From: les@jmdl.com (JMDL Digest)
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Subject: JMDL Digest V3 #343
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JMDL Digest Tuesday, September 8 1998 Volume 03 : Number 343
The Official 1998 Joni Mitchell Internet Community Shirts are available
now. Go 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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Photographic Memo-reeez Part Deux ["Julie Z. Webb" ]
After all she introduced us... (long) [Michael Yarbrough ]
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Date: Tue, 08 Sep 1998 00:35:55 -0500
From: "Julie Z. Webb"
Subject: Photographic Memo-reeez Part Deux
"It's All A Dream, She Has Awake" or
"Captured memories of New England JoniFest at Ashara's" 2 by JulieZW
11. I kept seeing this young blonde man weaving in and out with a digital
camera. "Who is that?" I asked... Someone said John Lasater. And it
clicked---that kid from Duke:
jhl1@acpub.duke.edu If it weren't for the "very cool" Joni name/email
badges that Heather designed I would be lost. And it's the email name that
brings it all home for me when I first meet jmdlers. John's another one
who plays Joni on the guitar. When I find out that there are high school,
college kids and grad students who know more about Joni's music than I do,
(Sorry but I've gotta say this: ) then I know that there **is** hope for
the future. I found John to be so dear...like buttah---- He just melted
my heart, and just for me, he played on the piano Elton's "Come Down in Time."
12. It was dark now and the mosquitoes were getting aggressive. I was
sipping wine, sitting with Patrick and Michael watching someone getting
ready to perform on the deck. Patrick and I were trying on our best New
York accents pretending we were Woody Allen singing "Twisted": "Moiy
analysttttt towlddd me, I was rigt outta my heddddd--oy vey!!." And then
Yarbrough hillariously does his "YO" Beasties Boys version. Someone said
something about Sinatra singing "Both Sides Now, baby" (We've gotta think
about having a Joni comedy hour at Colorado Jonifest 99) Then, I looked
up and there was another blonde-haired person, and she wasn't in the
bleachers instead she was on stage playing and singing a Sarah Maclachlan
tune. It was the Claudvsclaud@worldnet.att.net or jmdl newcomer, Claudia
who drove all the way from York Pennsylvania. Claudia's repatoire of Joni
songs was impressive and I so enjoyed hearing her perform, and found her to
be a kindered spirit who I wish I could have spent more time with. It's
nice to know that she doesn't live so far from me here in Pittsburgh
Pennsyvania. (Hey Claud, mi casa su casa.....)
13. Let's face it, there is always one person you are especially curious
about when preparing to attend a party. If I had to pick that one person
Id have to choose, it was: THE CHILIHEADS Who is this man I had
wondered? From his slightly formal posts which are often beautifully
written, I imagined this weathered, withered and wise
gentleman-farmer-kind-of-guy. Maybe it had something to do with his
vegetable garden-name-dropping....you know when he wrote "Gardening has
always been a part of my life, Hot weather makes hot chilies.... yadda
yadda yadda" Or the way he reverently refers to his wife as "Mrs Chili."
This is not someone under 50 I had thought. WRONG! The Chili's get my
vote as the most chic, handsome, engaging and young JMDL married couple in
the NorthEast. I am just so sorry that I hadn't talk to them more! (I was
busy compulsively singing every damn song being played. I swear Ashara had
snuck
"Sing-Till-You-Drop-Dead-Even-Though-You-Sound-Like-A-Mule" pills in the
vino.) Anyway those Chilis brought the lovliest Joni gift bags! THe bags
were yellow with ribbons round the top. On the front panel was the
painting of Joni from TTT which was color-printed out and fastened to the
bag. Inside were sculpted, painted, butter cookies in the shape of a
sunflower and vegetables. (Hey Bri, my kids devoured those cookies when I
got home.....Moments later I found them drooling----zombie-like while
watching TV and eating old popcorn kernals from the bowl from the night
before.....hmmmmmmmm whatja guys got in that there garden of yers????)
14. I hadn't known Bryan "Joni's Gonna Hate This" Thomas was coming to
Ashara's. How can I describe Bryan? He's magnetic and so cute too. What
can I say, he's just got "it." There was a point in the party when we
coerced Bryan to play something for us "real good for free" when the entire
party crowd was stuffed in Ashara's living room and gathered on the floor
after the Dollyshit Joni Junk Give-away. Bryan and his lovely fiance were
looking sleepy and about to leave to go home to Albany, and I selfishly
wouldn't let up and pushed him to play something before he left. He
hesitated, but you know, I am persistent. So Paz handed him the VG8 and
Bryan broke into "Little Green." It came from so far deep from within him
and washed over all of us like an electric current. Afer hours and hours of
doing Joni music in our best Joni way, it was spellbinding to take a break
from imitation and get a dose of Bryan putting his unique r&b magical spin
on Joni's music. It was my high point of New England Jonifest 98.
15. Since David Wright, Kakki, Heather, Marsha, Lamadoo, Marian, Pearl,
Patrick and Michael Yarbrough were at Jonifest Pittsburgh------I won't go
into too much detail since we all know each other for some time and can
call each other friends. It was more than joyful for me to see them all
again. There is so much about the party not mentioned: David's musical
input, Kate's Joni Quiz Contest, the DollyshitJoni Raffle and my co-host
Heather, that Blonde wig, etc etc
16. But it's time for me to close with my tribute to the special person
called Ashara who opened her house and heart to **all** of us. What an
extrordinary woman who possesses a wonderful vision and appreciation for
life and all things connected to it. One gets the feeling that a life can
be changed by merely knowing her. Thank you Ashara for your generosity and
nurturing spirit! More hugs, -JulieZW
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Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1998 01:35:49 -0400
From: Michael Yarbrough
Subject: After all she introduced us... (long)
But she doesn't regret that now! :-)
My New England Jonifest experience began with a lovely multi-hour wait
in the traffic jams of MD, DE and NJ as John Lasater, David Wright and
I made our way to pick up Patrick at a train station in Westchester
County. Lucky Patrick had to wait only three hours past our expected
arrival time! Needless to say, we were already a little frazzled and
somewhat silly.
In addition to TTT the stereo played host to Lauryn Hill's masterful opus,
_The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill_, which all of you are going to kick
yourselves for not buying sooner. It's an instant classic--the reviews
have name-checked Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and, yes, Joni
Mitchell--and I highly recommend it.
We finally arrived in Boston not quite 12 hours after setting out from
DC and met my fabulous friend Nora for a rushed Indian meal and a
little conversation before David and John headed out to Ashara's and
Patrick and I strapped ourselves on the back of Dyke Bikes for a tour
of queer Boston. The ride made me feel as butch as I've ever felt
(which is, I acknowledge, not very), but I have to lodge a minor
complaint against Boston's 1:00 a.m. bar closing time. On our ride
we passed by the ocean, and I was reminded of the unique
refreshment of ocean aromas. I was happy.
The next day started with a little conversation with Nora's equally
fabulous roommates and a stroll through Cambridge to the Harvard
campus. To our fascinated surprise, it was freshmen move-in day
on campus, and the aspiring sociologist in me turned a few
cartwheels. Suffice it to say that the construction of, ahem, privelege
starts early at Harvard U. After a little observation and a lot of
unintentional exploration, Patrick and I settled into the gorgeous 16th-
century Italianate interior of the Fogg Museum for some early 20th
century German art and a smaller version of the Lafayette portrait
that hangs in my place of employment. After a satisying meal at
the improvisational grill of Fire and Ice, we eventually headed out
to the airport to gather Julie and her lovely newly-tanned supermodel
self for the venture out to Topsfield.
Ashara's began with a round of hugs and a couple of patented
Yarbrough gins-with-a-splash-of-tonic. They must have worked,
because it only took one to get me singing along! ;-) Everything
you've heard about the shrimp is true--hopefully its originator will
share the recipe with us (HINT, HINT) so we can all enjoy its smoked,
creamy flavor as a memento of the Jonifest.
Bryan and Patrick and I bonded for a bit about Me'Shell NdegeOcello
(my other favorite artist) when Bryan mentioned that her first record
struck him as a sound to which to aspire. I would discover later that
Me'Shell herself could learn a thing or two from a certain Mr. Thomas.
But more on that later.
Rickie Lee generously gave me a tape he made of some selections
of Emmylou Harris, as well as some great cuts from Freedy Johnston,
Cassandra Wilson, and our mutual fave, Nil Lara. This tape would
come in handy on the drive home...
I did get a chance to drop "Lost Ones" from Lauryn Hill's debut (did
I mention that it's amazing?) and was surprised to see how well the
hip-hop track was received. A few bodies bopped along to it,
including Marian's and Rickie's if I remember correctly. It was cool.
After another gin-with-a-splash-of-tonic, I joined Maggie in the indoor
sing-a-long for some fabulous harmonies that were in our own key if
no one else's. Also spent some time, ahem, experimenting with
percussion on the floor with Jim Lamadoo. Sing-a-longs sure are
fun if you don't give a s**t what you sound like.
The absolute highlight of my entire weekend had to be Bryan's
performance of "Little Green," though. In years of favorite live-music
experiences, I have rarely been so profoundly touched as I was then.
Me'Shell, Patti Smith, and Cassandra Wilson will all have to make
way as Bryan joins my list of all-time favorite music performances.
I've often thought that if I had any talent as a rock musician I would
love to combine the compelling immediacy of soul with the literacy of
Joni and the catchy pop melodies of Big Star. I carry that burden
no more, though, because Bryan does that all better than I could ever
hope to. I disappeared for a bit after he left because I was
compelled to spend some time with myself after that thrilling
performance. More than one tear dripped off of my cheek. I am
still a little shaken by it. Bryan, I can't thank you enough for sharing
that with us. I hope I get the chance to hear you again.
Much, much later Marian, Michael P., Jim, Kakki, Patrick and I
gathered to share our ambivalence (NOT!) about a wide range of
artists. Between Michael P., Patrick and me, I think you could find at
least one person who loves any given record and one who hates it,
but our discussions were charged with the respect accorded music-
lovers by their own kind. It was another highlight.
A few minutes later I woke up for bagels and OJ to the sounds of
Lori Lieberman, a fantastic singer-songwriter Pearl shared with us.
After more good conversation and a few bittersweet goodbyes, John,
Patrick and I headed out once more on the long journey back toward
real life. Mary J., Patty Griffin, and Sam Phillips kept us company
as we toured the beautiful backroads of Danbury, CT, where the
children are slow and the on-ramps are few. Eventually we found
the highway that would later bring our hejira to its end. A fun and
exhausting weekend for which I thank everyone involved.
See you all in Colorado...
- --Michael
NP: Belle and Sebastian, _The Boy with the Arab Strap_
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Date: Mon, 7 Sep 98 23:39:19 -0700
From: Wally Breese
Subject: TTT, etc.
Hey everybody,
I think it's very cool that my post regarding SoundScan album sales
stimulated some discussion on how to best help Joni sell a huge number of
albums in Taming The Tiger's first week of release. I think that's what
we're all trying to do. I don't think, as one Joni-phile spoke about,
that we should purchase huge quantities of the album and then return the
product later. That's an interesting and brave concept, but it would
likely backfire. So I don't recommend doing that. What I do recommend is
that we all buy the album during it's first week through a store that's a
verified SoundScan participant. If you're unsure, ask the store's
manager.
I've asked my friends who have already listened to the CD of Taming
The Tiger to send me their review of the entire album or just one
particular track on it. I'm designing a site right now to promote Joni's
new album and I'll include these reviews there. I also invite all of you
to send me your reviews of the album after you buy it come September
28th/29th. My pages that will include your reviews will be up and
launched by the day of TTT's release. More on this soon...
Later this week, I'll be launching a new "Conversation" page, this
one with Ingrid Pastorius, the widow of Jaco Pastorius, Joni's renowned
bass player in the late 1970's. Ingrid is also the mother of Jaco's twin
sons, who turned 16 this past June. "The Guys" as she calls them, are
musicians like their father, one plays the bass, the other plays the
drums. Read Ingrid and my conversation which includes a bunch of great
photographs. This page will be launched in just a day or two, so keep
checking jonimitchell.com!
Later,
Wally
The Joni Mitchell Homepage
http://www.JoniMitchell.com
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End of JMDL Digest V3 #343
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Siquomb, isn't she?