Sonic Split: Sonic Youth cofounders to divorce

Milwaukee music fans, take note: after 27 years together, the cofounders of the iconic 1990s band Sonic Youth are getting a divorce.

Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore have been called “indie rock’s ‘It’ couple.” Together, they founded one of the most respected punk bands of the last decade and had a solid 15-year career of hits. They also attracted attention because they were a rare example of artists who were able to work closely with one another while still maintaining an apparently harmonious personal relationship.

Many music fans are upset over news of the divorce not only because they worry about what it will mean for the band, but because Gordon and Moore were idolized as the ideal couple by many so-called Gen Xers.

However, fans of Sonic Youth should not be too brokenhearted. Many couples are able to remain friends even after they dissolved their marriages. And as for the band, it is possible Moore and Gordon will keep it going. They have come this far, so they obviously have something worth saving and maybe they will realize that and work to preserve the band.

Many couples who found a business (like a money-making rock band) work closely with attorneys when they divorce because lawyers can listen to what the couple hopes will happen to the business and then outline a plan for achieving it. If the couple would like to split the business, the lawyer can show them how to fairly and equitably divide it. If the couple would like to keep the business going, a lawyer can draft an operating agreement that gets certain expectations in writing.

All in all, a lawyer may be able to take some of the pain and uncertainty out of divorce.

Source: The Atlantic Wire, “Gen X is Unsure if it Will Love Again After the Sonic Youth Divorce,” Adam Clark Estes, Oct. 17, 2011