Andrew H. Walker, Getty Images Nine days after the deadly tornado that touched…
Patti Smith Rings in Rock Hall Induction
- Posted on Mar 1st 2007 3:06PM by Jessica Robertson

When Patti Smith received word that she was among this year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, the punk rock icon reached out to one person in particular: friend and fellow 2007 classmate, Michael Stipe.
"We spoke right away," Smith tells Spinner of the R.E.M. frontman. "He was in London and we were all really happy. It was kind of funny -- through the years I always imagined that perhaps Michael would be there with me. And he is, in a whole other configuration. I know I'm gonna feel very proud and happy to see R.E.M. inducted."
While the honor has been a long time coming for Smith, the woman of many crowns -- poet, activist, painter, photographer, misfit, musician and mother -- is modest at best. "I've never wanted a career and I don't believe I have one," she says. "I believe that I'm a worker and that I've always done the best I could. One of the things that makes life worth living is being inspired by others, so I would hope that, in giving me this honor, they're saying that I did good work and they have faith that I'll keep doing good work. And that's what I'll do."
Add a Comment
Patti Smith, is more that music, is a great woman, she is no like the other girls, she is unic, and made it so great!
March 31 2007 at 9:32 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyIm very happy Patti made it in. She deserved the honor. Look at all the bands who have spoken of her influence. But Iggy and the Stooges, the MC5, Alice Cooper, yes Leon too, should all be in there. They have influenced so many musicians.
It is screwy the way it works.
Love you Trish.
Congratulations!
Karen
all i have to say about patti smith is YAY! i am soooo glad she is finally in the RRhall w/her fellow legends. if someone like Bono can get inducted BEFORE her, whats that say about the committee? little biased? who are they and how old are they? and how much history of RR do they care about maintaining? has it become the viewers MTVchoice? is coldplay next? snoopdogg? what a sad day that will be for RR purists and history buffs.
March 13 2007 at 2:31 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyNever mind your life Kevin, Patti changed the whole face of Rock and Roll. Horses in its glorious anarchic stripped back bare state was the start of a movement that gave music back to the people. How anyone can say that of Leon Russell or Grand Funk railroad I don't know - though I like them both.
March 13 2007 at 1:58 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyPatti Smith changed my life. I adore her.
March 13 2007 at 12:51 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyPeople really do have the power.
March 13 2007 at 7:09 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI have had the privilege and joy to have been born in the era which Rock and Roll became more than a euphemism for youthful physical activity. The music of "our generation" became a beacon in the night, a signal of our social awareness, our ultimate umbilical c(h)ord of conscious and subconscious unity, our quest for the holy grail of honest thought. Patti Smith's words and music (along with Lenny Kaye)have always been my serum which epitomizes what rock and roll music is all about. Indeed, She a has been a Goddess of Muses and will always thank her for that gift. Vive La Revolution Des Peuples, Vive Patti Smith!
March 13 2007 at 1:24 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI divide my music-listening life to "Before and after I heard Patti."
Her calls to action ("I don't fuck much with the past but I fuck plenty with the future") changed my dna.
Thank you Patti for your spirit.
God Bless Fred Sonic Smith for marrying Patti. As a kid I watched the MC5 practice in Ann Arbor, MI. But another kid down the road should be in the Rock'N'Roll hall of Fame too. Iggy and the Stooges. The grandfathers of Punk Rock.
March 09 2007 at 8:13 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply











14 Comments