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Originally Posted by Danny Himself
Definitely it's the youth's Daydream Nation. I know, I know- cliché, but it did everything for me.
I was about twelve or thirteen, and my parents had just broke up. Being at that particular age in which life already feels hard enough, the emotional baggage I had to drag around with me got me down.
On the advice of The Simpsons, I intended to check out Sonic Youth. I need some music that I could hold onto at the time. So I went to a record store and bought two SY records, Dirty and Daydream Nation. I didn't listen to them until later that night, when I went to my mother's new flat (she had moved out because she caused the breakup). My room there was cold, bare, and was lit too harshly by the big light. It had a huge mirror on one wall, no curtains, and a shitty foldout bed. I pulled in a small stereo and stuck on Daydream Nation. I sat on the bed and pressed 'play' as the room's atmosphere started to get me down.
Teen Age Riot, as if from nowhere, floated into the room with a ghostly riff. Spirit desire. We will fall. Spirit desire. We will fall- and then the riff floated back outside with its vocal friends. I felt really sad. But Teen Age Riot was not over, no- it had just began. Just like my life.
The instruments all announced their presence one by one- Thurston's guitar, Kim's bass, Steve's drums, and finally Lee's guitar, as the song exploded energetically. Thurston began to sing. Immediately I felt like I had a friend in the room. His voice was so indifferent to everything- like he'd seen it all before a million times and it had come to nothing. "Everybody's talking 'bout the stormy weather, but what's a man to do but work out whether it's true?". Thurston guided me through the situation calmly, his wisdom sprawling through the song until the end.
I sat and reflected through Silver Rocket. It was just a bit of background listening at that time. Then The Sprawl started. The guitar danced in, and Kim began to tell me what was up. Another friend had come in. "I grew up in a shotgun row, sliding down the hill, out front were the big machines- steel, and rusty now I guess" she chatted, her childhood just a memory now, and though so much had happened, she was fine. She sang me to a thoughtful doze, as the song deconstructed and fell apart.
Much like Silver Rocket, 'Cross The Breeze was a song for background listening as I thought away. I sat with my ghostly sonic friends in the cold room, staring at my reflection in the mirror. Things aren't so bad, they tell me. Achoo... brancafest.. Lee whispered. What? "I can't see anything at all! All I see is me." - I nodded in agreement. I couldn't see anything past myself at that moment. I had another friend. Eric's Trip might as well have been Danny's Trip.
Thurston told me the whole thing was just Total Trash- and I believed him. I was open for any suggestions. The cold harsh room had just disppeared now- I was transported to that NYC street corner as depicted in the CD photo. Lee told me to put it all behind me. These times are such a mess. So just pick up the past and say 'yes'. KICK IT! Hey Joni..
By now I was convinced that Sonic Youth were the shit and nothing else I'd heard before was worth listening to. Rain pattered onto the window and I looked outside. It was nighttt. Providence faded in rather unnoticably- Mike Watt left me dreamscape messages about some shit as Thurston played piano in a distant room. The album was just blowing my mind. It was my new best friend.
There it was again, a guitar announcement- Candle. Thurston was back. I didn't know what the fuck he was singing about but it all made sense. Cocker on the rock? Man. I was just going with whatever he said because SY was all that mattered at that point. Lee got me a bit apprehensive with Rain King, but Kim reassured me I had Kissability.
The Trilogy played out very well. Whatever had happened, the city was still a Wonder town. I was feeling a little sleepy as Hyperstation kicked in. This album was pretty demanding. I fell out of sleep and hit the floor when it all kicked off and Eliminator Jr. came on. The rhythm was kicking and the drums were thumping and the sonix just keep playing, and, and..
snap. Daydream Nation was gone, and the only sound left was the whir as the CD span round to the beginning.
I was motherfucking hooked on Sonic Youth. I went out and got all their records, scoured biographies and sought thousands of pictures of them. Through that time though, I discovered everything else I listen to today (other than SY of course): Dinosaur Jr, Cat Power, Nirvana, Black Flag, The Ramones, The Stooges, fucking BECK. Musically, I was BORN! Daydream Nation entered me into another world, in which I live in right now.
And I'm loving the world I live in.
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