About Patti Smith last night

Maybe the Union Chapel has some magic impact on me or something, because so far two of the best gigs I've been to this year took place there (the other one being the Antlers). Patti Smith managed to give me goosebumps throughout the whole 90 minute lasting concert and surprised us with some amazing guest performers.

Patti Smith arrives on stage - with her long hair, big coat and beanie - looking like an old tramp, an image that suits the first passage she reads from her new autobiography 'Just Kids'; in which she describes leaving home to go to New York, where she doesn't know anyone and sleeps on streets and in subway stations.

After this first passage it's time for 'a costume change', and she takes of the coat and beanie, as a kick-off for the concert I assume. She introduces her 'second guitarist/pianist/tour manager/roadie/driver' Tony Shanahan and invites 'some local boys' on stage; a drummer who I don't know, and no one less than mr. Patrick Wolf (who has exchanged his tight golden trousersnake suit, filthy long blonde hair and blue glitter eye make-up for a blue suit and a short blonde haircut), which was an incredibly pleasant surprise to me. He continued to support her on the violin for the whole evening. Later in the evening she was also joined by another musician worthy to mention: Kevin Shields from My Bloody Valentine.



The night mainly consisted of Patti promoting her book 'Just Kids', by reading several passages from it (mostly about her friendship with Robert Mapplethorpe, as that's what the book is about) and her and the band playing good old songs like 'My Blakean Year', 'Redondo Beach', 'Birdland', 'Dancing Barefoot' 'Wing' and 'Because The Night', followed by an encore of two songs ('The Jackson Song' and 'People Have The Power'), one for both of her children.



Another one of her anecdotes was about her meeting beat poet Allen Ginsberg, in a café where he offered her money so she could buy food. They sat a table and started talking, until Ginsberg came to realize: 'Wait... are you a girl?', having mistaken her for a pretty young boy... They remained friends ever since.

Patti still sounds amazing (especially considering her age and the fear of the Bob Dylan effect, as I mentioned in the previous post) and I really enjoy her reading voice. She also seemed very friendly and relaxed, even though she said she was nervous and got lost a couple of times during the reading bits. She made up for that by mocking herself: ' "Patti Smith seemed distracted throughout the evening, but still managed to give a great performance [...]" ' and when she fucked up during the first passage; 'This first part was in fact the part I practiced the most... so you can get a feeling of what the whole night is going to be like...'. She was actually very funny, making witty jokes throughout the evening.



Ultimately, the whole evening was very satisfying and I can officialy say I can relate to Nick Hornby's essay '31: Patti Smith - Pissing In A River'. Patti's performance was convincing enough to let me leave the Union Chapel with a signed copy of 'Just Kids', hence its price of 19 (!) pounds.

Tonight...

.... I'm seeing Patti Smith at the Union Chapel. I'm curious about what it's going to be like... at first I told myself not to expect much, as she's quite old and there's probably going to be a 'the Bob Dylan effect' (worn out voice etc.)...
But friday I bought and read '31 Songs', a series of essays on pop music in connection with personal moments in the life of the writer; Nick Hornby. When reading the 31st chapter '31: the Patti Smith Group - Pissing In A River', where Hornby writes about seeing Patti live at the Union Chapel on a hot summernight, it gave me a more hopeful insight (even though it's probably ten years ago, or more, when he went to this gig). He writes how Patti Smith is so filled with bohemianism and love for art that it's inspiring, leaving him wanting to visit galleries, paint, read and/or write.

Here an excerpt from the essay;
'I couldn't remember having heard 'Pissing In A River' before, or if I had, it had made no impression on me. That night, however, as Smith hit the electrifying declamtory climax of the song - 'Everything I've done, I've done for you / Oh, I'd give my life for you' - swaying in the blue light, with the church pulpit and the beautiful stained-glass windows behind her, you could feel the whole audience fall in love with her, and the song, and the evening. It was one of those rare moments - miraculous, in the context of a rock show - which make you grateful for the music you know, the music you have yet to hear, the books you have read and are going to read, maybe even the life you live. You can't ask much more than that of you twenty-five quid (chapel renovations included). And though it's too much to expect an ephiphany of this kind on a regular basis, it seems to me a worthwhile thing to pitch for.'