Since Taylor Swift's phenomenally successful, globe-conquering, records-shattering Eras tour kicked off on St. Patrick's Day last year, barely a single hour has passed without an online, print or video article hailing the omnipotent crushing power of her devoted fanbase, aka the Swifties. So it's a brave artist indeed in 2024 who will suggest that they're not actually a fully paid-up member of the Tay Sway fan-club.
Step forward then the fearless Kim Gordon, former Sonic Youth vocalist/bassist and all-round alt. rock icon who has admitted, on record, that she's "not really a fan".
In a new interview with The Guardian, Gordon is asked to reveal her most controversial pop culture opinion. The musician/artist/writer, replies, "I don’t know if it’s controversial, but I’m not really a fan of Taylor Swift. I couldn’t tell you what her music sounded like, actually. When it comes to pop icons, I would choose Billie Eilish."
We're staying out of this.
In the same interview, Gordon, who has been cited as an inspiration by so many musicians, admits that, she never had a 'Kim Gordon' figure of her own, ie a musician who served as the inspiration for her to follow a career in music.
"I never aspired to be a musician," she admits, "so in that way, no. As a teenager, I listened to Billie Holiday and Joni Mitchell but I never actually thought it was possible to become a musician. I didn’t study or know anything about music. There are certainly artists, but not necessarily female artists, who I was influenced by – artists like Lucio Fontana or Yves Klein, even Andy Warhol."
Gordon's second solo album, The Collective, is out now.
