Lee Mark Ranaldo (born February 3, 1956) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, guitarist, writer, visual artist and record producer, best known as a co-founder of the alternative rock band Sonic Youth. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Ranaldo at number 33 on its "Greatest Guitarists of All Time" list. In May 2012, Spin published a staff selected top 100 list, ranking Ranaldo and his Sonic Youth bandmate Thurston Moore together at number 1.
When you listen to early Leonard Cohen records or Joni Mitchell records, you feel like a window has been opened into someone's life. I've written lyrics in the past that have been way more abstract and maybe harder to parse, but with this record ['Last Night on Earth'] I just felt like I wanted things to be a little bit more personal, a little bit more open.
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Fact
1
He is one of the three guitarist in the super-group "The Million Dollar Bashers" that were assembled specifically for the soundtrack of I'm Not There. (2007), alongside Nels Cline from Wilco and Tom Verlaine from Television.
2
He is the guitar player for Sonic Youth, and a solo artist. In addition to recording around 20 albums, and producing several for other bands, he has written 3 books. He has two children, Cody (born 1985) and Sage (1999)
Soundtrack
Title
Year
Status
Character
Grind Session
2000
Video Game writer: "In the Mind of The Bourgeois Reader"
Condo Painting
2000
Documentary writer: "Radio Amatoroj"
Late August, Early September
1998
writer: "Contre le sexisme" - as L. Ranaldo
Free Tibet
1998
Documentary writer: "Bull in the Heather" - as L. Renaldo
producer: "Ballad of a Thin Man", "All Along the Watchtower", "Cold Irons Bound", "Maggie's Farm"
Young@Heart
2007
Documentary writer: "Schizophrenia"
Gilmore Girls
2006
TV Series writer - 1 episode
Sorry, Haters
2005
writer: "Bull In The Heather"
Corporate Ghost
2004
Video performer: "Dirty Boots", "Tunic Song for Karen", "Mary-Christ", "Kool Thing", "Mote", "My Friend Goo", "Disappearer", "Mildred Pierce", "Cinderella's Big Score", "Scooter & Jinx", "Titanium Exposé", "100%", "Sugar Kane", "Youth Against Fascism", "Bull in the Heather", "Superstar", "Little Trouble Girl", "The Diamond Sea", "Sunday", "Hoarfrost", "Nevermind What Was It Anyway", "The Empty Page", "Disconnection Notice", "Drunken Butterfly", "Swimsuit Issue" / writer: "Dirty Boots", "Tunic So
Sonic Youth: Disappearer Director's Cut
2004
Video short performer: "Disappearer" / writer: "Disappearer"
The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things
2004
writer: "Karen Koltrane", "Beautiful Plateau"
Things Behind the Sun
2001
writer: "Theme from Things Behind the Sun", "Magic Air", "Stranger"
Miscellaneous
Title
Year
Status
Character
Vinyl
2016
TV Series consultant - 10 episodes
Composer
Title
Year
Status
Character
William S. Burroughs: A Man Within
2010
Documentary
The Reinactors
2008
Documentary
Drift
2005
Video
Sonic Spiel
2004
Video short composer
Fear of Fiction
2000
Frisk
1995
Money Love
1990
Short as Sonic Youth
Music Department
Title
Year
Status
Character
Drift
2005
Video music mixer
SubUrbia
1996
musician: guitar - uncredited
Heavy
1995
score mixer / score recordist
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Go Get Some Rosemary
2009
Stepfather
Corporate Ghost
2004
Video
Director
Title
Year
Status
Character
Drift
2005
Video
Writer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Drift
2005
Video
Camera Department
Title
Year
Status
Character
1991: The Year Punk Broke
1992
Documentary additional cinematographer
Editor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Drift
2005
Video
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Vinyl: An Unlikely History
2017
Documentary post-production
Himself
Offal
2016
Short
Himself
The Book of Conrad
2015/I
Documentary
Himself
Sex and Broadcasting
2014
Documentary
Himself
Sound and Chaos: The Story of BC Studio
2014
Documentary
Himself
Conan
2013
TV Series
Himself - Musical Guest
L'hora del lector
2011
TV Series
Himself
William S. Burroughs: A Man Within
2010
Documentary
Himself
Text of Light: An Ode to Stan Brakhage
2010
Documentary short
Himself - guitarist
The Story of the Guitar
2008
TV Series documentary
Himself
Flicker
2008
Documentary
Himself
American Music: Off the Record
2008
Documentary
Himself
Kill Your Idols: More.
2006
Video documentary
Himself
Noise
2006/II
Documentary
Himself (as Text of Light)
Rockfeedback TV: ATP Special
2005
TV Mini-Series
Himself
We Jam Econo: The Story of the Minutemen
2005
Documentary
Himself - Sonic Youth
(This Is Known as) The Blues Scale
2004
Documentary short
Himself
Sonic Spiel
2004
Video short
Himself
Sonic Youth: Disappearer Director's Cut
2004
Video short
Himself
Sonic Youth Video Dose
2004
TV Movie documentary
Kill Your Idols
2004
Documentary
Himself
Soundstage
2003
TV Series documentary
Himself
Record Player: Christian Marclay
2000
Short
Himself
Silver Rockets/Kool Things: 20 Years of Sonic Youth
2000
TV Movie documentary
Himself
Free Tibet
1998
Documentary
Himself (Sonic Youth)
The Simpsons
1996
TV Series
Himself
The State's 43rd Annual All-Star Halloween Special
1995
TV Movie
Himself (as Sonic Youth)
Screaming Fields of Sonic Love
1995
Video
Himself
1991: The Year Punk Broke
1992
Documentary
Himself - Sonic Youth
Hangin' w/MTV
1992
TV Series
Himself
Goo
1991
Video
Himself
Sonic Youth: Teenage Riot
1988
Video short
Himself - Sonic Youth
Put More Blood Into the Music
1987
Documentary
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
Video on Trial
2006
TV Series
Himself - Sonic Youth
Cut Shorts
2006
Video
Known for movies
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) as Soundtrack
I'm Not There. (2007) as Soundtrack
Never Back Down (2008) as Soundtrack
1991: The Year Punk Broke (1992) as Camera and Electrical Department
$600,000
