dankrsta

^^ Kill Your Idols is a pretty good documentary. It doesn't really try to define No Wave in some exact terms, you know, as in proper definition, but to give more of a setting and a frame. So Suicide is mentioned as a big inspiration for no wave bands, but I wouldn't call them no wave. And the documentary also mentions no wave revival of the 00s, so it's more like a retrospective of New York underground noisy music.

I always thought of No Wave as not so much a conscience movement, but a specific short lived scene in New York in late 70s. Like minded individuals inspired by bands like Suicide for example thought it was possible to express anything without needing to follow any rules (and that includes rules of punk and new wave) and without needing to actually 'play' instruments. Those were just like any other objects used in performance art. Expression was more important than musicianship. That's why I think these bands were meant to be experienced live...*sigh* Sonic Youth were from the start more musically conscience and by the time they started the no wave scene had already changed and dissolved.

Not really like Sonic Youth. Early Sonic Youth sound was greatly influenced by it, but especially by Glenn Branca. Like I said, Sonic Youth were more artistically and formally conscience. For example, Sonic Youth noise is informed by dissonance and atonality of avant-garde music whereas No Wave noise is a product of not giving **** about musicianship. So that's quite a punk attitude actually even though Lydia Lunch rebelled against punk as well. Rebellious nature of punk and adventurous nature of performance art, that's how I see No Wave.

Here's a pretty interesting video of Byron Coley and Thurston Moore talking about that whole scene and the book they wrote about it.

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