Patti Smith - In Her Own Words

As part of Zawe Ashton's Three Wise Women curation of 6 Music, she selects Patti Smith: In Her Own Words.

Patti Smith shaped the New York City punk rock scene with her debut album 'Horses'. She's a poet, an artist, a singer and a songwriter who's pushed boundaries in everything she's ever done. Here, 6 music offers an intimate portrayal of this fascinating artist through her own words from interviews recorded across her career.

Patti arrived penniless in New York in 1967 and met her future muse and partner, photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. She shares their relationship and what went on behind the scenes when he took that famous photo of her for the album cover of 'Horses'. She describes the thought process behind her poetry and songwriting and her feelings about artists like Janis Joplin and Barbra Streisand.

She reveals her love of poetry and how she thinks of music as war. Plus the pivotal theme of God and religion emerges again and again throughout the music of her epic and varied career.

Patti Smith reveals her dramatic life through interviews recorded across her career