Says Patti Smith, responding to people who don't get why Pope Francis invited her to sing at the Vatican Christmas concert.
"I did a lot of thinking. I’m not against Jesus, but I was 20 and I wanted to make my own mistakes. And I didn’t want anyone dying for me."
The line was: "Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine."
"I stand behind that 20 year old girl, but I have evolved. I’ll sing to my enemy! I don’t like being pinned down and I’ll say what the fuck I want — especially at my age."
She's 67.
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The nun on the program sounds more controversial:
...and singing nun Sister Cristina Scuccia, who won Italy's version of The Voice and covered Madonna's "Like A Virgin” for her first single.
Not in just a religious sense, but it's odd that Patti really hasn't evolved since she was 20 from what she says.
"I didn’t want anyone dying for me." and
"I’ll say what the fuck I want — especially at my age."
Same sentiment. Rebellion. It's also in the Bible. Cherished by some people.
The Pope may see something more valuable in Patti. To his credit.
When I first heard Patti Smith sing that line--the first seconds of the first song on her first album--it electrified me. I saw her in concert once, in 1978. It was one of the great concerts of my life. (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were the opening act, and tickets for the show were $2.00!)
She has evolved.
And she is right about the bible New Testament (when I was 8 I asked my mom when the next new one was coming out and I was kind of annoyed at the adults laughing as if that were an absurd question). I read it in HS at a public school (oooooh) as a novel. It has all of the human drama and lessons of a soap opera.
I'm a fan of Patti Smith but I tend to view that phase of her career like some Bob Dylan fans see his "Slow Train Coming" phase.
"Gloria" wasn't a good choice, and I didn't like the arrangement. Van Morrison is a much better singer.
That first album was her best, and her cover of "Gloria" holds up after all these years. I think the best concerts I ever saw were: 1-Iggy Pop, when he had David Bowie playing keyboards; 2-Patti Smith, right in that same period, 77 or 78. She did an amazing version of "You Light Up My Life" as a surprise encore.
There were some low moments. The song "Rock & Roll Nigger" was one, likewise her primitive guitar-playing on "Radio Ethiopia."
Hmm. Television put on a better show without any of those low points. "Rock & Roll Nigger" is one extremely stupid song. It really makes you cringe.
Oh well. She had her moment.
To deny Jesus is for you requires that you believe that He exists for others. And it takes a relationship to be hostile at the other person.
So Poppa Francis sees clearly that she is open to a relationship with Jesus the greatest forgiver, as are many of the rebels of the late 1960s.
I have a CD with like 25 versions of "Because The Night". I think Patti Smith's is the best version.
The only Album (vinyl) of Smith's I have is probably the only one worth having, "Horses" (1975) As a denizen of New Orleans I'll historically note she used a verse from New Orleans' (actually Kenner, La, a suburb in adj Jefferson Parish in the metro area) Chris Kenner and his song Land of a Thousand Dances in the song "Land" on that album..
No, Patti, Jesus did die for you, and for all the silly, stupid, rebellious sinners in the world, young and old. I'm not wise enough to know whether that is a gift that can be refused. I'd advise that you ask Pope Francis about that. Seriously.
I am not sure if this is a topic I want to opine about, but I just can't help it.
Patti Smith is still a favorite. R&R N was a brilliant song that captured an idea before it was politically incorrect to use the N word.
Of course, Van Morrison did a better job with Gloria. He wrote the song when he was with Them, but it was well covered by the Shadows of Knight, Jimi Hendrix, Patti and others. The best version is still Van and John Lee Hooker.
I feel better now. I feel better than James Brown.
Love Patti Smith. I'm fascinated by Birdland. There is so much passion. Not like today's vocalists. All the men are whiny and apologetic, and all the women are insipid.
Followed the tag for awhile into the rabbit hole. A little grossed out right now with all the urine references. Appreciate the post.
As for irreverent moments in rock music, I think Jim Morrison had Patti beat with his "You Cannot Petition The Lord With Prayer" spiel on "The Soft Parade." I spoofed this in a chirbit here: You Cannot Petition Althouse With Comment.
A reporter asked Scalia what he thinks of the liberal Pope Francis.
"He's the Vicar of Christ. He's the chief. I don't run down the Pope. I think he’s absolutely right."
I love Scalia. I get mad at him, for Smith, and for his absurd disregard for the word "person." He's at his worst when he's negating Constitutional text, like free exercise or equal protection. But at his best he sounds just like Hugo Black, the great liberal.
Absolutely!
sydney:
The Singing Nun is a real Italian nun, and really did win Italy's version of The Voice. (To be honest, she probably wouldn't have won if she hadn't have been a nun)
Her version of "Like a Virgin" is up on Youtube, and is quite different than Madonna's.
http://youtu.be/r0e8Uve7cJU
I show the video of her singing "No One" by Alicia Keyes often during passing period.
I listened to First Aid Kit's cover of "Dancing Barefoot" (in front of Patti Smith). She got emotional when the Johanna, the blonde sister, reached the spoken verse part at the end. It ends with a Virgin Mary allusion that seemed to me to be a synopsis of the entire song:
(oh god I fell for you ...)
The plot of our life sweats in the dark like a face
The mystery of childbirth, of childhood itself
Grave visitations
What is it that calls to us?
Why must we pray screaming?
Why must not death be redefined?
We shut our eyes we stretch out our arms
And whirl on a pane of glass
An afixiation a fix on anything the line of life the limb of a tree
The hands of he and the promise that she is blessed among women.
(oh god I fell for you ...)
As someone commented: the audience goes from polite to captive. And when Patti cries I get the feeling that she is thinking at last someone really got it.
God gave rock-n-roll to you
I am reminded of a line in the western "Nevada Smith" where a priest explains to the main character the significance of a crucifix, and how the man nailed to it brought a message of love to the world.
The response: "Well, he must've missed somebody. That looks worse than hanging."
In her book she writes of saying her prayers every night before going to sleep.
I remember getting her first album and not being able to stop looking at it.
She conveyed an interesting combination of innocence and decadence
Horses, horses. horses
The Patti Smith song "Gloria" isn't just a cover of the original Them song "Gloria." It has all this other stuff, then slides slyly into "Gloria." I saw her perform that in a small club, in what was billed as a poetry reading. When she started to sing the old song, that was the first singing. It was a total surprise. Most amazing moment in performance I ever witnessed.
This was before the album came out, and before I'd heard of her. She was put on the bill opening for Happy and Artie Traum, and I was annoyed to find out we'd have to sit through some damned poet's reading.
Here's Happy & Artie.
"I'm not wise enough to know whether that is a gift that can be refused"
You don't need to be wise this is very basic teaching. Moses said "today I lay before your life and death ... choose ..". Choice and free will are all throughout the Bible and Christianity falls apart logically without free will.
So of course the gift can be refused - without choice there is no freedom and Christ's death is superfluous. If everyone get's to heaven automatically (ie the heresy known as "universalism") then religion is completely pointless and the existence of evil makes no sense. Christ Himself spoke of Hell more than any other Biblical figure and he never implied it was empty, rather the opposite.
We live in watered down times where only the weakest of religions are acceptable to modern ears. I have so much more respect for the honest atheist who rejects religion outright than the comprising moderate who wants to play at it on their own terms. When I read Patti Smith's words all I hear is "me, me me". Religion is about surrender to Gods will, the subordination of self to His glory. Patti is just indulging herself.
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