Dancing Barefoot

Dancing Barefoot
Dancing Barefoot

Dancing Barefoot

The Patti Smith Story
By Dave Thompson

BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY

330 Pages, 6 x 9

Formats: EPUB, Mobipocket, PDF, Trade Paper

Trade Paper, $16.99 (US $16.99) (CA $19.99)

ISBN 9781613735510

Rights: WOR

Chicago Review Press (Apr 2016)

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Overview

The life of the punk legend

Offering a unique analysis and discussion of her life, career, and work, this is the true story of Patti Smith. Widely acknowledged as one of the most significant American artists of the rock age, an acclaimed poet, and a figurehead for many liberal political causes, Patti Smith went from an ugly-duckling childhood in postwar New Jersey to become queen of the 1970s New York art scene. Not a tell-all biography, this measured, accurate, and enthusiastic account of Smith’s career is written for her loyal fans as well as for neophytes hungry for a great rock 'n' roll story. Guided by interviews with those who have known her—including Ivan Kral, Tom Verlaine, Richard Lloyd, John Cale, and Jim Carroll—it relies most of all on Patti’s own words.

Reviews

“Dave Thompson knows how to tell a gripping, carefully researched story. This one is about a young woman from the swamps of New Jersey who became an artist’s muse, then a rock star, then a wife and mother, then an award-winning author, and—most importantly—one of the major American poetic champions of her generation.” —Stephen Davis, author of Hammer of the Gods and Walk This Way



“Dave Thompson made me love and understand Patti more than any other writer ever did, including Patti herself.  But then again, he did it by using mostly her own words.  Brilliant!” —Cherry Vanilla, author of Lick Me



“Dave Thompson expertly captures the mood and magic of the period—there were moments when I felt as though I were reliving a part of my life, not simply reading a book about it.” —Ivan Kral, Patti Smith Group



"From raucous and indelible performances to her retreat to raise a family in Detroit to crushing tragedies to her glorious resurgence, Thompson reveals Smith's profound impulse to celebrate, memorialize, and inspire others. More comprehensive portraits will owe a debt to Thompson's blueprint biography."—Booklist


"Thompson's vivid re-creation of the music scene in New York City in the 1970s captures an exhilarating moment in music history."—Publishers Weekly


"[Dancing Barefoot] must be on the shelf of every serious Patti Smith fan, indeed anyone fascinated with classic '70s rock."—PopMatters.com


"[The book] bring[s] a deeper insight to the artist’s motivations and a great deal of much-needed perspective on the era in which she blossomed...Dancing Barefoot will broaden the understanding of even the most ardent Patti Smith fans.”—Glide Magazine


"Between Thompson's descriptive storytelling and interview snippers (dating from the late '60s to present) with peers, members of the Patti Smith Group and Smith herself, her story emerges both vivid and real"—American Songwriter Magazine

Author Biography

Dave Thompson is a rock journalist who has contributed to Alternative Press, Mojo, Q, Record Collector, Rolling Stone, and Spin. He is the author of numerous music biographies of artists such as David Bowie, Cream, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and U2, as well as the bestselling Kurt Cobain biography, Never Fade Away, and the story of 1970s punk, London's Burning. He lives in Newark, Delaware.