Hurrah Tolsun Kilday for your wonderful contribution to society. Patti Smith nurtured her art in the Big Apple the cauldron offbeat culture - The Village. The LowerEasr side where slum goddesses & Beat poets mingled and swingled @CBGB in proximity to the Hells Angel Clubhouse &Andy Warhol Factory where the underground stars were created. Fantabulous
When I was young in the Village Patti was everywhere making a name for herself, playing on stage with Dylan at the Bitter End etc. her book Just Friends is terrific. Great career. Good that Kilday is keeping the flame alive for sure.
There is a process, a cycle perhaps, when forces coalesce to bring the universe into higher levels. On Earth it manifests in the arts and reaches out into spirituality. 1964 is an example. President Kennedy and Pope John XXIII had just died a few months earlier, when the complacency of the music and art world would soon be discarded by a social revolution. 1978 was another year of enlightenment in the world of music. Recordings with depth and meaning far beyond the obvious were released. Bob Dylan's Street Legal, Bruce Springsteen's Darkness On The Edge Of Town, Van Morrison's Wavelength, and Patti Smith's Easter. While they were very much Rock records, at the same time, they were in a sense, scripture. As a young man I was carried away by these recordings. I became a citizen of the realm where I met Arthur Rimbeau, Carlos Castaneda, Herman Hesse, Coltrane, Guthrie, Kerouac. As a teenager in Detroit I spent a lot of time at the foot of the stage at the Grande Ballroom standing in front of Fred Sonic Smith soaking in the energy and vibrations that roared from his Marshall Amplifier. I have crossed paths with Patti a number of times. At Peaches record store in Dearborn, At the Second Chance and at Border's Books, and Jewel Heart Buddhist Center, in Ann Arbor. At Detroit Institute of Art. I bought Babel. She signed it "Radio Ethiopia Free Music." Patti has affected all that has come after her. Her art is a revelation. Her courage is inspiring. The world is bigger because she dwells within it and without it. Sheila Burke is the current Michigan Beat Poet Laureate. She was appointed when my two year term ended in 2024. We will be in Connecticut together this fall as we have been for the prior 3 years to attend the ceremony.
Very interesting overview, Joe. I love the connections you make between key musical works and the literary examples you were seeking out at a similar time. So connected to what we do here! And very happy that Sheila Burke has succeeded you as the Michigan Beat Poet Laureate. Warm congratulations to her from Rock and the Beat Generation.
I was lucky to have caught both of Patti's Kyoto shows a couple months back. No signs of slowing down (unlike poor Bob, who also played Japan recently). Scored front row seats for both shows, and made sure to wear my Bleecker Bob's T-shirt.
Even after playing two shows, she still took time to sign LPs for fans from the wings. Helluva lady...
Hurrah Tolsun Kilday for your wonderful contribution to society. Patti Smith nurtured her art in the Big Apple the cauldron offbeat culture - The Village. The LowerEasr side where slum goddesses & Beat poets mingled and swingled @CBGB in proximity to the Hells Angel Clubhouse &Andy Warhol Factory where the underground stars were created. Fantabulous
Congratulations Patti, my dear. Well deserved. Pamela Beach Plymell
She deserves it
When I was young in the Village Patti was everywhere making a name for herself, playing on stage with Dylan at the Bitter End etc. her book Just Friends is terrific. Great career. Good that Kilday is keeping the flame alive for sure.
There is a process, a cycle perhaps, when forces coalesce to bring the universe into higher levels. On Earth it manifests in the arts and reaches out into spirituality. 1964 is an example. President Kennedy and Pope John XXIII had just died a few months earlier, when the complacency of the music and art world would soon be discarded by a social revolution. 1978 was another year of enlightenment in the world of music. Recordings with depth and meaning far beyond the obvious were released. Bob Dylan's Street Legal, Bruce Springsteen's Darkness On The Edge Of Town, Van Morrison's Wavelength, and Patti Smith's Easter. While they were very much Rock records, at the same time, they were in a sense, scripture. As a young man I was carried away by these recordings. I became a citizen of the realm where I met Arthur Rimbeau, Carlos Castaneda, Herman Hesse, Coltrane, Guthrie, Kerouac. As a teenager in Detroit I spent a lot of time at the foot of the stage at the Grande Ballroom standing in front of Fred Sonic Smith soaking in the energy and vibrations that roared from his Marshall Amplifier. I have crossed paths with Patti a number of times. At Peaches record store in Dearborn, At the Second Chance and at Border's Books, and Jewel Heart Buddhist Center, in Ann Arbor. At Detroit Institute of Art. I bought Babel. She signed it "Radio Ethiopia Free Music." Patti has affected all that has come after her. Her art is a revelation. Her courage is inspiring. The world is bigger because she dwells within it and without it. Sheila Burke is the current Michigan Beat Poet Laureate. She was appointed when my two year term ended in 2024. We will be in Connecticut together this fall as we have been for the prior 3 years to attend the ceremony.
Very interesting overview, Joe. I love the connections you make between key musical works and the literary examples you were seeking out at a similar time. So connected to what we do here! And very happy that Sheila Burke has succeeded you as the Michigan Beat Poet Laureate. Warm congratulations to her from Rock and the Beat Generation.
I was lucky to have caught both of Patti's Kyoto shows a couple months back. No signs of slowing down (unlike poor Bob, who also played Japan recently). Scored front row seats for both shows, and made sure to wear my Bleecker Bob's T-shirt.
Even after playing two shows, she still took time to sign LPs for fans from the wings. Helluva lady...
Wow! Still doing it. Not seen her for almost a decade but thrilled the energy remains.
The Spirit of Smith
In words of Truth and Wisdom
Our Holy Poet
What a great place to have been 50 years ago! Would love to have seen first hand some of that live action in the Village at the time.
I'm with you, Pam!