Re: Frank Stefanko's coffee-table book.

["pauline brumwell" <pauline>]

Hi everyone, this is my first posting, though I've been sitting around on 
the edges for a while, not quite knowing what to write!
Anyway, this is just to say that I, also, have just read the Stefanko book 
and really enjoyed it. I loved the photos, many of which I'd never seen 
before. I thought they were a really striking record of Patti's progress 
from idealistic and ambitious young art student to slightly troubled rock 
stardom. Pretty sexy too!
I also thought the personal recollections were really nice. Stefanko and 
Patti obviously like and respect each other and it shows.
It's the kind of book I half wish I hadn't read so I could put it on my 
Christmas present list and have the pleasure of reading it for the first 
time all over again.
Cheers
Pauline
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "weapons of mass destruction-related program activities" 
<spamtony>
To: <babel-list>
Sent: Saturday, November 25, 2006 10:43 PM
Subject: Frank Stefanko's coffee-table book.


> Just got this book from Amazon:
>
>   http://www.amazon.com/Patti-Smith-American-Frank-Stefanko/dp/1933784067
>
> ("Patti Smith: American Artist" by Frank Stefanko.)
>
> Don't know if it's been discussed. It's pretty good
> for what it is. Lots of mid-70s b&w pictures of Patti
> in an apparently short-lived hairstyle (Very straight,
> and parted on the side), very short-lived style decisions
> (outfits beside stark black and white; dresses; feather
> boas; blouses tied halter-style showing midriff) and a
> very short-lived attitude - softer, more feminine and
> open - by an old friend of hers from the Philadelphia
> area.
>
> As for the band and performances - not so much of that.
> Although he does have live shots from the Bijou cafe
> (formerly at Broad and Lombard in Philadelphia) and
> Penn's Landing 1977 (mislabled as 1979). (Here's an
> interesting factoid -- someone was there professionally
> filming. It was probably only 1 song for a local
> evening newscast or something, but wouldn't that
> be nice to have?)
>
> And there are a few full-blown portraits of individual
> band members. Nothing that would win awards in Paris,
> but nice, flattering photographs, all.
>
> The author/photographer seems to have gotten a few cracks
> at building Patti and the band's visual mystique, but
> apparently never got there (although his photographs
> of Bruce Springsteen got to the covers of two
> of his albums). There's a 1976 session here of both
> Patti alone, and with the band, done in hopes of getting
> the cover of "Radio Ethiopia", which ultimately went
> to someone else. Of his pre-"Horses" portraits, the
> only one likely to strike a lot of people as familiar
> or representative of those days is this one:
>
>   http://www.postmodern.com/~fi/pattipics/htm/keith.htm
>
> Lots of it looks like a dress rehearsal for iconic
> status, which in a way it was. So if you like your
> Patti photos young, healthy and girly, this is a
> good book to pick up.