Patti Smith hates labels, but if you had to choose a phrase to describe the U.S. singer, poet, political activist and painter, it might be . . .
Huh. No, that wasn’t what I had in mind at all. Not at all.
Unlike other large personalities, Smith is not loud or arrogant or uncommonly charming. I can sense her asceticism, her desire for purity and her resistance to compromise. But she also has an unexpectedly warm and enveloping spirit. She has been through great sorrow since first her brother, then her husband and then Robert all died, followed by the death of her pianist. As we sit there on her bedroom floor, she allows me to enter the secret room of her longing.
“I sometimes think I could be the saddest person in the world. Or the luckiest. Every one of them has magnified me. I’ve got better and better as a person with each loss. I try not to go too far into being sad. It can be a dark place. But most of the time I’m filled with energy and love. When Robert died, the energy I had was from all the things I knew of him and his life. Everything in my body was so accessible through him.â€Â
Oh, ferchristfuckingsake.
That’s cool, though. I think labels are pretty tired of Patti, too.
Funny shit.
It’s hard to believe anyone could meet Patti Smith and not think she’s arrogant. She’s shockingly so, even if you’re used to the multifarious assholeries of the famous.
A friend of mine played on a record of hers. Etc. Boring story. Point is: One Lou Reed is already .75 too many Lou Reeds. But at least he invented it.
I think she did a song about horses once. A euro-pal of mine had me download it for him. Brilliant is what he said it was. I really tried, but no socket for that plug. Still, it would be nice if people around her would not stop breathing all the time. It would also be nice if she had chairs I think. Baby steps.
This one’s for you, hf:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MEVWHMaFR8&feature=related
That was really nice. I’ll get them. They’re right after Oklahoma! with Mrs. Partridge and State Fair on the list. They didn’t remind me of anybody. Well, almost didn’t until I really thought about it.
Patti Smith hates labels, but if you had to choose a phrase to describe the U.S. singer, poet, political activist and painter, it might be . . .
That is easy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjmsyhgotWY&feature=related
“Patti Smith hates labels, but if you had to choose a phrase to describe the U.S. singer, poet, political activist and painter, it might be . . .”
A little too full of herself?
You know, she gives me hope. I could be a singer too. And, I think I’d dance better.
“Patti Smith hates labels, but if you had to choose a phrase to describe the U.S. singer, poet, political activist and painter, it might be . . .â€Â
“Irrelevant”?
Anybody remember the late 80’s when every band who wanted some new wave cred was covering or dueting with this broad? Do any of you know how much of that shit I had to listen to freshman year in order to get laid? Where was “Girls Gone Wild” when I needed them? Do you know how many whip-it’s you have to do to make it with some proto-goth who will listen to nothing but the cassingle of the Mission UK’s “Dancing Barefoot” cover? AAAAAARRRGGGHH!
I swear I hope this woman NEVER dies so we don’t have to deal with any more fucking tribute albums.
I like Pattie Smith’s music – especially Horses and Easter.
As a punk rock historian, I am obliged to mention how instrumental Patti Smith was in the development of the New York/CBGBs scene during the pre-punk period. I am obliged to say it because it’s said in every examination of the genre — even though I don’t really believe it (while Horses was an interesting/challenging record, I think its importance to punk is overblown in the “Blacks And Women Made Contributions, Too!” construction) and I think any punk documentary is greatly enhanced by skipping over the Patti Smith parts as quickly as possible.
Talentless skank with an un-trimmed pubic region and bad breath – I wouldn’t wish having to eat her vag on my worst enemy.
The only song I like that she came anywhere near was her 1975 guest appearance on Blue Öyster Cult’s “The Revenge of Vera Gemini”. Where she opens with the lines
“You’re boned like a saint”
“With the consciousness of a snake”
I’ve always liked that intro.
Alas, no YouTube.
Didn’t she marry someone famous?
She married Fred “Sonic” Smith of the MC5, well after the MC5 were no longer in existence. Which is really just sad.
I heard she was good. I bought and listened to the Horses album. It’s…interesting, but I’d rather listen to the MC5.