Northampton, Massachusetts

One of rock’s great innovators and one of its greatest guitarists, Thurston Moore’s influence over the past 30 years can hardly be overstated. As a founding and key member of the toweringly influential Sonic Youth, as a record label honcho and scene cheerleader, as a collaborator, catalyst, and most recently as a solo artist, his unorthodox approach to music and culture has earned him a reputation as a true heavyweight: a seminal iconoclast.