PATTY HEARST
Patty Hearst (born Patricia Campbell Hearst; February 20, 1954) is an American heiress from the Hearst publishing family, who was kidnapped in 1974 by a student-led group in Berkeley, California known as the Symbionese Liberation Army. Isolated and threatened with death, Hearst was brainwashed into supporting their cause, making propaganda announcements for them and taking part in illegal activities. Hearst was found 19 months after her kidnapping, by which time she was a fugitive wanted for serious crimes. Her conviction and long prison sentence were widely seen as unjust. She was pardoned by President Jimmy Carter. (More from Wikipedia)
Conversely, one might think that deafness and music would not mix at all; but I trust that we have all by now seen the terrific Richard Dreyfuss movie Mr. Holland’s Opus that puts the lie to that notion. (For what it’s worth, I have had several people tell me that I bear a certain resemblance to Dreyfuss – particularly from the back I would say). The best known example is that of Ludwig van Beethoven (as long as I have mentioned Blind Melon, I might as well bring up the quirky 1990’s band Camper Van Beethoven, who dedicated one of their albums to Patty Hearst). Beethoven grew increasingly deaf as he got older; and by the time his Ninth Symphony was finished, he was profoundly deaf. Considering that this is one of the most beloved musical compositions of all time, his lack of hearing was certainly not a problem for this musical giant.
(June 2011)
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Patti Smith is renowned for reworking well-known rock standards to fit her vision and also of adding shock value to her music that surely made Alice Cooper smile; and that was true of the band’s first single from 1974, “Hey Joe” b/w “Piss Factory”. Patti Smith included a monologue about Patty Hearst (who had been kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army earlier that year) in the middle of her rendition of the 1960’s standard; while the latter song relates the salvation she received from the helplessness of her job on an assembly line after discovering a book by French poet Arthur Rimbaud (Jim Morrison of the Doors was similarly enthralled with Rimbaud).
(February 2014)
