Sonic Life: A Memoir

Sonic Youth cofounder Moore (Lion) documents the birth of the band and the postpunk scene in this fascinating if occasionally lumbering memoir. Born in Coral Gables, Fla., to classical music–loving parents, Moore became enamored by the Kingsmen’s raucous 1963 cover of “Louie, Louie” at age five. After the family moved to Connecticut, where Thurston’s father taught humanities at Western Connecticut State University, Thurston began stealing away to his older brother’s room to pluck at his Fender Stratocaster guitar, frequently breaking the strings. He began studying the instrument in earnest during high school, and in 1978, at age 20, he moved to New York City’s East Village to immerse himself in the neighborhood’s vibrant music scene during punk’s twilight years. It’s there, while working odd jobs, that he met future Sonic Youth bandmates Kim Gordon (whom he married in 1984 and divorced in 2013; both events get brief mentions) and Lee Ranaldo. When Moore’s in teenage fan mode, he’s incendiary, writing with infectious urgency about seeing live acts including Kiss, Blue Öyster Cult, and especially Patti Smith, who embodied “punk rock as art, both beautiful and ugly, a timeless expression of convulsive energy.” Gossipy bits about meeting Madonna, Basquiat, and Keith Haring before they became famous are also fascinating, and Moore conjures the grit and atmosphere of 1980s New York with ease, but the pace—particularly in the book’s midsection—can drag. Still, there’s plenty here to entertain Sonic Youth fans and readers drawn to New York’s downtown milieu. Agent: Luke Janklow, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. (Oct.)