..... Of friends; old and new. All very dear .....

Picture the spring of 1978.  Ordinary enough.   I was finishing my second year of college and, as was, and is frequently the case, a new song on the radio had become my favorite thing to listen to.  The song was "Because the Night" by Patti Smith.    Now this was an artist I'd never heard of and I ran immediately to the record store to buy that latest LP 'Easter' which contained that 3 1/2 minute pop gem.   For those of you unfamiliar you can go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=px__SsVXX_0.   I discovered that Patti Smith was playing in just a few days at The Agora Theater right on the other side of campus.   I convinced my roommate Tim to join me and off we went.   Imagine these two blonde 19 year old innocent country boys off to see their first rock concert.   The punk scene had managed to take some hold in quiet little Columbus Ohio; and as we entered the theater we were bug-eyed at the scene.   Punks with buzz cuts, mohawks, safety pins piercing body parts.   Well now this was something new.   And when Patti took the stage singing a song called "Rock and Roll N####r", I can safely say that somehow my view of the rest of the world shifted to the left that evening.   So Patti Smith and I have, as they say, a little history.

I learned earlier today that last night in NYC, Patti Smith was awarded the National Book award for her recent release, "Just Kids".    I had read about the book a few weeks ago, and picked it up while on vacation in Florida; I  finished it in less than 24 hours once I started reading.  In a nutshell, "Just Kids" describes in great detail, Patti's lifelong bond with Robert Mapplethorpe.    Now if that doesn't ring a bell for all of you, Robert became infamous late in his life, and more-so after his death when an exhibit of his sexually graphic photography got raided by the police in Cincinnati Ohio; this resulted in the gallery owner being taken to court and charged with multiple counts of distributing pornography, etc.   (said gallery owner was found not guilty).  Robert and Patti meet as mere children, in 1967, descending on New York City in hopes of becoming great artists.  They were lovers/friends/roommates/companions for 23 years until Robert's death in 1989.   Their adventures range from desperate to laugh-out-loud funny;  all sprinkled with their exposure to all sorts of artisans in that late 60's and early 70's period.   They called Janis Joplin a friend.   Had drinks with Jimi Hendricks.   Tried very hard to get taken into Andy Warhol's Factory circle.  Todd Rundgren kept telling Patti to put her poetry to music.  Patti told Robert that he should try photography.  But through it all the boundless love of great friends takes center stage in their lives.  Even as they moved through other relationships, the amazing  bond they had makes this book a must read.   RUN, don't walk to your local bookstore to pick up this little beauty.  Before his death, Robert made Patti promise to one day tell their story to the world; it took her 20 years to get it all down.   But I thank Patti for the great gift.         "JUST KIDS" (HarperCollinsPublishers).

After Patti had gotten married and moved out of NYC, she wrote a lullaby to her newborn son, "The Jackson Song".   You can listen to this:     www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OVnNePQPsQ       Patti wrote this song after Robert had gotten ill, and singing it at his bedside were the last words she spoke to him.  Robert always called Patti his 'little blue star'.  Listening to the song after reading the book gives the lullaby a whole new meaning.  I'm wiping away tears now as I write this;  that's how powerfully the book affected me with it's message of love.    The bond of friendship.    The amazing heart-wrenching circle of life.     Love to all those I hold near and dear ......