The Q&ALife and styleInterviewKim Gordon: ‘I was busted for smoking pot at Disneyland’
Rosanna GreenstreetThe musician on her daughter, Jean-Paul Sartre’s Nausea and why she despises Donald Trump
Born in upstate New York, Kim Gordon, 66, formed Sonic Youth in 1981 with Thurston Moore, whom she later married; the couple have a daughter. In 1991 she produced Hole’s debut album, Pretty On The Inside, and is considered a key influence in the development of grunge and riot grrrl. Now divorced, Gordon is a solo artist and appears at All Points East festival in London in May.
When were you happiest?
In kindergarten, riding my bike and making objects out of clay.
What is your greatest fear?
Not being able to come up with another idea for work.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Overthinking.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Extreme narcissism.
Aside from a property, what’s the most expensive thing you’ve bought?
A pair of Saint Laurent trousers.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
Wrinkles.
Who would play you in the film of your life?
Isabelle Huppert.
What is your most unappealing habit?
Being lazy in my articulation.
Which book changed your life?
Nausea, by Jean-Paul Sartre. As a teenager, living in suburban LA, banality made me feel sort of nauseous and when I read that book I recognised something.
What is the worst thing anyone’s said to you?
Someone in the British press said I was old, when I was 30.
To whom would you most like to say sorry, and why?
My parents: I’m sorry I didn’t spend more time with them.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My daughter.
Which living person do you most despise, and why?
Trump, because he’s a narcissist and doesn’t care about the world. He doesn’t care about anything except himself.
If you could edit your past, what would you change?
I wouldn’t care so much what people thought.
How often do you have sex?
Probably not enough.
What is the closest you’ve come to death?
When I was little, I took a bunch of pills out of the cabinet because I was bored, when I was supposed to be taking a nap. I had to have my stomach pumped.
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
Having a massage every week.
What has been your closest brush with the law?
I was busted for smoking pot at Disneyland when I was 16.
What keeps you awake at night?
Worrying about my daughter, worrying about money.
What song would you like played at your funeral?
Cortez The Killer, by Neil Young.
How would you like to be remembered?
As a generous soul.
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
That anything can happen.
Tell us a secret
I think secrets are sexy.
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