> Whenever you see a new play that purports to indict the spiritual emptiness of the bourgeoisie—and most latter-day British and American dramas do just that—you are seeing his influence at work. From Shaw to Arthur Miller to Tony Kushner, he is the great forerunner, the prophet of modern drama. Yet fewer directors and actors are showing any interest in his own plays
This is the peril of artistic innovation. Sonic Youth inspired most nineties bands, but they now sound like generic nineties grunge, only becoming amazing when you realise the track was written ten years beforehand.
Same with JMW Turner. To me personally his landscapes seem incredibly bland, but now I realise he was one of the people who inspired so many others to look at the beauty of nature to the level it became an Ikea cliché.
An example I have been thinking of recently is Robert Fripp’s contribution as a session guitarist to David Bowie’s Heroes. As the story goes, Fripp arrived at the Berlin studio jetlagged and not particularly involved in Bowie’s project, but in just a few hours he laid down a series of parts that anticipates the whole evolution of guitar-based pop music for the next 15 years. If you know the whole historical context of the genre, this is an incredible achievement. But play it to younger generations of listeners today and it sounds commonplace or, worse yet, “dad rock”.
I’m old enough to remember when SY and Pixies were new, and even as a music fan they sounded like a revolution. But within ten years it seemed normal, and ten years after that it was just boring. That’s just how music is. Still great bands though.
I agree that Sonic Youth sounds a little dated at this point. But a lot of classic rock (not all, but a lot) still sounds pretty revolutionary to me, The Doors in particular.
I think Sonic Youth won't stand the test of time, like a few other bands, because they weren't very good. They were basically 'abstract art in sound' - and essentially their sound was 'breaking moulds'. It was very different, hyper alt. But it wasn't necessarily, in and of itself, very great.
So, Sonic Youth 'works' in the culture of the late 1980's and early 1990's. But it doesn't work beyond that.
Very timely, but not timeless.
So Van Halen, kind of the opposite of Sonic Youth ... I was never a fan but dragged to see them live a few years ago - it was monumental. A sound created to fill a stadium, just 4 dudes and not a lot of fuss/electronics or gear. A clean big sound from just them playing. A little like Chilli Peppers in terms of 'just four guys without much else'. Ironically I only ever saw them with Pixies opening.
This is the peril of artistic innovation. Sonic Youth inspired most nineties bands, but they now sound like generic nineties grunge, only becoming amazing when you realise the track was written ten years beforehand.
Same with JMW Turner. To me personally his landscapes seem incredibly bland, but now I realise he was one of the people who inspired so many others to look at the beauty of nature to the level it became an Ikea cliché.