Patti Smith

Smith has been an influential presence, both for her music and as a committed cultural activist. Mapplethorpe (companion and sometime lover), Burroughs (her close friend and ‘guide’), and Dylan (who recognised a fellow-feeling for poetry) were all formational influences. Cale produced her first album, Frank shot a video. She collaborated with Springsteen and Shephard, met Coleman in a pizzeria in Italy, was with Ginsberg when he died, and helped get Corso buried next to Shelley. Sontag said she could appreciate her because she’d read Nietzsche. She appeared onstage with Dylan, Burroughs, Glass, Springsteen and Coleman. All became enduring friends.