Nirvana producer Steve Albini sounds off in a new GQ interview.
Some may be unfamiliar with Albini’s work. He produced albums for Nirvana, Pixies, Cheap Trick, The Breeders, Rober Plant, PJ Harvey, The Stooges, Mogwai, Joanna Newsom and scores more.
He’s also made some corrosive, excellent, avant garde punk with legendary acts Shellac, Big Black and Rapeman.
But he’s most notorious for his furiously independent approach, DIY fundamentalism and vehement opinions.
In a recent interview with GQ, his mouth got the better of him again, slamming Sonic Youth for signing with major label Geffen and subsequently bringing grunge bands under the majors nefarious influence.
Speaking about Sonic Youth, he said: “A lot of the things that happened as a direct result of their association with the mainstream music industry gave credibility to some of the nonsense notions that hover around the star-making machinery. A lot of that stuff was offensive to me and I saw it as a sellout and a corruption of a perfectly valid, well-oiled music scene.”
While he continues to spout conjecture about how the industry might’ve gone if Sonic Youth hadn’t brought indie music to the majors, his most hilarious rip was on the fashion industry and GQ itself.
Here’s the quote in full:
“I think fashion is repulsive. The whole idea that someone else can make clothing that is supposed to be in style and make other people look good is ridiculous. It sickens me to think that there is an industry that plays to the low self-esteem of the general public. I would like the fashion industry to collapse. I think it plays to the most superficial, most insecure parts of human nature. I hope GQ as a magazine fails. I hope that all of these people who make a living by looking pretty are eventually made destitute or forced to do something of substance. At least pornography has a function.”
