Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and punk poet Patti Smith is name-checked in the title track to Taylor Swift’s new album, The Tortured Poets Department, and Smith has shared her gratitude for the recognition.
Taylor sings in the track, “I laughed in your face and said ‘You’re not Dylan Thomas, I’m not Patti Smith/ This ain’t the Chelsea Hotel, we’rе modern idiots.'”
Thomas, a Welsh poet, died at New York’s Chelsea Hotel in 1953. Smith lived in the same hotel in 1969.
The mention prompted Smith to post a photo of herself reading Thomas’ Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog. She wrote, “This is saying I was moved to be mentioned in the company of the great Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. Thank you Taylor.”
Patti’s latest book, A Book of Days, recently came out in paperback. It features 365 photos covering a single year of her life.
Smith is also due to hit the road this summer on a tour of Europe and the U.K. The trek kicks off June 25 in Brighton, England. A complete list of dates can be found at pattismith.net.
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