Road Movies (Soft Skull Press)

By Lee Ranaldo

Reminiscent of Kerouac and Bukowski, this collection of poetry by Lee Ranaldo, guitarist of seminal punk band Sonic Youth, mirrors the dark, emotive beauty of the band's wall-of-noise style. The poems were inspired by time spent on the road and are infused with the strange clarity of travel; they have the same surreal, cinematic quality of landscapes viewed through the windows of a rapidly moving vehicle. Grainy photographs of roadside scenes contribute to the overall mood of restless freedom. This tenth anniversary edition contains 50 percent new material.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1887128077
• ISBN13: 9781887128070
• Release Date: December 1994
• Publisher: Soft Skull Pr
• Length: 86 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 5.5" x 0.5" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

how different from the sea is the boat

This book is small but its contents are Big. On records like Evol & Daydream Nation, Lee would spew forth words "@ breakneck speed, every bolt rumbling", things from real life & beyond whilst the band cranked it up perfectly. On paper it seems different but it helps to read it out aloud yrself. Of course a large part of this has been recorded for a record called Dirty Windows that came out last year, but still it is good to have in this form. In the Kingdom #19 is longer than the song itself was, & you find out what it is about, how THE CAR & DRIVER take over everything in certain moments of raw power & the landscape of rural or urban America. A lustful side of his personality is revealed in New Condo, Me & Jill [appeared on Ciccone Youth: the Whitey Album many years ago] & Angels. Some of the poems are contemplative, others are violent & passionate. Sonic Youth fans [i.e. anyone w/ 1/2 a brain] should enjoy this on some level, maybe fans of modern poetry will too. LEE IS FREE!