Marc Maron's WTF Episode 1167 with Patti Smith
I was really jazzed by Marc's interview with one of my rock heroes, Patti Smith. They discussed the evolution of her art, from poetry to rock and roll, and beyond, and the influential people who came in and out of Patti's life.
William Burroughs is one of the key members of the Beat Generation and a dear friend of Patti's. I can't recall which of Burroughs' books Marc was referring to, but he said that when everything started to go to shit this year, he turned to Burroughs for answers: "It's all in there somewhere, all the answers are within Burroughs somewhere and you just have to figure out how to find them." (30:03)
If you aren't an avid listener, you should know that Marc is a seeker, curmudgeon, angst and despair-ridden, self-disparaging, self-centered intellectual. He wants answers, clarity. Patti, in in contrast, comes off as an open-minded, free-flowing creative genius.
Patti lightly redirected Marc, explaining that William doesn't seek to reassure his readers, but to 'explode the senses.'
The conversation meandered to other artists like the 19th Century poet, Rimbaud. Marc and Patti each find Rimbaud's texts bewildering. However, Patti, again, guides Marc to the point of it - that art is meant to affect us. She says that, "[I've] never been an analytical person but things do speak to us" (42:54). Art is an experience, not a diagnostic tool.
Patti explained how "Cubism spoke to [her] at 11 . . . . [She] never sought to analyze why things have spoken to [her]" (43:00). Patti portrays herself as an artist who trusts the creative flow, follows with what moves her, and lets go of the urge to nail down the parts of the whole.
On some level, Marc does seem to get it. He mentions something he'd written down in the past:"I don't know what it means, but when I read it it feels like I'm thinking it" (43:57). Damn, Marc. Well said.
As creative beings, we need to allow art to affect us. We crave the experience.
Comments