I was asleep when he died.
Our first winter together was a harsh one. Even with my better salary from Scribner's. we had very little money. Often we'd stand in the cold on the corner of St. James Place in eyeshot of the Greek diner and Jake's art supply store, debating how to spend our few dollars -- a toss-up between grilled cheese sandwiches and art supplies.
Summary: It began in 1967, the summer of love.It was a chance meeting of two people both seeking to create art but both broke and homeless. Patti Smith would evolve as a poet and later a performer. Robert Mapplethorpe eventually landed on photography as the medium for his very provocative artistic style. Both began their life in NYC in innocence and enthusiasm. In 1969 they lived in the infamous Chelsea Hotel where they rubbed elbows with many artists and musicians of the day, including Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Todd Rundgren, and Janis Joplin. During these very hungry years they could always prod and provide for each other as they craved to create art. "Just Kids begins as a love story and ends as an elegy. It serves as a salute to New York City during the late sixties and seventies and to its rich and poor, its hustlers and hellions. A true fable, it is a portrait of two young artists' ascent, a prelude to fame" (Book cover).
Review: At the end of Robert Mapplethorpe's life, Patti Smith, his once-lover and longtime best friend, agrees to write down their story. Neither of them wanted their life or their art to come to nothing. This book, in a lot of ways, makes sure that their wish comes true.
When the two meet in Brooklyn in 1967 they team up recognizing kindred spirits within. They both want to create art but have no money. Remarkably they get by on barely any income for several years, making just enough for rent in a dumpy place, and to buy supplies at second hand shops for their art. Luck would have it that they both would run into others willing to help foster their lifestyles, with encouragement, opening doors, and sometimes with money. It was shocking how many famous people they met and even hung out with during their hungry years. It is as if the milieu of the area of Manhattan where the couple landed, was just perfect for growing talented artists and musicians.
Later, in the seventies, the couple went their separate ways, a bit. Still living near to each other but not together. Robert came out as a homosexual and Patti had relationships with a few men, yet they still collaborated on their art and Patti remained as one of Robert's muses. In the mid-70s Patty joined up with some musicians to form a rock-n-roll band which included performance art and poetry. Later she collaborated with Bruce Springsteen on what became her most famous song, "Because the Night." By now she is not just hanging out with famous people, she is famous herself. She is also credited for being at the forefront of the punk rock scene and has many, many books and musical albums to her credit.
As it turns out, Patti talks very little about her life after she moves away from Robert, preferring to tell their story, not just hers. In the late 1980s, she visits Robert several times before his death from AIDS. She called him from her home in Detroit, where she lived with her musician husband, Fred Smith, the night Robert died. The last time she saw him in person, she visited him in the hospital. She was leaving when he fell asleep, like a peaceful, yet ancient child. Something drew her back to the room in time to see his eyes open with a smile. "So my last image was as the first. A sleeping youth cloaked in light, who opened his eyes with a smile of recognition for someone who had never been a stranger" (282).
This memoir is completely fascinating. No wonder it won the National Book Award in 2010.
My rating: 4.5 stars.
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