Easter
Easter and Patti Smith have always corresponded with each other since punk rock times. I remember being one of the only people in my UCLA dorm during the last couple days of Spring Break (Easter time) and blasting the hell out of "Horses," especially, the first song, "Gloria," where Patti's poetry borrows from the Jean Genet and Albert Camus school of existential thought with the lines "Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine."
Back then, Patti was a cult/underground figure, known to poets and punk rockers and general NYC downtowners. It wasn't until her album entitled "Easter" that the general public learned about her as a result of her hit song, "Because the Night." That song has been covered by 10,000 Maniacs and it saddens me that so many people think its a Maniacs song (that is coupled with my annoyance at being told that I look like Natalie Merchant. I'm older - she looks like me! OK?).
This year, Patti Smith was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame - and was paid tribute for that honor by Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Recently, Shelly Ross turned me on to Flea's tribute from the RHCP's blog, and I'm sharing it with you as Flea shared it with his fans out there in the world wide web:
on this day that patti smith is being inducted into the rock n roll
hall of fame
i am happy for patti
if i were going to induct her there today instead of play a gig in
oklahoma city
this is what i would say
ladies and gentleman
patti smith is god
she is god because she has made it clear that everyone of us is god
she reminds us who we are
for those of us who listen to her records and go to see her concerts
she brings to life the highest part of of us
awakens us to our greatest gifts
makes us want to be alive
makes us want to read the finest poetry
makes us want to surrender our bodies and have the beat dance through us
makes us want to fuck with all the love in our hearts
makes us want to be quiet and know ourselves
makes us want to live every day with purpose
and live a life of kindness and dignity
and mind our own business
and rock out like the animals we are
and not take shit from anyone
and fight the good fight
and give of our selves for for sake of being a giving person
and above all
she makes us want to start our own band, write our own book, and
paint our own painting(stolen from mike watt)
i have been to a lot of rock shows and been inspired and had a great
time
but i have only ever sobbed like a new born baby at a patti smith show
in this time when we are constantly taught by our pop stars to get
rich or die trying
that amassing a large quantity of money and it's hollow, predictable
power is the most important thing to strive for
we can listen to a patti smith record and know what it really is to
have a meaningful successful life
that to make something beautiful without concern for commerce
and to trust in the beauty of that thing
is true success as a musician and as a person
patti, along with the great musicians that have collaborated with and
accompanied her, lenny kaye, jay dee daugherty,richard sohl, and tom
verlaine, have kept alive the greatest traditions of rock and roll
and changed it and uplifted it and reminded the world of it's true
essence
and the source from which it came
she gave a generation of punk rockers something to hold on to
and a path to freedom
patti who can say fuck you and it will be as profound and full of
life as her greatest lyrics
who can sing the most profound and uplifting lyrics that capture the
deepest complexities of this sad and beautiful world and they are as
intense and direct as a fuck you
who never considered selling out
who always told us the truth about herself and the world around us
and let the chips fall where they may
who rocked your world to its core
who is the number one coolest rock star of all time and is an
entertainer everytime she steps on a stage as much as sammy davis
junior, jimi hendrix, or james brown were
who never placed herself above anybody
who got her self out of the way and let the gods speak
who easily could have cashed in on all that trappings fame had to
offer but never ever put her career ahead of being a totally devoted
mother of two beautiful kids
who's late husband the true rocker fred sonic smith is glowing and
proud of her right now
patti made a lot of people not feel alone
including me
i am so grateful to her
my friend
my hero
ladies and gentlemen
it is my pleasure to induct into the rock n roll hall of fame
patti smith
Comments
Flea is a genuine, classy dude. One of a kind.
A gentleman.
I wish there were more like him.