Two Times Intro: On the Road with Patti Smith

“In Stipe’s startling photographs and 12 brief written homages, Patti Smith is depicted as a down-to-earth goddess, a part of and apart from her evolving entourage of musicians, artists, poets (Allen Ginsberg makes an appearance), and friends. This isn’t a traditional book of portraits . . . The overwhelming mood is one of disjunction, claustrophobia, exhaustion, temporariness—and the effect is raw and intimate . . . And [Stipe] is no longer the ‘dork nerd’ teenager, but a fellow musician—and from his proud, caring mien, even a protector.” —Publishers Weekly

“An energetic and gracious tribute to not only a great artist, but also to a powerful moment in her oeuvre—and to those who contributed to it and shared in it.” —New York Journal of Books

With words by William S. Burroughs, Michael Stipe, Oliver Ray, Paul Williams, Jutta Koether, Tom Verlaine, Thurston Moore, Jem Cohen, Lisa Robinson, Lenny Kaye, Kim Gordon, Frances Yauch, and Patti Smith.

Photographer Michael Stipe followed friend and fellow musician Patti Smith on tour for two weeks in 1995. Two Times Intro is his intimate and evocative visual diary of her return to live performance, along with portraits of other cultural celebrities, such as Allen Ginsberg, who appeared with her. From 1975’s Horses to 2007’s Twelve, Smith’s creative vision has been a singular, explosive catalyst for artists and musicians worldwide—including Stipe. As William S. Burroughs writes in the introduction, Patti Smith’s “effect on the audience is electric, comparable to voodoo or umbanda rituals, where the audience members become participants, and are literally lifted out of themselves.”

In addition to text by Stipe (including a brand-new introduction for 2011), William S. Burroughs, and Patti Smith, there is also commentary from Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon, Lenny Kaye, Tom Verlaine, and others who have been inspired by Smith’s work.