The Night Belongs To Patti Smith

Before you ring in the new year, ring in “Godmother of Punk” Patti Smith’s 65th birthday!

In addition to rock-n-rollin’ (watch her above doing a spine-tingling rendition of “Because The Night”), Patti Smith won the National Book Award and National Book Critics’ Circle Award last year for her memoir Just Kids. This year, she won Sweden’s Polar Music Prize, and used her acceptance speech as an opportunity to draw attention to famine in Africa. But the true hallmark of her success, obviously, was her appearance this year on Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Watch her give Vincent D’Onofrio a mythology lesson, then toast her with some pre-New Year’s champagne. And have a great weekend, and a happy new year!