“It’s hard”: Patti Smith on why she doesn’t listen to her own music
“An artist is somebody who enters into competition with God,” Patti Smith once said, claiming that becoming an artist comes with a constant tug-of-war between the mind and the divinity of fate. In Smith’s view, an artist has fulfilled their role and duty when they succeed in tapping into deeper truths and channelling their unique perspective, confronting the duality of life itself.
From the very beginning, Smith knew that she wanted to incorporate her love for intellect and academia into her art, which empowered her to approach music with a poetic yet punkish edge, mainly in the name of fearless honesty, even if it went against the status quo. Smith has also seen all sides of the music industry, making her the most qualified when it comes to passing her wisdom down to the next generation of artists.
As someone who has made life-changing decisions since day one, Smith knows what it feels like to put yourself out there and not know what you will be getting back. Sometimes, what you receive is a whole lot of nothing, but that’s all a part of the fun because even at her darkest hour, she rarely neglected to acknowledge that something great was just around the corner.
As she explained, “A writer or any artist can’t expect to be embraced by the people.”
Although she has “made records where it seemed like no one listened to them,” she knows she keeps going because “it’s your calling.” However, Smith also recognises that “it’s beautiful to be embraced by the people”, adding: “Some people have said to me, ‘don’t you think success spoils one as an artist’ or ‘if you’re a punk rocker then you don’t want to have a hit record,’ and I say ‘fuck you.'”
When she was younger and struggling at the hands of trying to make ends meet in a competitive industry, William Burroughs gave her some advice she would never forget. “Build a good name,” he had told her. This was a mantra she held dear because it meant that, no matter what she did or the material she created, she was guided by an overarching need to do “good work and make the right choices.”
This advice meant that everything Smith did was authentic. She would lay her soul bare and write from the heart, often revelling in the unfiltered nature of her own thinking. However, considering the fact that her own music transcends eras, generations, genres, art forms, and so on, the fact her authenticity has garnered such a vast expanse of reach means she finds it difficult to establish her own favourites, knowing that they all once meant something very specific to her.
For the most part, her favourites are usually her improvised pieces, likely because they best represent the long-ingrained philosophy she has lived by ever since Borroughs bestowed his wisdom upon her. One she singles out, in particular, is ‘Constantine’s Dream’ from Banga, but in all honesty—Smith is someone who rarely revisits her own work. Why? Because sometimes it’s just too difficult to listen to her voice.
“It’s funny because I rarely listen to my own records,” she admitted to Shortlist. “Sometimes it’s hard to listen to one’s own voice…you think ‘I’d rather be listening to someone else’s voice’…but I do them with everything that I have to give. I’d rather other people choose their favourite track! But I’m proud of our records, we do the best we can.”
Realistically, Smith’s deviation from her own work likely stems from her consistent commitment to studying the craft of others. Since she started, she has occupied the role of the ultimate protégé, learning from the best while sprinkling her magic into anything she creates. “What is the purpose of art?” she once asked, knowing well that she would never have the answer, instead holding the value of consistent dedication to the human condition and escapism through art close to her chest.
