Punk Rock Poet Laureate Patti Smith Performs In NY

In 1975, Patricia Lee Smith ascended to take the throne of New York's punk rock scene and become its reigning wordsmith Queen when she released her seminal album Horses. Fusing rock and roll with powerful lyrics, her unique music-poetry hangs off every articulation and syllable, drawing the listener in with chant-like vocals and powerful imagery. Over the decades since her auspicious debut, the iconic performer has released ten studio albums and over twenty books, further strengthening her almost preternatural way with words.

Smith returns to her spiritual home for three glorious nights of original spoken-word stories at New York's Minetta Lane Theatre, as part of Audible's series of fall productions. Celebrating its creative partnership with the historic Off-Broadway venue, Audible is set to record Smith, as well as other shows by Aasif Mandvi and Isaac Gomez, and release their performances on the global audio entertainment platform. Smith will also welcome her son Jackson, daughter Jesse Paris Smith and frequent collaborator Tony Shanahan to the stage.

What Is Patti Smith: Words and Music About?

Like some sort of shaman-like figure, Smith bends words beyond their simple meanings, breaking them down to their components and speeding them up so that new meaning may be glimpsed in their sounds. Exploring her life as a lover, widow, mother and perpetual dreamer, the singer songwriter, playwright and poet offers a deep stream-of-consciousness glimpse into her soul wether setting her art to music or silence, often eliciting a hushed, holy revery from awe-struck audiences.