Nothing did more to further the cause of Alternative Nation-building than 120 Minutes, MTV’s Sunday-night video showcase of non-mainstream acts. For nearly two decades, the program spanned musical eras from ’80s college rock to ’00s indie, with grunge, Britpop, punk, industrial, electronica and more in between. MAGNET raids the vaults to resurrect our 120 favorite and unjustly forgotten videos from the show’s classic era.
#54: Sonic Youth “Teen Age Riot”
Journalism professors everywhere will be disheartened to know that each hard-hitting edition of 120 Reasons To Live begins with a rigorous “fact” check at Wikipedia. That’s where you’ll find out that Sonic Youth’s first sorta big-time single is a song about J Mascis being president in alternate universe. Really? Nobody took that interview soundbite and interpreted it as another instance of Thurston Moore’s infinite jest and constant propping of his peers? 1988’s Daydream Nation is incredibly evergreen, and “Teen Age Riot” was its gateway (though not its only triumph; among the 12-inch’s b-sides were “Candle” and “Silver Rocket”). The video itself is too rough for real TV enjoyment, too art-installation choppy to sell the band to a wide audience. Sonic Youth’s longevity took care of that.
One reply on “120 Reasons To Live: Sonic Youth”
Best song these guys ever recorded, IMO. Another one that’s a part of the soundtrack of my teenage years.