From: les@jmdl.com (JMDL Digest)
To: joni-digest@smoe.org
Subject: JMDL Digest V3 #313
Reply-To: joni@smoe.org
Sender: les@jmdl.com
Errors-To: les@jmdl.com
Precedence: bulk
JMDL Digest Friday, August 21 1998 Volume 03 : Number 313
The Official 1998 Joni Mitchell Internet Community Shirts are available
now. Go to for all the details.
-------
The New England Labor Day Weekend JoniFest is coming soon! Send a blank
message to for all the details.
-------
Trivia buffs! We are compiling an in-depth trivia database on all things
Joni. Send your bit of trivia - or your questions you would like answered -
to
-------
And don't forget about JoniFest 1999! Reserve your spot with a $25 fee.
Only 100 rooms have been reserved. Send a blank message to
for more info.
-------
The Joni Mitchell Homepage is maintained by Wally Breese at
and contains the latest news, a detailed bio,
Joni's paintings, original essays, lyrics and much more.
-------
The JMDL website can be found at and contains
Joni-related interviews, articles, member gallery, info on the archives,
and much more.
==========
TOPICS and authors in this Digest:
--------
FW: from the Patti Smith list [Michael Yarbrough ]
RE: [trxschwa ]
Groupies [Steve Garrison ]
Re: JMDL Digest V3 #308 ["Nixon" ]
Chuck Mitchell [Steve Dulson ]
48 (NJC) [Steve Dulson ]
Zithers (VLJC) [Steve Dulson ]
Re: yet another voice on the prez.... [FredNow@aol.com]
Re: could be sexual....but.... [FredNow@aol.com]
My meeting with Joni [AzeemAK@aol.com]
Re: yet another voice on the prez.... [FredNow@aol.com]
Joni @ the Garden [Sue ]
Re: Groupies [catman ]
JoniFest 99 Room Rates [Leslie Mixon ]
Afghanistan [Leslie Mixon ]
Wag The Dog? ["Happy The Man" ]
Re: JMDL Digest V3 #308 [TerryM2442@aol.com]
Re: yet another voice on the prez.... -Reply (NJC) ["Kakki" ]
Re: yet another voice on the prez.... -Reply (NJC) [IVPAUL42@aol.com]
Re: positively can't WAIT! (NJC) [Helen Gill
Subject: FW: from the Patti Smith list
Thought y'all would enjoy this...
<<>>
- --Michael
NP: R.E.M., _Murmur_, "Moral Kiosk"
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1998 18:07:03 -0400
From: trxschwa
Subject: RE:
happy birthday jamiejake! lucky you, your brother has taste...
patrick
np - etta james - mystery lady
- -----Original Message-----
From: Hassan Zubairi [SMTP:hz@famelon.demon.co.uk]
Sent: Wednesday, August 19, 1998 6:24 AM
To: 'JMDL'
Subject:
It's my Birthday!!!!
love from JamieJake
NP: Sketches for my Sweetheart
a present from my brother
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998 17:31:44 -0400
From: Steve Garrison
Subject: Groupies
Pretty much standard "groupie" behavior, I'd say. Perhaps it's only
here within the dank confines of the Beltway that it's fully appreciated
that there are political groupies as surely as there are rock music or
any other variety of groupies. They seem to be cut from pretty much the
same cloth (beg your pardon) and the squirreling away of "souvenirs"
doesn't seem out of character.
catman wrote:
>
> The saving of that dress seems preety well planned to me. hardly the action of a
> poor girl seduced by a mean President. I wonder if she was paid to do this....
>
>
>
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998 02:43:37 +0200
From: "Nixon"
Subject: Re: JMDL Digest V3 #308
Subject: Re: Clinton's Real Message -Let's Set The Record Straight (NJC)
Terry-did you make that up? It was very good. John thinks so too. I think
the
'fallen' often make better leaders-if they can see themselves and others
clearly. Saints tend to have no tolerance for shortcomings in others and as
a
result can be dangerous.
Although I not an American, I feel safer with him than Bush or Reagan.>
Yeah, Terry, I really enjoyed it too.
And I was glad Clinton sent that little wierdo Perot running in the last
election - (was that his name? The one who thought he could make President
on a WWII veteran ticket?) Out of touch or what?! He'd have killed us all,
on both sides of the Atlantic.
So Clinton lied - show me an honest politician - They've all got something
to hide, in varying degrees, from simple spin, all the way up to murder.
("Michael, you're so naive, senators and presidents don't have men killed."
"Now who's being naive Kay?")
Bill was on a male power-trip. When you reach the desk of the Oval Office
you're arguably the most powerful and privileged man in the world. There's
nowhere else to go but down - Unless you can find some bimbo half your age
to kneel down between your legs while you gaze across the White House lawn
and consider your exalted position in the world. Only then do you have a
full set of baseball cards...
It's an instance of making the best a little better. Yes it's immoral, yes
it's inexcusable, yes it shows up inconvenient character traits for a
president, like greed and weakness of character and infidelity, but it's not
unforgiveable if Bill is capable and willing to learn from his mistakes. If
he will "go and sin no more" he may come out of this a better man.
Where I used to work, a couple were fired after they were caught screwing in
an office. This struck me as very unfair dismissal. Okay, so it was on
company time, but no-one would have fired them if they'd only been caught
having a cup of tea and a cigarette together. What does it matter what they
were doing, the crime was that it was on company time. Wasting company time
might be disciplinable, but not a matter for instant dismissal.
As for Bill telling Monica to lie, all this has done is to irretrievably
(for the public perception of Clinton) break the taboo that a president
should never lie, when in fact everybody knows that presidents lie
frequently.
Bill's been silly, and deserves a good scare and a good whipping, but leave
him in the White House for now and let's see if he wises up.
Tube
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998 15:04:40 -0700
From: Steve Dulson
Subject: Chuck Mitchell
Greetings from Mr. Mud! I sure hope you only get this once -
what's lower than mud? :)
On a whim I asked the FOLKDJ list if anyone knew what Chuck
Mitchell was up to these days. I got this from Mike Yuhas,
at WYMS, Milwaukee:
At 8:59 AM -0700 on 8/20/98 Steve Dulson said:
>Does anyone know what Chuck Mitchell (Joni's ex) is up to these
>days? I heard he was going to play The Ark recently, but that's
>the first I've heard of him in years.
I met him at a regional Folk Alliance meeting a few years ago. At the time
he was living in Almond. Wisconsin; not sure where he's at now. As I recall
his songs at the open stage were good. He impressed me as being a real nice
fellow.
Love,
Mike
WYMS/Milwaukee
##############################################################
Steve Dulson Costa Mesa CA steve@psitech.com
"The Tinker's Own"
http://members.aol.com/tinkersown/home.html
"Southern California Dulcimer Heritage"
http://members.aol.com/scdulcimer/
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998 15:23:28 -0700
From: Steve Dulson
Subject: 48 (NJC)
Mariana wrote:
>Maybe when I4m 48 years old, I4ll want
> that quiet too, but as of now, I want something LOUD FAST AND EXCITING!
Hey, kid, us old farts like the LOUD FAST AND EXCITING stuff once
in a while...just not TOO loud...maybe a LITTLE slower...gotta
check my pacemaker....
##############################################################
Steve Dulson Costa Mesa CA steve@psitech.com
"The Tinker's Own"
http://members.aol.com/tinkersown/home.html
"Southern California Dulcimer Heritage"
http://members.aol.com/scdulcimer/
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998 15:26:53 -0700
From: Steve Dulson
Subject: Zithers (VLJC)
>From: Howard Wright wrote:
>Yep, our lady of duality. It's just a one-column feature for Joni, but not
>a bad one (apart from the slip up about Joni playing "piano, guitar and
>zither" on the Blue album!)
It has pretty much been accepted in the dulcimer world that, technically,
the instrument is a "fretted zither", so they weren't far wrong. The
Hungarian dulcimer-like instrument is called a "citera" - the same word
as zither.
How many copies of the LA Times review would you like? :)
##############################################################
Steve Dulson Costa Mesa CA steve@psitech.com
"The Tinker's Own"
http://members.aol.com/tinkersown/home.html
"Southern California Dulcimer Heritage"
http://members.aol.com/scdulcimer/
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998 18:24:47 EDT
From: FredNow@aol.com
Subject: Re: yet another voice on the prez....
Mary Grace Valentinsson wrote:
>>I think that the question of how he gets his sexual release can have
>>
bearing on his job.
And look what happens when he doesn't get that release? He bombs Afghanistan!
- -Fred
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998 18:30:27 EDT
From: FredNow@aol.com
Subject: Re: could be sexual....but....
JJM wrote:
>>It could be a sexual thing. Depends on YOUR perspective, but I'd like
>>
to think that Joni is talking about taming the mind from rampant,
>>
incessant swirling around in order to be still and understand basic
>>
goodness. Then again, she is a Scorpio...I wouldn't put anything
>>past a
Scorpio when it comes to sex! Very exciting creatures.
Well, there you go ... I'm a Scorpio, too.
- -Fred
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998 18:30:04 EDT
From: AzeemAK@aol.com
Subject: My meeting with Joni
It must have been 1990 or 1991. Joni was in London to promote an exhibition
of her paintings (at the Broadgate complex). I heard that she was doing a
radio interview on Greater London Radio, London's best station by a mile, and
definitely the most Joni friendly. A friend of mine, Ian, and me, both arch
Joni fans, thought this was a chance to say hello to the great woman. So, we
found out when the interview was being recorded, got to the studio in good
time (bunking off work early...), and waited in reception.
I'd been restrained: instead of taking all 15 albums along with me, I
restricted myself to Hejira (of course), Hissing and Don Juan (I had recently
discovered it, and was particularly in love with "The Silky Veils of Ardor" -
even the title is genius).
She was late. The interviewer, Trevor Dann, was heard to mutter something to
the effect that "she's always late". Fortunately for Ian and me, he'd
disappeared back behind the scenes when Joni arrived, so as she waited in
reception, we approached and said hello. Well, she was absolutely charming.
She chatted to us for about 15 minutes, signed our LPs, and regaled us with
the story about when she went to a party in blackface and John Guerin didn't
recognise her. She also said she hoped to see us on the opening night of the
exhibition, the following Monday.
The opening night, it transpired, was Press Night, and we plebs weren't
allowed in. So we made up a wonderful sob story about having met Joni, been
invited to the opening night and having schlepped down from Manchester
especially. The guard took pity on us, and in we were.
I'd like to say it was a glittering, star-studded occasion, but we didn't spot
too many celebs; Roger Waters was there, Sam Brown, and Julia Fordham, who had
been singing Joni's praises in the music press, and was spotted leaving with
Joni and her entourage at the end of the night. Obviously they got on, as
Larry Klein ended up producing her 4th album!
We didn't get to speak to her again, but as she was heading out at the end she
spotted us and smiled. I like to think her smile said "Hi guys, I'd much
rather be talking to a couple of real fans than all these sycophants." Well,
you never know...
Azeem in London, just finished listening to Laurie Freelove's "Smells Like
Truth"
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998 18:36:40 EDT
From: FredNow@aol.com
Subject: Re: yet another voice on the prez....
Mark Domyancich wrote:
>>If being 25 is still being a kid, then you must be a very, very old
>>woman!
She is an adult, there is no way of getting around it. She
>>knew exactly
what she was doing.
I'm a long way from 25, but still remember that at 25 I would bristle at being
dismissed as "just a kid." Some are wise at 25, some are dumb at 50.
In any case, it's been well documented that Monica bragged to friends that she
was going to Washington with her "presidential knee pads" ... and it sure as
hell wasn't to wash floors. We can surmise that he seduced her with his power,
but isn't it just as likely that she played on his well known weakness?
- -Fred
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998 19:10:01 -0400 (EDT)
From: Sue
Subject: Joni @ the Garden
I have finally been able to absorb Saturday's concert to the point where I
can write about it, so here goes...
Being on this list has given me the perspective that Joni is a person. I
remember at Julie's bash in April, Bev, she of the fishpond and writer's
contest fame, said that she would almost rather not meet Joni for fear of
the image being shattered (not her exact words here folks, but you get my
drift). Since that time I have though long and hard about this statement,
especially after Pearl and Kakki got to meet Joni and the dream appeared
not so distant.
Guess what I wanted to convey about the Garden is that we were so close to
Joni that you could see the tar stains from smoking on her teeth. This
image will always stick with me. She is a person. She revealed her
humanity by acknowledging our presence with the snapshot of us. She showed
it by miming the hug to the woman with the sign. Her genuine pleasure in
the performance was punctuated by the large smile that spread across her
face as she reentered the stage for her encore. She had heard our chants
of jo-NI and was responding.
Amy said that she would pay to hear Joni recite the alphabet. This thought
has some merit since in another life Joni must have been a storyteller.
When you listen to taped interviews of her she is mesmerizing. The story
of how Night Ride Home (which I sorely missed hearing at the Garden) came
about is just as satisfying as the song itself. Joni, you could go on a
lecture tour and fill halls with your stories. If you ever have to lay
down your guitar for whatever the reason, please consider this option.
Something truly paradoxical happened to me Saturday at about 4:00 P.M.. As
I waited for the crowds to disperse after Lou Reed so I could get a closer
spot for Joni, the opposite happened. While the selfish part of me was
quite upset, I gloried in the fact that the crowd absolutely swelled before
Joni appeared. Men with flowers, women with signs, groups other than ours
with banners. Something else transpired too. The fans for Lou Reed were
rowdy, chanting LOUUUUU before songs were complete. No such occurrence for
Joni's performance. Everyone around me was rapt in the music, giving the
respect that her art deserves.
You may notice that I have written nothing about how she sounded or the way
she was dressed. I will leave that to the experts. I would have paid the
entire ticket price to hear her and the band's tight 70 something minute
set only, it was that good. What I really wanted to comment on was
something that Joni said during her introduction to Woodstock. "One of the
hippie values I still adhere to is the Rainbow Coalition," she said. Oh
how this stuck to me as I looked around at our group with tears in my eyes.
Young, old, African American, Asian, Caucasian, thin, fat, left wing, right
wing, from Hoboken to Holland, Colorado to Ft. Lauderdale, we embody the
spirit that Joni referred to.
Thank you to everyone from the Joni Mitchell Discussion List (JMDL) for
making this Day in the Garden very special. Thank you Joni for giving a
performance I will remember for a lifetime. Last but not least, thank you
Wally for taking the time to create this homepage that has provided me the
opportunity to know so much more about Ms. Mitchell's art and given me the
chance to share that love with other fans. Get well and God bless.
Sue Cameron (Suze)
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1998 00:15:06 +0100
From: catman
Subject: Re: Groupies
I hadn't thought of it that way. I guess it would be like keeping Joni's knickers if
you ever got close. In that light, it does seem less connived.
Steve Garrison wrote:
> Pretty much standard "groupie" behavior, I'd say. Perhaps it's only
> here within the dank confines of the Beltway that it's fully appreciated
> that there are political groupies as surely as there are rock music or
> any other variety of groupies. They seem to be cut from pretty much the
> same cloth (beg your pardon) and the squirreling away of "souvenirs"
> doesn't seem out of character.
>
> catman wrote:
> >
> > The saving of that dress seems preety well planned to me. hardly the action of a
> > poor girl seduced by a mean President. I wonder if she was paid to do this....
> >
> >
> >
- --
CARLY SIMON DISCUSSION LIST
http://www.ethericcats.demon.co.uk/ethericcats/index.html
TANTRA’S/ETHERIC PERSIANS AND HIMALAYANS
http://www.ethericcats.demon.co.uk
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998 17:26:23 -0700
From: Leslie Mixon
Subject: JoniFest 99 Room Rates
There has been some confusion about room rates for the August 99 conference
in Colorado. The following from the conference center will hopefully answer
your questions:
The group rates are based on how many people are in the room. If there are
two people in Alpen Inn, each person pays $72. If there are two people in
Mt. Ypsilon Lodge, each person pays $58. The rates decrease based on
higher occupancy, because our goal is to maximize the occupancy in each
lodge room. Our American Plan group lodge rates listed in our rate
brochure are PER ADULT PER NIGHT, including lodging, three meals, use of
meeting space on written request, guest
membership and complimentary use of most recreational facilities on our
grounds.
Please email me if you have any additional questions.
Leslie
Leslie Mixon
http://www.cruzio.com/~stevem
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998 17:29:27 -0700
From: Leslie Mixon
Subject: Afghanistan
"I picked the morning paper off the floor
It was full of other people's little wars
Wouldn't they like their peace
Don't we get bored
And we call for the
three great stimulants
Of the exhausted ones
Artifice, brutality and innocence
Artifice and innocence
While madmen sit up building bombs
And making laws and bars
They'd like to slam free choice
behind us
Oh these times, these times
Oh these changing times
Change in the heart of all mankind
Oh these troubled times"
(portions of The Three Great Stimulants by you know who)
Leslie
Leslie Mixon
http://www.cruzio.com/~stevem
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998 19:34:05 -0600
From: "Happy The Man"
Subject: Wag The Dog?
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998 22:17:30 EDT
From: TerryM2442@aol.com
Subject: Re: JMDL Digest V3 #308
In a message dated 8/20/98 6:01:11 PM Eastern Daylight Time, ramnix@pronet.it
writes:
<< Terry-did you make that up? >>
I can set the record straight only on one thing here. No, I didn't make it up;
someone sent it to me.
Terry
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998 19:16:25 -0700
From: "Kakki"
Subject: Re: yet another voice on the prez.... -Reply (NJC)
>This is about "lying under oath" ... this is about attempting to hide material
facts
> of a criminal case from the eyes of the American Judicial system. This
> is about a sitting President convincing a young woman to join in a
> conspiracy of perjury. Clinton's arrogance isn't thinking he can get
> away with using White House interns for his carnal pleasure, it's
> thinking he can commit a crime and get away with it.
I've been trying to keep my mouth shut, too, but my reckless side has been
stimulated. Yes, lying under oath is the real issue although it has been quite
blurred by the media and public perception. All presidents may lie but it is
still illegal in the United States to commit perjury, i.e., lie under oath in a
legal proceeding. If you think it's a bad and stupid law, then lobby to have it
changed, but there probably would never be any semblance of justice without it.
Clinton originally lied under oath in a civil case (Paula Jones), not a
criminal case, but it is a criminal offense to commit perjury in any case,
whether civil or criminal.
As for the speculation about Monica's lack of character or her responsibility
to just say "no", the record shows that Clinton sent her love letters, love
poetry and gifts over a span of some time. At her young age it would be
understandable for her to perhaps believe he really cared about her. She never
came forward with her revelations until she was allegedly being pressured by
persons close to Clinton, and in the government employ, to commit perjury in
the Jones case and deny the relationship. Would anyone risk criminal
indictment to save an ex-lover's butt? Does anyone really believe she should
have done so?
I also can understand the sentiment that none of his personal life should ever
have been scrutinized, but whose actions provoked the whole chain of events in
the first place? Mr. Clinton himself. And we all know that these sex
scandals have constantly swirled around him since before he was elected. You
think he will learn now? Sure took awhile and cost a lot of money, not only to
taxpayers but to government employees who have had to foot their own bills for
legal representation. What do they get for their loyalty to Clinton? Some have
bills exceeding $100,000 while working on a yearly salary of $35,000. Starr is
not some private vigilante lawyer acting on his own. He was appointed by the
head of the U.S. Justice Dept., Janet Reno, to pursue these investigations.
And now we have surprise bombings in Afganistan and Sudan. I don't recall the
U.S. ever doing this (except in time of war) without some *minimal* diplomatic
protocol and/or disclosure to the U.S. people in advance of such actions.
The best thing I've read about all this is that Clinton is the elephant in the
living room that everyone is pretending isn't there. One can only hope it gets
better before it gets worse.
Kakki
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998 22:40:56 -0400 (EDT)
From: Sue
Subject: Re: FW: from the Patti Smith list
Micheal,
You wrote:
>>Thought y'all would enjoy this...
I can't tell you HOW much I enjoyed this! Everyone around us seemed to be
envious of our shirts (Thank you Les!!!) and I will leave it to Don to tell
you how many comments he received on the huge JMDL banner on the RV.
><<Garden" Joni Mitchell freaks had both a web page address and
>a list address on their shirts which made them really obvious.
>Wouldn't that help spread the word?>>>
Glad to read that we are indeed freaks. I wouldn't expect anything less
from Patti Smith fans. This is a true compliment!
NP: Patti Smith - Horses
Sue Cameron (Suze)
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998 23:30:05 EDT
From: IVPAUL42@aol.com
Subject: Re: yet another voice on the prez.... -Reply (NJC)
In a message dated 8/20/98 10:26:51 PM Eastern Daylight Time, kakkib@att.net
writes:
<< And now we have surprise bombings in Afganistan and Sudan. I don't recall
the
U.S. ever doing this (except in time of war) without some *minimal*
diplomatic
protocol and/or disclosure to the U.S. people in advance of such actions.
>>
I'm a little surprised, Kakki, that you were surprised by these retaliatory
bombings. It has been the policy of this nation since the Reagan
administration, and probably longer than that, to respond to terrorism as
swiftly as possible once the perpetrators are pinpointed, at least to the best
our information can provide.
And to disclose the targets beforehand would be ludicrous, would it not? To
expect the same would be naive.
I'll concede that is may be a good time for Clinton to order such strikes,
since it might help push this other nonsense off the front page, but I'm
suggesting that the response to the terrorist bombings in Africa would have
been the same regardless.
Paul I
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1998 13:34:38 +1000 (EST)
From: Helen Gill
Subject: Re: positively can't WAIT! (NJC)
you lucky Gerald! I had bought my ticket for tonight's (FRI) concert a
while back, in fact the day they went on sale, so I wasn't going to try
for both.
I eagerly await the show...never seen Bob before...my dad saw him at the
Manchester free trade famous/infamous concert so he's coming along again.
But Joni would just tAke the cake really! I have written to her via
various managery places recently asking her to come over here but so
far..to no avail. let's get campaigning!
ah you see everyone, there's two of us from Melbourne here...you'd better
watch out, we're taking over!
Helen, MELBOURNIAN.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998 20:31:26 -0700
From: "Kakki"
Subject: Re: yet another voice on the prez.... -Reply (NJC)
> I'm a little surprised, Kakki, that you were surprised by these retaliatory
> bombings. It has been the policy of this nation since the Reagan
> administration, and probably longer than that, to respond to terrorism as
> swiftly as possible once the perpetrators are pinpointed, at least to the
best
> our information can provide.
> And to disclose the targets beforehand would be ludicrous, would it not? To
> expect the same would be naive.
Paul,
Of course I am not suggesting that our government disclose targets in advance
in such situations. Nor am I surprised or unsupportive of retailiatory strikes.
But my recollection is that we handled situations like this a bit more
diplomatically in the past. The entire world and even members of our own
Congress were taken by surprise by this today. It just seems unusual to me.
I'm not jumping on the bandwagon to suggest that Clinton did this to "change
the subject", either. Even without his other concerns, these surprise bombings
today would have me wondering. I certainly hope, and want to trust that our
government did the right thing today.
Kakki
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1998 00:01:46 EDT
From: Ashara@aol.com
Subject: Joni Videos, Labor Day, and What I did on my Summer Vacation
Hi everyone!!!!
I am FINALLY back from a crazy, wonderful, whirlwind month and a half. Italy
was more than wonderful, and I had a wonderful time singing there. It is one
of the most beautiful countries I've ever been in, and my only disappointment
was not being able to rendezvous with fellow lister, Roby and his wife Maria
who live there. If anyone is interested in reading more about my experience in
Italy, I wrote about it in my most recent editorial:
The Light Network Home Page
Then on to Dance Camp for a week, where I danced with complete joy for about 8
hours a day, interspersed with lots and lots of singing. Home long enough to
do laundry, kiss and hug kids and pay a few bills, and on to facilitate a
dolphin swim in Bimini. It was one of the best groups I've ever had, and even
though it was a "working vacation," I came back rested and tan!
So this brings us to the JMDL, Labor Day, and videos. First of all, I haven't
read a post since July, so if anyone said anything that I absolutely need to
know, please fill me in privately. I am hopelessly behind, with no way to
catch up on the backlog, so I will probably just start again from scratch.
Secondly, the most wonderful, incredible, fantastic, stupendous, Rockin',
Rollin' New England Labor Day Jonifest party is only ****16**** DAYS AWAY!!!!!
The countdown is starting, the instruments are being tuned, voices warmed up,
food prepared, surprises galore, trivia, and many, many other wonderful
happenings! Believe me, (have I ever lied to you?) you DO NOT want to miss
this event! People will be talking about this party for years (maybe even
decades) to come! If you know you are coming, please make sure you've sent in
your RSVP, questionnaire, and joined the party list. If you are on the fence,
get off it NOW!!!! (It's not so comfortable there, is it? Your rear will thank
you for it later, trust me!) We will really miss each and every one of you
that can't come for one reason or another, and know that all of you will be
here in spirit!
(For more info, please send a blank message to: info-jonifestne@jmdl.com)
For all of you that have sent me blank videos, now that I am home, I will
attend to that as soon as I can. I have run out of labels, and I am waiting
for the wonderful Sherrie to send more, so hang tight, and they will hopefully
be out soon! Hope everyone is having a fabulous summer. (Hmmmm, I hear that a
trip to the Boston area around Labor Day would be a great way to end the
summer....!!) ;-D
Hugs,
Ashara
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1998 02:51:20 -0400 (EDT)
From: Rachel Kramer Bussel
Subject: MOJO/women singer-songwriter book (no joni)
SOrry if this has been posted already - I was off in Toronto seeing fun
shows like Lilith Fair and Elliott Smith - but there is a LONG interview
with Joni in the latest MOJO - she is on the cover along with a bunch of
other artists. I read most of it and it was really interesting, and there
was some comment Wally made to her about her music that she mentioned.
Sorry this is so vague, but I wanted to chime in before I forget. I
arrived home to over 2000 emails from all my various lists and lots of
magazines and books to read and CDs to listen to. ALso, there is a great
book out now called SOLO: Women Singer-Songwriters In Their Own Words and
it's edited by Marc Woodworth. No Joni in it, but these women are
featured: Sarah McLachlan, Shawn Colvin, Jonatha Brooke, Cassandra Wilson,
Ani DiFranco, Mary Lou Lord, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Suzanne Vega, Holly
Palmer, Joan Osborne, Lucy Kaplansky, Jewel, Rosanne Cash, Dionne Farris,
SHeryl Crow, Lucinda Williams, Catie Curtis, Kate Campbell, Rosanne
Raneri.. I got mine from www.amazon.com but was just at my local Tower
Records (for NYC folks, the one at 4th and B'way) and they are selling it
too. I will share a brief snippet of Mary Lou Lord's section because I
love her to bits and she inspires me so much, and I found this part the
most touching. Hers is the only one I've read so far also. They are all
open ended statements from the artists, most between 15 - 20 pages and
some cool photos. I will have Mary Lou's photos and interview up at my
website at http://pages.nyu.edu/~rkb200/ most likely this weekend if
you're interested in reading more about it.
Mary Lou Lord:
...I also love the fact that I can keep songs alive by playing them for
people down there. [the subway] Songs only exist when someone hears them.
I especially like to play songs that have never been recorded, are stuck
in some archive, or hidden away on an unreleased album. Lately I've been
playing "I Figured You Out," a song by Elliott Smith, my favorite
songwriter right now. He was going to throw it away because he thought it
sounded too much like an Eagles' song. I told him that it didn't sound
anything like an Eagles' song to me and asked if I could record it. He
agreed to let me. The song is a reflection on bitterness that carries a
humble kind of anger, and I really feel that emotion when I play it. I
know other people get something strong from it too. It's just such a great
song that I didn't want to throw it away, to let it disappear. Even though
a song like that isn't necessarily getting airplay and the listeners
probably don't even know the name of the writer, during the three minutes
I'm playing it for the people standing around at the subway stop, the song
is living again, right then and there, in real time.
[snip]
Joni Mitchell says that songs are like children. When I wrote "His Indie
World," I was trying to illustrate that fact. I was hanging out with these
kids who were listening only to current indie music and I'd ask them if
they'd heard Nick Drake. They'd say, "No." Then I'd ask if they listened
to Joni Mitchell. They'd say, "No, and we don't want to listen to her."
Yet they loved Sebadoh and Lou Barlow. Lou Barlow adores Joni Mitchell;
without her influence he wouldn't be writing the songs these kids love so
much.
And then there are any number of indie musicians writing songs inspired by
someone like Lou Barlow who don't even realize they're producing songs
that are the grandchildren of Joni Mitchell's songs. They haven't even
listened to her work. It's important to know the history behind what
you're doing as a musician, to know where your songs come from, whose
children and grandchildren they are. I just adore songs, and I adore
songwriters. It's taken me a long time to realize that not everyone feels
that way. Not everybody wants to be an archivist, someone who keeps great
songs alive. Songs aren't like children to everyone.
ok, sorry that was so long everyone, but I like the way it sounds. I wish
I could've been at The Garden this weekend but I WILL see Joni next time
she is playing relatively near me.
:)
Rachel
------------------------------
End of JMDL Digest V3 #313
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Siquomb, isn't she?