Patti Smith received the key to New York City from Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday. At a press conference, Smith accepted the award alongside her guitarist Lenny Kaye before the two performed “Ghost Dance”.
“I was thinking this morning, when I learned of this honor, what have I done in New York City, what have I given New York City to earn this,” Smith began her acceptance speech asking. “But most of all I was thinking of what New York City gave to me.”
Smith went on to recount her experience moving to NYC in 1967 from her childhood home in rural Deptford Township, NJ. The singer/songwriter/poet/author profiled her early years in New York City and her relationship with iconic photographer Robert Maplethorpe in great detail in her 2010 memoir, Just Kids.
“I wish I could give New York City the key to me, because that’s how I feel about our city,” Smith said. “With all its challenges and difficulties, it remains—and I’m quite a traveler—the most diverse city in the world.” She added, “To receive this at 75, it makes me look even more forward to the next 25 years.”
Related: Patti Smith Shares “Grateful” Tribute To Jerry Garcia On Death Anniversary [Watch]
Mayor de Blasio praised Smith’s work, saying, “She has done so much to light the way, and she has done it here in New York City.” He went on to call Smith’s 1975 debut Horses one of the greatest albums “in the entire history of rock and roll” and say that “Ghost Dance” “grips me to this day.” Smith appeased the mayor with a performance of the song alongside Lenny Kaye.
In addition to awarding Smith a key to the city, de Blasio presented the musicians with a cupcake in honor of their 75th birthdays—Kaye’s was on Monday and Smith’s on Thursday. With the clock winding down on his administration, Mayor de Blasio has also awarded filmmaker Spike Lee and Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) with keys to the city.
Watch Patti Smith receive the key to New York City below and skip to 14:00 to watch her and Lenny Kaye perform “Ghost Dance”.
Music Icon Patti Smith Given Key To NYC By Mayor Bill de Blasio
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