Noise

by Peter Wild

Book Overview

For more than twenty-five years, the antimelodic "noise" of Sonic Youth has assaulted us, exhilarated us, inspired us. Why? Katherine Dunn says it's because they operate in the foggy world between the real and the surreal. Mary Gaitskill says that Sonic Youth caught her, years ago, when she was falling. J. Robert Lennon says it's because Sonic Youth rip it apart. Emily Maguire was hooked because once she was in love with chaos. Their sound is caustic,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061669296
• ISBN13: 9780061669293
• Release Date: January 2009
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Effectively exudes Sonic Youth's sensations

Reviewed by Rachel Riebeling Durfor for RebeccasReads (3/09) If you've ever listened to Sonic Youth before, you'd understand the plethora of adjectives that come to mind when attempting to describe their sound: unusual, surprising, versatile, puzzling, experimental. Those just came right off the top of my head, but if I were looking for one word to accurately capture the essence of Sonic Youth, it would have to be "Noise," which is, incidentally, the perfect title for this collection of short stories inspired by the band. Any of the abovementioned terms would also do well to describe the stories found in this anthology, which is one of the reasons it's been a little difficult to review. Some of the stories within definitely lay claim to the puzzling aspect of the collection, while others project their meaning with palpable clarity. I found the entire collection to be a little experimental, almost avant-garde, another term that is often associated with Sonic Youth. I enjoyed the stories within immensely (though some more than others), including the extreme diversity of the writing styles and subject matters. Of course, you could never accuse Sonic Youth of being derivative, and like the stories in "Noise," their songs and albums differ greatly. Sonic Youth are constantly reinventing themselves, and "Noise" effectively exudes the sensations that they have managed to inspire in fans for more than a quarter of a century. I've noticed that the editor of "Noise," Peter Wild, is also responsible for "Perverted by Language: Fiction inspired by The Fall," and "Paint a Vulgar Picture: Fiction inspired by The Smiths." I think it's a fascinating concept he's employing, and I must say that in musical taste, I've found an affinity with Peter Wild.

Good Stories, Just Not As Good As The Original Inspiration

While the collection of short stories contained within //Noise// is, overall, quite good, its downfall is that the majority of the writing does not live up to or surpass the song-writing of the band from which the stories are inspired. Sonic Youth, one of the most influential and important groups of the past few decades, easily shines beyond 90% of the book. That is not to say that any of it is terrible, or even bad. In fact, it's all quality work, and a few are standout stories that make you say "Damn..." But, the Sonic Youth set such a high standard that when basing fiction off of their work, simply doing well is not enough. In spite of that fact, /Noise/ is still a worthwhile read, as a few of the stories give not only a new, but an interesting spin on some of the ideas and themes found within Sonic Youth's music. Reviewed by Jordan Dacayana