Episode #277 | 6.23.26
Sonic Youth: The Murders Behind One of the Coolest Album Covers of All Time
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In this episode
This is the story of one of the coolest album covers of all time, Sonic Youth’s ‘Goo,’ and how the band was unaware of the shocking murders behind their own album art. A true crime involving a pair of serial killers and an unlikely hero obsessed with rock ‘n’ roll.
Sources
Kim Gordon: Girl in a Band – A Memoir, by Kim Gordon
Sonic Life: A Memoir, by Thurston Moore
1991: The Year Punk Broke (1992, dir. David Markey)
The Cover Uncovered: The dark truth behind Sonic Youth’s ‘Goo’ (Far Out)
Book by Moors Murder witness David Smith recalls horror (BBC)
The Moors Murders: A Notorious Couple and Their Young Prey (NY Times)
Thurston Moore vs Kim Gordon: Battle of the Memoirs (Medium)
Thurston Moore Is A Dick But Not Just Because He Cheated On Kim Gordon (BK Mag)
Thurston Moore: Twilight of the Idol (Flavorwire)
Raymond Pettibon, Wielding an Art Mightier Than the Sword (NY Times)
The Underbelly Artist (NY Times)
Raymond Pettibone (Kutztown University)
Don’t Give Me Your Soul: The Oral History of Sonic Youth’s Goo (Yahoo)
The Long Life and Quiet Death of True Detective Magazine (Gizmondo)
Credits
Hosted by Jake Brennan.
Written by Jake Brennan.
Copy edited by James Sullivan.
Mixed by Sean Cahalin.
Produced in partnership with the Exactly Right Network and iHeartPodcasts.
DISGRACELAND theme song, “Crenshaw Space Boogie,” written and produced by Jake Brennan. Performed by Jake Brennan, Bryce Kanzer, Jay Cannava, and Evan Kenney. Mixed and engineered by Adam Taylor.
*illustrations by Avi Spivak @avispivak