From: les@jmdl.com (JMDL Digest) To: joni-digest@smoe.org Subject: JMDL Digest V2001 #373 Reply-To: joni@smoe.org Sender: les@jmdl.com Errors-To: les@jmdl.com Precedence: bulk Unsubscribe: mailto:joni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe Archives: http://www.smoe.org/lists/joni Websites: http://www.jmdl.com http://www.jonimitchell.com JMDL Digest Thursday, August 30 2001 Volume 2001 : Number 373 The Official Joni Mitchell Homepage, created by Wally Breese, can be found at http://www.jonimitchell.com. It contains the latest news, a detailed bio, Original Interviews, essays, lyrics and much much more. The JMDL website can be found at http://www.jmdl.com and contains interviews, articles, the member gallery, archives, and much more. ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- Joni Proust ["Preet" ] Jennifer Warnes (njc) ["Paul Castle" ] word constellations ["marianne marianne" ] Re: Safe trip everyone (NJC) [Vince Lavieri ] Middle East, Slanting of facts, NJC ["Laurent Olszer" ] Joan Armatrading NJC ["Rob Ettridge" ] Re: Middle East, Slanting of facts, NJC [AzeemAK@aol.com] Jennifer W. & Joan A. NJC [CHRIS TREACY ] Re: Middle East, Slanting of facts, NJC [colin ] joni festival jmdlers ["shane mattison" ] diana krall - cry me a river (ljc) ["shane mattison" ] Sandra B talks Joni ["Russell Bowden" ] Re: Sandra B talks Joni ["Mike Hicks" ] NJC "Yours For A Song" [SCJoniGuy@aol.com] Peace... ["Sharon L. Buffington" ] NJC "Yours For A Song" [SCJoniGuy@aol.com] Re: NJC "Yours For A Song" [RoseMJoy@aol.com] Re: I'm Not A Cheerleader NJC [Alison E ] Radio today - very long ["Norma Meatheringham" ] RV: shrieking!!! njc ["Wally Kairuz" ] Re: Peace... [colin ] Re: I'm Not A Cheerleader NJC [colin ] Have a great... [colin ] Re: I'm Not A Cheerleader NJC [Catherine McKay ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 10:35:15 +0100 From: "Preet" Subject: Joni Proust If Proust implied that when experiencing expression in art, it would be more fulfilling to replace oneself and people you know as the characters within the work that they remind you of; do any of y'all regularly do this? I attended the Edinburgh festival last week and came upon an Post Modern Punk Hippie Cafe whose DJ had a penchant for Leonard Cohen vinyl and Goldie Drum & Bass Jungle. I immediately thought of the lines from California ".. I caught a plane to Spain, there were lots of pretty people there ..". And the dreadlocked pierced staff working there reminded me of my image for the child of god walking on down to Yasgur's farm. So as well as a soundtrack to large swathes of our lives, do you catch a mirror glimpse of Joni all too regularly? Preet @Tower Hamlets preetd@bigfoot.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 11:55:51 +0100 From: "Paul Castle" Subject: Jennifer Warnes (njc) Lindsay Moon" > she and all her siblings are named with "J" names and then their parents > had one more child and named her Bernadette. All the children rebelled > because it broke the pattern of "J's" and the parents renamed the child > with a "J" name. So I believe it is kind of a song relating to that lost > little Bernadette soul as well as the Joan of Arc theme. > > Sighing again at the huge amount of ridiculous trivia that resides in my > head, but smiling because people like you actually find things like this as > interesting as I do. I'm smiling too, Lindsay - I'm always fascinated to learn the story behind the song - and what the authors have to say. Looks like the title and first verse were inspired by Franz Werfel's book 'Song of Bernadette' about Bernadette Soubirous of Lourdes. Here's what Leonard Cohen said about the song in a 1988 interview: see http://www.leonardcohenfiles.com/rte.html Leonard Cohen : "Jennifer was brought up as a Catholic girl and we were on tour together and she was talking about Bernadette all the time and I always was fascinated by the figure too, and she said I really want you to write me a song about Bernadette, here's like a couple of lines of a tune, here's my idea. So the song came out it was a real collaboration we really worked together on the thing." John McKenna : "Song of Bernadette works on several levels. There's the young visionary of February and March 1858 with that apparition in her soul. A vision no-one believed. And, there are the rest of us with our own visions and dreams, which no-one, least of all ourselves, can believe in. Once we realise that visions don't last - they disappear - and we end up running and falling, rather than flying. There's Bernadette, true to her belief and finally rewarded with the knowledge that there is mercy in the world. There's Leonard Cohen, acknowledging that each of us is torn by what we've done and can't undo." Leonard Cohen : "I think that we mostly do fail in these things, but the thing that makes these failures supportable are these moments like the one I tried to talk about in Hallelujah or the one I tried to talk about in Bernadette - it's those are the moments when the thing is resolved - the thing is reconciled - not actually by moving pieces around - it's not a chess game. As I say in my new version of Hallelujah, 'I've seen your flag on the marble arch, but love is not a victory march, it's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah.' Nobody's going to win this, not the men, not the women, not the socialists, not the conservatives. Nobody's going to win this deal. The only time we win is that moment when we drop the battle and we affirm the whole situation with this embrace." John McKenna : "Ultimately the song of Bernadette is a plea for love. A celebration of the joy of faith. A statement of belief that we can get through to something clearer. It's one of Cohen's fiercest and most powerful lyrics." Leonard Cohen: "But I never sang the song alone; I've only sung it with Jennifer. It's a beautiful song I think." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PaulC np: I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow ( love them Soggy Bottom Boys!) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 08:23:00 -0400 From: "marianne marianne" Subject: word constellations Thank you to every one who responded and responds to my request for joni's word constellations. And thank you Joni for continuing to touch and inspire me with yours: "...billion year old carbon" "...watch the morning on parade." Marianne in Rochester NY stardust, golden _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 08:23:40 -0400 From: Vince Lavieri Subject: Re: Safe trip everyone (NJC) Michael Paz wrote: > Wishing a safe journey to all travellers (esp. the ones bound for > Topsfield). I join Michael in wishing safe journey to everyone - those who going to Ashara's, I am with you in spirit, and to all who travel, may you travel in all safety, and to all in the JMDL, a blessed weekend! (the Rev) Vince ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 14:13:48 +0100 From: "Laurent Olszer" Subject: Middle East, Slanting of facts, NJC First, the statement in the letter I forwarded about the facts being not slanted was from the author. It seems to me what Azeem, Paul and Vince are talking about is that the CHOICE of facts is in itself a slanting of the truth. Sure anybody can choose to present the facts they want to defend their cause, so what? The question is then: are the facts true and do they shed some light on what's going on. I believe there is so much bias is the media against Israel that presenting these facts might help some of you become more informed. Period. Azeem wrote: "there is one howler so obvious it should be easily spottable, and if nothing else give pause for thought about the others" Could you please be specific? If you can't and as you say yourself you don't wish to analyze every statement and you're no expert then why make this kind of accusation about the validity of the entire list of facts without even saying what you're referring to? Laurent ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 09:59:55 EDT From: SCJoniGuy@aol.com Subject: Re: Joni Proust <> Preet, I'm not sure I understand your question as I'm just a dumb ol' country boy...do you mean an actual physical visualization or do you mean that Joni words and "constellations" (love that phrase Marianne) come into play for us? Just yesterday I was thinking about the Jonifest (natch!) and Paz' shrimp, and that I had a 'taste for something smuggled in'. ;~) Bob, who'll be on that "big bird draggin' his tail in the dust" tomorrow... NP: Tom Waits, "Semi-Suite" Hartford CT '78 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 07:05:33 -0700 (PDT) From: "Lori R. Fye" Subject: Hell is well ... (NJC) ... or, at least, feeling better than she was before leaving NZ! She arrived last night on time, and I managed to walk up just as she exited her gate. We had a quiet night, chatting in the backyard with Mary. I have to work today : ( ... and so left Hell to her own devices (along with Mary's trumpet, which Hell expressed an interest in trying out). Don't know what time we're leaving tomorrow morning, but we'll be there 9 hours (or so) later! WOO HOO!!! : D Lori ~ Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Yahoo! Messenger. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 09:39:39 -0500 From: "Rob Ettridge" Subject: Joan Armatrading NJC Great to hear Joan Armatrading mentioned on the list. To me she is one of the few artists who can compare to Joni. This is a rather long 'me too!'. As far as I know all of her albums have been available at some time or another on CD, but I've never actually seen Back to the Night or Steppin' Out on CD, only heard of them on ebay. Judging by ebay her CDs did have a US release as the rare albums like 'Secret Secrets', 'The Key' and 'Sleight of Hand' appear quite frequently on US ebay, but never on the UK one. I still play all but her most recent albums on the original vinyl and I'm anxiously awaiting a decent remastered rerelease of her back catalogue though I won't hold my breath. There are about 10 or so original b-sides as well that haven't seen the light of day since they're original release. Criminal for this music to go to waste, but with A&M effectively folded, the masters are probably in some corporate limbo and I doubt anyone will do anything about it. Earlier this year her first album 'Whatevers For Us' - her only non A&M album - was repackaged with two previously unavailable (on CD) tracks. This is very different from the rest of Joan's work in my opinion, and aside from a rather strong Elton John(!) influence, you can tell Joan had been listening to Ladies of the Canyon a fair bit. She, like so many others, has often quoted Joni as a strong influence. Anybody who caught her recent tour of America, Europe and Australia will be pleased to hear that she is working on a new album in the 'stripped down' or 'solo' style of those shows. It will be her first album since 1995 when it finally surfaces. For those of you interested in her music, and have found her official site rather limited (you have to pay to become an 'Insider' and even inside, there isn't much going on), there is a rather good fan site set up by a guy in Australia: www.joanarmatrading.org and there is an yahoo group tied in with that site as well, though posts can be very few and far between sometimes. Thanks to John van Tiel - our old world one man music resource - I have recently got my hands on some great live shows of Joan's and that's just convinced me further of her talents. Hope y'all have a good time in Topsfield. Rob _____________________________________________ Free email with personality! Over 200 domains! http://www.MyOwnEmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 10:47:00 EDT From: AzeemAK@aol.com Subject: Re: Middle East, Slanting of facts, NJC In a message dated 30/08/01 13:48:09 GMT Daylight Time, olszer@xlsecurity.com writes: << Azeem wrote: "there is one howler so obvious it should be easily spottable, and if nothing else give pause for thought about the others" Could you please be specific? If you can't and as you say yourself you don't wish to analyze every statement and you're no expert then why make this kind of accusation about the validity of the entire list of facts without even saying what you're referring to? >> OK, the claim that Muslims pray with their backs to Jerusalem: the fact is that they face Mecca when they pray, there is no instruction to face AWAY from anywhere. And if they are in Aden, for example, they will be facing both Jerusalem and Mecca. The statement is untrue. While I'm at it, the other statement that I immediately raised doubts about the list's supposed impartiality was that the Koran does not mention Jerusalem once; while this is true, it is highly disingenuous in its inference. The Koran only mentions Mecca once, yet nobody would dispute that Mecca is the holiest site in Islam. If anyone would like an alternative (and very detailed) view of these and the other statements in list you posted, they could have a look at: http://64.226.129.19/pmw/snakebite Just because a lot of lies, half-truths and misconceptions are told about the Jewish race and the state of Israel (some of them helped on their way through cyberspace by members of my family, I am sorry to say - I have been disowned by one cousin for my somewhat heated response to a particularly hateful antisemitic email he sent me), it does not mean that the dissemination of similar about Palestinians should be condoned. If anyone doubts that there are groups of people who can see both sides of the question, they could do worse than peruse http://www.haaretzdaily.com, one of many publications that eschews hate-mongering and rigid sectarianism in favour of constructive debate and looking at lives of ordinary people. Azeem ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 08:02:40 -0700 (PDT) From: CHRIS TREACY Subject: Jennifer W. & Joan A. NJC Hey All, Just wonderin' - Does anyone out there have the earlier JW material and would be willing to do a casette trade...maybe for some Joni (live, of course) or RLJ? Or Shawn? I'd like to get my hands on the first 2 albums, re-issued on CD in the UK a few years back as 'Just Jennifer', and the 1972 'Jennifer' album as well. The pther option is to order them through Gemm.Com, which I'll do if I have to, but this would be first choice. Also, Rob, what are the names of the 2 bonus tracks they clipped onto the re-issue of "Whatevers For Us"? Do you have the B-Side titles as well? Thanks, Chris ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 16:34:13 +0100 From: colin Subject: Re: Middle East, Slanting of facts, NJC One of these posts about why Jews needed their own homeland, because of being foreignors everywhere else and treated badly could equally have been written about gay people because we too have been universally treated appallingly all over the world at all times. It could also be said of people of colour but not so universally. Both letters implied that anyone not agreeing 100% with the said postion is antisemeitc, which is ridiculous(anit semetic covers Arabs as well I might, they being semitic people). Whatever the rights and wrongs of the situatuion, the killing by israeli's of Arab children, women and men is appaling. As is the killing of Israelies. None of thids evil can be excused. the constant quest for revenge is sickening on both sides. the aftermath of the recent suicide bombing is purely wicked, just as the bombing itself was. To then in reatilaition go and kill indiscriminately is just as evil. As a result of all this childish and wicked beahviour, neither side has my support. I think you all get what you desevre. You live by the sword, you die by it. if they can't behave like civilised people, why should they expect the rest of us to support them? No matter what the issue is, the killing of people, expecially children over it cannot be justified. The same can be said for the bombing(that is still going on) in Iraq by my own country and the USA. No country is immune from this outrageous and wicked beahviour. I for one am heartically sick of hearing all the bleating, the justifications and the blaming. ( the same shit happens in Ireland. The IRA are always the only ones to blame along with the Catholics. The Protestants and UDF or whatever are not blamed tho they too behave appallingly. The IRA, by the way, openly has raised it's funds in the USA. I think this recently has been made illegal, not before time). So in all, no one is without blame. If people really want peace, they should start to respect others and see them as human beings. It seems to me that people neeed enemies to justify thewir own existance. How terrible. The reason Israel seems to be losing it's supoprt fromt he rest of us is because of it's appaling beahviour. Rather thsan accuse us of being anti-jewish you should perhaps look to your own beahviour. Throwing the accusation of antisemtisim at us is just a smoke screen for you to hide behind. I and many others don't fall for this ploy. Absuers ALWAYS blame the victim and some of us can see it. Yes you need peace as do the Pallestinians. Work at it peacfully. Whilst you continue to slaughter innocents and blame the other side, why should we believe you are interested in peace and that you yourselves are not anti semites? The violence on both sides is inexcusable. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 09:48:54 -0600 From: "shane mattison" Subject: joni festival jmdlers dear jugglers, this note comes from the land up above (as opposed to down under), that is joni's birthplace of alberta... tonite there was one hell of an alberta sunset, little puffy, holy, quilts of cloud sunburned like a tequila sunrise... joni was born under the alberta sun, so i'm with you in sunny spirit, and playing real good for free... but i want to hear from you...i'll be watching your reports, and like croz, i'll be twinkling an eye or two on your carrying's on... when morning comes to morgantown, i'll be with you someday soon... shane ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 10:19:47 -0600 From: "shane mattison" Subject: diana krall - cry me a river (ljc) as i mentioned earlier, diana krall is getting raves over her joni cover "a case of you"... you can catch diana's performance of "cry me a river" on cnn...just tap into the video section and right click for full screen version... oh she be good: http://www.cnn.com/ shane http://www.angelfire.com/art/cactussong ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 09:59:19 -0700 From: Randy Remote Subject: Re: Middle East, Slanting of facts, NJC Laurent Olszer wrote: > I believe there is so much bias is the media against Israel that presenting > these facts might help some of you become more informed. Period. Which media is that? I am in the US, and there is really no criticism of the Irsaeli leadership's recent escalation of violence and bloodshed in the media, or discussion of how this behavior is driving a deeper wedge into the prospects for a peaceful resolution. (with US supplied F-15's and helicopter gunships, I might add). Unless you are listening to Amy Goodman's Democracy Now from Pacifica, which is hardly widely heard. RR ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 13:24:01 EDT From: BigWaltinSF@aol.com Subject: (sjc)Good Times to all at JoniFest, some musings on Labor Day & Healing Hello, all, Didn't know of the existence of the Joni Fest until about a week ago, when I joined this list. Already feel I'm getting to know some of you, and I wish I could be there. Maybe next year... Yesterday was my partner, Robert's, birthday, so the week has been busy. But also Labor Day is coming up, a day which has special meaning for me. In early March, 1982, I was very sick; I was stammeringly told by my health care provider that my specific symptoms seemed to imply that I had what was beginning to be called the "gay plague" or GRID, among other things. I asked him what the prognosis was; he hesitated and hedged, but finally said that if the disease progressed as it usually seemed to be doing at that time, I had maybe six months. I walked home in a daze. Once there, I flipped through a calendar, and six months from that day happened to be Labor Day, 1982. (I no longer remember the exact date -- the 3rd, the 4th? -- maybe one of you with an appropriate computer program, or a lot of calendars can tell me, not that it matter much anymore). Needless to say, I wasn't dead by that Labor Day, although I was still pretty sick. Nineteen more Labor Days later, and I'm still here. I've been pretty sick some of the time, near death once, and not that bad a lot of the time, including now. The link to Joni is, of course, soothing and healing. There are others who calm, soothe and cheer me up -- Cocteau twins, Everything But The Girl, k.d. lang, certain songs by many other artists -- but Joni... well you guys know. For soothing/healing, I especially like most of DJRD and NRH, but any and all or her albums give me strength. To all of you -- have a wonderful, fun, laughing, soothing JoniFest -- and many Labor Days to come! Siquomb, "Big" Walt Breen in S.F. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 10:26:27 -0700 From: Steve Dulson Subject: AbFab (NJC) Some news for AbFab fans - a French movie and a new series. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/entertainment/film/newsid_1516000/1516843.stm - -- ######################################################## Steve Dulson Costa Mesa CA steve@psitech.com "The Tinker's Own" http://www.tinkersown.com "Southern California Dulcimer Heritage" http://www.scdh.org "The Living Tradition Concert Series" http://www.thelivingtradition.org/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 10:27:57 -0700 From: "Russell Bowden" Subject: Sandra B talks Joni Gang, I saw the A&E show, too. When Sandra (could anyone be more au courant?) and Hynde started talking about guitarists, I held my breath waiting for a mention of the Divine One....It was only when Sandra said the word Hejira and mentioned the album did they say, "Oh, Joni Mitchell is a great guitarist, too." Dare we hope that Our Queen might at some point grace us with her presence on the show?? I'm all a-quiver just thinking about it. Love, Russ.....packing my little bag for Topsfield!!!!!!! NP....what else? 'Hejira' _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 13:30:17 -0500 From: "Mike Hicks" Subject: Re: Sandra B talks Joni > From: "Russell Bowden" > To: joni@smoe.org > Subject: Sandra B talks Joni > Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 10:27:57 -0700 > Reply-to: "Russell Bowden" > Gang, > > I saw the A&E show, too. When Sandra (could anyone be more au courant?) > and Hynde started talking about guitarists, I held my breath waiting for a > mention of the Divine One....It was only when Sandra said the word Hejira > and mentioned the album did they say, "Oh, Joni Mitchell is a great > guitarist, too." > Dare we hope that Our Queen might at some point grace us with her presence > on the show?? I'm all a-quiver just thinking about it. > > Love, > Russ.....packing my little bag for Topsfield!!!!!!! > NP....what else? 'Hejira' Is this documentary running in consecutive nights or is it in other segments? I could not get it Tues. night. Mike > > _________________________________________________________________ > Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 13:45:45 EDT From: SCJoniGuy@aol.com Subject: NJC "Yours For A Song" ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 13:16:17 -0500 From: "Sharon L. Buffington" Subject: Peace... Dear Walt: Thank you for telling us about your condition. I lost my brother-in-law to Aids and have lost many friends as well. I am so pleased that you are doing well...keep up the faith. And...I am your lesbian sister too...we have a number of brothers and sisters on this site and everyone here is very kind, compassionate, and most of all...playful. I have always felt welcomed. :) I am still a newbie myself and I will be a virgin at the Fest...as will some others. This is the first trip I have taken by myself to see people I have never met face to face. So enjoy your joyous day Walt....every minute of this blessed life is so wonderful. Peace.....Sharon who is counting the hours until she leaves for Boston tomorrow morning at 6:00 a.m. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 14:11:25 EDT From: SCJoniGuy@aol.com Subject: NJC "Yours For A Song" OK...I'll try it again, this time with the message included! ;~) I picked up this video from the library last week, and finally got around to watching it this week. It was originally broadcast on PBS "American Masters" series, and is titled "Yours For A Song: The Women of Tin Pan Alley". I admit I picked it up because of the Dorothy Fields mention. This was really a great film with outstanding rare clips and interviews...and what a pleasant surprise to see our own David Lahm (Dorothy Fields' son, for our newbies' info) in several interview clips talking about his mother's music. The songwriters featured were Dorothy Fields, Kay Swift, Dana Suesse, and Ann Ronnell. But Dorothy Fields was definitely the focus of the program. It was a very informative program, an amazing group of women that gave us standards like: "You Oughta Be In Pictures" "The Way You Look Tonight" "I'm In The Mood For Love" "Willow Weep For Me" and even "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf"! You done good, David. And so did your Mom! If your local library has it, it's well worth the hour spent. And if you can't find it easily, ask your librarian. They are the most amazing folks!! (he said in his most patronizing voice knowing all the fab library artists out there...);~) Bob NP: Waits, "Emotional Weather Report" ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 14:22:44 EDT From: RoseMJoy@aol.com Subject: Re: NJC "Yours For A Song" In a message dated 8/30/01 2:12:55 PM Eastern Daylight Time, SCJoniGuy@aol.com writes: > This was really a great film with outstanding rare clips and > interviews...and what a pleasant surprise to see our own David Lahm > (Dorothy Fields' son, for our newbies' info) in several interview clips > talking about his mother's music. > > I saw this on Public television and I had emailed David about it. He never responded. How modest is he? I never knew Dorothy Fields was your Mom David. NP: Paul Simon, You're The One Rose in NJ waiting for the gentle rain to fall rosemjoy@aol.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 12:28:35 -0700 (PDT) From: Alison E Subject: Re: I'm Not A Cheerleader NJC - --- colin wrote: > You are right! The only tall guy I can remmebrr is > RuPaul. Who you mean? yes, rupaul kicked ass in this movie. he's such a good actor! especially when he's playing a repressed gay man. anyway, the tall guy who i was talking about was the was the bailif in night court, super tall guy. probably got called moose alot when he was a kid. i can't remember his name! someone out there, save me from my bad memory. in the movie, he plays one of the gay men who rescue the kids from the reprogramming camp. but on night court, he was a big dumb bailif guy. i loved night court. i loved harry the judge. alison e. in nyc np: shawn colvin, steady on Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Yahoo! Messenger http://im.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 13:45:10 -0600 From: "Norma Meatheringham" Subject: Radio today - very long Recently there have been posts regarding the deplorable state of radio and limited musical choices heard. Here's one radio station in Alberta (www.ckua.com) which is different and limitless in its selections. This article was published by Alberta Views Magazine and they have kindly sent a full text to me for submission. Thank you. This radio station accepts unsolicited music of all kinds, and yes, it plays Joni, Leonard Cohen, Diana Krall, Molly Johnson, Eva Cassidy, Van Morrison, Steve Earle, Fred Eaglesmith, that big-boned girl - kd lang, Mike Plume, Jane Siberry, Ben Harper, the Waifs, Stiff Gins, Jerry Alfred and the Medicine Beat, Daniel Lanois, Oh Susanna - you get my drift, not your everyday pap 10 of any kind. You can phone, email, send snail mail and request music even, how quaint! Of course they could use more money to buy duct tape, bailing wire and silicon! CKUA will be 74 years young on November 21 and if all the listeners sent in $74 this year and $75 next year for their 75th Anniversary, they'd be smiling and not have to fundraise for a few years!!! ttfn, and back to lurkdom, Norma - ----- Original Message ----- From: "renee groves" To: "Norma Meatheringham" Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2001 12:36 PM Subject: Article on CKUA I've copied the full text of the article below and, attached an MS Word version. Hope that works for you. Regards, Renee. - -- Renee Groves, Assistant Editor AlbertaViews Magazine 520 23 Ave SW Calgary, AB T2S 0J5 Ph: 243 5334 Fx: 243 8599 Email: reneeg@albertaviews.ab.ca Ears A Little More Open Why a growing audience adores CKUA radio. By Geo F. Takach Can you imagine a 73-year-old prairie product that people receive free but happily pay $1.3-million a year for simply because they like it so much? Something demanded by operating room surgeons at Edmonton's Royal Alexandra Hospital and requested by long-distance truckers phoning in from their rigs? Something so loved that 800 unpaid volunteers wait in line to help deliver it? Imagination meets reality at CKUA Radio, the station not even a pulled plug could kill. Four years ago, it fell silent, financially drained by those appointed by the provincial government when it privatized the station (see "Privatization and the Radio Station," AlbertaViews, vol. 1, no. 1). Today, this unique Alberta outlet enjoys the cult-like devotion of somewhere between 100,000 and 350,000 listeners and 10,000 donors who keep it afloat with astounding financial, logistical and emotional support. Why are they so passionate about CKUA? The answers reveal as much about the soul of our province as they debunk popular myths. One explanation involves the classic Albertan trait of pioneering married to that lesser known Albertan characteristic, a sense of community ownership. The station served as a public asset for almost seven of the province's first nine decades. Working from a little shack built south of Athabasca Hall at the University of Alberta, CKUA became Canada's first public broadcaster on November 21, 1927, fulfilling the vision of H.P. Brown, the university's visual aids specialist, of bringing the institution to Albertans through the new medium. CKUA--the last two call letters recognize the U of A--launched western Canada's first live football broadcast in 1928, the nation's first school broadcast in 1929, a special wartime newscast for American soldiers stationed in the Yukon in 1944 and a pioneering stereo broadcast in 1959. The former Alberta Government Telephones ran it from 1945 until the provincially owned ACCESS Corporation took control in 1974. Today, CKUA reaches 85 per cent of Albertans and hosts the province's emergency broadcast system. The station has faced threats, from being eclipsed by other frequencies in the late 1950s to a 1974 federal ruling prohibiting educational institutions from holding broadcasting licences. But its 1997 shutdown by government-appointed CEO Gail Hinchliffe, later revealed to have been bankrupt when taking office, galvanized popular support like never before. A new, volunteer team led by Edmonton lawyer Bud Steen and musician Tommy Banks ousted Hinchliffe and her cronies. (The CKUA Foundation's suit against Hinchliffe and former board members Gerry Luciani, Larry Clausen and Ric Baker is scheduled for trial this September.) The overnight crusaders raised $1-million in 14 days, generating enough phone calls to pop CKUA's telephone circuits and ending five weeks of traumatic dead air. "The irony is that when the station went off the air for the first time, people finally understood what a treasure it represented," says station manager Ken Regan. This is echoed by the mass of volunteers who emerged to help save CKUA and by U of A social psychologist Robert Sinclair, who notes that people are more likely to have their passions raised when a freedom or something important to them is taken away. Ironically, privatization has made CKUA more dependent on community largesse than ever. Donations accounted for 52 per cent of revenues in 1999/2000, while 34 per cent came from advertising, 7 per cent from renting technical services and space on its transmitter towers and 4 per cent from grants. The station has staked its future on the novel notion of "subscription radio," a departure from pleading for funds just to stay alive. Management sees this as an appropriate relationship between CKUA and its audience, who are invited to pay as they would for newspapers, magazines or cable TV. "We have no mechanism to withhold the service," explains program director Brian Dunsmore, "so we depend on people taking personal responsibility. The honour system works." The numbers bear this out. Annual ongoing subscriptions of $1.1-million and total donations of $1.3-million are remarkable, but the passion behind CKUA's support is even more amazing. Volunteers contribute to every facet of its operations, be it serving on the board, running the music information line, cataloguing and filing disks in the library, contacting donors, writing for the on-air Arts and Culture Guide or organizing and staffing fundraisers. WCB reports for 2000 show 12,222 volunteer hours, representing $72,714 in donated time. This does not include the 10-day, biannual fundraisers, in which everyone from blue hair to blue rinse chips in another 2,300 hours. Tales of near-fanatical loyalty abound. A cadre of devoted fans of the diverse Alberta Morning program, dubbed "Cam's Hams" in honour of host Cam Hayden, turn up for his 6 a.m. show to work the phones during pledge drives. The station has volunteer chapters in Lethbridge, Red Deer, Calgary, Grande Prairie, Peace River, Fort McMurray and Canmore. "We couldn't do it without them," beams volunteer coordinator Maureen Workman. his brings us to the core of CKUA's popularity: quality. The station appeals to a segment of society united not by traditional geographic, social or economic strata, but by appreciation for CKUA itself. "CKUA listeners are people with their minds awake and their ears a little more open, interested in music, art and culture and in control of their lives," says Dunsmore. "People feel a strong connection because our announcers offer something different from that great, white-bread blah that is pop culture, steamrollered by Hollywood and Madison Avenue. People are saying, OThis is not enough. We need more.'" "I hate to criticize, because the vast majority listen to Oops! I Did It Again or the Backstreet Boys," shrugs Tom Coxworth, who hosts Folk Routes. "They have their place, but only through mediocrity. The question is, are you going to find something that excites you and gives you a challenge, something you haven't heard before?" But quality and proprietary feelings are not the only allure. CKUA has a long and strong record of contributing to arts, culture and education. For a start, Albertans get a detailed look at arts events in 85 per cent of the province. Summerfest provides information on festivals, featuring interviews with artists and promoters, along with their music, excerpts from books or plays and even discussions of visual art. "We tell people there's something good happening in Alberta," says program host Chris Allen. "I doubt there's a single arts or cultural group we haven't supported through our coverage. Other stations won't talk to the Cow Patti Theatre from Clive, Alberta, unless the theatre pays for it. We do." Then come programs like Travel Treasures, promoting Alberta destinations; Innovation Alberta, profiling science, research and technology; Ecofile, an award-winning environmental entry; and Heritage Trails, a series of 500 historical vignettes about the province. The latter two are made freely available to Alberta schools and researchers. An ambitious trilogy of 48-part documentary series produced by Dunsmore and David Gregory of Athabasca University chronicles popular music of the 20th century. And CKUA's monumental 24-part series The Folkways Collection scooped the likes of PBS in documenting a vital slice of Americana, the amazing legacy of Folkways Records founder Moses Asch. The series profiled the 30,000 musical performances, narratives, rituals and sounds, including spoken word, from around the world captured on that historic label. CKUA launched this original binational project by making a personal connection with Asch's son, Michael, then a U of A professor and a fan of the station, and the venerable Smithsonian Institution, which contributed funding and research assistance. "We have a responsibility to the community and to the culture of the province in addition to the newsmakers," says Coxworth. "We're probably the most leading-edge in promoting local musicians who need to be heard. I love the Beatles, but each safe song inhibits a struggling new artist who meets the same standard and could really use the exposure. Many artists are respected and earning a living wage because we gave them their start." Reflecting the station's popularity with artists themselves, on-air tributes are spoken, sung and played by everyone from Africa's Black Umfoloso, the Bulgarian Women's Choir and the Cuban Institute of Friendship to Boston jazz guitarist Pat Metheny, Scottish folksinger Dick Gaughan and Wavy Gravy, a San Francisco-based activist and clown. Pitching for CKUA in Canada are the likes of actor Tom Jackson, fiddler Natalie MacMaster, bluesman Long John Baldry, children's musical icon Raffi, talk show host Dini Petty and folksingers Kate and Anna McGarrigle. And these are from outside this province. Inter-nationally lauded performers like Jann Arden, PJ Perry and k.d. lang have credited the station with helping to launch their careers. "CKUA has been instrumental for me," says Perry, a Juno Award-winning saxophonist who has performed with philharmonic orchestras and jazz greats like Dizzy Gillespie. "It would have been impossible without it. The station sticks its neck out, playing longer tracks than would ordinarily be played on commercial radio." Then there is the obvious reason for CKUA's following: programming that is ambitious, eclectic and highly personal to announcers and listeners alike. In any given week, you can hear music from classical, choral and jazz to new age, "wide cut" country--and a goulash of reggae, dub, ska, roots, hip hop and dance hall called One Drop Rhythms. The global diversity of daily programs like The Afternoon Edition defies categorization as well as the hoary stereotype of Albertans as homogeneous rednecks. "I'm not a traditional music director," comments David Ward on his job title. "Rather, I look after the sound resource, managing what's in the kitchen, while the announcers choose what's on the menu." Free from the dictates of preformatted, computer-generated playlists, CKUA announcers can choose from one of Canada's leading musical collections, boasting 55,000 LPs (and growing with steady donations), almost 30,000 CDs and a basement full of 15,000 vintage 78s which one volunteer spent eight months cataloguing. "We don't have everything," says Ward, "but we come pretty close." "Why do so many Albertans own music by African kora players, Tuvan throat singers, Cuban congeros or Brazilian singers?" muses Monica Miller, host of As I Hear It. "As we listen to music from places we've never been--Finland, Madagascar, Jamaica, Nashville or Cape Breton--we come to understand that cultures don't fit into boxes. Music travels independent of lines on a map, and Ocultural fabric' becomes so rich and wonderful. Our listeners understand that in a very profound way." Yet the station does not purport to be avant-garde. "We don't have something for everybody," Ward points out. "We have no speed metal, for example. We accept that our audience is interested in a broad range, but we don't push the envelope on hard, ultra-demanding music. We're a business now. But we still do things most others don't, though it's not as acceptable to provoke a bit as it was before society became more conservative." "CKUA has always had an unshakeable integrity," opines "old disc (pause) jockey" John Worthington, a fixture since 1949. "We treat the audience as intelligent beings." "Radio is a very personal medium, providing the soundtrack to our lives," adds Regan. "Because of its eclectic breadth, a special bond forms. Listeners and volunteers say it makes a difference in their quality of life. People tell us when they move away they miss the station and there's nothing like it." That passion radiates from the announcers, many of whom have been there since disco days. "The whole thing is a joy," declares Andy Donnelly, a Brobdingnagian bon-vivant who wears his huge heart on his sleeve, just below his shoulder-length curls, and whose gentle brogue and sly wit on the monstrously popular The Celtic Show have earned him more than a kilt following. "It's all about the music and the people. They get it. We all feel the power, the spirit and the joy of it." When he's not playing the sonorous strains of the British Isles, Donnelly spreads warmth and cheer with the "Celtic Cuddle," his personal take on the bear-hug. "It's the greatest barrier-breaker," he notes. "Total strangers ask me for it." "We sound human," says Cathy Ennis, host of The Listening Room. "Each of us puts our own show together. We relate to the audience in a way commercial radio can't." Indeed, CKUA announcers routinely receive rousing ovations when introduced at concerts and cultural events across the province. "People think it's amazing, when all I do is play records for a living," smiles Ennis. But CKUA announcers don't just play and talk about the music. They live it. Their ranks brim with accomplished vocalists and musicians in jazz, folk, bluegrass and blues, along with writers, actors and arts impresarios. Lionel Rault (Lionel's Vinyls, The R and B Review) is an acclaimed folk-roots guitarist and songwriter with a career approaching the 30-year mark. Holger Peterson (Natch'l Blues, Canada's longest-running blues program) is a producer who runs Stony Plain Records, a Canadian roots music label celebrating its 25th year. A staple on the Celtic circuit, Donnelly is on a first-name basis with many of the acts he plays on-air. Coxworth has some 6,500 folk records in his collection and a recording studio in his basement. The excellence of CKUA's programming was recognized by a Prairie Music Award for best media outlet in both 1999 and 2000. But the most eloquent tributes come from the listeners themselves. They phone in pledges from their combines. They write of the music distracting them from tracking down runaway steers. And since the station began broadcasting on the Internet last year, they send e-mail from all over the globe. A recent campaign saw pledges from seven provinces, two territories, eight American states and locales as far-flung as New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates. An hour of The Celtic Show was sponsored by someone from Bogota, Colombia. "It's radio raised to a level that's really a public service," says Senator Banks. "But as wonderful as it is, it still hasn't reached aspirations for the kind of programming we want to see. We'd like to do more creative programming involving Alberta artists--more outreach programs and recordings of concert music, literature and drama--but it's no longer affordable." So despite the pioneering, the decades of service, the sense of community ownership, the eclectic, award-winning programming and the fervent support of its fans, the privatized CKUA's future remains uncertain. On the one hand, listener loyalty is stronger than ever. The audience is growing at home and abroad. On-line donations jumped from $4,000 in the spring 2000 fundraiser to $40,000 last spring. Advertisers ranging from EPCOR, an Edmonton-based utility company, to Prego Cucina Italiana, a Calgary eatery, are delighted with their sponsorships. But the station continues to run on a shoestring. "For three years, we've been scratching and clawing just to survive," asserts Regan. "We're alive, but we're only one bad fundraiser away from disaster." Although CKUA has managed to generate enough revenue to keep operating, it has no capital budget to maintain its infrastructure. Its 17 transmitters across the province are operating close to or past their life expectancies, some held together by silicone, baling wire and duct tape. Equipment is outdated and consequently expensive to repair. When asked how they maintain the transmitters without a budget, technical operations manager Neil Lutes says, "With great difficulty." With less than half the preprivatization budget, there is less staff and more work now than before 1994. Pensions have been frozen and pay cut by one-third. "It means being more efficient, focused and aware of time," says Allen. "Everyone has more than one job." He lists his duties on any given program as announcer, technician, producer, editor, music director and researcher, "all at the same time and sometimes on the fly." This raises the question of whether CKUA should be funded by government again. For some, public donations exceeding $1-million per year are ample demonstration that Albertans want CKUA. "There's no more convincing evidence of support than writing a cheque," observes Banks. "If government wants arts and culture in the province, it should recognize CKUA's role in Albertans' daily life," declares Steen. "We talk to rural Albertans like no one else. We put bums in seats when arts productions come here. I believe we're making better Albertans by playing this kind of music. "I'm very pleased that we picked up the old lady, dusted her off and got her back on her feet, but we have a long way to go," he adds. If some generous benefactor gave us $10-million to spend and $10-million from which to draw interest for capital improvements, we'd be okay." "It's vital that people support CKUA because it's unique in Canadian broadcasting and a part of Alberta historically, culturally, socially, politically and economically," concludes Regan. "It's not right to let important institutions that helped define us as individuals and as Albertans disappear." So it boils down to this. After nearly three-quarters of a century of pioneering, mind-broadening and delighting, CKUA's survival has become an acid test of the unique and entrepreneurial spirit that inspired it. Stay tuned. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Most of us go to our grave with our music still inside of us. Happiness comes through doors you didn't even know you left open. ~ Author Unknown ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 16:49:29 -0300 From: "Wally Kairuz" Subject: RV: shrieking!!! njc well, this is it!!!!! the taxi's waiting. in a matter of MINUTES i'll be airport bound. i'm so excited my face is stretched backward like the woman's in that movie brazil. please, be there when i get to topsfield! i'll be running along now. love you all so tremendously, wally ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 21:31:48 +0100 From: colin Subject: Re: Peace... > And...I am your lesbian sister > too... aah! i thought you were a lawyer! > and I will be a virgin at the Fest... yeah and I am Keanu Reeves' lookalike! your very str8 brother colin! ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 21:33:15 +0100 From: colin Subject: Re: I'm Not A Cheerleader NJC > he plays one of the > gay men who rescue the kids from the reprogramming > camp. but on night court, he was a big dumb bailif > guy. bloody hell! That was a long time ago but I know just who mean now! ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 21:35:10 +0100 From: colin Subject: Have a great... ...tiem all you lucky people at ashara's! Chris and Les and Hell and wally(the foreignors) I am sure you will have fun! Wish i could be there. Behave yourselves! - -- bw colin DAK,BRO GC, 950i 940,860,864, 260, 890,Silver 830 and 270, Passap 6000 Duo80 colin@tantra-apso.com http://www.tantra-apso.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 16:28:28 -0400 (EDT) From: Catherine McKay Subject: Re: I'm Not A Cheerleader NJC - --- Alison E wrote: > --- colin wrote: > > You are right! The only tall guy I can remmebrr is > > RuPaul. Who you mean? > > yes, rupaul kicked ass in this movie. he's such a > good > actor! especially when he's playing a repressed gay > man. anyway, the tall guy who i was talking about > was > the was the bailif in night court, super tall guy. > probably got called moose alot when he was a kid. Richard Moll! (or Maul, not sure of the spelling). His character's name in Night Court was Bull, (which is pretty darn close to Moose). Get your free @yahoo.ca address at http://mail.yahoo.ca ------------------------------ End of JMDL Digest V2001 #373 ***************************** ------- Post messages to the list by clicking here: mailto:joni@smoe.org Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:joni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe ------- Siquomb, isn't she?