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Patti Smith is a punk rock luminary, and while she hasn’t released a new studio album since 2012, she has spent the interim writing. Her most acclaimed book is 2010’s Just Kids, which chronicled her relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe and earned her the National Book Award. Smith’s latest is Bread of Angels, a book she said was a decade in the making.
Bread of Angels recounts her relationship with husband Fred “Sonic” Smith, who died in 1994, as well as her upbringing and the start of her music career. The book’s release date, Nov. 4, carries significance as the date of Fred Sonic Smith’s death, as well as the late Mapplethorpe’s birthday.
Bread of Angels: A Memoir by Patti Smith
Publish Date: Nov. 4
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Smith appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last night, where she discussed the book. She told the host, “Truthfully, I had a dream that the book came in the mail and it was already written. In my dream, I was reading it… It seemed to express gratitude to the people I love and have lost —my parents, my late husband, my late brother, even my beloved dog — and I thought, ‘I should write that book.’”
She followed up her interview with a haunting performance of “Peaceable Kingdom” from the 2004 album Trampin’. Smith, who turns 79 next month, is also marking the 50th anniversary of Horses. Her breakthrough album, it is considered her opus, a foundational text in punk music, and one of the best albums of all time. The 50th anniversary tour celebrating the album lands in the US this month in Seattle, with stops in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and more. Smith already brought Horses to the U.K. and Europe.
You can check out the dates below and get tickets online at Ticketmaster or from third-party marketplaces like StubHub.
Nov. 10 — Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
Nov. 12 — Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
Nov. 13 — San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic
Nov. 15 — Los Angeles, CA @ Walt Disney Concert Hall
Nov. 17 — Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre
Nov. 18 — Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre
Nov. 21 — New York City, NY @ Beacon Theatre
Nov. 22 — New York City, NY @ Beacon Theatre
Nov. 24 — Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre
Nov. 28 — Washington, DC @ The Anthem
