New York City Honors Patti Smith With Key To City

Patti Smith, who is known for being a pioneer in the Punk scene along with names like The Ramones and Talking Heads received the key to New York city this past Monday December 27. Mayor Bill de Blasio honored her legacy by saying “Patti Smith had an authenticity and has an authenticity that you just didn’t find that many other places — an ability to cut through all the swirl around us and speak some more profound truths.” Smith, who started her career in CBGB in the East Village back in the 1970s closed her portion of the ceremony by playing rendition of her song “Ghost Dance” alongside her longtime collaborator Lenny Kaye. When speaking to the crowd, Smith added, “I had just a few dollars in my pocket, nowhere to stay, no real prospects. But I came here to get a job and see what I was made of. And I found that the city, with all of its diversities and possibilities, if you’re willing to work, if you maintain your enthusiasm, you’ll make it.”. As an established author, Smith’s books “Just Kids” and “M Train”, have pushed her to become a relevant voice all the way through the 2020s. This past summer Smith released a surprise EP called “Live at Electric Lady”. Named after her favorite recording studio and the place she recorded her debut album back in 1975. It marked her first studio release since 2012 when she released “Banga”. The punk icon and author was also part of the line up at the Central Park Homecoming concert and played show at The Brooklyn Museum back in March as part of New York City’s NYPopUps program, a series of 300 concerts in 100 days taking place in public locations throughout the state of New York.