72 • UNCUT • OCTOBER 2019
Smith’srecordcompanythrewa partyatthecity’s
LafayetteConeyIslandhot-dogemporium.
Themuch-anticipatedshowbroughtout
Detroit’sglitterati.AmongtheguestswereDetroit
supergroupSonic’sRendezvousBand,whose
lineupincludedMC5guitaristFred“Sonic”
Smith,StoogesdrummerScottAsheton,TheUp’s
GaryRasmussenandlocalteenheartthrobScott
MorganfromTheRationals.Kayewasa fanofFred
Smith’splayingandhaddonesomefinaglingtoget
themonthebill.Justabouttoleaveforthevenue,Kaye
introducedthetwoSmiths.Lookingatthephotographof
thatmeeting– takenbymysister,CreemphotographerJoAnn
Uhelszki– youcanseea connectionhasbeenmade.SonicSmithin
a heavydarkcoatandblackturtlenecksweaterstandsa littlebehind
Patti,cradlinga beercan,notsmiling,lookingdownatwhat seems
likehershoulder.Unsmilingaswell,sheholdsupan
MC5BackInTheUSAT-shirtandstaresintothecamera.
Smithsoldoutthe2,900-seatFordAuditorium– a
graniteandmarblememorialtotheAmericancar
manufacturerHenryFordandhissonEdselthatsits
attheborderbetweenAmericaandCanada.Openers
BebopDeluxeplayeda briefset,althoughthecrowd
didn’treallywarmtoBillNelson’sband,talking
throughtheset,boredbytheirfey,jokeycharm.Smith
andherband,however,werea differentproposition.
Thisragged-lookingdarkspritespoketheirlanguage
- thehardscratchofherSouthJerseyaccentfitting
perfectlywiththeirflatMidwesternsensibilities.She
roared,pacedandprowledthestage,punchingtheair
withherskinnywhite-shirt-cladarms,spittingoutthewordsofthe
Velvets’“We’reGonnaHaveA RealGoodTimeTogether”.Sheplayed
fivesongsfromHorses, givingthecrowdlittlethumbnailsofthe
songs,beforeplunginginto“Kimberly”,“RedondoBeach”,
“Birdland”and “Land”, transforming them into frenzied stream-of-
PATTI SMITH
“WithFred,
I feltthatI had
metmymatch.
I hadmetthe
better man”
onsciousnessfree-jazzpoetry.Aftera brief
ause,KayewelcomedSonicSmithonstage,
whojoinedthebandforan unhinged version
f “MyGeneration”.
“Ihada lotofbravadointhosedays,”Smithtells
melater.“Ididn’tcarewhocameonmystage,I
idn’thaverespectforanybody.Hecameonthe
tageandstartedplayingandI rememberaftera
while,I justsetmyguitardownandlet[it] feedback,
ndlethimjusttakeoverbecauseI feltthat I had met
mymatch,thatI hadmetthebetterman.
“Ourcommunicationwasinstantaneous,”she
remembers.“Itwasmorethanthat;it wasmystical,
really,somethingI never forgot. But I didn’t see him again
foralmosta year.”
During thattime,a relationshipdeveloped– slowlyatfirst,until
afterthePattiSmithGroup’sSeptember10, 1979 show
inFlorence,Italy,shemovedwithFredintoa turreted
stonehouseontheDetroitRiver.Togetherthecouple
liveda quietlife.HecalledherTricia,andwithhimshe
learnedthesimplerigoursofhousework, the Zen of
ironingclothesandraisingchildren.
“Ididn’tregretturningmybackonrock’n’roll,”
Smithadmits.“IalwaysadmiredArthurRimbaudfor
whathedid.Hewasthegreatestpoetofhistime,but
heturnedhisbackonit andhewenttoEthiopiaand
becamea coffeetrader.I thinkit takesa lotofcourage
tosheda completeskinandtomoveon.But it also
makeslifeinfinitelymoreinteresting.”
SANFRANCISCO, 1998
O
NEofthelastthingsSmithrevealedintheMiyakoHotelwas
thatshenolongersawlifeasa touringmusicianasanoption.
“I’m never going to go on tour full-blown, never, ever again,”
Horsing
around:
onstage
i n 1976
RICHARD E. AARON/REDFERNS
