From: les@jmdl.com (JMDL Digest)
To: joni-digest@smoe.org
Subject: JMDL Digest V3 #339
Reply-To: joni@smoe.org
Sender: les@jmdl.com
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JMDL Digest Saturday, September 5 1998 Volume 03 : Number 339
The Official 1998 Joni Mitchell Internet Community Shirts are available
now. Go to for all the details.
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The New England Labor Day Weekend JoniFest is coming soon! Send a blank
message to for all the details.
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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
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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.
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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.
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The JMDL website can be found at and contains
Joni-related interviews, articles, member gallery, info on the archives,
and much more.
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TOPICS and authors in this Digest:
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Re: Re: Moving thru madness [Marilune@aol.com]
Defending Jane [Marilune@aol.com]
man from mars (sjc) [stevephoto@mindspring.com]
Re: TT review in Jane [MmeDido@aol.com]
What's already different about TTT [DKasc13293@aol.com]
RE: Moving thru madness [Rob Jordan ]
Re: NJC - Seattle's Bumpershoot festival [Mark or Travis ]
Sadie McKee, Man From Mars, cat [Seanapper@aol.com]
Re: NJC - Seattle's Bumpershoot festival ["Derrick ~" ]
Sadie info thanks [Diana Duncan ]
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Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1998 17:40:30 EDT
From: Marilune@aol.com
Subject: Re: Re: Moving thru madness
In a message dated 9/4/98 11:36:24 AM, sherrie.good@chronicle.com wrote:
>after reading even more post from folks about listening to Joni only, what
>i think (personally) is if i only listened to Joni i would have to scream,
>Boring! Boring! I would be snoring. not that she isn't the best. she is.
>the very, very, very best. Harlem in Havana is the best song I've heard
>since Turbulent Indigo's title track. it is so rich with flavor, it leaves
>me, as always, wondering, how does she do it? she is a mastermind.
>
>Michael said it for me when he said there is so much good music, and hardly
>enough time to hear it all. Lyle Lovett, Lucinda, Patty Loveless, Tammy,
>Nina Simone... i could make an almost endless list
And this is the truth! Somewhere around June, I realized I was pigeonholing
myself listening only to Joni. Every time I'd experimented, hadn't I found
something good? Wasn't Elliott amazing? And Sarah, wasn't Sarah just a
goddess? So now my record collection proudly boasts the wonderful works of
Kate Bush, the Foo Fighters, Nirvana, the Breeders, the Cocteau Twins, Tori
Amos...like sherrie says, i could almost make an endless list. The music is so
good, why should I shut myself off from it?
- -mariana
NP: Breeders, last Splash (want you, koo koo, cannonball)
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1998 17:47:38 EDT
From: Marilune@aol.com
Subject: Defending Jane
Since many people have been spouting hatred towards Ester Haynes and Jane
magazine, I just want to say, it's the best teenage magazine on the market.
I'm sorry it's true. So they trashed Joni, so what? It's not the first time
it's been done and it certainly won't be the last time. Ester is entitled to
her own opinion as are we all. So if she doesn't like it, she isn't going to
listen. Besides, how many teenagers do you expect to buy TTT anyway.
Jane is far my favorite, beyond seventeen, ym, or even Jump (for girls who
dare to be real...ha ha, the only thing real is that they put braces on the
models). So I will defend that wonderful magazine, even if they trash Joni
(but they gave elliott a stellar review last month!)
- -mariana
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Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1998 18:37:39 -0700
From: stevephoto@mindspring.com
Subject: man from mars (sjc)
After reading the comments about "man from mars" I got out my copy of the
"grace of my heart" soundtrack. and played mfm again, what a beautiful
heartfelt song! I am so excited abot the fact that joni recorded a version
for TTT. For those who don't know, the movie "grace of my heart" is a loose
interpretation of the rise of a young singer-songwriter during the height of
the Brill Buliding era in the 60s. Illeana douglas stars (I love her!) along
with John Turturro,Matt Dillon and Eric Stoltz. most of the songs on the
soundtrack are written to sound like 60s "girl group" songs even though they
were all written for this1996 release. and by the way, larry klein produced
some of the songs.
I would like to offer a big thank you to wally for making the cover art
fromTTT available to us, you rule! (I have it set as my desktop wallpaper.)
speaking of TTT, I have to agree with hz, I don't think it's a good idea to
"stuff the ballot box" when it comes to first week sales I think that if we
just buy extra copies for friends (sort of pre-christmas shopping)and spread
the word about the release to others, that will have a more lasting effect
on overall sales numbers.
much joni forever!
stevephoto@mindspring.com
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Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1998 19:09:43 EDT
From: MmeDido@aol.com
Subject: Re: TT review in Jane
Hi! this is my 1st day on the joni list...great to catch up with you all :)
I have noticed the poor quality of many music reviews in recent years.
They seem to be more intent on copping a cynical hipster attitude
than actually providing a critique the work ... heck...even greil marcus'
snippets in artforum are anoyingly snotty.... or maybe it's always
been that way and I am just getting cranky ;)
I have a theory that the anti-humanist trend in art and music is about
over. As far as joni's jazz leanings and the 'sameness' of her songs,
to me, these are signs of a heightened aesthetic on her part.
Moving beyond pop (hell, she did that years ago..) and more
into the realm of jazz and classical compositions, which are
ultimately more complex and satisfying, at least for me.
something like that.... maybe I've been reading too many art
magazines lately ;)
I look forward to hearing TT !!
glad to be here :)
claire
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Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1998 19:54:51 EDT
From: DKasc13293@aol.com
Subject: What's already different about TTT
The introduction to the material on TTT has been unique. Usually, upcoming
release dates would be listed on a blackboard in the CD store. That would be
impetus to make premature visits, just hopeful that there would be some kind
of stocking error.
I first heard Facelift and Love Puts on a New Face on the video tape tree.
Then I heard Man From Mars and Harlem in Havana on the KCRW interview. I went
to see Joni perform some of the songs live in Los Angelos. Followed by the
receipt of an advanced copy of the album on cassette, then on CD completely
unexpectedly in the mail. So, this child of Joni's has had a completely
different birth from my perspective. Buying a Joni album and taking it home
for the first time had really become a religous experience for me. Private
and meditative and in completely under my control. A series of special and
beautiful days.
My point here, is really two-fold. First, any of you gathering opinions of
the new material from cassette tapes and video tapes with secondary audio
quality have a real surprise in store when you get the actually CD. The
colors of the sounds are completely different, and have brilliant light and
life in their character. The introduction to Harlem in Havana is a very good
example of this. You don't get the subtle nuance from the cassette. Fair
warning, prepare to be floored!
Secondly, appreciating Joni is now no longer a private affair. This community
is so alive with well thought out composition and opinion that I don't feel
the need to explain my admiration for Joni's talent. So, when we all start
posting our opinions about TTT, it should be quite interesting for all of us.
I've never had an attentive audience who was knowledgable enough to respond to
the material.
Best,
Duane
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Date: Sat, 05 Sep 1998 01:45:06 +0100
From: Rob Jordan
Subject: RE: Moving thru madness
At 07:51 04/09/98 +0000, you wrote:
>Genuine junk food for juveniles, eh?
>Deb has a prediction. (Critics being distressingly predictable).
>Every good review of the new album will say something along the lines
>of "these songs are more than a one-night stand" or "these songs are
>more nourishing than junk food" or something.
Has anyone commented on Joni's comparison of her work with that of her
followers, from the Billboard article? "It's better for you and almost
tastes the same."
I thought this was apt and funny too!
Rob
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Date: Fri, 04 Sep 1998 18:11:55 -0700
From: Mark or Travis
Subject: Re: NJC - Seattle's Bumpershoot festival
heather wrote:
> There are so many good shows, so little time ...
I hear this. This weekend is Seattle's annual Labor Day extravaganza
known as Bumpershoot. This started as a small local arts festival and
has mushroomed into a monster. It's held each year at the Seattle
Center (former site of the 1962 World's Fair & still home of those
wonders of 60's kitsch, The Space Needle & The Monorail). I had the
pleasure of seeing k d lang open for Dwight Yoakum at Bumbershoot about
12 years ago before she became an icon. This year the festival boasts
the following acts (among many others):
Sean Lennon
Marcia Ball, Irma Thomas & Tracy Nelson
Buck Owens
Screaming Trees
Bonnie Raitt
Mary Lou Lord
Jethro Tull
Joan Baez
Dar Williams
Squirrel Nut Zippers
Unfortunately I'm not much into braving the crowds and paying the $14.00
entrance fee and then the price of tickets for the various shows on top
of that. The last big event that was held at Seattle Center was the
annual 'Bite of Seattle'. The place was wall to wall people and on that
Saturday night somebody fired a gun somewhere on the grounds and caused
a small panic that nearly turned into a riot. That incident would not
have happened in this city when I moved here 20 years ago.
I also have to confess that Lucinda Williams and Holly Cole did a free
concert sponsored by Starbucks in a waterfront park that is right next
to the building I work in last Friday night & I did not attend. If my
back had been a little better and the weather not quite so hot....oh
well. I seem to finally be coming through this incident with my back
after 2 months of varying degrees of discomfort. But I will have to
curtail my activities somewhat in the future...(It's hell getting old,
pure HELL)
Mark in Seattle
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Date: Sat, 05 Sep 1998 02:44:20 +0100
From: Rob Jordan
Subject: Re: Bruce Cockburn and Jonatha Brook (NJC)
At 12:55 29/08/98 -0400, Claud SansSoucie wrote:
> Are you
>familiar with Jonnatha Brooke. She sings some of the vocals on the Charity
>of night CD. Her first solo CD (I can't remember what it is called - it came
>out a few years ago) features Bruce on a killer duet with her. In general I
>really like this particular Jonnatha Brooke album! IMHO it is great.
It's called Plumb and I really love it too. I picked it up in a sale a few
months ago for 99 pence (that's $US1.65), having read lots of
recommendations on this list. Must be the bargain of the decade.
And the moment when Bruce enters on the song "War" is just perfect. He
wafts in like a foghorn out of the mist.
Rob
np: My best to you
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Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1998 21:07:38 -0500
From: Mark Domyancich
Subject: Re: Defending Jane
At 5:47 PM -0400 9/4/98, Marilune@aol.com wrote:
>Besides, how many teenagers do you expect to buy TTT anyway.
4! :)
_____________________________
| Mark Domyancich |
| Harpua@revealed.net |
| home.revealed.net/Harpua/ |
|___________________________|
- -State Mottos-
Illinois:
Please Don't Pronounce the "S"
Wisconsin:
Eat Cheese or Die
Pennsylvania:
Cook With Coal
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Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1998 00:00:53 EDT
From: Seanapper@aol.com
Subject: Sadie McKee, Man From Mars, cat
One of the problems of being on digest is that I'll read a post and
decide to respond to it, but before I do I'll get sucked into the next post,
and then the next one and the next one. Before long, I've forgotten what I
was originally going to write about and who wrote the original post, so I
don't write at all. Or I'll combine multiple topics into one post, as I'm
doing now.
Anyway, someone in a previous post noted that "Clouds" is dedicated to
Sadie McKee, and wondered who it was. I looked it up in the Brian Hinton book
(yeah, I know...everyone hates the book, but I enjoyed it. Besides, it was a
gift). In the book, McKee is identified as Joni's maternal grandmoter.
Hinton writes:
"Joni herself has credited Sadie McKee with bequeathing her a love of
music. Sadie was an oxen-ploughing pioneer. She also played the organ, wrote
poetry, and owned a gramophone player on which she would crank out grand opera
and symphonic works, echoing over the newly-dug prairies."
He later quotes Joni:
"My maternal grandmother, on the other hand, was a classical musician who
came East when the prairies opened up by train. She was Scottish-French and a
poet and a musician, but she still kicked the kitchen door off its hinges out
of her frustration at being trapped in the role of a housewife."
I have been listening to Tape Tree #7 a lot while driving lately.
Initially, I was hesitant to listen to the TTT songs included (I like for a
new release to be new to me when it is released, if that makes sense--the
surprises of hearing it for the first time sort of add to my "listening-to-a-
new-Joni-release ritual"). Of course, I couldn't resist, and have been
listening to the TTT cuts ever since. I think Man From Mars is such a
beautiful, moving song...it puts a lump in my throat every time I play it.
And the "big boo-hoo" line is OK. In fact, I like it there. I suppose
knowing that it was inspired by the (temporary) loss of her cat gives it an
extra "oomph" for me, since I still miss my beloved...
...Jude (nice segue, huh?). My dearly departed cat, Jude, who is now
chasing breadbag twisties across the skies, didn't seem to have any musical
preferences except one: she loved it when I'd sing "Hey Jude" to her. She
didn't care about other songs, and she'd actually get up and leave the room if
I tried to play the guitar (but then, so would anyone else).
My vacation, sadly, is over. It ended with a short trip to Victoria to
rendezvous with my mother and one of my brothers, who had travelled there from
Texas. It's a beautiful town, and I had the good fortune to be able to meet
our own Roberto.
Neil in Seattle
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 04 Sep 1998 21:25:21 PDT
From: "Derrick ~"
Subject: Re: NJC - Seattle's Bumpershoot festival
Hay-
It's Bumbershoot, actually;-) I'm heading down tomorrow to catch Rickie
Lee Jones & some others, and it looks really good. I went in 1994 as
well to see Richard Thompson. That was amazing...
- -Derrick
***
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http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Coffeehouse/4488
A haven for tribute, opinion, and creativity
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Date: Fri, 04 Sep 1998 21:30:12 PDT
From: "Derrick ~"
Subject: Re: Defending Jane
>Besides, how many teenagers do you expect to buy TTT anyway.
Well, one at least...;-) I know I'm waiting to buy it, as well as the
rest of Joni's older albums I don't have yet(For The Roses especially).
BTW, what is the 'NP' that I see people adding to the end of posts?
- -Derrick
***
A Bank Where The Wild Thyme Blows
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Coffeehouse/4488
A haven for tribute, opinion, and creativity
***
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 05 Sep 1998 00:12:13 -0500
From: Diana Duncan
Subject: Sadie info thanks
Thanks,
Neil in Seattle, Sue Mc, Deb M., and Jill for the facts about Sadie.
I don't know how I missed that all these years. This Grandma sounds like an
interesting lady. Hope Joni wrote down Grandma's stories or they will be lost.
I put my voice in today at our local music store and asked them when JM's
new album was coming out. The "kid" spelled the first name, Ton, in the
computer when looking it up. Correcting him, I asked if he'd ever heard of
her. He brushed it off with the phrase "There's a lot of musicians named
Mitchell".
You hear jokes about Arkansas, but they're all *true*. This is the back woods!
Diana,
Thinking about the party that must be going on in Boston right now!
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End of JMDL Digest V3 #339
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Siquomb, isn't she?