Horses by Patti Smith
Patti Smith, the punk rock trailblazer who redefined New York’s music scene in the ’70s, is still stirring the pot at 77. In a fiery [paywalled] interview with The Times, she doesn’t mince words, dubbing Donald Trump “clearly unhinged” and cautiously throwing her support behind Kamala Harris in her run to become America’s first female president.
“America’s a mess,” she tells journalist Kate Mossman. “Harris has to juggle two worlds, and global issues aren’t even on the agenda. But with Trump—he’s unhinged. I’ve got to step back and do my bit, which is to vote.”
A lifelong Democrat, Smith looks up to Jimmy Carter, a man she says was decades ahead of the political curve on climate change and Palestine. “He’s a legend,” Smith says of the 39th U.S. president, who recently passed at 100. “He hung on just to vote for Kamala. That kind of commitment? Inspiring.”
For Smith, climate change is the hill every politician should be ready to die on. She’s frustrated that the pandemic sidelined the progress of young activists. “Our kids were out there, millions of them. I still pin my hopes on the youth. They’ll get it done.”
Last year, Garbage’s Shirley Manson called Smith “a beacon in the darkness,” adding, “She’s tough as nails and soft as a kitten’s belly. I’m in awe.”
