Musicians on Patti Smith

So... I've written quite a bit about Patti Smith here: her appropriation of the N-word, her blurring of gender roles, her reluctance to embrace feminism, her reliance on male role models, etc. Some of those things aren't as problematic as one would think (well, except for the first one -- not cool or excusable under any circumstances), and I certainly don't think adopting a feminist ideology is a requirement for making smart, relevant music, but Patti has always been a fascinating study in contradiction, particularly for feminists: a strong, capable, talented woman whose artistic contribution can't be overlooked, yet still fails in a lot of ways.

The Guardian has a great piece this week with a handful of younger artists' musings on Patti. Yeah, it's a bit hagiographic, as these things go, Patti is part of a canon that, no shock here, is pretty dude-centric. Here are some of the highlights:

I remember being struck by the image of her on the cover of Horses. Her physique is remarkable and although she's not playing with sexpot identity, it's there, and she's so young, too, so you see that vulnerability. The shirt she's wearing has this very masculine image and I thought it was amazingly refreshing. I'd been brought up with my mother's music, which was one way women could sound. And Patti was the other way women could sound. It was an eye-opener to me. -- Martha Wainwright 

Her attitude has influenced me, for sure. More than anything, I love being scary – it's not working unless I'm just a little scary! I will get in your face and I hope people will in turn get in my face, because I don't want them to recoil in terror; I want to inspire the same sort of ferocity. She's just a roaring voice for the individual. -- Ana Matronic of The Scissor Sisters 

She is able to find poetry and beauty in reality, whereas I used to live in a dream land. I take my art a lot more seriously now I've witnessed the power of her words and her communication. There's nothing disposable about Patti. -- Patrick Wolf