Shirley Manson Hails Patti Smith as 'Extraordinary' Influence: Garbage Frontwoman on Punk Icon's Enduring Power

Garbage frontwoman Shirley Manson has never held back when it comes to expressing her opinions - and in her latest interview she has opened up on the "extraordinary" influence that Patti Smith has been on her as an artist.

In a new interview with The Line Of Best Fit to promote the deluxe reissue of Garbage's 2015 album Bleed Like Me, Manson lines up nine of her favorite songs; and among them is Patti Smith's "Revenge" from 1979's Wave album. After being introduced to Smith via the remake of "Gloria," Manson says she "ended up falling into a tunnel of love with Patti Smith that remains to this day. One of the touchstones in my life, who has inspired me as a human being and as an artist."

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Coming to prominence as one of the most influential pioneers in the late 1970s New York CIty-based punk-rock movement, Smith's steadfast resistance to categorization has only fueled her decades-long journey in music and poetry. Manson also mentioned she has shared the stage with Smith, commenting, "What really strikes me every time I see her play, is unlike every other artist I think I've ever seen in my life, she is augmented by her age, she's not diminished by it.

"Every time she appears, she appears even more powerful, even more potent, even more challenging, and arresting. She’s taking us to task, but it also feels to me like it comes from a place of real generous love, I find that really beguiling in her. And I think this is, again, why she has managed to straddle all these decades in an industry that eats women."

Manson also explained how she admires Smith's continuing relevance to a new generation of artists.

"it's so great again to see someone who was still considered underground, you know, until she released Just Kids, the book," she adds. "And then her reputation exploded and now she's enjoying mainstream success for the first time in her career, in her 70s. I'm not entirely sure if that’s ever happened before."

Garbage has previously announced after a five-year hiatus, they are returning to the UK and Europe this summer. Tickets for all their dates can be found here. Garbage has also announced that they will be playing the Ohana Festival on September 27 in Dana Point, Calif. Registration for a pre-sale passcode is recommended for the three-day event and can be found here.