Patti Smith review – utterly transformed by the power of music
Whether she’s dancing, eulogising Kurt Cobain or covering Lana Del Rey, Smith remains such a compelling and moving live performer
December 2023
Patti Smith ‘in good health’ after being hospitalised in Italy
Singer suffers sudden illness while on tour and cancels remainder of dates
October 2023
Holding the Note by David Remnick review – erudite portraits of musical greats
A collection of the New Yorker editor’s pieces on the likes of Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney and Aretha Franklin displays enviable knowledge and scope
August 2023
Beats connection: Allen Ginsberg’s inner circle – in pictures
A new exhibition of the Howl author’s intimate personal photographs finds him hanging out with Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs and Patti Smith
January 2023
Joan Didion to David Hockney: facing up to the art stars – in pictures
A new exhibition features bracing, intimate portraits of compelling cultural figures by Brigitte Lacombe, Catherine Opie and Tacita Dean
November 2022
The best original photographs from the Observer
Original Observer photography
Patti Smith: ‘I am who I am with all my flaws’
October 2022
Ranked
The 100 greatest BBC music performances – ranked!
As the Beeb celebrates its centenary, we take a look at its most memorable pop moments, from the birth of grime to the first sightings of Bob Dylan and Bob Marley, plus TOTP goes Madchester and countless classic Peel sessions
June 2022
‘Creem gave you a ground-level excitement about music’: the 1970s rock magazine makes a comeback
Founded in 1969, the Detroit title that first used the term ‘punk rock’ was daringly derisive but also often racist, sexist and homophobic – so why bring it back?
April 2022
Down the rabbit hole
What links Punchdrunk’s Burnt City to Patti Smith and John McEnroe?
As the celebrated theatre group launches a new immersive show, follow it down the rabbit hole via Damon Albarn, Meryl Streep and Glenda Jackson
March 2022
The reader interview
‘I experience joy very easily’: Patti Smith on Springsteen, the climate fight and the meaning of punk
The reader interview
Post your questions for Patti Smith
February 2022
Patti Smith’s life-changing gig at the Roundhouse
Letters: Owen Davies says the singer’s gig at the London venue on 16 May 1976 was a striking omission from the Guardian’s list of live shows that changed music
November 2021
Lenny Kaye: ‘Boom! I saw the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show and everything changed’
As guitarist in the Patti Smith Group and compiler of Nuggets, his place in music history is secured. His new book charts the story of rock’n’roll, city by city
October 2021
The best original photographs from the Observer
Original Observer Photography
‘We have to fight for what is right’: Patti Smith on gender, Sally Rooney and Cop26
Kitty Empire's artist of the week
Patti Smith review – communing with a rock’n’roll seer
Patti Smith review – punk, poetry and the raw power of connection
August 2021
Names in the news
Words don’t fail Patti Smith. That’s why she is still my superstar
Rebecca Nicholson
The singer outshone her modern rivals in a survey of the vocabulary of lyrics
December 2020
Patti Smith: 'As a writer, you can be a pacifist or a murderer'
As she prepares to ring in 2021 with a performance on screens at Piccadilly Circus, the punk poet explains why she’s optimistic amid the ‘debris’ of Trump’s years in office
