ABSTRACT
The image is a vital resource that forms complex propositions from simple and isolated elements. Each time an image relays desire, this image thinks, with unsuspected vitality, the drift of meaning. So it is that images penetrate the solid matter of our ideas without our knowledge. The seeming babble that characterized Smith's writing on the sleeve-notes to Horses is but one indication of her use of rhythm, sound, colour and ungrammatical and disjointed syntax that situate her within the avant-garde. The effect is one of discomfort. While the words are familiar today, the impact of seeing it in live performance - Patti Smith, dressed in white shirt and leathers, wearing dark glasses - remains nothing short of electrifying. The snarl of her vocal delivery is focused by her body language. The dramatic intrusion of 'Horses' into this otherwise docile scene was both timely and shocking in its impact.
