Why Patti Smith Matters

Caryn Rose FABER

In celebration of a true rock’n’roll one-off

There have been biographies of Patti Smith written in the past, but, especially in terms of the poet and singer’s early days, most of them were made entirely redundant by her magnificent memoir Just Kids, a master class in the art of rock autobiography. It read more like a novel, and in it she painted a picture of downtown New York City in the 1970s so vivid that the reader could almost smell CBGB from the comfort of their own living room.

With this in mind, music journalist Caryn Rose has made the smart move of telling Smith’s story by looking at her wider importance, not only to the punk scene, but also to poets, rebels and outsiders everywhere. It’s refreshing to read a take on Smith’s significance through the female gaze (the vast majority of books on her are written by men) and her importance as a feminist icon – although Smith herself would never stoop to branding herself as such; she’s way too smart and individual for labels or boxes. Rose’s dissection of the artistic importance of the cover artwork of Smith’s 1975 debut album Horses is particularly thoughtful on that front, pointing out how radical it was, at the time, for a female musician to be photographed with no make-up, messy hair, men’s clothing, not smiling or pandering to the camera… just exuding an aura of complete, calm, confident control. “Horses was a signal to the rest of us that there was a way out,” Rose writes.

This last point is important too. Why Patti Smith Matters is written from the adoring standpoint of a true fan, and someone who longed to escape from her home town, a scenario familiar to millions. Rose’s own personal memories of discovering and embracing Smith’s work are golden. There are school bullies and small-town small minds, but her love of Smith and her music provide a path to brighter things. It’s as much her story as it is Smith’s.

This book isn’t just about why Patti Smith matters to rock’n’roll. It’s about why Patti Smith matters personally, culturally and politically, and continues to do so almost 50 years since she landed in New York from the geographically close but otherwise alien swamplands of New Jersey. It’s written with love, with a deep understanding of the ever-changing face of popular culture, and with nothing but respect for the woman who has done so much to shake it up and make it that much more exciting throughout the years.

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Emma Johnston