Coping Through Music

Posted on by

It’s interesting how Patti Smith is the “Godmother of Punk” when she believes that her friends are more talented singers than she is. Although her style of music was different from the other songs during this period, she still had a large fan base. It shows that many people in the 60’s must have agreed that the lyrics to a song is more important that the way a song sounds. Smith’s music sent a message to people, and it helped them cope with feeling detached from society.

Modern music is similar in a way. There are many similar songs that people generally enjoy, but there are also the songs that help people cope with problems in their lives. I know that when I’m upset, listening to music is a great way for me to cope. Listening to the lyrics lets me know that I’m not the only one who has been in a difficult or upsetting situation.  Sometimes, when alone on the train ride to or from school, I’ll listen to music that matches my mood just so I can share my feelings with someone.  I think it’s important for artists to create music that expresses themselves.  That way, their listeners will feel a greater connection to the artist, as well as have a mutually beneficial from the creation of breathtaking music.

~Jessina Wong

Patti Smith: A Visionary Who Was a Trend Setter

Posted on by

As a young girl Patti Smith was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness. She was sent to Sunday school and had to learn and read the Bible. Even at night, Smith would recite prayers after her mom. But according to her, she “plagued her (mother) with questions.” At such a young age Smith was already questioning ideal thoughts. She was a child wise beyond her years. Smith showed hints of being a leader. She wouldn’t settle for what people told her and wanted to find out things for herself. Although, I am citing her actions as a child, I am speaking in regards to her potential. Patti grew up and became an artist. Her experiences with her soul mate, Robert Mapplethorpe, made her more complete. Smith defied the stereotypical view of a punk rock and roll artist. Oddly enough, she was also known to be a poet who tried to mesh her poems and her songs. Although, her voice sounded raspy, and wasn’t the greatest she influenced others in a different way.

First, Smith is such a phenomenal person. When she had her first child, she gave it up for adaptation instead of just dumping it. She believed that someone else could have taken care of it better and she didn’t want her struggles as an upcoming artist to worsen her child. Smith was not a hater to minorities, and actually loved entertaining minorities. Her songs, her style which are manly like, and personality appealed to the rebels of her time. She even said herself that girls weren’t really a part of rock bands that time. It’s amazing how became one of the most influential singers and person of her time. She dreamed of being a teacher, not a singer, and how lucky is the world to have Smith who not only tested the waters, but revolutionized the artistic era of her time.

Patti Smith, The Lady GaGa of the 60s ?

Posted on by

I could be totally off with this comparison but I see Patti Smith as Lady GaGa of the 60s.

Both of them are idols of their time periods. Smith was highly influential in the punk rock movement, while Lady GaGa is an innovator of today’s music. From the novel and the NPR interview, I characterized her as a rebel. In the NPR interview she said how she would where dungarees to the beach rather than the normal bathing suit. Also from the interview she mentions the argument she had with her recording company over the album cover. She wanted to use the picture Mapplethorpe took of her for the cover of “Horse”; however the recording company thought her hair was messy and was incomprehensible for that time. In the end the public loved it and it became a famous iconic photograph. Patti Smith was rebellious but also a visionary. In the interview she mentions how her English teacher was teaching Moby Dick in an incomprehensible way.  She saw a way to teach her semi-literate class Moby Dick, better than her teacher and she did just that. And the most obvious was that she was a female in a rock and roll band something almost nonexistent before her. She was willing to express herself. I am sure we all know a bit about Lady GaGa. She is rebellious with the way she acts and dresses. Her music style is different than many other famous stars. She is a visionary who does not mind stepping out of the status quo to chase her dreams. I know that there are differences between the two and that my view could be totally off, but nonetheless, I believe that Patti Smith is the Lady GaGa of the 60s.

Follow Your Heart

Posted on by

From reading and listening to the NPR interview, Patti Smith struck me as an extremely inspiring person. Although I am not familiar with her work, her attitude and lifestyle influenced a movement in culture during the late ’60s and ’70s. What inspired me most about Patti Smith was that she followed her heart, through difficult times of poverty, adversity, until she became known and appreciated for her work.

Patti Smith’s passion was art, and she was amazingly able to share that passion and make it grow through her relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe. Their relationship did not have a fairy-tale ending, but was filled with their pure emotions, which allowed them to truly grow with each other as artists, lovers, and friends.

One of the best pieces of advice I was ever given was to live life in the moment, and enjoy life one day at a time. This free-spirited idea is personified through the Patti Smith’s book “Just Kids” and her vast accomplishments are proof of this.

From Rags to Riches

Posted on by

Reading Patti Smith’s memoir Just Kids, I removed the idea of her being a famous Punk musician from my thought process in beginning the reading. Patti Smith’s early portions of her life and her experiences in New York reflect a grasp onto hope and promise of succeeding in a land of opportunity. Smith writes how she was initially homeless in New York, scrapping the streets for food and begging for a place to stay. I find it amazing that even in this worst-case scenario, Smith never lost hope, she never gave up and always tried to push herself forward in life. She truly grasped the opportunity of New York and the American Dream to grow from an impoverished woman to a successful star.

Upon meeting Robert Mapplethorpe, Smith’s world is transformed as she meets her true soul mate who she could endure the hardships of the big city with. The fact that they relied greatly on each other and trusted each other in the harshest of times shows that true companionship is not material, but rather requires an emotional contact.

Together, the couple experiments (both positively and negatively) with the growing opportunities of New York. Smith finds opportunity in the artistic quality of New York, meeting new people and traversing its museums. Mapplethorpe contrasts her experiences by testing drugs, his sexuality and the underbelly of New York. Even though we may not fully agree with their preferences for experimentation, it was here in New York that the couple was able to truly find their identity and fully grasp it.

I think that at its base, Just Kids represents the idea of finding your identity in this life and exploring the options the world has to offer. Patti Smith may not have been successful if she had stayed home with her family and became a struggling waitress, but her strive to push forward in life allowed her to succeed. Smith and Mapplethorpe represent the rebellious subculture that America created, which gave birth to many creations such as new forms of art, expression and identity. By detailing her struggle, Smith truly shows that any rational dream can be achieved with the right amount of work and perseverance. Reading her early experiences, one would not think she would become a successful singer, but more likely a faltering artist or writer. In recounting her early life, she gives hope to the younger generations who read her book, and defines the idea of an American Dream–that people can do whatever they want when they come to America and succeed in doing so.

-Joseph Valerio

P & R

Posted on by

To be perfectly honest, I never heard of Patti Smith or Robert Mapplethorpe before reading this memoir, Just Kids.  However, I could not be happier to be introduced to the life that she lived and the people she was surrounded by.  I am very judgmental and have always viewed punk rock groups or, really, any type of rock ‘n’ roll group as being prone to heavy drugs, sadomasochism, and sketchy things of that sort.  Fortunately, as I read this memoir I’m beginning to see that all my previous notions are false.

Patti and Robert share a very gentle, romantic, affectionate bond without the need to be lewd or dangerous.  They are very understanding, loyal, and trusting of one another. Robert has a very quiet and gentle side which seems contradictory to his drawings of blood splattered wooden box covering male genitals as mentioned in the interview.  Although Patti was frightened by this, she soon accepted it from an aesthetic point of view. Everyone goes through tough periods where the most malicious of thoughts occur.  No one is black or white, everyone is gray, everyone has moments of tenderness as well as moments of intolerable pain and anger.  Patti states that she was worried that Robert might be heading down a destructive dangerous path.  Moreover, this memoir focuses on the transformation Patti and Robert face by going down these paths to “find ourselves” which really is the goal for every human being, not just aspiring artists.

– Shivani Sharma

“Just Kids” – A True Experience

Posted on by

I was not sure what to expect when I saw the cover of “Just Kids”. As I looked at the cover page and the back page, I thought that this book would be about a couple’s relationship. Only after I started reading did I realize that it would be about much more. I always find it interesting when authors use their own life stories and experiences when writing a novel. It makes the story more personal and gets me to think, “Wow, this really happened”.

Something else that made me think was when Patti stole from Stephanie has experienced her first feelings of sin and guilt. Though Patti was not responsible for Stephanie’s death, Patti felt a lot of guilt because of it. In the same way, when Robert felt that he was homosexual, Patti felt that she was somehow responsible for his way of thinking. Later she realizes that she has no control over the events that happened.

This book seemed really appropriate for our class “Arts in NYC”. The theme of this book centers around living on art and the struggles that are associated with it. The will power that these young artists had was incredible. For the most part, they disregarded all physical pleasures to pursue their love for art. When they finally had enough money for two sandwiches, I felt a sense of amazement because I myself had lost hope that they would be able to make a living. Leading this type of life is hard and during the scene before Hotel Chelsea, the two main characters seem a bit lost in where they are and I am looking forward to see how their lives are going to pane out.

– Linda Manchery

Struggle and Sacrifice

Posted on by

A recurring theme I noticed in both the book and the interview was that of sacrifice.

Patti Smith leaves behind her family and friends to head to New York City in the hopes of locating comfort in the company of other struggling artists.

She gives up her child for adoption in the wish that it will have a more stable life than she could offer.

Smith abandons her safety, living day to day on the streets and in friends’ apartments in order to feel the freedom her art requires.

She and Mapplethorpe are forced to choose between food and new art supplies due to the confines of their budget.

Mapplethorpe sacrifices his fervent love for Patti so that he may explore his newly discovered sexual orientation.

Both find they often must relinquish their devotion to art for stressful, monotonous jobs to make ends meet.

However, these sacrifices prove worth the pain for the final product.  Both artists, in all of their loss and suffering, manage to create such raw, wondrous pieces.  They became not only a part of their generation but creators of it.  As Smith mentions in the interview, she did not know at the time that what she was doing was so revolutionary.  Nonetheless, both endured monumental hardship but forged ahead, also forging the artistic and political framework of a new generation.

-Jacqui Larsen

 

“Nobody sees as we do.”

Posted on by

I already knew the name Patti Smith, but I really didn’t really know anything about her or her music, or even the 60s artistic movements aside from what we learn in a history class, until I started to read Just Kids. The book has really broadened my views about what those years entailed, and also put a very humanistic sentiment into it. If I ever put a thought into the personalities of the artists of the 60s, I always assumed that they were all rebellious and anarchic and drug-addled. Although this is in some ways true, I’ve found it doesn’t begin to cover the emotions displayed by all the artists, the most prominent of emotions being displayed by Patti Smith and her lover and friend Robert Mapplethorpe. It was really interesting for me to see the gentle, romantic side of a rock and roll icon considered to be so edgy and radical.

I find there’s something really whimsical and quixotic about the relationship between Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe. They seem to be so in sync with each other that it’s almost too perfect. They never really argue, and for the most part they seem to understand each other’s minds and the extent of each other’s creativity in a way that no one else can. There is a period of unease when Mapplethorpe is deeply troubled and Smith struggles to find a way to reach him, which results in them parting ways, yet they still manage to find each other again when they need each other most. Their relationship is so artless and genuine that it seems a privilege to have this view into their fascinating lives, when so much art was being created. It’s really true when Mapplethorpe tells Smith, “Nobody sees as we do”.

The Chelsea Hotel: A New York Icon

Posted on by

New York is home to many iconic hotels, but one that stands out for its role in the worlds of art and music is the Hotel Chelsea. This historic landmark opened in 1884 as an apartment building, but when that business venture failed, it was reopened as a hotel. At the time when it was built, it was the tallest building in new York City, standing at twelve stories tall.

The hotel is a red brick structure with elaborate wrought-iron balconies, an homage to Gothic architecture. Most famously, the Chelsea Hotel was home to many culture icons. Writers who lived there were Mark Twain, O. Henry, Dylan Thomas, William S. Burroughs, Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, Gore Vidal, Jack Kerouac, and Simone de Beauvoir. Actors and directors who lived there include Stanley Kubrick, Ethan Hawke, Eddie Izzard, Uma Thurman, Dennis Hopper, Elliot Gould, Michael Imperioli, Jane Fonda, and Edie Sedgwick. The hotel is most remembered for its place in music history. Musicians such as Patti Smith (who lived in the hotel with her soulmate, photographer Robert Mapplethorpe), Virgil Thomson, DeeDee Ramone, Edith Piaf, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Alice Cooper, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and Sid Vicious (who infamously stabbed girlfriend Nancy Spungen to death in the hotel in 1978) called the hotel home at some point in their careers. The Hotel Chelsea’s staircase is lined with the work of artists who have lived there, including Frida Kahlo, Edie Sedgwick, and Robert Mapplethorpe.

  
The exterior and interior of the Hotel Chelsea

The Chelsea Hotel very much reflects the new artistic movements occurring in New York City at the time. It had an independent, fresh, bohemian air to it. It was a place of change, reform, and revolution.

Fun facts: Apparently the ghosts of Nancy Spungen, Dylan Thomas, and Eugene O’Neill haunt the Hotel Chelsea…

-Sarah Allam