Patti Smith: An Introspective - Hardcover

Stefanko, Frank

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1933784067 ISBN 13: 9781933784069

Publisher: Insight Editions, 2007

Synopsis

"Frank always shot your internal life. He let your external imperfections show. His photos had a purity and poetry; there was some humor..." - Bruce Springsteen Patti Smith was a favorite photographic subject for Frank Stefanko during his college years. "Patti had jet-black hair and pale blue eyes that could see right through you. When I visited New York, I started photographing Patti, I was captivated by her look...tall, thin, with porcelain skin, sharp features, and those piercing eyes. With me, in terms of portraits, it's always the eyes first, then the rest of the face comes into view." Patti Smith came to prominence during the punk rock movement in the 1970s, with her highly regarded 1975 debut album, " Horses. "She has been called "punk rock's poet laureate" because of her feminist sensibilities and intellectual approach to her music. As a result, she is one of rock and roll's most influential female musicians, and according to "Rolling Stone," one of "The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time." Among some of Patti Smith's early influences were Robert Mapplethorpe, Jim Carroll and Tom Verlaine. She spent the early 1970s painting, writing, and performing spoken-word poetry- frequently at the St. Marks Poetry Project. By 1974, she was performing as a musician, initially with guitarist and rock archivist Lenny Kaye. The Patti Smith Group produced four albums in the 1970s, reaching #13 on "Billboard'"s Top 100 in 1978 with the single "Because The Night," co-written with her friend Bruce Springsteen.

About this title

About the Author

Author of Days of Hopes and Dreams: An Intimate Portrait of Bruce Springsteen, Frank Stefanko is a fine art photographer whose work graces the album covers of Bruce Springsteen’s Darkness on the Edge of Town and The River. Stefanko’s portfolio includes vintage and contemporary photographs of The Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Janis Joplin, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Bette Midler, Johnny Winters, as well as Bruce and Patti. Frank Stefanko grew up near the working class neighborhood of Bruce Springsteen, and was first introduced to the performer in 1978 by their mutual friend Patti Smith. He lives in New Jersey.
Guitarist, composer and writer Lenny Kaye was a member of the Patti Smith Group, and has been Smith’s most frequent collaborator. He is also the co-author of Waylon Jennings’ autobiography, Waylon: An Autobiography.
Patti Smith is a musician, singer, and poet. On July 10, 2005, Smith was named a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry, honored for her influence on rock and roll and her appreciation for Arthur Rimbaud.

From the Inside Flap

A stunning collection of photographs from Frank Stefanko featuring the Godmother of Punk herself, iconic musician and author Patti Smith.

"There I was sitting in a booth at the co-op of Glassboro State College, a bucolic school in the farmlands of South Jersey. . . Suddenly, the double doors of the co-op swung open and standing there in the vacuum created was an incredible apparition, a vision in a white leather coat with long, jet-black hair flowing down her back. She moseyed in like the bad guy walking into a saloon in an old western movie. This was the first time I set eyes on Patti Smith, and I was captivated."

So begins Frank Stefanko's wonderfully personal photographic tale of his friendship and artistic collaboration with Patti Smith. Stefanko's photographs and his warm, personal recollections show us an amazing young woman, long before she became Patti Smith, the cultural icon. Through images and words, we follow her search for a unique voice-from the early days of the Chelsea Hotel to spoken word at the St. Mark's Poetry Project to the release of her seminal album, Horses, and so much more.

These photographs, along with the Stefanko's first-hand account, capture an incredible era from the mid-1960s to the late- 1970s when a whole new genre of music and art was being born. Prior to the release of this collection, many of these stunning portraits had never before been published. They appear here in high-quality quadratone reproduction, highlighting Stefanko's artistry and his uncanny ability to capture his subject's inner spirit. Memorabilia from Smith's personal collection adds to this rare and intimate look at the emergence of one of America's most respected artists.

With an opening poem from Patti Smith that sets an evocative mood, an introduction by Lenny Kaye, Smith's longtime guitarist, and a compelling afterword by editor Chris Murray, this book sets the reader on a journey from small-town New Jersey and highlights the enigmatic artist's triumphant career.

About this edition

• Publisher: Insight Editions
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1933784067
• ISBN 13: 9781933784069
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 136