Zen Guitar for
the 22nd Century
. . . and Beyond
Lee Ranaldo: The Sonic Sage
To borrow a phrase from their classic “Teenage
Riot,” few bands have stuck to their guns quite
like Sonic Youth. Over nearly 30 years together,
they’ve had brushes with major label success
and have been the subject of next-big-thing
hype and gushing critical adoration. Through it
all, they’ve remained resolutely independent—
championing the underground, elevating fellow
artists on the fringe, and challenging their fans
to hold on for the ride.
anything that had come before. On their first
three records, the band flirted with everything
from the clanging, single-chord symphonics of
No Wave to the punch and power of hardcore
punk and the hypnotic textures of dub and ’60s
minimalism. With Evol (1985) and Sister (1986),
and the barrier-shattering Daydream Nation
(1988), the band was exploring an expansive
and nebulous terrain where sci-fi soundscapes,
sound collage, punk energy, pop art, and classic pop song structure collided.
exclusively. And their adventurous incorporation of effects, unorthodox prepared guitar
techniques, and innovative use and abuse of
Fender Jazzmasters and Jaguars, creates a
sprawling sound spectrum ranging from the
chime of fragile bells to hurricane howls.
Guitarist Lee Ranaldo has been there for the
whole trip. He came to New York City on the
heels of the punk genesis, just in time to witness the birth of a stripped-down, confrontational, and rabid musical movement called No
Wave. In 1981, he met fellow sonic adventurers Thurston Moore and bassist/guitarist Kim
Gordon, and Sonic Youth was born.
And by the time the band signed to Geffen
and delivered Goo (1990) and Dirty (1992),
Sonic Youth had honed that recipe into an
elegant, explosive, and beautiful musical
architecture that continues to splinter into
both artistically challenging and deliciously
rocking songs and clatter to this day.
Along with Moore, Ranaldo is the prime
mover behind the guitar explorations that
support Sonic Youth’s music. And though
their sound has never ceased to evolve, the
component parts have remained consistent
for most of their career. They use alternative
tunings—usually of their own devising—almost
On “Eric’s Trip” from Daydream Nation,
Moore plays an inexpensive Les Paul copy
strung with two .056 strings tuned to B and
two .042 strings using two drumsticks—one
used as a variable tension bridge and the
other as a slide—to create sounds akin to
hellhounds in a squadron of dive bombers. He
uses a similar technique on “She Is Not Alone”
from the Sonic Youth EP, but to completely
different ends—using a Jazzmaster and tap-
ping the strings with a drumstick behind his
improvised drumstick bridge to create a sound
somewhere between an Indonesian gamelan
and a sinister, broken music box.
Unlike many bands just finding their feet, Sonic
Youth defied categorization from the beginning. They assumed the classic rock-band
structure of two guitars, bass, and drums. But
what they did with it sounded nothing like
Ranaldo, meanwhile, is given to using screwdrivers for similar means, and he makes use
of unison-based tunings, overdrive, and the
considerable string length behind the bridge
on Jazzmasters and Jaguars to simulate
something akin to a swarm of giant, metallic, jet-powered bees. But the mélange of
experimental techniques is not for show.
Indeed it has helped Ranaldo and Moore
crack open a universe of compositional
options that produce guitar music quite
unlike any that’s come before or since.
“To me, the guitar is still pretty limitless in
its possibilities,” Ranaldo says. “It’s just one
of the most immediate sound generators
available—you can interact with it in such an
immediate way. There are not many barriers
between the guitar and an idea.”
Such immediacy is vital for Sonic Youth and
Ranaldo, whether they’re working as a group or
as participants in their many side projects. They
are voracious listeners and record collectors, as
well as visual artists and writers. This combination of multidisciplinary approach, communal
spirit, and hard-nosed work ethic means inspiration comes fast, frequently, and in many forms.
It demands an open mind and a ton of creative
energy. But the payoff is a boundless playing
field and countless avenues out of a rut and
into the realm of unfettered musical expression.
Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth. Photo by Michael Schmelling
“Collaboration is one of the coolest, most natural ways to expand what you know,” Ranaldo
