Sonic Youth
Corporate Ghosts: Videos 90-02
(Geffen)

Sonic Youth’s first foray into the DVD medium spans the years 1990-2002, putting together all the videos they made in that time period and adding a few extra tidbits. There are 23 videos in all, including 11 from Goo, 3 from Dirty, 1 from Experimental, Jet-Set, Trash and No Star, 1 from the I Wish I was a Carpenter comp, 2 from Washing Machine, 2 from A Thousand Leaves, 1 from NYC Ghosts and Flowers, and 2 from Murray Street. Wow. I personally have seen 5 of these videos before, each on the night they premiered back in the days of 120 minutes. Aside from the sheer fact that seeing these videos is pretty cool, there is other stuff on this disc worth looking at. First, you get to see early directing work from Tamra Davis and Spike Jonze. Second, “stars” of the videos include a young Sophia Coppola, a young Chloe Sevigny, Jason Lee, Kathleen Hanna, Kim Deal, Macauley Culkin, Rachel Miner, Sleater-Kinney, Mike Watt, Chuck D and others. Third, there are videos directed by Todd Haynes (Disappearer) and Harmony Korine (Sunday), as far as I know both of their only music video directions. Third, there are videos directed by each member of the band (minus Jim O’Rourke), giving you a true sense of how the band takes the Sonic Youth aesthetic and transfers it from audio to visual media. Fourth there are tons of great bonus features including 2 more SY videos (Drunken Butterfly and Swimsuit Issue) and one for Thurston’s Ono Soul, a directors cut of Disappearer (Todd Haynes cut was re-edited by Geffen against his wishes), commentary from band friends and a photo montage (with commentary) by Spike Jonze. The coolest bonus feature is the personal playlist which allows you to play any number of the 23 videos in whatever order you please. And lastly, there is band and/or director commentary on nearly every video, again allowing a peak into the visual aesthetic of a band who has forged a most unique audio identity. The menus are clear and easy to navigate, and the sheer number of bonus features (and the fact that they aren’t just wasted space) make this the best put together music DVD I’ve seen to date. By all accounts the band has a huge amount of creative input when it comes to making their videos, so this isn’t just some canned shit made for MTV, these videos play like an extension of the art the band creates musically. Sonic Youth have clearly put a lot of work into making this DVD both comprehensive and worthwhile , and the promised second set of videos (covering the band’s pre-Geffen years) is eagerly awaited. Most of all, this video proves that it is possible to work within a major label frame work and still work with who you want, how you want, and have an amazing amount of integrity all the while.

And, as if all that wasn’t enough, it comes with a sticker!

-Dan


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