History Music / PattiSmith

* MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness: Varies quite a bit, but much of her early work is in the 4-5 range, with a few 6's ("Pumping (My Heart)" and "Rock N Roll Nigger", which arguably count due to being faster and "meatier"-sounding than most of her other rockers) with the odd tune going down a 2 or a 3 ("Ghost Dance", "Redondo Beach", "Easter", "Birdland"). Most of her later work is in the 3-4 range, with the odd tune going higher or lower.

* {{Cool Old G|uy}}al: She is in her seventies now and still going strong.

[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Patti-Smith-007_5574.jpg]]

She has several books out, including some early poetry chapbooks and the monumental ''Babel'' from 1978. Her brief 1992 memoir, ''Woolgathering'', is about her childhood mystical experiences, and ''The Coral Sea'' from 1996 is a tribute to her lifelong friend and artistic collaborator Robert Mapplethorpe. 2005's ''Auguries of Innocence'' is also a poetry collection, including themes of current events and tragedies. In 2010, she won the National Book Award for her memoir ''Just Kids''. A sequel, ''M Train'', appeared in 2015, followed by ''Year of the Monkey'' in 2017. Also in 2017, ''Devotion'' is about how and why she writes.

--> [After running into Creator/RobbieColtrane in a hotel lobby:] —Can you imagine the odds of such an encounter? I say to my floral bedspread.

* FeverDreamEpisode, OrWasItADream, RecursiveReality: Patti had scarlet fever and other illnesses as a child during which she had visions and experiences she related to her siblings later. This happened with her non-illness dreams as well. (It's in ''Woolgathering.'') As an older adult (''M Train'', ''Year of the Monkey'') she seems to have become hypersomniac (thus the MustHaveCaffeine she describes), dozing off anytime, anywhere, and sometimes unsure if an experience she's having is a dream, reality, or both. She specifically references ''Alice'' and DownTheRabbitHole a few times, and she occasionally has conversations with [[AnimateInanimateObject AnimateInanimateObjects]].

She has several books out, including some early poetry chapbooks and the monumental ''Babel'' from 1978. Her brief 1992 memoir, ''Woolgathering'', is about her childhood mystical experiences, and ''The Coral Sea'' from 1996 is a tribute to her lifelong friend and artistic collaborator Robert Mapplethorpe. In 2010, she won the National Book Award for her memoir ''Just Kids''. A sequel, ''M Train'', appeared in 2015, followed by ''Year of the Monkey'' in 2017. Also in 2017, ''Devotion'' is about how and why she writes.

* DrugsAreBad: "Poppies", "Horses" (perhaps ironically, she claims "Horses" is the only song she's ever written on acid).

* FeverDreamEpisode, OrWasItADream, RecursiveReality: Patti had scarlet fever and other illnesses as a child during which she had visions and experiences she related to her siblings later. This happened with her non-illness dreams as well. (It's in ''Woolgathering.'') As an older adult (''M Train'', ''Year of the Monkey'') she seems to have become hypersomniac (thus the MustHaveCaffeine she describes), dozing off anytime, anywhere, and sometimes unsure if an experience she's having is a dream, reality, or both. She specifically references ''Alice'' and DownTheRabbitHole a few times, and she occasionally has conversations with AnimateInanimateObject s.
* GriefSong: Much of her mid-90s material, after her husband, her brother, and one of her band members died almost at the same time. ''Gone Again'' is all about this.

* InnBetweenTheWorlds: In ''M Train'', Patti's neverending quest for coffee leads her to the Silver Moon Cafe in New York's Chinatown, which turns out to be a very small tea shop sans menu or much of anything else. Lulled by the scent of oolong, she orders a combo and receives some tea and steamed buns with delicious filling; she notices that the waitress flips the door sign to "Closed" as soon as she leaves, though there are other customers inside, and she's convinced that if she turns around the shop itself will disappear.[[note]]Applying the streets and other landmarks she names to Google Maps, one finds no such cafe listed (which doesn't mean it isn't there). Lung Moon on Mulberry Street in Chinatown is a bigger, brighter place with a wider selection, but is in the approximate place she described.[[/note]]

* MustHaveCaffeine: ''M Train'' reveals Patti's abiding love for coffee and her need for it at frequent intervals. (It's also part of her lifelong Arthur Rimbaud identfication/connection as he was a coffee importer.) She describes the coffee she's had on her travels and her devastation when the Greenwich Village sandwich/coffee shop [[http://misscavendish.blogspot.com/2016/08/a-patti-smith-summer-m-train-cafe-ino.html Cafe 'Ino]] (where she wrote much of ''M Train'') closed for good. The owner gave her "her" table and chair.

* InnBetweenTheWorlds: In ''M Train'', Patti's neverending quest for coffee leads her to the Silver Moon Cafe in Chinatown, which turns out to be a very small tea shop sans menu or much of anything else. Lulled by the scent of oolong, she orders a combo and receives some tea and steamed buns with delicious filling; she notices that the waitress flips the door sign to "Closed" as soon as she leaves, though there are other customers inside, and she's convinced that if she turns around the shop itself will disappear.[[note]]Applying the streets and other landmarks she names to Google Maps, one finds no such cafe. Lung Moon on Mulberry Street in Chinatown is a bigger, brighter place with a wider selection, but is in the approximate place she described.[[/note]]

Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter and published poet who helped form a foundation for the ''American'' version of PunkRock with her ambitious 1975 album ''Music/{{Horses}}''. This distinction has to be made here, as on a tour to Britain in 1976, what might otherwise have been a [[DreamTeam fruitful collaboration]] was scuppered by [[Music/JohnLydon Johnny Rotten]] of the Music/SexPistols' sneering on-stage reference to ''[[NoTrueScotsman Horses, horses, fucking horses!]]'' It had been envisaged that the British and American versions of Punk be brought together with Patti fronting the Pistols in a few covers, but Rotten's clear disdain for what he saw as pretentious twaddle, combined with Smith's reciprocal criticism of the Pistols' lack of basic musical talent, killed that nice sentiment and entrenched the separation between the two schools of Punk.

She has many popular songs, including but not limited to "Because the Night," "People Have The Power," "Dancing Barefoot," "Gloria," "Redondo Beach," and "Free Money." In 2010, she won the National Book Award for her latest book, a memoir entitled ''Just Kids''. A sequel, ''M Train'', appeared in 2015, followed by ''Year of the Monkey'' in 2017. A brief 1992 memoir, ''Woolgathering'', is about her childhood mystical experiences. "Dancing Barefoot" was covered by Music/{{U2}} and appeared as the [[{{BSide}} B-Side]] to "When Love Comes to Town", gaining almost as much radio airplay as the A-side.

She has many popular songs, including but not limited to "Because the Night," "People Have The Power," "Dancing Barefoot," "Gloria," "Redondo Beach," and "Free Money." In 2010, she won the National Book Award for her latest book, a memoir entitled ''Just Kids''. A sequel, ''M Train'', appeared in 2015. "Dancing Barefoot" was covered by Music/{{U2}} and appeared as the [[{{BSide}} B-Side]] to "When Love Comes to Town", gaining almost as much radio airplay as the A-side.

* SmithicalMarriage: Patti Smith married fellow musician Fred "Sonic" Smith.

* AmbiguousGender: The cover of ''Music/{{Horses}}'', photo by Creator/RobertMapplethorpe. Patti's relatively deep voice adds to this.with ArthurRimbaud...

* MustHaveCaffeine: ''M Train'' reveals Patti's abiding love for coffee and her need for it at frequent intervals. (Another Rimbaud connection as he was a coffee importer.) She describes the coffee she's had on her travels and her devastation when the Greenwich Village sandwich/coffee shop [[http://misscavendish.blogspot.com/2016/08/a-patti-smith-summer-m-train-cafe-ino.html Cafe 'Ino]] (where she wrote much of ''M Train'') closed for good. The owner gave her "her" table and chair.

* ShoutOut: "Radio Ethiopia" supposedly refers to poet Arthur Rimbaud's dying wishes.[[note]]Legend has it that Rimbaud buried a case with unpublished work outside Diri Dawa, Ethiopia, while he was working as a coffee exporter there. In 1973, still an unknown, impoverished artist, Patti dreamed of the case and possibly the exact tree it was buried under. Unfortunately, no publisher cared enough to finance her proposed expedition to find it and bring it back. She did buy a replica of his childhood home in 2017, though.[[/note]] "Piss Factory" mentions Music/JamesBrown. "About a Boy"'s title references Music/{{Nirvana}}'s "About a Girl".

* NeoClassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly: She may ''technically'' be a PunkRock artist, but she's touched on and/or been influenced by Beat Poetry / Spoken Word, ProtoPunk, {{Reggae}}, Folk, CountryMusic, {{Funk}} and {{Soul}}-influenced Rock, borderline-[[NewWaveMusic New Wave Pop]], GarageRock, NoiseRock and PsychedelicRock, among others.

* ShoutOut: "Radio Ethiopia" supposedly refers to poet Arthur Rimbaud's dying wishes. "Piss Factory" mentions Music/JamesBrown. "About a Boy"'s title references Music/{{Nirvana}}'s "About a Girl".

!!!"Jesus Died for somebody's tropes but not mine":

!!!Tropes related to Patti Smith:
* AmbiguousGender: The cover of ''Music/{{Horses}}'', photo by Creator/RobertMapplethorpe. Patti's relatively deep voice adds to this.
* AscendedFangirl: Her autobiography mentions how she realised she wanted to be a singer when she saw one of the final concerts of Music/TheDoors and thought she felt something passing from Jim Morrison to her. And then there's the whole infatuation with ArthurRimbaud...

* CoolOldGal: She is in her seventies now and still going strong.

* [[AscendedFanboy Ascended Fangirl]]: Her autobiography mentions how she realised she wanted to be a singer when she saw one of the final concerts of Music/TheDoors and thought she felt something passing from Jim Morrison to her. And then there's the whole infatuation with ArthurRimbaud...

* [[HesBack She's Back]]: Between 1980 and 1995, she basically retired from rock music to raise her kids. Then she picked up where she left off.

* [[BadassGrandpa Badass Grandma]]: She is in her seventies now and still going strong.

* KindheartedCatLover and EverythingsCuterWithKittens: Patti's beloved cats are all through her book ''M Train'', especially Cairo, a runt Abyssinian (her name comes from the fact that she's the same color as the Great Pyramid). She even [[TooMuchInformation tells us when Cairo throws a hairball in the middle of the night]].

** ''Banga'' is a series of portraits of people including Emperor Constantine, Amerigo Vespucci, and [[Literature/TheHungerGames Katniss Everdeen]].

Discography:

She has many popular songs, including but not limited to "Because the Night," "Dancing Barefoot," "Gloria," "Redondo Beach," and "Free Money." In 2010, she won the National Book Award for her latest book, a memoir entitled ''Just Kids''. A sequel, ''M Train'', appeared in 2015. "Dancing Barefoot" was covered by Music/{{U2}} and appeared as the [[{{BSide}} B-Side]] to "When Love Comes to Town", gaining almost as much radio airplay as the A-side.

* IncomingHam: [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome Arguably]] the opening lines of the opening song on her debut album.