Two Times Intro: On the Road with Patti Smith

By Michael Stipe

Brand-new introduction by Michael Stipe.

R.E.M. has a new album coming out in March 2011.

Michael Stipe and Patti Smith are household names for all contemporary music fans.

Patti Smith recently won the National Book Award

• Language: English
• Publisher: Akashic Books
• Release date: Aug 30, 2011
• ISBN: 9781617750700

Reviews for Two Times Intro

[jasonpettus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)For those who don't know, the great small press Akashic Books was actually started by famed rock musician Johnny Temple; and so despite its more literary offerings as of late, this has kept Akashic still dedicated to putting out books by other musicians on a regular basis too. For example, take the photography book Two Times Intro: On the Road with Patti Smith, originally put out in 1998 by REM frontman Michael Stipe with another publisher, and just now being re-released in a gorgeous new oversized format, which consists basically of casual images shot by him during Smith's 1995 US tour with Bob Dylan, literally the first time she had been on the road since 1979. To tell you the truth, the photos themselves are merely serviceable at best -- lots of blurry black-and-white shots of exhausted-looking hipsters in florescent-lit back hallways of various music venues, not really anything you would even pay much attention to if not for all the famous people associated with it -- but that said, it's certainly a fascinating book precisely because of all the famous people associated with it (including appearances by Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, Tom Verlaine, the members of Sonic Youth and more, all of whom showed up backstage at various stops on this tour), and the short text tributes to Smith by these people, scattered throughout the manuscript, are well worth your time too. Not really something to pick up unless you're an existing fan of Smith, but definitely an interesting acquisition if you are.Out of 10: 8.2