Service95 Book Club With Dua Lipa From the Archive – Just Kids: Patti Smith On Art, Memory & Life-Changing Connections
Nov 25, 2025
In a heartfelt discussion, Patti Smith, the influential poet, musician, and author of the memoir Just Kids, shares her journey of writing about her profound connection with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. She opens up about the promise she made to him, the challenges of writing through grief, and how memory can be transformed into art. Patti delves into the energy of 1970s New York, the significance of mutual support in creativity, and her perspective on punk as a form of freedom. This conversation captures the essence of love, loss, and artistic legacy.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
A Promise That Became A Book
- Patti Smith promised Robert Mapplethorpe on his deathbed that she would write their story.
- She carried that vow through years of loss, family duties, and a decade of shelving before finishing Just Kids.
Persist With Long Creative Projects
- If you believe in a creative project, persist even if it takes years to finish.
- Patti encourages anyone struggling with art to keep returning to it, citing her ten-year process for the book.
Memory As Cinematic Storytelling
- Patti wrote Just Kids cinematically so non-readers could see the scenes unfold.
- She only included moments she could vividly picture, shaping memory into visual narrative.
