The Interrogation of Kim Gordon
- Text by HUCK HQ
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
Clubbing is good for your health, according to neuroscientists
We Become One — A new documentary explores the positive effects that dance music and shared musical experiences can have on the human brain.
Written by: Zahra Onsori
In England’s rural north, skateboarding is femme
Zine scene — A new project from visual artist Juliet Klottrup, ‘Skate Like a Lass’, spotlights the FLINTA+ collectives who are redefining what it means to be a skater.
Written by: Zahra Onsori
Donald Trump says that “everything is computer” – does he have a point?
Huck’s March dispatch — As AI creeps increasingly into our daily lives and our attention spans are lost to social media content, newsletter columnist Emma Garland unpicks the US President’s eyebrow-raising turn of phrase at a White House car show.
Written by: Emma Garland
How the ’70s radicalised the landscape of photography
The ’70s Lens — Half a century ago, visionary photographers including Nan Goldin, Joel Meyerowitz and Larry Sultan pushed the envelope of what was possible in image-making, blurring the boundaries between high and low art. A new exhibition revisits the era.
Written by: Miss Rosen
The inner-city riding club serving Newcastle’s youth
Stepney Western — Harry Lawson’s new experimental documentary sets up a Western film in the English North East, by focusing on a stables that also functions as a charity for disadvantaged young people.
Written by: Isaac Muk
The British intimacy of ‘the afters’
Not Going Home — In 1998, photographer Mischa Haller travelled to nightclubs just as their doors were shutting and dancers streamed out onto the streets, capturing the country’s partying youth in the early morning haze.
Written by: Ella Glossop