From: les@jmdl.com (JMDL Digest) To: joni-digest@smoe.org Subject: JMDL Digest V2002 #136 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 Tuesday, March 26 2002 Volume 2002 : Number 136 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: -------- Re: my so called life njc [Rick and Susan ] A.I. NJC [Tyler Hewitt ] Re: (njc)Badlands -- what film was *I* thinking of? [BigWaltinSF@aol.com] Re: Oscars NJC [FredNow@aol.com] Re: (njc)Artificial Intelligence and human arrogance, and tossing away the no longer fresh, new, useful... [] Re: (sjc)My So-called Life, and other shows by same producers, who apparently liked/loved Joni [] Re: JMDL Digest V2002 #115 [FredNow@aol.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 21:19:26 -0800 From: Rick and Susan Subject: Re: my so called life njc I have good news for fans of My So-Called Life. After many a long year the entire series (all 19 episodes) will soon be available on DVD. The first four episodes were available briefly in 2000 but were never reprinted and the later episodes were never released. The boxed set will be available in May or June (for the unfortunate sum of $100 US) and there is no plan to continue pressings after the initial order is filled. The DVD will be encoded for play in all zones. To find out more information and to pre-order, go to http://www.anotheruniverse.com/mscldvd/ To access one of the few MSCL website still being updated go to http://www.mscl.com. If a lot of people pre-order the price may be less, so sign up, all you closet MSCL fans. Ranger Rick ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 22:15:42 -0800 (PST) From: Tyler Hewitt Subject: A.I. NJC Are me and my partner the only people on Earth who really liked A.I.? That was my favorite movie from last year, one of only two films that made me think even a little bit (the other was the wonderful Waking Life, which somehow did not get nominated for best animated feature). My feeling was that people didn't like what appeared on the surface to be a (kind of) happy ending but on further reflection turned out to be deeply disturbing. That film was wierd, I give you that, but the Kubrick/Spielberg mix was unsettling and kept you guessing through the entire film. I was surprised it didn't get a best picture nomination, and I really think that Haley Joel Osment deserved a nomination for his suburb performance. I think A.I. may be a sort of Blade Runner: Ignored and under appreciated at first, but in ten years or so will be seen as a classic. Yahoo! Movies - coverage of the 74th Academy Awards. http://movies.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2002 01:30:27 EST From: BigWaltinSF@aol.com Subject: Re: (njc)Badlands -- what film was *I* thinking of? In a message dated 3/25/02 9:19:05 PM, FredNow writes: << Terrence Malick directed and wrote both films, two of my favorites. Also, "Days of Heaven" makes great use of "The Aquarium" from Camille Saint-Saens' "Carnival of the Animals." >> Aha! That explains the confusion... Also, I remember liking the music in "Days", and I used to have some Saint Saens in my music collection (the "used to" part is a long, boring story), so thanks for the tip -- I should look into him again. Thanks, Fred, Walt ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2002 01:33:28 EST From: FredNow@aol.com Subject: Re: Oscars NJC writes: >Am I the only one glad that Randy Newman won the Best Song category in >today's Oscars? His win (after 16 nominations) was given a standing >ovation. Unlike what one friend told me that he was given the award because >of his nth time nomination, I think his songs are just unassuming and not >really the bravura ones that get noticed every year (remember Aimee Mann's >"Save Me" from MAGNOLIA). No, you're not the only one. I was very glad for him, although I think he's written better songs, even some that were nominated in years past but didn't win. When Randy's good he's very good. But I thought Sting's song was best, and Paul's was not, although the great flautist Jim Walker on penny whistle was cool. - -Fred ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2002 02:02:27 EST From: BigWaltinSF@aol.com Subject: Re: (njc)Artificial Intelligence and human arrogance, and tossing away the no longer fresh, new, useful... In a message dated 3/25/02 9:27:35 PM, Colin wrote << The only tiem I felt anything was when they were making a side show of the destroying of the robots. Fairly typical human behaviour. >> I think this was one of the themes -- the tossing away of things no longer useful -- and making a disgusting show of it (certainly relevant, given the popularity of disgusting shows in US TV like Fear Factor, adn the WWF). There *was* a jolting break in the movie when Kubrick's influence (the detachment and subtlety of the opening scenes) gave way to the over-the-top Spielburgian stuff (the sudden apearance of the fake moon and the robot hunters; worse still, the scene with Law and Osmond with the cartoon-like oracle), but the cavalier attitude of humans towards robots was a unifying theme, I thought. Then, the scene where mysterious beings dug out the newly-thawed oceans and found Osmond, and brought back his "world" for him, for one day -- it may have seemed fairy-talish to an extent, but I spotted some irony. I believe these beings were meant to be an advanced race of robots from the distant future -- also designed and built by whom? Previous advanced robots, created by other robots, and so on, back to humans at some point? Who knows? Remember, though, that at one point the beings said "He's the last [something] who had actual contact with 'them' [or something to that effect]" [emphasis mine] "Them" being humans. So at some point, humans died out, and these beings had had no direct contact with humans. The apparent sadness of the beings, and their compassion for this poor "old" robot (Osmond) were, I think, intended as ironic counterpoint/contrast to the callousness of the humans in the earlier scenes, who threw away intelligent (albeit constructed) beings as soon as they became old, useless, etc. Even if the intelligent beings were robots from some other place, or even hybrids, or flesh-and-bone beings from elsewhere, the contrast of their behavior with that of the humans in the early scenes still stands. Just my thoughts; admittedly, I liked the movie, but I agree it was hard to understand, the direction-style transitions were too obvious, and the movie ran too long. But it did make sense to me. Non-mechanical hugs to all, Walt ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2002 02:12:21 EST From: BigWaltinSF@aol.com Subject: Re: (sjc)My So-called Life, and other shows by same producers, who apparently liked/loved Joni In a message dated 3/25/02 9:27:35 PM, Joseph P. writes: << When MTV had the My So Called Life marathons running I'd bolt the doors and take the phone off the hook. My fave is the Christmas Angel Episode with Julianna Hatfield which involved teen aged runaways. They played Joni music all the time during the episodes. >> The producer team that did MSCL and also did 30-something and Relativity and now Once and Again use(d) Joni a lot. I seem to recall at least two ocasions of Joni on 30-s.t. (one of them was "River"), and something on Relativity, and I *think* they continue the trend on O&A. Good people, good taste. Hugs, Walt ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2002 02:17:31 EST From: FredNow@aol.com Subject: Re: JMDL Digest V2002 #115 Mark, I meant to respond to this earlier, but ... Anyway, yes, I was the one who wrote about loving Joni's early music. And you're in the ballpark on this. Two of Joni's main devices in her early songs are her major/minor shifts and her oblique chromaticism; the latter is what you hear in the lines you quoted: "There's oil in puddle in taffeta patterns" is in a major tonality, then "that run down the drain" is, too, except that it's a half-step down, which produces an effect somewhat similar to, but still quite different from, a major/minor shift. She does it again on the very next phrase "In colored arrangements ... " It produces a disconnected, "falling" feeling; very common in Joni's early songs. (For example, "Songs To Aging Children Come" consists almost entirely of this device, as well as other permutations of oblique and otherwise unrelated chromaticism.) Where you will hear the major/minor shift in "Michael From Mountains" is on these lines: (starts major) "Michael wakes you up with sweets, he takes you up (shift to minor) streets and the rain comes (return to major) down." I hope this is clear. I'll bet if you go back to Joni's version, you'll now hear the same thing you heard in Judy's version just as well. What's really fascinating to me is how understanding the music in a technical way actually enhances its emotional effect; for instance, one easily sees how her "falling" chromaticism device causes a direct and visceral tug on the heart. I love music. Later, Fred In a message dated 3/15/02 1:43:24 AM, les@jmdl.com writes: >"Mark or Travis" >Subject: Michael From Mountains > >Since buying Judy Collins' 'Wildflowers' I've been sort of hearing 'Michael >From Mountains' with new ears. All these years that I've been listening >to Joni's version on 'Song To A Seagull' I've always thought this song (and >all the songs on STAS) had a very pretty melody. But hearing it in a more >orchestral setting on 'Wildflowers' has made me hear just how unique & >unusual this melody is. > >I think it was Fred who wrote a post about loving Joni's early songs because >the melodies were more interesting and unusual. If I remember right, Fred, >you mentioned that Joni's early songs often seemed to shift between minor >& major chords or keys and that this created an effect that you admired. >I'm not a musician so please excuse my fumbling for terminology & my ignorance. >But listening to Judy's version of 'MFM' (hey that could be 'Michael From >Mountains' or 'Man From Mars' - sometimes those anagrams can get confusing) >I'm pretty sure I can distinctly hear what you were referring to. The >phrase 'There's oil in puddle in taffeta patterns' sounds like a major >key to me but then the following phrase 'that run down the drain' sounds minor. >Am I right or did I land in a puddle and now I'm all wet? The funny thing >is that this never struck me as particularly different or remarkable in >Joni's version of the song. It was just part of the melody & I never >thought much about it. But in the Judy Collins version it is so obvious >to me. It really gives me a new appreciation of this particular song and >of course of the genius behind it. > >Mark E in Seattle ------------------------------ End of JMDL Digest V2002 #136 ***************************** ------- 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?