PATTI SMITH

Patti Smith é unha cantante, compositora, poeta e artista visual nada o 30 de decembro de 1946 en Chicago. Despois de deixar un traballo nunha fábrica, fuxiu a Nova York en 1967, unha cidade que por aquel entón era perigosa e estaba deprimida económicamente, para cumplir o seu soño de converterse en artista, e alí comezou a súa traxectoria involucrándose coa escena literaria e artística da contracultura da cidade, que por outra banda era moi potente e estaba chea de posibilidades. Naquela gran comunidade de xente que estaba fóra da sociedade (persoas de diversas orientacións sexuais, razas, artistas, poetas...) coñeceu ao artista Robert Mapplethorpe, con quen compartiu os primeiros anos da súa vida artística.

En 1974 comezou a actuar co seu grupo, o Patti Smith Group, algo que facían frecuentemente no club CBGB, xunto con outras bandas icónicas que emerxeron no momento, e grabaron o seu primeiro single Hey Joe / Piss Factory. En 1975 arrasaron co seu primeiro álbum, Horses, e saíron de xira polos Estados Unidos e por Europa. Dende entón, entre outras grabacións, publicou un total de once álbums de estudio, tres álbums en directo e seis recopilatorios. Actualmente Patti continúa colleitando éxitos, e non parece que vaia a deixar a música polo momento.

Na súa música, Patti fusiona a poesía co rock and roll, cunha enerxía crúa e revolucionaria, e unha presenza no escenario intensa, que desafía as convencións sobre cal debe a ser a actitude das mulleres. Neste sentido, céntrase na súa forza e na súa creatividade, transmitindo unha mensaxe de liberación e de independencia. A súa influencia foi enorme no traballo de innumerables artistas. Como ela di, “Para min, o punk rock é a liberdade de crear, a liberdade de ter éxito, a liberdade de non ter éxito, a liberdade de ser quen es. É a liberdade.”

O éxito de Patti Smith aínda é máis destacable polos obstáculos ós que tivo que facer frente. Dende os seus comezos, nos que tivo que vivir en circunstancias duras, tivo que loitar polo seu recoñecemento nun ámbito dominado polos homes. Foi unha pioneira do punk nun entorno no que ninguén pensaría que podería competir cos artistas masculinos. Coa súa actitude e audacia nunca se adaptou ó que se esperaba dunha muller nos anos setenta e sufriu moito desprezo, pero converteuse nun referente para moitas mulleres artistas dende entón. Recuperouse dunha grave caída dun escenario en 1977. Ademais, tivo que superar a perda de moitas persoas importantes na súa vida, como Robert Mapplethorpe en 1989; o seu marido, o guitarrista Fred "Sonic" Smith, en 1994; o seu irmán, e os seus pais. Grazas á súa determinación, a súa capacidade de reinventarse e a súa habilidade para conectar profundamente coas emocións humanas, a súa obra evolucionou artísticamente e mantívose relevante ao longo do tempo.

Antes de empezar na música, Patti Smith xa era poeta e escritora. Entre outros moitos traballos, algúns dos libros que marcaron a súa considerable traxectoria literaria son: Woolgathering (1992), The Coral Sea (1996), Just Kids (2010), M Train (2015), e Year of the Monkey (2019).

Entre outros premios, en 2005, foi nomeada Comendadora da Orde das Artes e as Letras de Francia, e en 2007 entrou no Salón da Fama do Rock. En 2010, gañou o National Book Award polas súas memorias, Just Kids. O mesmo ano, apareceu no posto 47 na lista dos 100 mellores artistas da revista Rolling Stone e en 2011 recibiu o Polar Music Prize.

Patti sempre foi unha voz activa en causas políticas e sociais. Loita en contra do quecemento global, en contra da guerra, e dos intereses corporativos e militares. Ao longo dos anos participou en numerosas manifestacións, fixo referencia a estes temas en discursos, e escribiu cancións protesta. No seu día, pediu a destitución de George W. Bush pola guerra de Iraq. Actualmente, segue sendo un faro de inspiración tanto para artistas como para activistas. A través das redes sociais e declaracións públicas, mantén a súa posición en contra da política americana, de Donald Trump, da invasión rusa de Ucraína e da política exterior de Israel, facendo chamadas ao boicote cultural e económico de Israel para manifestar a súa solidariedade coas vítimas do xenocidio en Palestina.

Texto publicado orixinalmente: 30/12/2018

Texto actualizado: 30/12/2024

Patti Smith is a singer, songwriter, poet and visual artist born on December 30, 1946 in Chicago. After leaving a job in a factory, she fled to New York in 1967, a city that was at that time dangerous and economically depressed, to fulfill her dream of becoming an artist, and there she began her career by getting involved with the literary and artistic scene of the city's counterculture, which was on the other hand very powerful and full of possibilities. In that large community of people who were outside of society (people of different sexual orientations, races, artists, poets...) she met the artist Robert Mapplethorpe, with whom she shared the first years of her artistic life. 

In 1974 she began performing with her group, the Patti Smith Group, something they did frequently at the CBGB club, along with other iconic bands that emerged at the time, and recorded their first single Hey Joe / Piss Factory. In 1975 they released their first album, Horses, and toured the United States and Europe. Since then, among other recordings, they have released a total of eleven studio albums, three live albums and six compilations. At the moment Patti continues collecting successes, and it does not seem that she's going to leave music anytime soon.

In her music, Patti fuses poetry with rock and roll, with a raw, revolutionary energy, and an intense stage presence that challenges conventions about what a woman should be like. In this sense, she focuses on her strength and creativity, conveying a message of liberation and independence. Her influence has been enormous in the work of countless artists. As she says, “To me, punk rock is the freedom to create, the freedom to  be successful, freedom to not be successful, the freedom to be who you are. It’s freedom.”

Patti Smith’s success is even more remarkable for the obstacles she had to face. From her beginnings, when she had to live in harsh circumstances, she had to fight for her recognition in a male-dominated field. She was a pioneer of punk in an environment where no one would have thought she could compete with male artists. With her attitude and audacity, she never adapted to what was expected of a woman in the 1970s and suffered a lot of scorn, but she has become a reference for many female artists since then. She recovered from a serious fall on stage in 1977. She also had to overcome the loss of many important people in her life, including Robert Mapplethorpe in 1989; her husband, guitarist Fred "Sonic" Smith, in 1994; her brother, and her parents. Thanks to her determination, her ability to reinvent herself, and her ability to connect deeply with human emotions, her work has evolved artistically and remained relevant over time.

Before starting her career in music, Patti Smith was already a poet and writer. Among her many other works, some of the books that have marked her considerable literary career are: Woolgathering (1992), The Coral Sea (1996), Just Kids (2010), M Train (2015), and Year of the Monkey (2019).

Among other awards, in 2005, she was named a Commander of the 'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France, and in 2007 she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2010, she won the National Book Award for her memoir, Just Kids. The same year, she appeared at number 47 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest artists of all time and in 2011 she received the Polar Music Prize.

Patti has always been an active voice in political and social causes. She fights against global warming, against war, and against corporate and military interests. Over the years, she has participated in numerous demonstrations, she has made references to these issues in speeches, and  she has written protest songs. At one time, she called for the impeachment of George W. Bush for the Iraq War. Today, she remains a beacon of inspiration for both artists and activists. Through social media and public statements, she maintains her position against American politics, Donald Trump, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and Israel's foreign policy, calling for a cultural and economic boycott of Israel to show solidarity with the victims of the genocide in Palestine.

Text originally published: 30/12/2018

Updated text: 30/12/2024