Two Times Intro: On the Road with Patti Smith - Hardcover

Stipe, Michael

3.87

148 ratings by Goodreads

9781617750236: Two Times Intro: On the Road with Patti Smith

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1617750239 ISBN 13: 9781617750236

Publisher: Akashic Books, 2011

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

"In Stipe’s startling photographs and 12 brief written homages, Patti Smith is depicted as a down-to-earth goddess, a part of and apart from her evolving entourage of musicians, artists, poets (Allen Ginsberg makes an appearance), and friends. This isn’t a traditional book of portraits . . . The overwhelming mood is one of disjunction, claustrophobia, exhaustion, temporariness--and the effect is raw and intimate . . . And [Stipe] is no longer the dork nerd” teenager, but a fellow musician -- and from his proud, caring mien, even a protector."
--Publishers Weekly

"An energetic and gracious tribute to not only a great artist, but also to a powerful moment in her oeuvre -- and to those who contributed to it and shared in it."
--New York Journal of Books

"Stipe's personal friendship lends something greater to the overall vision of this book. It isn't simply a set of snapshots of performances, rather a collection of rare moments. The personal nature of the anthology makes it all the more enticing and enjoyable. Smith, in all her glory and awe-inspiring talent, is portrayed in the truest light."
--Verbicide Magazine

"A fascinating book . . . including appearances by Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, Tom Verlaine, the members of Sonic Youth and more . . . and the short text tributes to Smith by these people, scattered throughout the manuscript, are well worth your time."
--Chicago Center for Literature and Photography

This book comprises Michael Stipe's intimate and evocative photos of Patti Smith on tour in 1995, along with other cultural celebrities who appeared with her, such as Allen Ginsberg. In addition to text by Stipe, William Burroughs, and Patti Smith, there is also commentary from Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon, Lenny Kaye, Tom Verlaine, and more.

Michael Stipe is a singer, photographer, film producer, and activist. He lives in Athens, GA, and New York, NY. R.E.M. formed in 1980 in Athens, GA, and is composed of Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe. Heralded by Rolling Stone as "America's Best Rock and Roll Band," R.E.M. rose from cult college radio status to sell more than seventy million albums worldwide and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:

When singer Patti Smith toured in 1995, for the first time in almost 20 years, R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe tagged along as tour photographer. Two Times Intro is the resulting photo diary--as Stipe calls it--and it's filled with his moody black-and-white prints and Polaroids (taken with an ancient camera by Smith guitarist Oliver Ray) that capture a specific mood of Smith's as she moves through the shifting, impersonal spaces--taxis, concrete backstage areas, empty theaters--of life on tour. Stipe is a long-time Smith fan, as he recalls in an essay in the book: he "bought her first album the day it came out. It was mind-blowing--emotional and imperfect, swirling, B&W." His photographs of Smith and her band mates display the same emotional intensity and incongruity that her music originally stirred in him. The layout, executed completely in black and white with echoes of imperfections like torn Scotch tape, creases, and torn edges seemingly photocopied onto the page, gives readers a sense of watching an ancient black-and-white television--scratchy, static-filled, impenetrable, and mysterious, but also somehow comforting. All of this is evocative of both Smith's music and her lyrics, and in that it is a strange but fitting homage to her. Stipe intersperses throughout the images musings about Smith by the likes of William S. Burroughs, who calls her "a shaman--that is someone in touch with other levels of reality," Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon, and long-time friend and fellow musician Lenny Kaye. Ultimately, the book is not a photographic triumph but it should be very compelling to Smith and Stipe fans alike.

About the Author:

Michael Stipe: Michael Stipe is a singer, photographer, film producer, and activist. He lives in Athens, Georgia and New York City. R.E.M. (http://www.remhq.com/) formed in 1980 in Athens, Georgia, and is composed of Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe. Heralded by Rolling Stone as "America's Best Rock and Roll Band," R.E.M. rose from cult college radio status to sell more than 70 million albums worldwide and be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.