The Books - I Didn’t Know That
In this song, it’s possible to compare the artistic procedure of The Books and Robert Mapplethorpe. The Books appropriate a variety of samples taken from different sources, from recordings found in thrift shops to hypnotherapy and self realization tapes. Their compositions results in sound-collages, which can be similar to Robert’s collages, made from images taken from magazines he buys.
Hair - I Got Life
Patti decides to leave her family life behind and she takes the chance to live the limits of her life by moving to New York. The song is about the hippie counterculture and how they escaped from society’s norms to be free: “I got life, mother/ I got laughs, sister/I got freedom, brother/ I got crazy ways, daughter/ I got headaches and toothaches/ And bad times too like you”. In New York, Patti experiences the positive and negative sides of freedom.
Luna - Happy New Year
Patti’s symbiotic relationship with Robert is one of the most important and inspiring thing in her life. The song is about years passing and the love of two people: “But I loved her so I stayed on through the years […] Every twinkle in her eye is part of you”. The love between Patti and Robert was so strong, that they stayed ‘together’ through the years.
The sounds - I Wish You Were Here
This song is very sentimental and expresses the feeling of loss in a breakup. Patti is in this emotional state when Robert is starting to discover his nature. She feels like she lost the boy that she first met when he goes to San Francisco to experiment is sexuality (Smith, 79). Even if their love occur, Robert has changed.
BADBADNOTGOOD - CS60
The band is highly influenced by hip-hop music and they include their interpretations of Jazz in their songs. In the same idea, Patti is inspired by Rimbaud, Blake and Dylan’s work. She is slowly building herself with parts of what she finds interesting, just like the song, which incorporates part that are influenced by previous movements.
Hair - Manchester England
In this song, god believes in the human kind, which in this case is Claude. The love between god and his creation is mutual. This concept can reflect Robert’s belief: “I stand naked when I draw. God holds my hand and we sing together” (Smith, 75). In both situation God believes in the single person.
MGMT - The Youth
The song is about the youth culture today, and how they are becoming more nonconformist. Youth today are inspired by the 60’s youth movement, in which Patti and Robert participated. The essence of the movement is present when they are sitting in a park and being pointed out as “artist” by the people passing by (Smith, 47).
Foxygen - We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace and Magic
Patti doesn’t give much importance to school and decides to perfect her art by herself. The value of school for the youth of the 60s is not the same as today. The song suggests that school is now very important: “But if you're not in class then you cannot answer/ You can't be funny if you want to make money now”.
The Dodos - This is a Business
Robert meets his lover and Patron, Sam Wagstaff, who helps him very much to develop his art practices. Money is what gave Robert a chance in the art world. Since art is business, the song can reflect the situation of Robert and Sam: “show us your instant money making engine we have the money and the people's trust we don't really need you but you need us this is a business”. The only difference, is that Robert needed Sam as much as Sam needed Robert’s talent.
Dream Theatre - Octavarium
This extremely long song has a number of different parts that evolve. The sections are not similar but still make a song together. Which can be compared to the Hotel Chelsea and the people living there. Patti explains that each of the rooms are small universe, like a dollhouse in the Twilight Zone (Smith, 112).
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