السادة
Cranked Up
SONIC YOUTH
BUG LAMP
SKATERS
and skate fans.
boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen, Ma, Dad, Bud
and Sis. It's time for the second annual official Thrasher
Readers Poll. The reader is encouraged to name the
skater who ripped the hardest, slammed loudest, looked.
best on video, made the most money and has the prettiest
girlfriend, boyfriend, wife or husband. Each ballot con-
stitutes one vote. There's no
second place. You can
vote for any skater that
you want.
arshall
Marshall
Sonic Youth sounds like Jimi
Hendrix meets Iron Butterfly tack-
led by Pink Floyd while listening
to Black Sabbath. Goo is this
eclectic band's seventh album to
date. Its theme is a combination of
American myths and pop icons,
stretching and twisting the latter to
seemingly inexpandable limits.
"It's important that people know
music is a free thing and not to be
dictated by anyone," says guitarist
Thurston Moore. "Our basic
standpoint is serious, but we touch
aspects of pop culture, which
tends to be fun and goofy. The
way the music's constructed is
serious, but it's not presented as
serious. Most rock is romantic and
celebratory, and so is most of what
we do."
BY ANY MEANS
In 1981, Moore, guitarist Lee
Ranaldo, bassist Kim Gordon, and
then drummer Richard Edson
formed the band. They produced
their first album the next year.
Confusion Is Sex followed in 1983
with Bob Bert pounding the skins,
then Bad Moon Rising (1985),
EVO.L. (1986), the intense Sister
(1987), and the double-album
breakthrough Daydream Nation
(1988) which posted the No. 1
"Teenage Riot and topped the
independent charts in England.
and the unofficial The Whitey
Album. Current drummer Steve
Shelley joined five years ago.
Inspiration for Sonic Youth's
lyrics is derived from off-the-wall
sources such as Karen Carpenter,
go-carts, cyberpunk, and UFOS.
On Sister, the band pays
homage to writer James
Elroy. "We met him and he's
a groovy dude," Moore says.
"He was a wacky guy. He
wasn't sinister, just really
high-strung."
Moore says Sonic Youth
has two sides; a hardcore
side and a fun, rock and roll
side. This might explain the
artwork of Goo: a crude black and
white cover by artist Raymond
Pettibone contrasted by a glossy,
vibrant sleeve. "We always want-
ed to use Pettibone. We figured
our first record for a corporate
label had to be Pettibone. And it
looks really good on the Lp."
Sonic Youth, for the moment,
seems in control of its own des
tiny, as its popularity grows and
the money from the music flows.
Despite the recent tour with Neil
Young, Moore says the band
enjoys playing smaller venues
with open-minded fans, and that
"a nationwide tour with Warrant
looks real possible... NOT!"
-Jon Stain
Keith Morris new band is a depar
ture from the traditional whem, bam
slam and dive. "It's like going to a
baseball game and watching a pitch-
er pitch," he says. "If he keeps pitch-
ing fast balls, the batters are going
to get hip to his shit and start hitting
them out of the park. You have to
throw some curves and change-ups
Buglamp does sling a few surprises
but it maintains an edge of intensity
Howing At The Moon, on a compe
lation Ramones tribute album, bran
dishes the band's accomplished
members Bassist Bruce Duff is an
elunni of 45 Grove Twisted Roots
and The Jeff Dahl Band Guitarist
Dan Root hails from fender Fury The
Vandals and Rk L. Rk Guitarist Rob
Mr Negative Stenett nes ties to
Laughing Sam's Dice and a Texan
speed metal band he refuses to
name Carlo "Mongo King Hobo Nuc
cio rounds things off by beating and
bashing the skins These five moke
Buglamp a luminous outfit that's pre-
pared to zop flies and take nemes
"I'm playing with a bunch of noise
making sluts," says Morris, "but it
sure is lands of fun-Brian Brannon
Backways forwards in time. The
smell of burning tires on the
dragstrip. Amalgamated psy
cho-billy from the depths of
stripped down rock n' roll. Hot
rods, motorcycles, dragstrip
girls and a desire to burn your
ears with fiery guitar licks. For
the Hell Billys, there's no way
out of this world other than
Tit
HELL BILLYS
through the psycho music they
make. Band members have for-
merly played with No Al-
ternative, Christ On Parade,
Sea Hags, Bo Diddley, Watch-
men, and The Alley Boys. Hell
Billys: Rhythm and Ooze psycho
7. Driving forces pumped out
through the power stand-up
bass of Rick Tanner. Mean-
while, slicing around the mike,
Barrie Evans punches whole-
some ballads with themes such
as cars, women, going fast,
chicks, and rumbles. Greg
Langston slam bashes a hard-
driving beat behind the drums,
while Henrick assails the guitar
singe. Imagine the Stray Cats
meet GBH at an old Clash gig.
and they start a new band. It
would probably sound like.
these guys.-M.Fo
2.
3.
READERS POLL
OFFICIAL BALLOT
All ballots received after October 31,
1991 will be trashed. Winners will be
announced in the February 1992 issue,
due on newsstands January 15, 1992.
This contest is not open to employees
of High Speed Productions, Inc. or their
advertisers, so don't even think about it.
Send all ballots to: Readers Poll,
Thrasher Magazine, P.O. Box 884570,
San Francisco, CA 94188-4570.
68 THE MAGAZINE