Kim Gordon

Infobox musical artist
Name = Kim Gordon

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Img_capt = Kim Gordon at Primavera Sound Festival in 2005. (Photo by Michael Morel)
Img_size =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Kim Althea Gordon
Alias =
Born = birth date and age|1953|4|28, Rochester, New York, U.S.
Died =
Instrument = Vocals, Guitar, Bass
Genre = Alternative rock, noise rock
Occupation = Singer-songwriter, producer, fashion designer
Years_active = 1981 - present
Label = Geffen
Associated_acts = Sonic Youth, Ciccone Youth, Mirror/Dash, Free Kitten, Harry Crews, CKM
Anixious Rats
Notable_instruments = Gibson Thunderbird

Kim Althea Gordon (born April 28, 1953) is an American musician, vocalist, and artist. She sings, plays bass and guitar in the alternative rock band Sonic Youth. She also plays in the band Free Kitten with Julie Cafritz (of Pussy Galore), and she has collaborated with musicians such as Ikue Mori, Kurt Cobain, DJ Olive, William Winant, Lydia Lunch, Alan Licht, and Chris Corsano.

Early years

The daughter of a seamstress, Gordon was born in Rochester, New York, and grew up in Los Angeles. She attended UCLA's art school and York University in Toronto where she played in an experimental heavy metal art group.

Musical career

After graduating, she moved to New York and joined the short-lived band CKM with Christine Hahn and Stanton Miranda. Through Stanton, Gordon met her future Sonic Youth bandmates Lee Ranaldo, and Thurston Moore. When she began dating Moore, the three formed Sonic Youth in 1981.

In 1989, Gordon, Sadie May, and Lydia Lunch formed Harry Crews and released the album "Naked in Garden Hills". She also was one of the producers of Hole's first record, "Pretty on the Inside", released in 1991, and co-directed The Breeders' "Cannonball" video with Spike Jonze.

Art career

Gordon is also an established visual artist and curator. Her work has been exhibited across the U.S., Japan and Europe. She graduated from the Otis College of Art & Design in Los Angeles. In the early 1980s, Gordon wrote for Artforum and worked for several Soho art galleries. She curated an exhibition at White Columns gallery in 1982 in which Mike Kelley and Tony Oursler were among the participants. Dan Graham invited her to join in a performance of an all-female rock band, which marked the start of her first band CKM. In 1996 Gordon was involved in an exhibition entitled "Baby Generation" at Parco gallery in Tokyo.

Her exhibition titled "Kim's Bedroom" was shown at MU in the Netherlands and included drawing and paintings along with live music and special guests. [cite web
url=http://www.mu.nl/exhibitions/21-kimsbedroom/kim-eng.html
title=MU past exhibitions: Kim's Bedroom
accessdate=2007-11-13] This resulted in a limited-edition book and CD published by Purple Books. In 2003, Gordon was featured in the Gothenburg Biennale, and exhibited "Club In The Shadow", a collaboration with artist Jutta Koether at Kenny Schachter's Contemporary Gallery in NYC. In 2005 she took part in the "Her Noise" exhibition in London and did another collaboration with Koether.

An artist's book titled "Kim Gordon Chronicles Vol. 1" featuring photos of Gordon throughout her life was published in 2005. In 2006, "Kim Gordon Chronicles Vol. 2" was released, featuring her artwork.

Personal life

Gordon married Moore in 1984, and she gave birth to their daughter, Coco Hayley Gordon Moore, in 1994. Gordon, Moore, and Coco currently reside in Northampton, Massachusetts. They are frequently sighted in the area, and played a benefit concert with Cat Power for the Greenfield Center School in 2005. The band played a second benefit for the school in 2007. [cite web
url=http://media.www.dailycollegian.com/media/storage/paper874/news/2007/02/14/ArtsLiving/Sonic.Youth.To.Play.Benefit.For.Greenfield.Center.School-2718085.shtml
title=Sonic Youth to play benefit for Greenfield Center School
author=Charron, Corey
publisher=The Massachusetts Daily Collegian
accessdate=2007-11-12]

Kim also runs her own clothing company, X-Girl, in Los Angeles. [http://www.xs4all.nl/~bigron/sonic/index.html Kim mim-bio, X-Girl] In September 2008, Gordon launched a limited edition fashion line called "Mirror/Dash" inspired by Françoise Hardy, deciding that "there's a need for clothes for cool moms." [cite web
url=http://www.nme.com/news/sonic-youth/39872
title=Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon launches clothing line
accessdate=2008-09-22]

Other work

Apart from her career in music and in arts, Gordon has also made appearances in films and television. She appeared in Gus Van Sant's "Last Days", a fictionalized biopic of one of her close friends, Kurt Cobain. She is also the only close friend of Cobain's who has publicly claimed that he was murdered. [cite web
url=http://www.beautifullyscarred.net/article44.htm
title=Suicide Blond
author=Dalton, Stephen
publisher=Uncut Magazine, August 2005. From "Beautifully Scarred"
accessdate=2007-11-12]

In the season six finale of Gilmore Girls, she played a street troubadour along with Thurston Moore and their daughter Coco, performing the song "What a Waste" from the album "Rather Ripped". [cite web
url=http://treblezine.com/features/68.html
title=Gilmore Youth
author=Terich, Jeff
publisher=Treblezine.com
accessdate=2007-11-12]

In popular culture

*Fellow rock band Rapeman recorded a tribute to her on their album "Two Nuns and a Pack Mule" titled "Kim Gordon's Panties." The song has lyrical similarities to the song "Schizophrenia" on Sonic Youth's album "Sister".
*In the 1999 Sony PlayStation video game "Silent Hill", Gordon, along with two other members of Sonic Youth, are mentioned in a teacher's directory in one of the levels. Later in the game, players can acquire a "K. Gordon" key and pass through her home. In a 2003 sequel, "Silent Hill 3", she comes up again. Players pass through her classroom and learn a little more about the character. The policewoman, Cybil Bennet, also bears a certain resemblance to her.

References

Persondata
NAME=Gordon, Kim
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Gordon, Kim Althea
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Experimental musician
DATE OF BIRTH=April 28, 1953
PLACE OF BIRTH=Los Angeles, California, United States
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=