This article is published in the number 28/29 of Vanity Fair on newsstands until July 19, 2022
“Patti Smith taught us to break down doors, and she continues to teach us to live with integrity, to keep our name clean, to take risks, to keep the memory of our loved ones alive, to continue after they are gone, even when we think we will not make it, and to persevere through all this ».
These, listed by the American journalist Caryn Rose in the book Why Patti Smith Mattersare just some of the reasons why Patti Smith is important today, and not just for what it was – the Chelsea Hotel, the punk, the cover of Horsesthe Cbgb, Robert Mapplethorpe, People Have The Power And Just Kids.
At 75, and after two confinement in the Village with the old cat Cairo and her two sons, Jesse and Jackson, who went to visit her, what many still call “the poet of punk” is back on the road. A life that she, she confesses, she had missed very much. Even before leaving for Europe, she announced to her community of «substackers» (the fans who subscribed to her newsletter) that she would be holding a tour diary. So, almost every day, we are with her in the dressing rooms (where lemon, ginger and coffee must not be missing), in the rooms with a view, on trips on free days, in the goodnight from Paris, in front of the full moon in Spain, with the band all Frankfurt airport. And then, invariably, facing the ocean of people who continue to go to her concerts.
If Patti Smith is important today, it is precisely because of the characteristics of this public which, for the most part, is less than a third of her age. Among them are, for example, a twelve-year-old who asks her for an autograph on her iPad and Jxse.18 – 18 probably stands for age – who, with a slim body and a T-shirt with Angus Young from AC / DC, some a day ago he appeared next to her on Instagram. Her caption read: “This is a boy in Madrid. Angus Young forever ».
If Patti Smith is important today, it is because she is able to speak to this so-called generation Z who, when she reads from the stage the hypnotic poem of a guy named Allen Ginsberg who died geological ages ago and which begins with «Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! […] The world is holy! The soul is holy! The skin is holy! The nose is holy! »She holds her breath, enchanted.
And the world today needs to be re-enchanted. I interview her on a hot afternoon with the fear that everything could jump. Outside my window is Salerno, a concert of seagulls and children scoring on garage doors. Outside his is Lyon and a kind of deluge, which is why his plane was delayed and why everything could jump. But it didn’t happen.
What had she lacked in this life?
«Being in motion, that freedom, because I don’t like being in the same place for long. And then, quite simply, people. I’m lucky because teenagers and twenty-year-olds come to my concerts who have great energy and a great desire to listen to us ».
What message do you want to convey to the kids?
“To become aware of what is happening in the world. About climate change, first of all, to understand what they can do concretely, from the smallest to the largest things: participate in marches, change their lifestyle, do politics. My greatest wish is that people leave our concerts with an idea of possibility, that it is possible to do something ».
He turned 75 and instead of slowing down, it’s as if he felt the urge to create even more.
“I’ve had many stages in my life. When I raised my family, my focus was on them, writing and studying. Now, at 75, I feel I still have a lot of work to do. An exhibition at the Pompidou in October, a book out in November, another in writing. This is not “urgency”, however: I am a worker, and working is simply what I do. I get up in the morning and write, have my coffee and write, even when I’m on tour like now and I have a responsibility to the people who are with me. I like working, and it was hard to physically disconnect from work for so long ».
What is the function of poetry today?
«The languages of poetry can be very different, fiery like that of Ginsberg or visionary like that of Rimbaud, but it remains one of the highest forms of expression. I can’t say what role it has today, because each generation translates its own cultural voices by itself. I just know that on this tour, when I read Footnote to Howl of Ginsberg in front of twenty thousand people, for those four minutes I feel that all twenty thousand are really listening and are moved. This is a sign that poetry is always transformative ».
How does it relate to pain?
“There are personal tragedies and shared tragedies. I have lost my husband, my brother, most of my best friends, and this is my personal challenge. Then there is what is happening in the world, the rainforest fires, the starving children of Yemen, the oppression of Palestine, the war in Ukraine. As Americans, I believe that the biggest problem we have now is weapons: children killed in schools persecute us. But even if all these things break the heart, as human beings we must maintain a balance, still be grateful to be alive and live the best life we can, helping others but also ourselves. “
What is love?
“There are many forms of love, the romantic one, the one for children, but in its elementary form it is about taking care of each other. It’s simple: if someone is hungry, feed them. “
What do you like most about the almost daily relationship you have with your substackers?
“When they ask questions, they criticize or praise The Melting, the book I’ve been writing for nearly two years and that my friends haven’t read either. Substackers are my first readers ».
It is true that one of his life’s goals would be to write a book like Pinocchio?
“I’m writing a children’s book, but I don’t know if it will be as good as it is Pinocchio (laughs)! Because inside that story there is everything: aspiration, hope, talent to create – because Geppetto is basically like a humble little god -, strength, beauty, rebellion, facing the consequences of one’s actions and, in the end, redeeming himself through sacrifice. They often ask me what my favorite book is, a very difficult question because there are so many, including The game of glass beads of Hesse o A season in hell by Rimbaud. But if I had to choose just one that reminds me of what it means to be alive, to dream and to sacrifice, this book would be Pinocchio“.
I find you have a great sense of humor. Did she inherit it from her parents?
“I think yes. I come from a very poor family, sometimes we didn’t have enough money to eat. But my parents had a great sense of humor that made those difficult times better. We also argued, but laughter was never lacking. It is something that I also brought to the stage: when I happen to make a mistake, I start laughing and I start all over again ».
What makes her happy and what makes her cry?
“The same things. My children, for example. I feel joy when my son comes into the house and walks as his father, or I look at my daughter who has her traits and habits of hers. But they also make me cry: when they suffer, theirs is also my pain. I cry for the suffering of children, in general: the day I started the tour, 18 children were killed in a shooting in Texas and during the first concerts I felt the need to talk about it, because I felt like crying in the midst of the songs . The work of others also gives me joy, or a new book: today a friend gave me one by Stefan Zweig on Montaigne as a gift, and it gave me immense joy. But I think what gives me the most joy, in the end, is being alive. Even in this troubled world ».
VF LIVE – The Italian tour dates: Pompeii July 26, Teatro Grande; Rome July 27, Rock in Rome; Stresa 29-30 July, Stresa Festival; Cervia July 31, Piazza Garibaldi; Milan 1 August, Piazza Castello.
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Source: Vanity Fair