Just Kids illustrated

I purchased this illustrated volume as an accompaniment to the original book’ What drives the human spirit’ who plants the courageous spark of creativity on the balance of freefall and the steady driving beat of a goal a reaching through gossamer and the sinuses of “ possibilities!” Chance meetings or destiny? This is truly a love story “ as I was recently informed “ all friendships end. “ It is what remains between Hello and Goodbye we get to hold forever if chosen. Two friends two kids” two worlds to many of us miss out waiting for something to “ Land” in our laps! These two Firebrands “ Patti the pirate” Michael the angel tainted with a ferocious carnal desire to push deeper into the considered obscene” yet through his fingers and lens he created excellently executed work! You will here that repeated in this story of “ vagabound courage in heated time the 70’s New York” exciting pulsing and radiating a steady beat. Nescafe fueled” journey of discovery the added illustrations frame this work these two kids.

This large illustrated edition is well worth picking up. Whilst it claims to be full-colour, the majority of the photos are still black & white, because that's how they were taken. That's okay though, the larger size makes all the photos much better to look at than the original edition. I'm pretty sure that there are more illustrations in here than the original, but it has been so long since I read the latter, that I can't remember exactly.As for the text - Smith's picture of life amongst the artists in late '60s early '70s New York is very engaging. The closeness of her relationship with Mapplethorpe drips off the page. There are the inevitable poverty horror stories, given the precarious way they were living, but over & above everything is how hard these people worked at their art to succeed. Mapplethorpe's absolute conviction that he is a great artist (even as an unknown, he sees himself as an equal to Warhol) would be annoying if he didn't turn out to be right. Smith has doubts about her own powers, Mapplethorpe dismisses them & drives her onward. Really this is an incredibly uplifting book which even the tragic ending cannot undermine.

Just Kids is Patti Smith's Portrait of The Artist as A Young Woman . We hear all about her formative influences in New York's counter-culture in the early 1970s .Back then the Love of her young Life was Robert Mapplethorpe , a struggling artist who'd later go on to become a celebrated photographer . Patti was writing Poetry but it was a chance encounter with Lenny Kaye ( later her lead guitarist ) in a record shop that led to her first live performance - in of all places , St Marks Church in New York !For much of the book Patti and Robert are just one meal away from starvation . She writes : we were as Hansel + Gretel and we ventured out into the black forest of the world . There were temptations and witches + demons we never dreamed of ....The photographs of the Bad Girl of Rock ( who later went on to become its High Priestess ) living in squalor ( The Chelsea Hotel ) are priceless !It was Robert Mapplethorpe who captured Patti's look : that iconic photograph that graced the cover of her first album Horses . Back then rock chicks were expected to be sexually submissive . But NOT Patti !!First rock chick with boy rhythms ! And the rest is history !

Brilliant read. Fascinating story.

Ein tolles Buch über NY und seine Künstler. Toll und bildhaft geschrieben. Eine Zeitreise im Kopf.