Just Kids
I wasn’t a huge Patti Smith fan, so I’m not sure why I was so excited about receiving a copy of her autobiography Just Kids. Yes I knew she was important and that she had a following of people who revered her and yes I liked Horses but that was about as far as it went for me. However, as soon as I opened the front page of the book I was immediately hooked and suddenly I understood what her fans had been praising her for all these years.
The book is her story, it’s hers and Robert Mapplethorpe’s story, and it could be the story of any struggling artist out there. You don’t have to be a fan of Smith to get something out of this.
It charts her struggles, not only to become an artist, but also to become herself. Her family background is traditional, but this does not stop the not yet twenty one year old Patti from landing in New York City without any friends or money, and starting out on what would be her meteoric rise to fame.
At first she dabbles with drawing and writing while working in a book shop in order to pay the rent on hers and Robert’s flat. Then as time goes on and the experiments continue, Patti finds more of what she does want to do and less of what she doesn’t, all with a backdrop of her affair with Robert until he realises that he is gay. Their affair ends, but their connection never did.
The language Smith uses is, as you might expect, poetic and lyrical and worth reading for in itself. The book is a must-read for any aspiring artist and for any fan of Smith, or even just for fans of something that is incredibly well written. It is as inspirational as it is open and honest.
Before I go I need a bit of advice, I have been asked to design a stand for a friend of mine at the marketing convention this wednesday. Any tips on where I can get some good pvc banners at short notice?