Kim Gordon has never had much of an appetite for convention. And that goes for the faux niceties of the PR game, too.
From the moment she was pigeonholed as ‘the girl in the band’ – aka the driving force behind Sonic Youth’s enduring cult status – her patience for poor questions has wavered from mid to low. And it’s not hard to see why.
For an artist who thrives on improvisation, dropping new art and music projects to great clamour unannounced, the media’s capacity for re-running the same predictable, tired old lines hits with the dull thud of a sledgehammer to the head.
In the world of the press junket, booby traps abound. There’s the mansplaining pundit who will kick-off every question by recounting your own history as if it’s fresh news, and the live Q&As that are more awkward than a family dinner in the nude.
But for anyone willing to put in the work, a Kim Gordon interview can pay dividends in the end. Marc Maron, the podcast juggernaut who has a talent for turning static sit-downs into conversations that feel intimate and real, calls Kim his toughest but most rewarding subject.
So, how do you interview an artist who hates being interviewed? You don’t. You interrogate them.
The Interrogation of Kim Gordon, an original Huck Film, is directed by Isabel Freeman and Jamie Brisick.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Latest on Huck
The party starters fighting to revive Stonehenge’s Solstice Free Festival
Free the Stones! delves into the vibrant community that reignites Stonehenge’s Solstice Free Festival, a celebration suppressed for nearly four decades.
Written by: Laura Witucka
Hypnotic Scenes of 90s London Nightlife
Legendary photographer Eddie Otchere looks back at this epic chapter of the capital’s story in new photobook ‘Metalheadz, Blue Note London 1994–1996’
Written by: Miss Rosen
The White Pube: “Artists are skint, knackered and sharing the same 20 quid”
We caught up with the two art rebels to chat about their journey, playing the game that they hate, and why anarchism might be the solution to all of art’s (and the wider world’s) problems.
Written by: Isaac Muk
The Chinese youth movement ditching big cities for the coast
In ’Fissure of a Sweetdream’ photographer Jialin Yan documents the growing number of Chinese young people turning their backs on careerist grind in favour of a slower pace of life on Hainan Island.
Written by: Isaac Muk
The LGBT Travellers fundraising for survival
This Christmas, Traveller Pride are raising money to continue supporting LGBT Travellers (used inclusively) across the country through the festive season and on into next year, here’s how you can support them.
Written by: Percy Henderson
The fight to save Bristol’s radical heart
As the city’s Turbo Island comes under threat activists and community members are rallying round to try and stop the tide of gentrification.
Written by: Ruby Conway