In the world of rock and roll, few artists have had as much influence as Patti Smith. Her journey to stardom was not about playing millions of notes or chasing fame, but rather about expressing herself authentically and making a difference. Smith's heroes, like Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix, were artists who used their music to make the world a better place. This is what inspired her to forge her own path in the industry.
However, the New York music scene of the 1970s was a far cry from the New York of Smith's youth. Lou Reed had opened her mind to the potential of lyricists, but the city was also awash with bands trying to emulate the glitter scene. The New York Dolls were one of the biggest bands in the world, but Smith felt a strange trepidation when it came to talking about Kiss. Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons were clearly ready for primetime, but their first album cover was not exactly an expression of artistic freedom. Instead, it was a circus act, and Smith felt that Kiss lacked the substance she sought in rock and roll.
Kiss was far from the only band to use pyrotechnics, but they were among the main offenders. In fact, Kiss may be one of the few bands that was almost allergic to making an artistic statement. While they had their moments of theatrics, their more embarrassing records, like Music From the Elder, were a result of trying to make a sophisticated statement without knowing how to express it. Simmons treated Kiss like a corporation from day one, and while he could write great tunes and turn stages into exciting places, Kiss was always pandering to the rock culture, whether it was hair metal or grunge-flavoured music in the 1990s.
Smith, on the other hand, wanted to take rock and roll back to basics. She didn't want the corporate side of rock and roll to win out, but Kiss was a business first and a rock and roll band second. This is why she felt that Kiss didn't represent the direction she wanted to see rock and roll go. In her opinion, Kiss was all about light shows and smoke bombs, and not about the substance that Smith sought in music.
In conclusion, Patti Smith's disdain for Kiss was not just about their use of pyrotechnics, but also about their lack of artistic integrity. Kiss was a business first and a rock and roll band second, and this is what Smith wanted to avoid. She wanted to take rock and roll back to basics, and to express herself authentically, without the corporate influence that she saw in Kiss. This is what makes her such an influential artist in the world of rock and roll.
