Patti Smith - 1/19/10 - NYC - B&N Upstairs at the Square

Before I begin, would just like to wish everyone a belated Happy New Year. Now the 5 of you can return to what you were doing.

Just returned from the Patti Smith reading / performance / book signing held on Tuesday night at Barnes & Noble in Union Square as part of their "Upstairs at the Square" series of events. In all honesty, I'm not the biggest fan per se of Ms. Smith's music. Yes, I've listened to Horses and like a few tracks off of it. Yes, I know I'm supposed to bow my head in reverence to the Godmother of Punk while intoning thanks to the gods for gracing us with her presence. Far more intriguing (to me anyway) is the coterie of friends, lovers, et al she has surrounded herself with throughout her storied career. And in this regard, tonight she did not disappoint.

Celebrating the release of her new book "Just Kids" which primarily concerns itself with detailing her and Robert Mapplethorpe's relationship, Patti read a few passages from the book interspersed with some off-the-cuff anecdotes combined with a 3-song acoustic performance accompanied by long-time bandmate Lenny Kaye.

Hearing her speak so eloquently about her times at the Chelsea Hotel on the arm of Mapplethorpe as they struggled to make a place for themselves in late 60's, early 70's NYC I finally got the appeal. She's a damn amazing storyteller. Whether it was humorously mentioning a non-reciprocated crush on William Burroughs or recounting a particularly sad tale about Janis Joplin being spurned by a potential hook-up who then needed to be baby-sat, she consistently captivated the packed house with her unique point of view. Having the opportunity to briefly page through the book, I can already tell this is going to be one of my "best of's" for the year. If you don't necessarily like her music, I'm here to tell you..that's ok. Because there is so much else to like about her (her life, her writing, her place in pop culture, her politics, her feminism, and the list goes on) that at times, the music may seem secondary to a life lived to its absolute fullest.