Show Us Your Junk! Ep. 18 - Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth) | EarthQuaker Devices
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- Опубліковано 12 лис 2018
- Learn more: eqd.rocks/LeeRanaldoSUYJ
We’ve had a running bet around the office about who might be the first artist to drop trou in an episode of Show Us Your Junk! Today’s your lucky day, Sonic Youth fans, because Lee Ranaldo is not that artist.
But he came close. And he did expose us to a custom sixteen-string guitar built by Steve Albini with only high E strings and a penis inlay. It says, “Sonic Sixteen.”
“That’s one of the bossest headstocks you’ll ever see in your life,” says Ranaldo.
“So that’s that.”
In thirty short years, Sonic Youth produced one of the largest and most stimulating bodies of work of any American rock band. Their catalog spans 16 studio albums, 4 “best-of” compilations, 6 feature-length videos, 46 music videos, 8 Eps, 21 singles, 8 improvised SYR recordings, 8 authorized bootlegs, 16 soundtrack and compilation appearances; and hundreds - actual hundreds - of guitars. They married hardcore punk with fine art, free-improvisation, beatnik poetry, musiqué concrete, contemporary classical composition, pop-rock, and selfless democratic collaboration to produce a polyamorous cacophony of tension and release that’s often imitated, but never replicated.
During the latter third of their career, Sonic Youth set up camp in their Echo Canyon East recording studio on Manhattan’s Murray St. where they recorded their 2002 album with the same name. In 2006, they decamped to the opposite shore of the Hudson River to Hoboken, NJ to set up shop at Echo Canyon West, where their junk currently resides.
The control room in Echo Canyon West is built around a 2” 16-track Studer A800 tape machine and a modified Neve 5106 mixing console. Since the 5106 was built for broadcast applications, it has no mic preamps. Audio signals are routed to preamps, outboard gear, and tape - bypassing the console entirely. Likewise, they shun plugins and prefer to commit sounds to tape as early as possible. Edits are performed manually using a grease pencil and razorblade to slice and dice entire takes captured on tape.
The studio’s live room is lined with amplifiers - combos mostly - including an early ‘60s Fender Super Reverb (Lee’s amp of choice), a brownface Princeton modded by NYC amp tech Harry Kolbe, and the exact ‘50s Tweed Deluxe model like those used onstage by Neil Young during the Goo tour back in 1991. “It’s not really roadworthy,” says Ranaldo, “but it’s got that classic old Fender sound.”
Guitar-wise, Lee mainly plays his signature Jazzmaster modified with Fender Wide Range humbuckers like those in his early ‘70s Telecaster Deluxe ¬- his first “serious” guitar. When Sonic Youth’s gear was stolen in 1999, Lee’s first Telecaster was among the guitars taken and was one of the few pieces recovered, albeit with a new powder blue finish courtesy of the thieves.
Perhaps the most interesting lost-and-found item is Lee’s Travis Bean Artist (no. 375) played on the song “Kool Thing” (Goo, 1991) which “looked like someone had stuck it in a campfire for an hour or two” and “looked kind of cool,” but has been restored to its original condition at the request of Sonic Youth’s crew who “couldn’t stand the way it looked,” says Lee.
Upstairs is the master tape archive where the entirety of Sonic Youth’s recorded output is painstakingly cataloged. If you’ve made it this far, then we probably don’t need to say too much about the mixdown reels for Evol, Daydream Nation, Sister, and so on. But we’ll keep a lookout for the possibility of an SYR record with Nels Cline.
Video: Vice Cooler
Music: Lee Ranaldo
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Please interview Kevin Shields ❤️
I met this guy last year and had no clue who he was! He just came up to me and started talking about my band and wanted to check out some other local groups. He mentioned he was a musician too but didn't say much aside from that. What a nice, cool dude!
wado1942 you met one of Alternative music’s greatest guitarist
Humility sure makes a great person
Same guy who bullied nardwuar tho
like when dave grohl met paul mac cartney and he got annoyed
SY are pretty much the nicest, most unassuming people you could meet
Ah yes, the old rub the headstock against the door technique.
I learned that one in my first lesson. Might've been my second lesson after "how to tune."
Refreshing to see instruments being treated as noise making tools instead of being seen as some 'holy grail' type object by some collector/ investor.
Thank you!! 🙌🏼
Jonny greenwood also believes in this philosophy. He was once asked by fender if he wanted a replica of his brown sunburst tele made and he replied “I’ve already got a guitar, why would I want another?”
@@Quattro79 they probably asked him 10-20k too thought for it
Agreed! I never treat my guitars with special care. If they get a dent or scratch? Character. I noticed how nonchalant he was about picking up and putting down small amps. Loved it. Musical gear is made to make music, not money. And worn out/trashed guitar gear has a much cooler and authentic look and feel. I treat even my most valuable guitars like everyday instruments. Except unlike everyday instruments I have to insure them. Hahaha.
@@ejspookyify I don't think its necessarily about purposefully treating your instruments so preciously, but just not being so uptight as to not recognize these are mass produced noisemaking tools at the end of the day that happen to border into art. On top of that, its Lee fucking Ronaldo, the man can probably afford to and should be allowed to handle a guitar any way he goddamned pleases.
Love how Lee handles all that gear as...gear, and not as porcelain vases or museum pieces.
Exactly, I love seeing worn out guitars !
yep I was thinkig that, how he just drops everything with a thud!
Yeah but don't blame people taking care of objects that cost 2k on average
My kids are not allowed to play my guitars with drums sticks, same as they cant play the drums with my guitar necks. This man obviously had less rules.
@@therapist6328 😂
One of those videos you wish would never end.
i could spend months, years, even, in that studio. thanks for watching!
@@EarthQuakerDevices So I can imagine, it's such a shame they don't rent it out, I'd love to record there and have Lee as producer.
agree
so true, want to see & hear more
Couldn't agree more. So sad that this band is no longer with us.
Any video that begins with Lee Ronaldo and some sort of buzzing noise gets all of my attention.
same. thanks for watching!
@@EarthQuakerDevices omg. thanks for posting it. It's a glorious history lesson!
it's our pleasure! i've probably watched it 8 times by now and i learn something new every time.
EarthQuakerDevices haha! I don’t doubt it!
Ditto that, brother!
Imagine: you are a teenager who is into guitars and Lee is your the best grandpa ever 👍👍👍
for real
When your grandad is cooler than you
The moral of the story is... Have fun, embrace creativity, savor the good times, and you will stay young forever
Jjj
"16 high E strings" classic sonic youth.
haha yep
@@EarthQuakerDevices The world said "12 string guitar" and SY said "nah 16 string high E is more like it".
Eli Friedmann well, Steve Albini took it to that next level for them. And I thought Steve’s guitar shrieked. Imagine what that one sounds like. I wonder if it’s ever been on any of their tracks.
yeah, 12 just don't cut it!
@@allaboutdatGDA I been in the SoniC Youth Groove befoRe seems like abouT a College Course to geT on the AgeNDA. 👃👂🎶🎸🎤🎧📢📱 U NaMe iT.💤😁
Can we just get weekly installments of Lee making noises and talking SY stuff?
i wish
That would be schweet!
@@EarthQuakerDevices If you have any B-roll footage of him messing around with any of the stuff from this video, you'd have to be a damn fool not to compile ALL of it, unedited, into a single video, and post it on your channel.
I'm not joking, if you want SERIOUS views, do this. Do you have any idea how badly people *actually want* more long form content like that? Despite what trends may tell you, people really respond to that kind of stuff. And jesus christ, it's LEE from the Sonic Youth we're talking about here! And seeing him make noises with all of these incredibly unique devices is a one in a million chance. You're sitting on youtube gold man.
You've got to talk to your video guys and get them to do it. I will personally share it EVERYWHERE, it would blow up on ALL music websites. Please please please do it, there's literally not a single reason not to. If I could come there and do all the editing myself, I would.
PLEASE
What a warm, unassuming guy.
His eyes are so open and kind!
Just watch the Nardwuar interview lol
"the thieves had painted it blue...and we left it that way because we thought it was kind of funny"
16:40 honestly thought Lee was going to climb up the ladder and elbow drop his guitar
that'd be more badass than the time the Undertaker tossed Mankind off the top of the cage
I was thinking along the same lines. First he's running the headstock along the wall then going up the ladder. What is gonna happen??
so did I
@@EarthQuakerDevices
What the hell i just watched a video about that and now i see your comment
I read this two second before he got on the ladder lmfao
Whoever stole sonic youths gear is hella cursed
I hope they got bleeding ulcers with perpetual pink eye along with whooping cough.
Imagine a couple of crack heads with no idea of the true value of what was stolen??? Breaks my heart more than the robbery.
I did it, sorry guys.
For sure. What would you even do with the best pieces? It's like stealing the Mona Lisa! The only way it has any worth is if you can prove you own it legitimately.
@@undergroundnation6423 lel
18:16 - made me cry...my mum who passed away in 2007 had one of these cassette players. She was a voracious reader but suffered with macular degeneration in her twilight years. She got tapes from Readers Digest & Newsweek. Every 3-4 months I would clean & demagnetize the heads. Of course she would listen to the news on radio and TV, and even tho she was so proper she wouldn't say 'shit' even if she had a mouthful, she called Sean Hannity 'a prick'. I miss her & her judgement of character. Sure do miss you, Mom.
JopesTV sorry for your loss may she rest in peace
I really appreciated this.. your mom reminds me of my late mother.
That is a very sweet tribute to your mom❤
This is beautiful
sorry for your lose, seems like your mom was the coolest around
you guys should get Kevin Shields on this lol
we'd love to. you got his number?
Fender just have done a long video in his studio too, in Ireland, similiar to this. Supercool.
I rehearsed in the same studio in London as MBV before they went on tour. Every day they got plenty of new FX pedals and their roadies build them into a rack. But when they wanted to move it, it doesn't fit through the door anymore. :-D
"And over here is my Dyson DC33 Bagless..."
haha how to use a wammy bar and delay pedal.
I could watch 5 hours of this.
me too.
Looks like we're gonna take our lunch break now! Thanks EQD!!
what's for lunch?
@@EarthQuakerDevices And they never knew.
@@nataroonytrontime3976 the unsolved mystery will live on
@@nataroonytrontime3976 never.
6:19 I thought Lee was coming up with a new SY song but he was literally just looking through cymbals
lol!
Cymbals. Symbols. Cymbals.
Cymbals ;)
Holy hell they need to release those recordings with Nels!!! Thank you for this Earthquaker. From the bottom of my gear-loving heart I thank you.
You know what to do: www.change.org/
I just went to the "30 Years of Daydream Nation" screening tonight and mentioned the recordings of Nels to Steve Shelley. I mentioned this comment and all the likes and he said he saw your comment. haha So...if anyone catches the show then keep on asking and maybe well get to hear them someday.
Totally fascinating but I wished there was more time to explore some of what is touched on here. Lee is the most mysterious member of Sonic Youth, sort of the George Harrison of the group I guess, so it is great to hear him elaborate on some of the iconistic pieces of gear that set them apart from the mainstream. Thank you Earthquaker for making this happen.
Our pleasure, Mark. Thanks for watching!
Does anybody else noticed when he talked about his first guitar being stolen and getting it back, he showed his true passion about music such a nice human being, so inspiring !!!!
It's NO FUN having ANY of your tools and toys stolen !!!
That blue tele he showed was also played by Kurt Cobain at a show he played with sonic youth and mudhoney in ‘92
Edit 1 Year Later: HOLY SHIT this blew up lol, still a great video :)
OMG
Pin this comment!
Clearly somebody at Earthquaker is a big Nirvana fan.
Did he play it upside down?
Here it is being used by Cobain in "the money will roll right in" : bit.ly/2RdHC9r
"The composer Steve Reich my neighbor in Manhattan"
When in new york
Bit of a flex there lol
I basically "learned" to play listening to him and Thurston. That was 30 years ago. I'm still trying to learn to play like them.
True elder statesmen of noise-based rock guitar. I too have longed to play like them.
I grew up in the era in NYC playing in similarly then despised " Noise" bands; still playing now.
Key is to remove variables and then selectively reintroduce them; use alt tunings, but use the same tunings on guitars that can hold them.Much of the staleness of traditional Rock is the familiarity of the structures and standard tuning; interupt the expectations of the ear, and compositions will go to fresh places.
More so now than then, effect pedals are your friend; they now make effects to do absolutely everything to a signal.Not so back then; they were hard to find, and they were not reliable.
Don't be guitar dependent. Keyboards, bass, and varied percussion often do the job better.
Listen to and watch how The Fall and Mark E. did it; planned improv., 50/50.Good drummers are vital.
Live, it's not always going to gel; accept that the cost of inspired music is failing a decent amount of the time.Magic isn't consistent.
Amazing stories and tones! It kind of feels like meeting a wizard in a forest and he has all these different mushrooms and herbs that have a story to them and then he plays them into music with crazy effect. Please come back to Milwaukee sometime Sonic Youth!
Thanks so much for watching Evan!
J Mascis next.. Same length please. Sloth-like J needs all the time to stretch out..
Lee's the kind of guy who manages to get strings slipping off of a mastery bridge
he makes his guitars do work, that's for sure
UA-cam's algorithm must suck because it took this long before I saw this awesome vid.
I’m pretty concerned for the 4 people who disliked this glimpse into SY history. Thanks for this Earthquaker!
there's no accounting for taste, I suppose. thanks for watching!
.....right?! The only Sonic Youth song I really know is "100%", but....I mean...c'mon!!
The guitar he couldn’t remember the name of is called a Harmony Bobkat.
My first "serious" guitar was also a Harmony. It was a Strat' copy, in a metal flake silver, with a black pickguard, and....gold hardware. Long gone now (traded it to a local shop for a Danelectro "Black Coffee" Metal Distortion mini pedal), but I started collecting Harmonys afterwards, before they became "the thing to have".
If i got to listen to Sonic Youth + Nels jamming my life would be complete
you could try watching this video and our Nels Cline Board to Death at the same time and see what happens
@@EarthQuakerDevices Is Nels from Cincinnatti?
And there's a video here of Thurston and Nels doing a 2 gtr improv show, in a store, in fact I think it was called "In Store as it eventually was released as a record, around ten years ago. Check it out too.
RELEASE THE RECORDINGS FFS lmao
I'm so ready to lose 25 minutes from my work day.
Me too.
Yeah...and me too!
i watched this in my workplace lol
@@EarthQuakerDevices u getting in trobule bruh
Lee Ranaldo is such a great guy. He came out to meet the fans after a solo gig in my hometown and was so nice to everyone. Thanks Lee!
It's so educational seeing how he makes noise, making good noise is surprisingly hard...
When he says this was their setlist from the night which became our last show it brings a tear to my eye. I was lucky enough to see every tour from the Dirty tour all the way to some of the final shows in the U..S. including the Matador 21 show and the Hollywood Bowl with Pavement. Thank you Sonic Youth for those amazing years and inspiring the World forever.
When I was in college 30 years ago Daydream Nation literally changed the way I listen to music. Nevertheless when Lee started playing the guitar with the drum stick it reminded me of Nigel Tufnel from Spinal Tap playing his guitar with his violin.
GENIUS!!!!!! I am so thankful for the show us your junk series. All of the music that matters revealed, yet still mysterious pieces of time. SYw/ Nels would be an opiate for these ears!
thanks for the kind words! I'm determined to hear that SY / Nels tape if it kills me.
im coming back to this video every like 3 - 5 weeks
Guys, you MUST design a pedal with him.
ooh that'd be fun
Just to clarify, whatever it could be, I'll buy it. No doubts.
@@EarthQuakerDevices your own take on Slicie??
YES PLS
I'm ready to preorder.
I met him once at a garage sale and bought a hair dryer from him, super great and humble guy. He reminds me of Austin Powers
like conair or what are we talkin here
I saw Lee on the street one time 100 years ago. I was like "What am I going to say?" I just left him alone, but after watching this clip, I realized that we actually have a few things in common besides the Continental electric twelve-string (which he didn't show in this video, and may have been stolen for all I know). Happy memories.
The Kapa Continental got smashed in an Irvine gig in November 1990
I enjoyed my coffee and watching this so much. what a great way to spend your evening.
I'm gonna curl up by the fireplace and watch this again after work tonight. thanks for watching!
I don't know what's weirder, the fact that Jim O'Rourke talked them out of a classic Neve mixing desk, or the fact that the albums of theirs he worked on sound more like they were recorded and mixed down on high-quality vintage gear than the ones that actually were done with the Neve.
...and that's why you want Jim O'Rourke in your band.
Jim O'Rourke is so great. I love his solo work.
Tortoise though? KILLER. J.O'R is a boss.
Its all about the ear, not the gear!
That's a funny thought. I guess it just proves how subjective these things can be.
best episode this far, period! 8)
thanks for watching!
The older I get the more appreciation I hold for Lee, amazing artist, his solo and work with Sonic absolutely opened doors for me musically when I first discovered them, a child who had been shunned for making noise in the music class we had in year 8, Sonic Youth and especially Lee made young me realise what I had been creating wasn't that odd, I just hadn't discovered the subculture yet at that young age. Every time I watch a video of Lee it relights the huge spark and passion I had 10 years ago as a 14/15 year old for noise and the fascinating ways of creating it. Awesome seeing the equipment that has made some of my favourite songs, would be an amazing place to dig through!
thanks so much for watching the video Brittany!
His work on 100% is his trademark track!
these are sooooooo good! I love this series!! ..although I wish this episode with Lee was 6 hours long!!!..seriously I LOVE you for making these! thank you!!
thanx for the tour , and the music... lee !
Wish this would never end!
Thanks earthquaker, I had a ton of fun watching this video. This is the side of creativity and growing older that it warms an artist's heart to be able to see. And a reminder that the accumulation of junk is not only a farmer's delight, peril, and legacy, but also ours as well. Rust belt memories and fond wishes.
Thanks for watching Daniel! Glad you enjoyed it
25min of pure magic !! thank you sooo much for this !!!
what a man, my favourite sonicyouther
I was at that show when all their gear got swiped. Heartbreaking, but also heartening to see all the bands lend their guitars and cheer them on.
killyourtvnotme GbV and Sleater-Kinney!
I was there too! I saw a guy that looked like Lou Barlow and of course I yelled "Lou!" I could tell it was him because he flinched but didn't turn around (classic). Later they thanked him for helping tune those guitars. Side note: how amazing was At The Drive-In?!
Wow I have found home, thank you so much this is truly the best birthday present, to see Lee Ranaldo a guitar hero of mine to provide an insight to the magical place where Sonic Youth create. To see the gear, we gear addict love so to see, to hear gear and road stories from the mouth of a person I respect so much for his guitar work. Again thank you - truly wonderful
thanks for the kind words!
I’ve loved their music since 83’, so cool to see all the memories
I'm impressed with the knowledge and history of every piece of equipment shown.
16:00 great paint technique
I can't believe how much I love Lee.
Wow! That was so much better than I expected. What a great tour. Thanks so much. Lee is awesome.
Just Epic, no more words
it's a museum
The editing on this video is brilliant in a Sonic Youth sense.
Back to watch this is video and aways very emotional, to see the history of the band, who was so important on my teenage years, telling by every piece of equipment, guitars, posters, the original masters of the albums…❤
Easily, one of the best videos in the series so far. Love all your stuff EQD & Lee.
SY fan since 1990.
When all of those symbols were clashing together, I thought that was a Sonic Youth song.
Better get all those tapes archived in digital and backed up. It’s art worthy of cathedral type safety. The work is godlike.
Tape will outlive digital backups
I love this soo much. Real musicians always geek out on gear that isn’t theirs yet. Lee is a crazy genius of sound. He’s literally the best summation of the whole Steve Reich, Glenn Branca seed. I met him when I was 12 and was intimidated by the whole scene/band. He was the one who made the effort and put me more at ease. I wish I could see him again to tell him how much I’ve always admired him and how much he exposed me to such eclectic musical ideas/works. He’s a one off.
I have that exact same cassette tape player. It is really really fun to use
I love this episode of Portlandia! but why is it on this channel?
Lee is the best! I saw him around Hoboken all the time when I lived there and he was always so nice to chat with. Lovely human.
This is an amazing web doc. I'm a longtime Sonic Youth Fan I can barely type I'm in awe I love this. Thank you
Thank you for making my day.
It's our pleasure. Thanks for watching, Lance!
@@EarthQuakerDevices A multi drive (boost/drive/fuzz) with a toggle selectable envelope (kinda like the Fuck OD) controlled by a threshold/sensitivity knob. Oh, and a filter, a GNARLY one. Add switches to choose what the envelope blends in/blends from (gain/tone/filter sweeps, boost into drive, drive into fuzz etc) depending on how hard you dig in/ level of the threshold knob. Of coarse, an exp out to control it all manually. An octave circuit (tentacle would do) and a mod circuit (choppy square wave trem?). It's Sonic Youth so the drives should be like, preamp vibe kinda thing. Sputtery JFET fuzz, pushed mixing desk preamp overdrive. Sorry, I'm a windbag and I'm just spit balling, lol.
Now do Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore!
There's a video of Thurston showing shit in his apartment in 1988.
What a wonderful video with a charming man.
This is a god that came from heaven letting us know where ultimate frontiers for guitar sound are really like. Thanks Lee, I love every aspect of your sound and experimentation!
Lee, you are truly an artist. Keep doing you.
Lee's a really nice guy. Saw him performing in Rio twice. and with SY in the (I guess) penultimate show with Iggy Pop in Rio. hope he comes back soon. it's cool that he's maintaining SY's archive and history. this video only gets better and better each minute. thanks to Lee and the people who made this possible.
Lee passing the guitar around a door with the very tip of it is poetic to say the least
That’s exactly how I imagined SY’s studio and storage closet would look like...beautifully messy!
Wonderful ! Thanx a lot.
thanks for watching!
I like the way he just knocks stuff around, and I have to add my voice to the call to publish the Nels/SY jams!!
+1 on the SY / Nels jams
I could listen to these amazing stories all day long. Thank you guys for this show, I love it so much!
Thats awesome, we are very happy that you enjoyed it!! Thank you!
What a treasure trove this is....wonderful gear....great to see him using the guitar all pedaled up and just waving it for the body to pick up noise
Ok, you have just released, The Benchmark. Insane video. Thank you.
thanks for the kind words, John!
God do I miss Sonic Youth. They played Scotland a number of times and you never knew if you were in for that lo-fi invention or the 'wall of sound'. Always original and unique. Plus he can name-drop Steve Reich...........how cool is that ?
Boy, how i love you guys from SY... Thanks for loving São Paulo too!
I had physical fun watching this...will never forget finding their music as kid and loving that soundworld so much
Thank you very much for watching!
just so fucking...DIFFERENT!
What a prince! My life would be very different absent Sonic Youth...thanks for this series, management at Earthquaker, it speaks volumes to who you are.
Thanks! I wouldn't be here (or have much of an interest in music, to be honest) were it not for Sonic Youth, so I feel ya.
Incredible! Sister and EVOL master tapes? Got me feeling some type o’ way!!
Me too! I love all of their albums but the three years (86-88) they released EVOL, Sister, and Daydream Nation are God-tier. I still listen to each of them weekly.
Jazz blaster
Brilliant, thanks so much. An inspiration
Lee, as played by Robert De Niro.
I'll be that guy: TR-808 was released 5 years before (1980) the TR-707 (1985).
Heroes take many forms🤷🏽♂️
LOL just posted a few mins ago.
ok... first off, how the heck did I not know you guys had a space in the same placed i had my artist studio in for nearly 2.5 years ?!?! i literally parked in the parking lot to the right of the door! i worked in the gallery in the same building. you guys were such a huge influence to me! my mind is blown!!! granted i was on the 5th floor on the other side facing the parking lot. i was there from 2012 to 2014 . i remember when sandy hit and no one could get in cause that street was flooded. so crazy. i miss you guys, my band would go to your shows all the time in the early 2000's. some of the best shows i've ever been to.
As a huge fan and played guitar for 3 decades Lee Renaldo is amazing. He not only plays out side the box but is one of the two keeping and recording SY’s legacy alive. Love you Lee and keep rocking! \oo/
Coolest one so far. Didn't know he was friends with Steve Reich!
thanks for watching!
Hey by the way the lack of a Steve albini episode is criminal
This is perhaps the most interesting gear rundown video I have ever seen. Thanks to all involved!
thanks for checking it out. Lots more interesting ones on here!
Fantastic collection of all sorts of stuff Lee! Those little amps are easy to fix, easy to mod and easy to haul...what's not to love?