Patti Smith

Overview

Patti Smith born Chicago, IL December 30, 1946. Rock singer and songwriter; antiwar activist. Spoke and sang against Iraq War; outspoken critic of Afghan War. Memorialized Rachel Corrie in "Peaceable Kingdom", 2003; decried Israeli aggression in Lebanon in "Qana", 2009; railed against Guantanamo in "Without Chains", 2009.

Quotations

“When the cold war was escalating, and I was a child, I thought it was a totally stupid game. Then, when all that fell apart, we need a new enemy. Now we have terrorism. It's a state of mind, not a tangible enemy. It's just a game." (Simon Hattenstone interview, May 25, 2013)

“The people have the power
Vengeful aspects became suspect
and bending low as if to hear
and the armies ceased advancing
because the people had their ear
and the shepherds and the soldiers
lay beneath the stars
exchanging visions
and laying arms
to waste
in the dust”

(“People Have the Power”, 1988)