From: owner-joni-digest@smoe.org (JMDL Digest) To: joni-digest@smoe.org Subject: JMDL Digest V2010 #197 Reply-To: joni@smoe.org Sender: owner-joni-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-joni-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk Unsubscribe: mailto:joni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe Website: http://jonimitchell.com JMDL Digest Sunday, July 4 2010 Volume 2010 : Number 197 ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- benefactors/saints; parasites/the wicked ["Mark" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2010 23:33:10 -0700 From: "Mark" Subject: benefactors/saints; parasites/the wicked I've been having fun looking through old JMDL digests. I ran across a post from 2001 about the lines 'the perils of benefactors, the blessings of parasites'. Somebody asked about these lines and there was some speculation about their meaning. And suddenly I thought about the lines from 'Sire of Sorrow': Tell me why do you starve the faithful? Why do you crucify the saints? And you let the wicked prosper You let their children frisk like deer Does anyone else see a parallel here? Kind of a related but kind of a tangential thought: In 'Agnes of God' (the movie, anyway) the psychiatrist played by Jane Fonda asks the Mother Superior played by Anne Bancroft if she would like to become a saint. Mother Superior says one is born a saint. The psychiatrist says well, you can try to be good and the Mother Superior responds that not all of the saints were good, some of them were even a little crazy. So does anybody else think in the context of Joni's lyrics that maybe benefactors=saints and/or parasites=the wicked? I also watched the 'Shadows and Light' dvd again last weekend. What a great concert. A lot of people have dissed Joni's 80s perm but in the S&L taping, anyway, I like the look of it. Maybe she had her hair cut shorter sometime later. It's still pretty long in the S&L dvd and looks a bit looser than some of the other pictures I remember seeing of the infamous perm. FWIW Mark in Seattle ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 03 Jul 2010 18:50:29 -0400 From: simon@icu.com Subject: Carnegie Hall_Concert Review this past thursday morning I sent Les an article from a 1969 issue of BILLBOARD Magazine. I see that not only has he already included it within the Library at JoniMitchell.com, but it's already generated some discussion. here's the text followed by some information that might be of interest. Joni Mitchell Gives Top Offering as 'Interpreter' By Fred Kirby BILLBOARD Magazine Feb. 15, 1969 NEW YORK  Joni Mitchell charmed a packed Carnegie Hall audience on Saturday (1), singing her best songs in her best manner. Except for one number with piano and an unaccompanied "Song for America," the Reprise artist accompanied herself with guitar. Miss Mitchell doesn't merely sing a song, the fine folk artist effectively interprets her material. And what a lineup of material! Beginning with "Chelsea Morning" and ending with a medley of "The Circle Game" and the new "Little Green," the outstanding material flowed. The Canadian artist even had a big number such as "Michael From Mountains" as one of her two encores. And there was much more in the one-woman show, including her "Both Sides Now (Clouds)," which is a current Judy Collins hit. This melodic meaningful selection closed the first half. Among outstanding songs were "Night in the City," "That Song About the Midway," "I Had a King," "Marcie," "Morning Morgantown," "Nathan La Franeer" and "Cactus Tree." She only sang one song that was not her own composition as she turned "For What It's Worth" into a sing-along. This was followed by a sing-along in The Circle Game." Miss Mitchell's personality, including her banter, contributed to the exceptional evening. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - This was one of two concerts recorded for a 'LIVE' Album. The other concert took place on Feb. 14, 1969 at the Zellerbach Auditorium in Berkeley, CA. Joel Bernstein was summoned by Eliot Roberts and instructed to bring all of his photographic equipment because he would be shooting the album cover. Luckily this wasn't a school night, so attending wasn't a problem. A number of photos taken that night were included in the PBS Documentary Film WOMAN OF HEART AND MIND. Now obviously, no such album was ever released. As far as I know, it didn't even get to the point of having an assigned P.O. No. However, a reference recording was prepared for Joni, with the following songs: 1. Chelsea Morning 2. Blue Boy * 3. Both Sides, Now 4. The Gallery * 5. Hunter * 6. Get Together * 7. Circle Game / Little Green / Circle Game 8. Urge For Going * Joni placed check marks next to these songs. I called two friends who attended this concert and both agree, Fred Kirby is clearly mistaken. While Joni did perform GET TOGETHER frequently during this time period; neither has any memory of her ever performing FOR WHAT IT's WORTH. And we all attended numerous concert and club appearances in 1967, 1968, 1969 and 1970. My only other comment is "Don't get your hopes up" you'll be disappointed. andmoreagain, - - - - - - - - - - s i m o n http://jonimitchell.com/chronology/complete.cfm http://jonimitchell.com/music/inspiredbyjoni_albums.cfm http://jonimitchell.com/music/inspiredbyjoni_songs.cfm http://jonimitchell.com/music/miscrecordings.cfm http://jonimitchell.com/music/songsaboutjoni.cfm ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 03 Jul 2010 20:13:57 -0400 From: simon@icu.com Subject: Your notches, liberation doll? I saved an old JMDL post with several questions ... Dave Blackburn asked > What the heck does "Your notches liberation doll" mean? From: DON'T INTERRUPT THE SORROW Don't interrupt the sorrow Darn right In flames our prophet witches Be polite A room full of glasses He says "Your notches, liberation doll" And he chains me with that serpent To that Ethiopian wall (first verse) a mistake was made when the lyrics were prepared for the HOSL cover, the sentence should read "You're notches liberation doll", or ... eliminate the contraction and you get "You are notches liberation doll" The Hollywood myth-makers have given us a number of historical distortions. Among them, the notion that gunslingers would carve a notch into the handle of their guns for each man they killed, as a mark of accomplishment. A way of bragging or boasting. This is, of course, Ridiculous!, but that is Joni's reference. Women as sexual conquests. and the men who see them as nothing more than that. In any event ... The mistaken lyric was finally corrected in the withdrawn SongBook Complete. I scanned the relevant pages - you can download a copy at the following URL: BTW: I have heard this explanation from Joni herself! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Dave also asked > Why did you not travel with multiple guitars in different tunings > instead of retuning on stage? eventually, she did. more later, stay tuned. take care. andmoreagain, - - - - - - - - - - s i m o n http://jonimitchell.com/chronology/complete.cfm http://jonimitchell.com/music/inspiredbyjoni_albums.cfm http://jonimitchell.com/music/inspiredbyjoni_songs.cfm http://jonimitchell.com/music/miscrecordings.cfm http://jonimitchell.com/music/songsaboutjoni.cfm ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 3 Jul 2010 18:03:44 -0700 From: "Jill Haas" Subject: Re: Your notches, liberation doll? The phrase "Notches in your belt" is ususally applied to men who sleep with women and feel the need to count. As a liberation doll, perhaps it's an implication that the tables have turned. Now someone is accusing her of doing the same thing, counting the men she has slept with and putting notches in her belt as a "liberation doll." I used to think it was the Spanish "night," and just skipped that line as many that I didn't get. With a comma, "Your notches, liberation doll," it makes a bit more sense... There's always something new in Joni's lyrics to discover. Part of why one can be a fan of Joni's for forty years or so and never get sick of her work. - ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Cc: "Les Irvin" ; "Dave Blackburn" Sent: Saturday, July 03, 2010 5:13 PM Subject: Your notches, liberation doll? >I saved an old JMDL post with several questions ... > > Dave Blackburn asked > > > What the heck does "Your notches liberation doll" mean? ------------------------------ End of JMDL Digest V2010 #197 ***************************** ------- Post messages to the list by clicking here: mailto:joni@smoe.org Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:joni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe -------