The Disappointing Magazine Interview that Inspired “Kool Thing” by Sonic Youth – Information Today Online

Even if you’re not old with Sonic Youth’s 1990 azygos “Kool Thing,” its chorus strength good vaguely familiar. The distinction bears whatever resemblance to the offer from LL Cool J’s “Going Back to Cali,” and the distinction I don’t conceive so is condemned direct from the 1988 hit. The unification between Sonic Youth and LL Cool J in “Kool Thing” goes farther beyond a pilfered lyric. The strain would not subsist if not for the instance that Kim Gordon—who co-wrote and sings “Kool Thing”—interviewed the rapper-turned-actor for a field penalization publication.

The discourse didn’t go as the Sonic Youth bassist had planned, and she took the awkward, preventative undergo as rousing for “Kool Thing.” The termination was digit of the band’s best-known songs, which featured digit of the most memorable indie sway choruses of the primeval ‘90s.

An Interview Gone Wrong

Gordon interviewed LL Cool J for SPIN in 1989, and if you feature the piece, it’s manifest that the digit were conversation instance apiece other. When LL Cool J insisted that saint Dice politico was a queer comedian, Gordon wasn’t having it. A lowercase after in the exchange, LL Cool J commented that a swain or economise has to “have curb over his woman.” When Gordon asked him most “mainstream joint rock”—a directive discourse if there ever was one—and cited Bon Jovi as an warning of it, LL Cool J responded he intellection it was “cool.”

In a 1991 discourse with the Phoenix New Times, Gordon said this full mercantilism was her rousing for “Kool Thing.” She explained, “It was totally undignified for me to adopt that we had anything in common. That’s ground I proven to attain the article exhibit how selected and diminutive the downtown environs that I become discover of is. I was disagreeable to attain recreation of myself. I don’t undergo if that came across.” It’s blurred at what saucer Gordon definite to sendup herself, though she probable arrived there by the instance she was explaining the meaning of Iggy Pop to her discourse subject.

Self-Parodying Lyrics

Gordon’s self-parody long into “Kool Thing” itself. Chuck D from Public Enemy kicks soured the song’s denture by satisfactory on Gordon, locution Tell ‘em most it / Hit ‘em where it hurts. Gordon’s distinction of questioning, however, is not meet hard-hitting.

I meet wanna know, what are you gonna do for me?
I mean, are you gonna unloosen us girls
From phallic albescent joint oppression? 

She also takes LL Cool J’s famous distinction from “Going Back to Cali” and uses it to exhibit the demand of unification between them during their interview. In “Kool Thing”’s test verse, Gordon implores him to Come on and provide me an answer. LL Cool J’s tacit response, as sung by Gordon, was exclusive I don’t wanna / I don’t conceive so.

Some Not-So-Subtle References

In the closing of her example for SPIN, Gordon and whatever added interviewees questioned whether the rift between the audiences for black and albescent artists could ever be closed. Music fans who hap to be in the logistician draw crossing between Sonic Youth and LL Cool J module garner up on a whatever Easter foodstuff naturalised in “Kool Thing” and in the Tamra Davis-directed authorised video. In constituent to activity on I’m feat backwards to metropolis / I don’t conceive so, Gordon drops a meaning to LL Cool J’s 1989 medium Walking with a Panther, which includes “Going Back to Cali.” Gordon begins the test poetise with the distinction Kool thing, travel same a panther.

She makes a pair of connections with the counterbalance prowess for Walking with a Panther as well. The prototypal distinction of “Kool Thing” is Kool thing, movement with a kitty. In the authorised video, Gordon doesn’t bear with an actualised panther, as LL Cool J does on the counterbalance of Walking with a Panther, but there are individual shots of her with a black cat. The recording for “Kool Thing” features go-go dancers, meet same the “Going Back to Cali” recording does, and Gordon herself mimics whatever of the diversion moves.

The Impact of “Kool Thing”

“Kool Thing” was the prototypal Sonic Youth strain to separate in the Top 10 of Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart, and it peaked at No. 7. As the exclusive azygos from Goo to accomplish a Billboard chart, “Kool Thing” played a super persona in making the medium Sonic Youth’s prototypal to fissure the Billboard 200. It lidded discover at No. 96, and its 15-week separate on the interpret is the long for some of the band’s albums.

Even though “Kool Thing” is most an circumstance that specifically participating Gordon, it has been awninged by a whatever another artists. Most notably, Steve Wynn (Dream Syndicate, Baseball Project) transcribed a edition of the song, which he free on the Kerosene Man maxi-single in 1991. “Kool Thing” has been utilised in individual broadcasting series, including Gilmore Girls and Once Upon a Time. It was also digit of 73 songs included in the mettlesome Guitar mathematician III: Legends of Rock.

We crapper every belike colligate to opinion permit downbound when we don’t enter with someone we wish to stick with. It’s a opinion that stings, but Gordon shows us that we crapper also encounter nutriment in the situation. And that’s a pretty modify thing.