Kim Gordon, renowned for her innovative bass work with Sonic Youth, challenges the notion of her identity as a bassist. Despite her status as a trailblazing figure in alternative rock, she reveals she has not touched the instrument in over a decade, including on her recent solo album Play Me.
Shifting Roles on Play Me
Gordon delegated bass duties to producer Justin Raisen, who also handled melodic guitar parts. She focused on electric guitar, improvising dissonant textures using various pedals and a Fender tweed amp. “I didn’t play any of the bass, actually – Justin played that. He also played whatever melodic guitar there is and then I played all the kind of dissonant guitar stuff,” Gordon explains. “Basically, I just improvised with a bunch of different pedals and a little Fender tweed amp.”
From Bass to Guitar: A Creative Preference
Gordon last played bass during Sonic Youth’s final performance in 2011. She now prioritizes guitar in her improv duo Body/Head with Bill Nace, citing its superior range of textures and sounds. “I haven’t played bass since the last Sonic Youth gig,” she reflects. “It’s just much more satisfying to improvise on a guitar. You can just get so many more textures and sounds.”
Her bass approach stemmed from punk-rock roots, using a pick rather than fingers. Gordon began on guitar, adapting basslines to six strings before switching instruments for practicality. Yet, she lacks a strong bassist identity. “I never really saw myself as a bassist. I always played with the pick, punk-rock style. And when I first started playing music, I played guitar. But then I would play basslines on the guitar, so it made sense to just play the bass,” she states. “I don’t have any sense of identity as a bass player, strangely enough. I’m more interested in ideas than actually having to play the bass.”
