Born in 1958 in Coral Gables, Florida, he was raised in Bethel, Connecticut. By the time that he enrolled at the university, he decided to move to New York in order to join new wave/punk scene. His first band was Even Worse, which, besides Moore himself, included future members of King Missile and Hugo Largo, as well as Jack Rabid, founder of music magazine Big Takeover.
After the band demise, Moore became a part of Glenn Branca guitar orchestra, which also (at various points) included Lee Ranaldo from Sonic Youth, Page Hamilton (Helmet) and some members of Swans. Eventually, Moore and Ranaldo formed Sonic Youth and signed to Neutral Records, label run by Branca. Band’s core consists of Moore, Ranaldo and Kim Gordon (whom Moore eventually married) and throughout years the band featured numerous members in its line-up, including Jim O’Rourke, Jim Sclavunos, Bob Bert and Richard Edson.
Outside of his work with Sonic Youth, Moore released a number of solo albums, as well as collaborations with the likes of Lydia Lunch, William Hooker, Loren Mazzacane Connors, Chris Corsano, Nels Cline and many others. He was a part of Dim Stars, along with Richard Hell (Voidoids) and currently he’s a a part of noise supergroup To Live And Shave In LA, which also includes Andrew WK, as well as members of Pussy Galore, Half-Japanese and Sightings.
He currently lives in Northampton, Massachusetts with his wife Kim Gordon and their daughter Coco Hayley Gordon Moore. He also runs Protest Records, an online label that releases anti-war related recordings in mp3 format – a project that includes 10 volumes of songs by Cat Power, Eugene Chadbourne, Beastie Boys, Damon & Naomi, Mike Watt, Saul Williams, Gary Lucas, Jonatha Brooke and many others.
Selected Solo Work:
Starfield Wild / Earth / Amp 7″ (Table Of The Elements, 1993)
Cindy (Rotten Tanx) 7″ (DGC, 1995)
Psychic Hearts (Geffen, 1995 / 2006 / DGC, 1995 / Goofin’, 2005) – Was reissued on Goofin’, Sonic Youth’s own label.
Trees Outside The Academy (Ecstatic Peace!, 2007)
Sensitive / Lethal (No Fun Productions, 2008)
Blindfold Cass (Destructive Industries, 2008)
Selected Collaborations / Splits:
The Crumb + Stinkfist / The Crumb (Widowspeak Productions, 1988 / 1990) – “Crumb” was 12-inch record that included a title track, which is a collaboration between Lydia Lunch and Moore. “Stinkfist / The Crumb” was a CD version of the record, plus an additional material.
Barefoot In The Head (Forced Exposure, 1991 / 1996 / Shock + People Who Can’t) – Collaboration with Don Dietrich and Jim Sauter from the band Borbetomagus.
Kill Any / All Spin Personell (Freedom From, 1998) – A tape that featured two collaborative tracks from Moore, Tom Surgal and Beck (yes, that Beck).
Kylie Minoise / Wether / Thurston Moore / Tusco Terror Split (Insult Recordings, 2009) – Four-way split that came out this year on Greek label Insult Recordings.
Selected Compilation Tracks:
“The Fucking Youth Of Today” on Just Another Asshole (Just Another Asshole, 1981 / Atavistic, 1995)
“European Son” on The End Of Music (As We Know It) (Danceteria, 1988 / ROIR, 1991)
“Blues For Spacegirl” on Guitarrorists (No.6, 1991 / Glitterhouse, 1991)
“Pushing The Extreme” on Fourteen Songs For The Greg Sage And The Wipers (Tim/Kerr, 1993)
“Shit You Hear At Parties” on Our Band Could Be Your Life – A Tribute To D Boon And The Minutemen (Little Brother, 1994)
“Winter Johnny” on We’ll Sail Out Far…Maybe Too Far (Apartment, 1996)
“Last Hotel” on Kerouac – Kicks Joy Darkness (Rykodisc, 1997)
“April’s Shower” on Waiting To Be Old (Opprobrium, 1997)
“Here Today” on Smiling Pets (Sony Japan, 1998)
“Anal Cry” on I Don’t Think The Dirt Belongs To Grass (Carbon, 2006)
“Sex Addiction” on Not Alone (Durtro + Jnana, 2006)
“Deaf In The Valley” on Sensational Fix (Verlag Der Buchhandlung Walter König, 2008)
Discover more from I Heart Noise
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.