From The Sunday Times
June 28, 2009
I am what I am: Kim Gordon
(Steve Schofield/Camera Press)
Kim Gordon, 56, is the singer and guitarist in Sonic Youth, who have just released their 16th album, The Eternal. She lives in Northampton, Massachusetts, with her husband and bandmate, Thurston Moore, and their daughter, Coco, 14
- I went to quite an extreme progressive school and left not understanding about competition or grades.
- I wasn’t exactly a hedonist when I was younger, but I rebelled early and got it out of my system. It was things like hiking to Malibu and getting stoned. I had an older brother who was a bad example.
- My mother was a seamstress. I abhorred sewing, but she always bought my clothes in thrift stores and adapted them, hence my eclectic dressing.
- The band has been together for 28 years. We have survived by becoming more aware of what bickering is — that’s what being a band is: bickering. You have to get over it.
- I don’t feel old. Most people don’t think of themselves as the age they are. It’s different when you don’t work nine to five. Asking when I’ll retire is like saying, “When are you turning your brain off?”
- The idea of women empowering themselves by becoming sexual objects is backward. It seemed brilliant at one point, but it had really bad ramifications. Things lose their context so quickly.
- It’s intense being with your husband all the time. I try not to think about it too much on tour — it’s not a good time to analyse. It can be hard to recognise why someone is acting bad.
- Rock’n’roll? To me, the idea of being a junkie is so passé. [Thurston and I] are into creative things — they strengthen us.
- It’s harder to eat so much now I’m older — I’m a little heavier than I should be. But I don’t stress out about it. Touring is so strenuous, it’s like a spa tour.