Patti Smith

Patti Smith (*1946) is a US-American musician and artist who is one of the most influential figures of the punk era. She achieved cult status as the Godmother of Punk. Inspired by the New York art scene of the late 1960s and 1970s, she made her breakthrough with her debut album Horses and is still considered a consistently political and headstrong artist today.

Patti Smith is known for her unique punk sound and her commitment to social justice and environmental protection. She is considered one of the pioneers of rock, as she was the first after Bob Dylan to bring deeply poetic, literary lyrics to the genre.

Horses was followed by numerous other albums, including Easter and Waves, as well as works as a writer such as the autobiographical Just Kids, which won her the National Book Award, M Train and Year of the Monkey.

She is coming to the Vienna Festival I Free Republic of Vienna as Republic of Gods for her concert at the Arena Wien and An Evening with Patti Smith. After all, who better to question the ‘higher powers’ of our time than the pioneer of punk? True to her song Gloria: ‘Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine.’

Patti Smith regularly tours internationally, gives readings, organises exhibitions and publishes poetry collections and books.