From: les@jmdl.com (JMDL Digest) To: joni-digest@smoe.org Subject: JMDL Digest V3 #446 Reply-To: joni@smoe.org Sender: les@jmdl.com Errors-To: les@jmdl.com Precedence: bulk JMDL Digest Thursday, October 29 1998 Volume 03 : Number 446 Tour Pages: http://www.jonimitchell.com/Tour98.html http://www.jmdl.com/articles/tour98.htm ------- Join the concert meet and greet lists by sending a message to any of these addresses: -Syracuse@jmdl.com Rochester@jmdl.com CollegePark@jmdl.com -NewYork@jmdl.com Detroit@jmdl.com Toronto@jmdl.com -Kanata@jmdl.com Atlanta@jmdl.com ------- JoniFest 1999 is coming! Reserve your spot with a $25 fee. Send a blank message to for more info. ------- The Official 1998 Joni Mitchell Internet Community Shirts are available now. Go to for all the details. ------- The Official Joni Mitchell Homepage is maintained by Wally Breese at and contains the latest news, a detailed bio, original interviews and essays, lyrics, and much more. ------- The JMDL website can be found at and contains interviews, articles, the member gallery, archives, and much more. ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- Re: TOTALLY JONI (IN PERSON ) CONTENT [jan gyn ] Re: TOTALLY JONI (IN PERSON ) CONTENT ["Marsha" ] Re: TOTALLY JONI (IN PERSON ) CONTENT (long)I [catman ] Re: Joni in Time Magazine -Reply ["Deb Messling" ] Joni With An I prt 2 [catman ] Re: let the Virgo's rule! [heather ] Re: TOTALLY JONI (IN PERSON ) CONTENT (long)I [heather ] Re: TOTALLY JONI (IN PERSON ) CONTENT (long)I [Mark or Travis ] Re: Cheers to Joni in TV Guide ["Kakki" ] I need answers: Brian Blades & Greg Liesz (TJC) ["Happy The Man" ] Joni With An I Prt3 [catman ] Re: TOTALLY JONI (IN PERSON ) CONTENT (long)I [kg@ibm.net (Kenny Grant)] Madison Square Garden Tickets [Les Irvin ] Toronto ticket for sale [Les Irvin ] me off for a while (NJC) [Bounced Message ] re: The Dylan Louts -- Since When? [some millers ] Re: Clint Eastwood rogained....Joni never mentioned [Don Sloan ] Re: let the Virgo's rule! [MTDS ] Re: Detroit Set List [kg@ibm.net (Kenny Grant)] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1998 15:13:49 -0800 From: jan gyn Subject: Re: TOTALLY JONI (IN PERSON ) CONTENT Awesome! Totally Awesome! - -jan >The following was written by our own Sue Cameron (scam): > >Listers, >We are sitting here at the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham, Michigan after just >meeting up with JONI in the lobby. What can I say, my knees are still >trembling. It was time to check to see if our airport contingent had arrived. >They were waiting for us patiently and after introductions were given, we >began to pick up bags and head to the elevator. At that moment the door of >the elevator opened and who was standing in it? SIQUOMB herself, on her way ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1998 18:12:03 -0500 From: "Julie Z. Webb" Subject: Re: TOTALLY JONI (IN PERSON ) CONTENT (long)I At 04:52 PM 10/28/98 EST, you wrote: >We were hovering around the foyer area of the Lobby. Present were Marian, her >sister Jennifer, Mary P., Jim, Amy, Kelly, Jeanne, Terry, Robbert and me. We >closed in around her and Amy asked if she would sign our books. We had taken >the dust covers off as we were signing each other's books. Joni asked Amy >"What is this I am signing?" and Amy replied "This is your book of Poems and >Lyrics, Joni." >She autographed Marian, Amy, and my books graciously. OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, this is tremdous! I should have hitchhiked up, damn it!!! (Sue C, thanks for encouraging me by poem, and Mary P--by phone...) Your strategy in booking a suite at this particular hotel was brilliant, Terry and all! Meeting Joni has to be the ultimate experience for many of us jmdlers. Something tells me, that the best is yet to come....We want to hear all the details from your trusty laptop! Take photos! -Julie, Don Juan's Fertile, Sad Daughter, living vicariously and wishing I were there ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1998 16:08:00 +0000 From: Today in Joni History Subject: Today in Joni History - October 29 1969: The Saskatoon StarPhoenix publishes a strangely worded article about Joni entitled "Joni Mitchell Success Story." Read it at: http://www.jmdl.com/articles/ss691029.htm 1970: Joni performs with James Taylor at the Paris Theater in London. 1994: The London Independent publishes an interview with Joni. It reads "I grasped that smoking was an irritant," she says, "I didn't believe it was a cause." So (and here the story takes a mildly Californian twist) she sought a second opinion from a Hawaiian mystic called Oleta. "She's a two-powered mystic. With you fully dressed and lying on a table, she can see into your body by going wall-eyed, seeing light and shadow through your clothes. I said, 'Look in my throat, Oleta. Do you see death there?' 'No,' she said. This sounds so crackpot: she sent me water. The water was electrically charged and commanded to sluice and slowly restore. She fixed me." Read the rest at: http://www.jmdl.com/articles/lond-ind-941029.htm 1996: The albums "Hits" and "Misses" are released. - -------- Know a date or month specific Joni tidbit? Send it off to JoniFact@jmdl.com and we'll add it to the list. - -------- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1998 18:29:49 -0500 From: "Marsha" Subject: Re: TOTALLY JONI (IN PERSON ) CONTENT To Terry and all who died and went to Joni heaven this afternoon: >She looked well rested and not at all unhappy to see some true fans. CONGRATULATIONS! I imagine you help set the tone for a wonderful concert tonight! Way to go JMDL! Marsha, so happy for Marian and Robbert who traveled very far ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1998 23:49:18 +0000 From: catman Subject: Re: TOTALLY JONI (IN PERSON ) CONTENT (long)I oooohaaaah Mrs! TerryM2442@aol.com wrote: > The following was written by our own Sue Cameron (scam): > > Listers, > > We are sitting here at the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham, Michigan after just > meeting up with JONI in the lobby. What can I say, my knees are still > trembling. It was time to check to see if our airport contingent had arrived. > They were waiting for us patiently and after introductions were given, we > began to pick up bags and head to the elevator. At that moment the door of > the elevator opened and who was standing in it? SIQUOMB herself, on her way > to a sound check. I saw her and my jaw dropped. I couldn't say anything, so > I slapped Amy on the arm. She quickly darted around the potted palm and at > the same instant Terry spotted Joni. > > She calmly said "Hi, Joni!" and that is when the fun began. Robbert, who had > seen the Indy show and witnessed Joni's reaction to a rude audience member > decided to drive from Indy straight to the Townsend to drop a lovely note to > the concierge to give to Joni. She looked at Jim and said "Are you Robbert?" > and he said yes, only to have the real Robbert step up and say hello. > > She relayed to Robbert the fact that she had shared the note with her band > mates and they really appreciated the positive feedback. Terry told Joni > thanks for touring again, and she replied that she is enjoying being out on > the road with Bob and her band. Robbert asked if her could have his picture > taken with her, and she complied. After that Terry stepped up and had her > photo taken too. > > We were hovering around the foyer area of the Lobby. Present were Marian, her > sister Jennifer, Mary P., Jim, Amy, Kelly, Jeanne, Terry, Robbert and me. We > closed in around her and Amy asked if she would sign our books. We had taken > the dust covers off as we were signing each other's books. Joni asked Amy > "What is this I am signing?" and Amy replied "This is your book of Poems and > Lyrics, Joni." > She autographed Marian, Amy, and my books graciously. > > At this point the thug in the lobby decided that our gathering was drawing too > much attention, so Joni eased over to the side lobby where the cushy chairs > were. Amy was talking with Joni about her birth name being Amelia and that > she was given up for adoption. Standing by listening were Mary P., Terry, and > Marian. Thug junior approached me and Jeanne and asked what we were doing. > Of course we had luggage as we were just checking in, so we told him that. > > Shortly after the thugs descended, Joni eased her way to the door. Terry told > her that she would be taking pictures of her tonight at the concert for Wally > and the web page. She told Terry that she would look for her bobbing head. > > Well, do you want to know what she was wearing? A small chocolate brown > leather > cap with a brown leather jacket hanging over a olive green shin length skirt > with brown tights and brown clogs. Slung across her left shoulder was a > medium sized knitted sachel. Her height? A bit shorter than Terry, so we are > thinking about 5' 6". > She looked well rested and not at all unhappy to see some true fans. > > What an experience. Some quotes now from the crowd. > > Joni said about the audience members who were making so much noise: > "I tried to avoid them by looking to the left and right, but when they started > to mimic my actions, 'the wrath of Joan' descended on them." Later on she felt > bad about things and thought maybe they were fans so she smiled at the woman > as she left the stage. She mouthed an apology, smiled, and the woman lit up. > > When Terry told Joni that she was taking pictures for the web site, Joni asked > "What is your connection to Wally's website?" Terry replied that we were all > fans and had traveled far and wide to see her in concert tonight. > > Terry told Joni that Marian was her greatest fan. Marian gushed "I love your > music, I love you, Joni." > > Jeanne's quote about the experience? "Oh my God, oh my God!!!" > > Mary appreciated the fact that she didn't take the three o'clock flight into > Detroit, as we would have missed the chance encounter with Joni. We want to > thank Mary for taking the 2:10! > > Marian's sister Jennifer couldn't believe that they had the good fortune to > have decided to wait for us in the lobby rather than heading up to the room. > > We told Joni that she could join us after the concert if she wanted. We told > her we were in room 329. When we got back to the room, guess what time it > was... > 3:29!!!! Synchronicity! > > Robbert's last thought about this great chance encounter: "I died and went to > Heaven." ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 00:29:10 +0000 From: catman Subject: Joni Article JONI WITH AN 'I' You couldn't overstate the depth and breadth of Joni Mitchell's achievements. Well, not while she's around to do it herwelf.... by Neil Struass Slices of afternoon sun cut through the blinds of a dark second-floor room in the Hollywood Athletic Club as Joni Mitchell, cigarette hanging from her thick lips, bends over a pool table and meticulously lines up a shot to sink the yellow ball. 'You're stripes,' one of her pool partners explains. 'Oh,' she exclaims and switches angles. She is distracted. there is too much going on. Present in the room are a mixture of friends and family, including her daughter, Kilauren Gibb, whom she met for the first time a year and a half ago after giving her up for adoption in 1965. Kilauren is a model(as her mother once was) whose real wish is to be on the other side of the camera(like her biolgoical father, a Toronto photographer). Now, she takes pictures of her five year old son Marlon, who seems like a model and actor in the making. 'Pretend like you're excited,'Paul Starr, Mitchell's friend and makep artist, tells Marlon, who widens his mouth and eyes adorably. Paul mimes snapping a photo.'Now pretend Joni's going away,' he says. Marlon pauses for a moment, and then pulls a forlorn face. 'That was hard,' he says. 'I couldn't imagine Joni going away.' Suddenly, at 54, Mitchell has settled down. In the last two years, she has become a mother and grandmother simultaneously. Seeing the family together, one would never think that she, her daughter and grandson, had ever been apart. 'The coming of the kids hasn't come out in my art yet,' she says, referring to her latest projects-a new album, Taming The Tiger, a US television special and a book of poetry. But she has recorded music with herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter and 'They're convinced', she says,'They can hear my family in my tone. It has more full blooded femininity.' to be coninued ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1998 19:33:41 +0000 From: "Deb Messling" Subject: Re: Joni in Time Magazine -Reply Here's where I gotta unburden my guilty conscience and confess that I once cut out an entire Joni Mitchell article from a library magazine. I was young and besotted, what can I say? Hunterdon County Library, please forgive me! (Hey, I don't want a job there ANYWAY). > Gosh, but we hope THAT's a facetious comment least you get an earful > from the list librarians and those just don't support vandals!!! ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 01:20:16 +0000 From: catman Subject: Joni With An I prt 2 That's just the beginning of the new complete Joni, one of the most influential and immodest songwriters of the last 30 yrs. Since inheriting her new family, Mitchell has suddenly become acquainted with pop culture. She watchesd Taxi repeats, reads kids' books to her grandosn, and has rediscovered Disney films. 'I used to be monastic, almost,' she explains with a touch of wistfulness.'Now I'm like a Tibetan who has discoverd hamburgers and television. I'm catching up on Americana.' Bewtween pool shots, Mitchell speaks words that fans of her more complex albums such as Hejira and DJRD might be surprised to hear:'I do want to make some light songs now,' she says. 'I think that comes from watching a lot of comedy. People will probably not enjoy it as much as the deep suffering that I've done in the past. And I don't even know if I can do it.' Talking about her music, Mitchell compares herself to Mozart, Blake and picasso;she says that the lyric to one of her songs 'have a lot of symbolic depth, like the Bible' and describes her music as so new it needs its own genre name. In discussing her forthcoming autobiography, she explains that there is no way to fit her life into one volume; it needs four.(She already knows the first line:'I was the only black man at the party';musical colleagues later explain she sometimes feels 'like a black man in a white woman's body.') Yet even as she lives up to the stereotype of the difficult artist, Mitchell is 'a good-time Charlie', as she puts it, in her private life. Although her most famous work is her most melancholy(particularly her introspective Blue album), she insists her music is also filled with joy. 'I'm not a pitiable creature,' she says. 'It's just that I suffer very eloquently.' ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1998 20:33:28 -0500 From: heather Subject: Re: let the Virgo's rule! At 09:26 AM 10/28/98 -0800, you wrote: >Isn't that what we do best anyway? :-) >Liz...hopeless Virgo...born 9/17 > yes and it is oh so tiring ;-) Heather (born 9/20) 12 of 12 midnight to be exact. My Grandma used to tell me that those born around midnight would have visions throughout their life. I wish I could get a vision of those winning Loto numbers! :-D ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1998 20:57:55 -0500 From: heather Subject: Re: TOTALLY JONI (IN PERSON ) CONTENT (long)I At 04:52 PM 10/28/98 EST, you wrote: >>We are sitting here at the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham, Michigan after just >meeting up with JONI in the lobby. What can I say, my knees are still >trembling. It was time to check to see if our airport contingent had arrived. >They were waiting for us patiently and after introductions were given, we >began to pick up bags and head to the elevator. At that moment the door of >the elevator opened and who was standing in it? SIQUOMB herself, on her way >to a sound check. I saw her and my jaw dropped. I couldn't say anything, so >I slapped Amy on the arm. She quickly darted around the potted palm and at >the same instant Terry spotted Joni. "We were standing in the lobby of the Townsend Hotel We were tired from the travelin' We were thinking 'bout ourselves Dragging our luggage down 'round our knees Along comes the Lady we long to see ..." This is waaaaay too cool, you guys!! I am so so so so happy for you all! Heather ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1998 18:37:32 -0800 From: Mark or Travis Subject: Re: TOTALLY JONI (IN PERSON ) CONTENT (long)I Mark or Travis wrote: TerryM2442@aol.com wrote: > > The following was written by our own Sue Cameron (scam): > > Listers, > > We are sitting here at the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham, Michigan after just > meeting up with JONI in the lobby. > Robbert's last thought about this great chance encounter: "I died and went to > Heaven." This is giving me chills! What a great story! You people are so lucky and I'm so happy for all of you! Mark in Seattle ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1998 18:29:01 -0800 From: "Kakki" Subject: Re: TOTALLY JONI (IN PERSON ) CONTENT (long)I >They were waiting for us patiently and after introductions were given, we >began to pick up bags and head to the elevator. At that moment the >door of the elevator opened and who was standing in it? SIQUOMB >herself, on her way to a sound check There could not be a better example of absolutely divine synchronicity and timing! I am very happy and thrilled for all of you!!! Terry - I salute and admire your perfect poise in the moment - you've learned well from people like me who were babbling goofs in SIQUOMB's presence! I imagine at this time the tequila is being chilled, the crystal ashtrays are polished and the room is well-stocked with the American Spirits?? Party on - we can't wait to hear more! Kakki ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1998 18:38:23 -0800 From: "Kakki" Subject: Re: Cheers to Joni in TV Guide Womby wrote: >Hey, doesn't Joni have a habit of getting stuck in front of unruly crowds? >Think Isle Of Wight, think that benefit concert in the 80s (was it Live >Aid? I can't remember....she had to go on before a popular group like U2 >or something and the audience started throwing stuff at her), and now >Indianapolis. I thought of this today: "You're acting like tourists, man" Isle of Wight - 1969 "No one ever asked Van Gogh to paint A Starry Night Again" - - Miles of Aisles - 1974 " If you don't dig the music, fine, but don't pitch shit up here at us - have a little respect" - Amnesty International concert - 1986 "you assholes, drunken dumbfucks, filthy little shits, we're human beings, you're not watching a movie up here" - Indianapolis - 1998 The newly reconstituted Joni - ah yes. Kakki ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1998 20:51:24 -0600 From: "Happy The Man" Subject: I need answers: Brian Blades & Greg Liesz (TJC) Questions on Brian Blade. Did he do Dylan's album after Joni's or before? If he did it before he did Joni's did she find through Dylan? If this has been posted and I am just got a mind fart let me know. Questions on Greg Liesz Is he Canadian? I see a distinct style I haven't seen since Steve Howe. He plays great on Jann Arden last album. Peace, Craig NP: Sam Phillips—Omnipop ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1998 22:16:25 EST From: WirlyPearl@aol.com Subject: Re: TOTALLY JONI (IN PERSON ) CONTENT (long)I What an absolutely wonderful, uplifting experience for all of you, including Joni there at the hotel. It was a thrill to read, and all the better because you shared it together as jmdler's. How did happen you know she was staying at that hotel? Does anyone know what hotel Joni is staying at in Atlanta?? Looking to make reservations... Pearl ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1998 21:20:16 -0600 From: "Happy The Man" Subject: Cable Access (NJC) Does anyone currently on the list have a cable modem hooked up to their computer at home? If so what are the benefits and what are the negatives of using it? We just received this technology in our subdivision and am wondering if this is worth it. The church is signing up for it because it also gives us access to taping programs but that is a month away and they are offering a special deal through the end of this week. Let me know. Peace, Craig NP: Barenaked Ladies—Stunt ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 03:33:26 +0000 From: catman Subject: Joni With An I Prt3 Although Micthell is credited as the godmother of current female singer-songwriters she has always held such sisterhood somewhat in contempt.('girlie guile/genuine junk food for juveniles,' she sings on TTT.) 'One guy came up to me and said, 'you're the greatest female singer-songwriter in the world,' she remembers. ' I was thinking: what do you mean female? That's like saying you're the best Negro. Don't put a lid on it: it transcends boundaries.' At lunch at the Daily Grill in Brentwood, her home away from home, we talk over tuna sandwishes. After 19 albums, many of which have been heavily criticised upon their release only to be hailed as classics later, Mitchell is upset by her new album's mixed reviews. There is a frustration that even though she believes she has done better work, she still can't compete with the popularity of her earliest music. Why does she still worry what the world thinks? For years, she rightly complained of a lack of recognition and appreciatiion compared with the male musicians of her era. But now she's acknowledged to be a giant: in the past four years, she has won a Grammy award for the best pop album, been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and been honoured with a Century award from America's Billboard magazine. Still-as insecure as she is immodest-she categorizes her awards as dubious: 'it's like that line of Dylan's. 'you know something is happening here but you don't know what it is, do you Mr Jones?' Thats what most of my honours feel like. They knew they had to do it but they weren't quite sure what to illuminate in my work.' Mitchell has always defined herself as not being who others have expected her to be. She came down with polio when she was nine. Five years later, having recovered, she wasn't just walking, she was dancing. When she dropped out of art school due to her pregnancy with Kilauren and joined the folk circuit, she denied that she was ever a folk singer. 'I came into the game playing classic art songs,' she says. 'But I looked like a folk singer, like the girl with the guitar. So folk music was easy and I needed money for art school. It wasn't until I was 21 that the desire to compose and create came back.' to be continued ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 29 Oct 98 03:53:35 GMT From: kg@ibm.net (Kenny Grant) Subject: Re: TOTALLY JONI (IN PERSON ) CONTENT (long)I Of course, because such an exciting thread is going on, I'm having huge email probs with both my software and my ISP and loosing lots of messages. THANKS Colin for including Suze's ENTIRE message in your reply (just yesterday I was gonna criticize you for this bad habit, glad I didn't! :-) Suze, Terry, Mary P., Marian, Robertt, et. al., I'm so happy for you, what a thrill! It couldn't happen to a more *deserving* group of fans, almost all of you travelled far to see her! -Kenny waiting for the next digest :-) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1998 22:39:09 -0700 From: Les Irvin Subject: Madison Square Garden Tickets From Larry Shapiro : I will probably have two tickets available at cost in section 205. Please e-mail me privately if you are interested. Please provide a telephone number. I would prefer to sell them to someone who can pick them up during the day in Manhattan on Thursday or Friday. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1998 22:40:01 -0700 From: Les Irvin Subject: Toronto ticket for sale From Murray Littlejohn Hi, We have an extra ticket for the Toronto show that is available at 'cost' of to the highest bidder. The seat is on the floor in the RR section. Give Lise a call at (416) 966-2553 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1998 22:46:38 -0700 From: Bounced Message Subject: me off for a while (NJC) Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 11:03:20 +1100 (EST) From: Helen Gill well my holidays are about to begin, a whole three months. Being away from the university I will not have a great deal of access to a computer so I will be uns.ubscribing for a while. I will still be able to read personal email occasionally so keep that coming! congratulations to those who met Joni.....woweee. and congratulations fo r being able to hold a proper conversation with her, I don't think I'd manage that much! these holidays I have one ambition.....to learn the Freddy. bye then for a while! 'stay in touch' la lala al llal alaaaa. helly. in Australia. http://fly.to/helly. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 00:54:26 -0500 (EST) From: some millers Subject: re: The Dylan Louts -- Since When? >Date: Tue, 27 Oct 1998 11:02:23 PST >From: "Don Rowe" >Subject: The Dylan Louts -- Since When? >It seems that Joni's been heckled at every show so far, to >some degree or another, by some jerk impatient for his Dylan fix. So >what happened? Since when did louts and clowns start listening to >Dylan? I first noticed this rabble element among Bob's flock during the 30th anniversary tribute gala at Madison Sq. Garden, wherein they booed Sinead O'Connor off the stage (because of her shredding of the Pope's portrait during a live "Saturday Night Live" television broadcast). I was really bummed to hear about the harassment she had to endure from some twits in Indianapolis, but thrilled to hear that it sounds like the crowd ultimately rallied around her. In yet another bit of synchronicity, while driving home from my weekly stint at the food coop, I heard a great song come over the radio (via "Mountain Stage" in WV) at about the very same time JM was on the stage in Indy. It was from a band called "The Bottle Rockets", and the chorus was: "Stuck in Indianapolis and I can't go west or east Stuck in Indianapolis with a fuel pump that's deceased" Maybe someone near JM could get a copy of that song into her hands... she'd probably get one hell of a laugh out of it right about now. hasta luego- paul s. bethlehem, ny ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1998 22:02:44 -0800 From: Don Sloan Subject: Re: Clint Eastwood rogained....Joni never mentioned Fabulous! Simply Fabulous!!!!!! Laughed my Clint- and Joni-lovin a** off reading this one over and over again. Thanks!! Don you wrote to JMDL: > I can just imagine Dirty Harry as a jazz musician, staring down with jutted > jaw those who would talk during his set: "I know what you're thinking: > there're 88 keys on my piano, and did I use them all... Well? Do you feel > lucky, PUNK-" > - -jan ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 01:14:37 EST From: JAWebster2@aol.com Subject: dream come true in Detroit So I'm sitting here trying to figure out how to start this e-mail, and I think I've finally got it........... I met Joni Mitchell! I met Joni! I met Joni! I met Joni! I met Joni!!!!! I guess that covers it. I mentioned before that I'm the jazz buyer for the Borders chain and that my Warner/Reprise rep (a wonderful guy and huge Joni fan himself) was doing his darndest to get me backstage. Well he called me this morning and said it looked good, that there was a 90% chance that I would get to meet her. The way he put it was: "If she has a good set, she'll want to share it with people backstage...but if she gets heckled again, then chances are really slim." So I spent all day at work bouncing off the walls, trying hard not to get too excited. My husband and I left Ann Arbor for Auburn Hills (about a 1 1/4 hours drive), and got to our seats just in time to get situated and see Dave Alvin. Tim enjoyed the set, but I was a little too fixated on JONI to think about much of anything else. I looked around for evidence of other JMDL-ers, but nothing caught my eye. After Dave Alvin's set, my Warner rep found me and handed me a backstage pass, warning me again that if Joni wasn't happy with the performance, that there would probably be no meet and greet. Yikes. I did run into Jules, a fellow JMDL-er *and* fellow WEMU music host. We've known each other for years and never knew about the other's Joni obsession. Crazy. So Joni comes out, and I can't yell and scream suddenly because I'm choking up. All I can think is "That's Joni Mitchell!" She sounded and looked beautiful and confident. I was awestruck. I did finally find my voice, and unfortunately probably deafened the Dylan fans in front of me with my yells of appreciation. Maybe I felt like I had to make up for all the people in the audience who didn't seem all that interested in what she was doing. So of course there was a jerk in the front row ("right in my eyeballs" Joni said) giving her a hard time. Strangely enough, it was right before "Sex Kills" again that Joni launched into this person. She then started Sex Kills and had to stop again, saying something like, "I guess I'm a horse who can't run on a wet track". She spoke some more to the person in the front row, some of it off-mic (did anyone hear what she said?), then came back to the mic and said "I'm cool now", and proceeded to launch into a blistering version of Sex Kills. At this point, I'm thinking there's no way she's going to want to meet with some retail schlubs. I wanted to go jump on whoever was giving her a hard time. Then a miracle happened. When Joni put down the guitar and started Trouble Man, she suddenly won over the whole audience, and the applause was thunderous. I was looking at her with binoculars from the 25th row so it was hard to tell, but she looked awfully pleased. Comes Love was earth shattering for me. I loved it. Then she came back for an encore of that darned Woodstock song, and it was all over. I kissed my husband goodbye, and ran off to find the label people. We all gathered as a group to the right of the stage, and a security guy led us around to the backstage area. We stood in a little waiting area for about 20 minutes. At one point, a guy came back and let us know that Joni's manager had arrived, and that might prevent her from meeting with us. My stomach was doing flip flops at that point. About 5 minutes later, Joni's manager came back and led us to her dressing room. On the way there, he warned us that she also had friends back there, and that we should keep our visit to four minutes maximum. I told him that was all the time I needed to have a dream come true. He seemed to really dig that. So there she was. She apologized for not standing up, but motioned to her feet and said they were killing her. I waited for the label people to make the introductions, and when it was my turn, I grabbed her hand and said "I'm the jazz buyer, and I am a....really big fan", which elicited some laughter from the other 7 or 8 people in the room since I almost cried when I said that. I felt like a moron. I waited for everyone else to be introduced, then presented her with the booklets for Mingus and Hejira. I told her that they were two of my favorite records and that I hadn't been able to choose which one to ask her to sign. She said "Well hell...I'll be happy to sign both of them!" When she took my Hejira book, she said "Hejira is probably my favorite. There's a lot of memories in this record." I told her that it's my fave road trip record, and she reminded me that it was recorded on a road trip. The whole time we're talking, all these people are standing around, but Joni is making constant eye contact with me. When she took Mingus to sign, she said "I'm glad you like this one - it's really obscure." I told her that it was the record that really made me fall in love with her music, and the second I said that, I thought "Dumb jerk - she didn't write most of the MUSIC on the record!". I think I saved it by commenting that The Wolf That Lives in Lindsey (one she DID write!) is so hauntingly beautiful. We talked about what it was like to record that stuff live with the band, and how infrequently that's done anymore. Then she started telling me about Henley's Walden benefit ("You know, the Stormy Weather thing" she said), and how addicted she could get to singing in front of a 60 piece orchestra. We talked about the arrangement she chose for that, and how it came from an early Frank Sinatra record ("...but it was too slow so I picked up the pace a little"). She said she was attracted to the arrangement because it was "...so simple and Bambi - you know, Disney-like. Nobody really writes like that anymore, except the guy who does the Fellini movies - Nino Rota - tips his hat to it occassionally". Then I asked her if she was really considering an album of standards, citing the response she got from Comes Love and Trouble Man. She said, "Oh yes - it can be so freeing to put down the guitar and just sing. I'd really like to do that." At this point, Joni bent down and picked up some roses wrapped in cellophane. "Here," she said, handing them to me, "I want you to have these. They're beautiful and they're just going to die if I try to take them on the road." I was flabergasted. I in turn gave her a copy of one of my fave jazz releases this year (singer Andy Bey's "Shades Of Bey"), and then it was time to go. In all the years that I have spent wondering what I would ever say to Joni Mitchell if I were ever lucky enough to meet her (and I spent a lot of time thinking about that), I never thought that it would go so well, that Joni would be so interested in talking to me (or that I would have enough wits about me to put words together!). Maybe she was just being nice, but I felt like the connection that I sometimes feel with her when I hear her lyrics or read quotes from her was real - that we were operating on the same plane and having a meaningful coversation. I can't really express how much that meant to me. So that's it. My incredible evening of Joni. Please forgive the typos and grammatical errors. It's late, and I'm just not having a lot of luck paying attention to details at this point. jessica ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 01:27:09 EST From: TerryM2442@aol.com Subject: Detroit Set List Just got back to our hotel room after another chat with Joni at the bar. YOWEE, pinch me. In attendance were Joni, Larry Klein, some guy we couldn't identify, me, Robbert, Sue, Amy, Mary. She was very sweet, and talked a bit about the show (there was another incident- will get into that in another email), we gave her early birthday gifts and she was incredibly gracious. But for now, here is the set list. The woman was smoking! 1. Taxi 2. Just Like This Train (these two were solos) 3. Night Ride Home 4. Crazy Cries Of Love 5. Free Man In Paris 6. Harry's House (no Centerpiece) 7. Black Crow 8. Amelia 9. Hejira 10. Don Juan RD 11. Happiness is the best facelift 12. Sex Kills 13. Magdalene Laundries 14. Moon At The Window 15. Trouble Man' 16. Comes Love 17. Woodstock (encore). 80 minute show- longest show so far! And Joni told us in the bar that she added an extra song just for us! Terry and friends ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1998 22:47:43 -0800 From: MTDS Subject: Re: let the Virgo's rule! At 09:26 AM 10/28/98 -0800, Liz Johnson wrote: >Isn't that what we do best anyway? :-) >Liz...hopeless Virgo...born 9/17 > Liz, of course we do... it's just so natural! :) Virgo (9/10) ... Gemini moon to keep me entertained...:) - -michelle =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= SunDown Lady's Ilse of Tranquility More Funk in the Cruise Lounge http://www.sundownlady.com/index1.html =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1998 22:47:18 -0800 From: MTDS Subject: Re: let the Virgo's rule! At 08:33 PM 10/28/98 -0500, heather wrote: >At 09:26 AM 10/28/98 -0800, you wrote: >>Isn't that what we do best anyway? :-) >>Liz...hopeless Virgo...born 9/17 >> > >yes and it is oh so tiring ;-) >Heather (born 9/20) 12 of 12 midnight to be exact. My Grandma used to tell >me that those born around midnight would have visions throughout their >life. I wish I could get a vision of those winning Loto numbers! :-D > Heather, I'm curious, are you a night person? As a fellow virgo, born at 6p.m. I am definitely a nocturnal spirit. - -michelle =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= SunDown Lady's Ilse of Tranquility More Funk in the Cruise Lounge http://www.sundownlady.com/index1.html =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 29 Oct 98 07:06:11 GMT From: kg@ibm.net (Kenny Grant) Subject: Re: Detroit Set List Thanks so much for these reports! You guys are soooooo lucky to not only see her give a great (and extended) performance, but to meet her in person, both b4 and after! How nice that she was so gracious with all of you (and Jessica backstage). She's said that her fans are very important to her, and from every account I've ever read from those who've been fortunate enough to meet her, she truly means it! How sad that this heckler nonesense persists. An artist of her stature and maturity in the business should really not have to be dealing with anything but standing ovations. What a crazy world we live in. Anyway, CONGRATS!!! What wonderful memories you'll always have! -Kenny who'd make Kakki's "bumbling" look like POISE if he ever met her, and who's therefore just interested in seeing the SHOW on Sunday (4 days and counting :-) On 10/29/98 1:27AM, TerryM2442@aol.com wrote: Just got back to our hotel room after another chat with Joni at the bar. YOWEE, pinch me. In attendance were Joni, Larry Klein, some guy we couldn't identify, me, Robbert, Sue, Amy, Mary. She was very sweet, and talked a bit about the show (there was another incident- will get into that in another email), we gave her early birthday gifts and she was incredibly gracious. But for now, here is the set list. The woman was smoking! 80 minute show- longest show so far! And Joni told us in the bar that she added an extra song just for us! Terry and friends ------------------------------ End of JMDL Digest V3 #446 ************************** Don't forget about these ongoing projects: FAQ Project: Help compile the JMDL FAQ. Do you have mailing list-related questions? -send them to Trivia Project: Send your Joni trivia questions and/or answers to Today in History Project: Know of a date-specific Joni fact? -send it to ------- Post messages to the list at Unsubscribe by sending "unsubscribe joni-digest" to ------- Siquomb, isn't she?