Dancing Barefoot

May 30, 2011
In this unfortunately timed biography, music critic Thompson (London's Burning) chronicles Smith's story from her childhood in New Jersey, growing up next to a pig farm, and her early days in New York with Robert Mapplethorpe, to her time at CBGB and up to her most recent album, Twelve. When Smith was nine, a neighbor invited her over to his house to listen to Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti"; from that moment, according to Thompson, she never let go of rock 'n' roll. Unfortunately, Thompson plods through these details, stitching together Smith's story based on interviews with her friends, from Tom Verlaine to John Cale; sadly, the book offers a disappointing and shallow portrait of this innovative poet and musician who still emerges from Thompson's book as an artist who is always changing, revising, and revisiting her own work and the work of others. Although this account of Smith provides few new insights into her life and music, Thompson's vivid re-creation of the music scene in New York City in the 1970s captures an exhilarating moment in music history.

June 15, 2011

Although Thompson (Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell: The Dangerous Glitter of David Bowie, Iggy Pop, and Lou Reed) interviewed a number of musicians and artists who have worked with poet and singer-songwriter Patti Smith over the years, he attempts to tell Smith's story primarily in her own words. The book relies on previously published interviews, Smith's Just Kids, and filmed interviews with and documentaries of Smith. Generally, this works well; however, the prose occasionally becomes stilted when too many attributions are worked into the text. While Thompson treats his subject sympathetically, he covers the good and bad, the successes and failures. Much to his credit, he avoids a tabloid-style expose. VERDICT Readers looking for more examination of Smith's songs, recordings, and poetry should look elsewhere, but Thompson does a commendable job of documenting her life. Smith fans might find this a good companion to Just Kids, as Thompson does not focus as heavily on Smith's relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe. It may also appeal to readers interested in American poetry and the development of punk rock in the 1970s. Recommended.--James E. Perone, Univ. of Mount Union, Alliance, OH

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2011
For those who crave more Patti power after reading Smith's National Book Awardwinning memoir, Just Kids (2010), expat British music writer Thompson (London's Burning, 2009) offers a succinct and vivid overview of Smith's creative life. After fumbling through Smith's working-class youth in South Jersey as the skinny misfit daughter of Jehovah's Witnesses, Thompson kicks into gear as she evolves from a wide-eyed worshipper of artists (Blake, Rimbaud, Little Richard) into an intense and audacious poet and transformational rock musician who is by turns provocative and compassionate, devilish and shamanic. Noting that Patti has never been good at keeping her stories straight, Thompson seeks veracity in old interviews and arresting anecdotes, elucidates her unique and trailblazing vision, and charts her creative collaborations with Sam Shepard, Lenny Kaye, and the love of her life, Fred Sonic Smith. From raucous and indelible performances to her retreat to raise a family in Detroit to crushing tragedies to her glorious resurgence, Thompson reveals Smith's profound impulse to celebrate, memorialize, and inspire others. More comprehensive portraits will owe a debt to Thompson's blueprint biography.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)