[Washing Machine]

Well I've always been into music (my eariliest memory is being sat in front of the stereo with headphones on) So even before my teen years I had a record collection bigger than most 40 year olds have. I spent most my youth (7-12) in stage musicals and sat in my room trying to write songs on my battered guitar (even though I couldn't really play) my music tastes being so young were really straightforward 60's and 70's pop, Michael Jackson, BeeGees (lol) and showtunes. When I got to 13-14 I totally lost all contact with music (and spent the days watching television and doing fuck all). I started getting into music again casually when I was 15 (the usual Ozzy, Bon Jovi records lol). One day I was watching that Simpson's episode 'Homerpalloza' (that one where Homer goes on tour with the festival's freakshow). I instantly went and downloaded all the bands that were on that show (The Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails, Cypress Hill all except for Sonic Youth) because I thought they looked cool. When I heard 'Zero' by the Pumpkins I fell instantly in love. I then downloaded their greatest hits record. Listening to that record was the most important musical/cultural moment of my life. It opened my mind to everything music could be. I immediately began playing the guitar and writing songs again and whoreously listening to every band/style of music I could get my hands on, sucking everything in, spending most of my time reading interviews, album reviews and music mags of all kinds trying to find new bands. One band's name kept coming up again and again...Sonic Youth (that band with the cool name and the cool candle poster in the 'Suicide Notes' record in 'The Simpsons'). So i downloaded 'The Diamond Sea' (without the feedback end) I loved the song so much I went and bought 'Washing Machine'. Well it wasn't what I was expecting! I had never heard so much rubbish in all my life. I stuck by it though and began to quite enjoy it (i now adore it). Then in my attempts to find another Diamiond Sea I bought 'Dirty' (plus it was produced by Butch Vig! Simiese Dream Baby!) needless to say it did the trick.

What really made me fall in love with the band's music was 'Teenage Riot' and the band's 80's output. I found an instant soundtrack to my life in 'Daydream Nation', I'd always wanted to live inside a Richard Linklater film and walking through the modern british (barrett home) suburbs where I had just moved, at night with DDN in my ears dreaming of girls, booze and creating havok was the closest thing to it. I began to lecture my friends that Daydream Nation was the greatest album i'd ever heard....of course they didn't get it. I later took to sneaking 'Invito Al Cielo' and 'Bad Moon Rising' onto the car stereo while we on our way to band practice, dispite their fingers in ears reaction to the music (and utter confusion when I presented a song in which I did beat poetry over the music as opposed to singing...a practice I later gave up as I realised I was not Lee Randalo and sucked at it). It must have had some impact as extended Noise jams soon became a frequant way to end a song.

To quote Gerard Cosloy "Sonic Youth's role as loudmouths/fans made almost as much impact on me as their own music". Sonic Youth opened me up to a whole world of Indie rock that collided with 'high art'. I began getting to modern classical/experimental music like John Cage and Steve Reich. I began taking an interest in the art world again and searching everywhere for films by Dave Markey, Harmony Korine, Richard Kern (and all the others SY associated with or gave lip service to) 'till eventually I didn't need Sonic Youth record covers, videos, interviews anymore. The most important thing Sonic Youth continues to do is open kids up to a whole world you hear nothing about when you turn on your TV or Radio. They have shown that even at this late stage it's still possible to rewrite to rulebook.