Sonic Youth, very deliberately, sounds like the lifestyle that the Dead were trying to preach, while the Dead sound like a bunch of white boys playing extended versions of simplified blues progressions, without any real *umph*? Now that we've confirmed that the title of the new album is the same as a now defunct Berkley record store, what do you think the Youth and the Dead have to do with each other?

well, rather ripped might be a record store, but it doesnt necessarily mean that the name for the album comes from the record store i would say. its interesting that i dont know anything about greatful dead, but the name itself :D what is their album i should get?

You shouldn't get any of their albums. They're rubbish.

did you chaps know Lee Ranaldo is a big Greatful Dead fan and indeed spent much time in the 70s as a "Deadhead" travelling around in vans dropping acid and other such frolicsome activities...

Holy shit

I seriously don't mean this to offend you, but you've never heard of the Grateful Dead?

Not that that's necessarily a bad thing. I can't stand them, personally.

I would never presume to know what SY's relationship to the Dead is. What the fuck do I know?

Maybe they like muscles.
Maybe they idolize Jerry Garcia.
Maybe they're parodying him.
Maybe they're jibing the Berkeley lifestyle.
Maybe they like sandals.
Maybe they like alliteration.
Maybe they dig worn jeans.

I will hold up a placard at their next show asking them this very question, and report back to you with any finds.

I would hardly label The Dead as Rubbish whether you like them or not. They have a very prominant place in Rock N' Roll history and a very interesting history besides the fact that they are labeled as the first Jam Band. Jerry Garcia also is partially responsible for many significant side projects including Old and in the way that is still the number one blue grass album of all times. I'm not a huge Dead fan myself, I just realize how musically shallow it is to label them as rubbish although I'm sure many Dead fans say the same thing about Sonic Youth. I will say some of the most interesting shows I've ever been to have been Dead shows without a doubt.

If I was to recommend anything, I would say there early stuff like Mars Hotel or Wake of the Flood.

I don't like the Dead.

I agree that they certainly have their place in music history. They also pretty much single-handedly spawned an entire lifestyle.

As cellscape pointed out, you don't necessarily have to like them, but you have to give them their due.

They both are great bands who had a respectful longevity.

I'm sorry, I don't mean to be a jerk, but this is driving me mad -

It's "Grateful," not "Greatful."

You may now proceed.

i have heard of them alot, probably i've heard their music in some point and time, but it just that they never caught my attention to the degree that i would know to sing a melody of any of their song :) or maybe i know their songs but i don't know that i know them :D fuck, this sentence almost sounds like Donald Rumsfeld with his engenious quote: "...as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns -- the ones we don't know we don't know." :D not that i love him, but this quote is amazing :D

Yeah, I'll give them history points. But the actual music is rubbish. It's bad. I'm opinionated, and I can't help it. Fuck subjectivity. It sucks. It's terrible. I hate it.

Sonic
Youth

good ol san francisco and the good ol grateful dead!

1967 in SF must've been a total headfuck: Big Brother, Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead all playing gigs together, at their electric peaks (well, the Dead had some years to hit their peak). The new Big Brother live Cd, recorded by Stanley Owsley, is excellent.

"Dead or alive, there's danger
The Dead are alright with me
We're not gonna run away
We're not gonna leave you stranger
Turn the light on, yr lonely love"

Sonic Youth 'STONES'

from Mustang Site

Debuted at a secret gig in November '03, premiering the forthcoming 'Nurse' material. Working title was "CITY GRASS" (or possibly "CITY GAS"). Performed acoustically at the Bridge Benefit in 2004 (dedicated to Jerry Garcia both nights, indicating the song's subject matter -- 'the Dead are alright w/ me'). Lee sings w/ Thurston on the chorus.

I'd say the 1967 was the underground year for the Dead, those shows weren't exactly as big as we see them in our imaginations, that was just the local scene, like going to the Smell or the former Spaceland or the Whiskey or the House of Blues here in LA. It must have been cool to be a part of that community, it was as formative as the Trenchtown scene was for roots reggae (where from comes Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Jimmy Cliff, Johnny Osbourne, Burning Spear, Alton Ellis, Marcia Griffiths, Judy Mowat, Joe Higgs, Delroy Wilson, Toots Hibert) or the way Seattle/Olympia/Portland dominated 1990s music. The real years for the Dead were 1970, 1974, 1978, 1981, 1989,1994 ;)



Once I was talking with Steve after a show, because he is always so nice and chats for like 20 minutes about music (and he always remembers me too!), when I mentioned that I liked the Sonic Youth community because it was like the 1960s-1970s Grateful Dead. I thanked him and the band for facilitating that community, by throwing free shows and participating in community events aside from constantly touring. By having side projects and lots of music for us. The show they had just finished was the Filter Party secret location free show, that shit had the community feel of going to the Dead at the Fillmore in 1970! Steve liked the comparison but confessed that Lee was the "resident Deadhead" in the band and so he then walked me over to Lee at the merch table and introduced me. Me and Lee chatted about the Dead and Sonic Youth music for another 20 minutes, and I met son and we talked about his son's band too.. I love Sonic Youth, the only community-oriented rock band I know. I listen to a lot of cool bands, and I've been to a lot of cool shows, but much like in the same caliber of the Dead lore, there is nothing like a Sonic Youth show ;)

Exactly, before Winterland formalized everything, there was a lot of DIY type stuff. I always feel I lived in SF during a similar time in the early 90's, when I saw shows with bills like NEUROSIS/MELVINS/SLEEP at the GAMH or Kennel Club.