Goodbye 20th Century A Biography of Sonic Youth

Sonic Youthand#8217;s distinctive, uncompromising sounds have provided a map for innumerable musicians who followed, from and#8217;90s groundbreakers like Nirvana and Pavement to current faves like the Strokes and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. More than perhaps any other act, Sonic Youth has brought and#147;fringeand#8221; art to the mainstream, helping spawn an alternative arts scene that prospers to this day: a world of punk rock, underground films and comics, experimental music, conceptual art, contemporary classical compositions, and even fashion. In Goodbye 20th Century, David Browne tells the full glorious story of and#147;the Velvet Underground of their generation,and#8221; an account based on extensive research, fresh interviews with the band and those who have worked with them (from Glenn Branca and Lydia Lunch to Sofia Coppola and Spike Jonze), and unprecedented access to unreleased recordings and documents. This is a richly detailed portrait of an iconic band and the times they helped create.

Sonic Youth's distinctive, uncompromising sounds have provided a map for innumerable musicians who followed. Browne offers a richly detailed portrait of an iconic band and the times they helped to create. 32 pages of b&w photos.

The definitive biography of Sonic Youth, architects of noise rock and the most beloved, longest-running house band of Alternative Nation

David Browne is the author of Dream Brother: The Lives and Music of Jeff and Tim Buckley. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, New York, and Spin. He lives in New York City.