With that in mind, here are five reasons to hope Bernard Goetz is the president of the Sonic Youth Fan Club.

1. "Schizophrenia" from Sister -- "Jesus," a friend commented shortly after I removed the album from its cellophane, "that sounds like hell. You know, but kind of tuneful." The first song off their first great album, the band was learning to turn chaos into, well, tuneful chaos.

2. "Teenage Riot" from Daydream Nation --The closest Sonic Youth got to an anthem also a signaled how far they'd remain from what pop culture considers anthemic. Although a horde of motivated young rock and rollers did take their advice at Woodstock '99.

3. "Swimsuit Issue" from Dirty -- With Butch Vig behind the boards, SY's twin guitar assault sounded more than ever like life during wartime. On the feminist manifesto "Swimsuit Issue," Kim Gordon unleashes some of here most venomous vocals over lunging guitar patterns that, way back in 1992, made Nirvana sound like easy listening.

4. "Bone" from Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star-- The grunge production was gone by 1994, but the fire wasn't. On "Bone," loping, almost chant-like verses are punctuated by shocking, sudden barrages of sound that seem destined to break the song apart. The band keeps its together, and gets one of their best albums in the process.

5. A Thousand Leaves -- If this ends up being the "old" Sonic Youth's swan song, what a way to go. A miraculous, mature, continually surprising guitar opus by a band that, over 10 years, did more to revolutionize the instrument than anyone else in memory.