Kim Gordon

Kim Gordon by Richard Kern, 1992

interview by OLIVIER ZAHM
portrait RICHARD KERN
and personal pictures

 

KIM GORDON, the singer and bassist of Sonic Youth, has been an inspiration for us at Purple since our very first issue. We’ve photographed Kim on many occasions, but hadn’t really sat down to talk with her since 1992, when our magazine was still called Purple Prose — the same year she started the band Free Kitten. Kim’s not only a musician; she’s also a writer, a fashion designer, and a visual artist. Her recent exhibition, “Noise Paintings,” at John McWhinnie @ Glenn Horowitz Bookseller, connected her music to her paintings. We thought now would be a good time to ask Kim for deeper insight into this connection and into her life.

OLIVIER ZAHM — Let’s start by talking about Françoise Hardy. You must really like her, judging by…