From: owner-joni-digest@smoe.org (JMDL Digest) To: joni-digest@smoe.org Subject: JMDL Digest V2013 #844 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 Wednesday, June 26 2013 Volume 2013 : Number 844 ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- Furry Sings The Blues [Stewart.Simon@sunlife.com] Re: VIDEO: Joni: The Creative Odyssey of Joni Mitchell [Shari Eaton ] Furry Sings The Blues [Bob.Muller@Fluor.com] Re: VIDEO: Joni: The Creative Odyssey of Joni Mitchell [Dave Blackburn <] Re: Furry Sings The Blues [Clint Norwood ] RE: VIDEO: Joni: The Creative Odyssey of Joni Mitchell ["Susan E. McNama] Re: pronunciations [jlhommedieu@insight.rr.com] Re: Pronunciations [Dave Blackburn ] Re: VIDEO: Joni: The Creative Odyssey of Joni Mitchell [Dave Blackburn <] Looking for some help on transcription of "This Rain" [Catherine McKay ] Joni film? [BarbaRent7@aol.com] Re: Squelched? [Anita G ] Re: Furry Sings The Blues [Clint Norwood ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 13:36:21 -0400 From: Stewart.Simon@sunlife.com Subject: Furry Sings The Blues Does anyone know the full story of Joni's journey to Beale Street and her interactions with Furry? Has she ever answered questions about his reported dislike of her song? Were they friends before she wrote the song? I never heard anything disrespectful in the lyrics to that song, but now I'm wondering whether it's the best choice for this interview. Feel free to shed some (shadows and) light on this topic. Thanking you, Ange in Oz angetakats.com.au A month or two ago I became very interested in "Furry Sings the Blues," most specifically I was interested in the actual meeting and how it took place. It made me wish that I could hop back in my time machine when I was in kindergarten and ask my dad to look for a limo on Mosby. I had asked Les to give me access to these forums so I could see if there was any back story. I found it all terrifically interesting. But then I see that Joni has chosen that (to me very dark) song to feature in the Luminato performances and I think WOW!! That song/experience must have meant very much to her. Someone (sorry I am just getting to know you guys) mentioned that in the CBC interview that happened recently, that they wouldn't have been surprised to see Joni point a bony finger at the interviewer and say, "I don't like you." So it has come full circle for the artists. And then Ange in Oz makes reference to the lil' ole Wiki Furry Lewis article that I wrote/edited to let people know that Furry lived next to Beale street in the 60's and early seventies but by the time Joni arrived (Les put this date as Feb 5th, 1976)he had moved to the Mosby residence (mostly for the reasons that Joni cites, that urban renewal was bulldozing everything including Furry's Fourth St apt.) a good deal north from Beale Street. It was flattering to say the least to see Ange cite my own words so I decided to leave being just a spectator on these boards and participate. So here goes, I have a big, burning question for those who know Joni best. That is: Why does Furry Sing the Blues hold such a place in Joni that she goes back to it all of the time and what should it really mean to us? Down and Out in Memphis, Tennessee Clinton Norwood (No One) ____________________________________ Hi Ange and Clinton, See the link below for a little bit of color as to why Furry was upset with the song. Furry claimed that Joni used his name without permission and he received no royalties from the proceeds that were generated by the song. As to why Furry Sing the Blues hold such a place in Joni that she goes back to it all of the time - its a good question. The imagery of Beale Street and the musicians that played there is beautiful. I know this is one of my favorite songs. http://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=107 - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- This e-mail message (including attachments, if any) is intended for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, proprietary , confidential and exempt from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, you are notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender and erase this e-mail message immediately. - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 07:22:28 -0700 From: Shari Eaton Subject: Re: VIDEO: Joni: The Creative Odyssey of Joni Mitchell Have to say I agree with you here. She repeatedly says what an influence Dylan was to her lyric writing. Imagine if Dylan said 'oh Joni started copying me so I had to switch it up.' It diminishes the talents of the 'influenced' artist and is kind of childish really. I've never listened to Paul Simon and thought he'd done anything other than play music that suited his talents and sensibilities. I would be curious to know at which point in his song writing and album making that the supposed change occurred. Dylan was smart in this arena. Whenever anyone (acquaintance or media) brought up Joni (or the name of another artist) he would just reply 'Joni? Yeah she's great.' End of story. A little dull but respectable. On Jun 26, 2013, at 7:04 AM, Dave Blackburn wrote: > I must say I'm rather baffled by Joni's claim that Paul Simon copied her too-many-syllables-in-a-line style, so she felt she therefore had to abandon it as it was no longer her sole province. This claim, which she states as fact, seems on reflection to be rather preposterous. > > Joni freely incorporated HER influences into her writing, from slack key open tunings to sax player phrasing. Isn't that how artists work, processing their influences and environment into their art. > > I wonder which Paul Simon material she refers to: one song, a whole album, or everything he wrote after succumbing to her influence? I wonder what he would have to say about this claim. He was himself an artist who extended popular song conventions. > > Dave > > p.s now if she had said Paul Simon copied her idea of writing freewheeling songs over an African groove, ten years after she had done it, I might agree. > > > > On Jun 26, 2013, at 6:35 AM, "Susan E. McNamara" wrote: > >> I think I made a convert at work. He was not sure who Joni was and since everyone was talking about my trip to Toronto, he pulled up Joni on Pandora and ran over to my desk to tell me how he was really enjoying the music, and also the other artists that came up with her (Pandora currently pulls Paul Simon, Simon & Garfunkel, Cat Stevens and all iterations of CSNY, which I think is fascinating given her comment about Paul Simon at Luminato). We chatted about her for about 20 minutes, and I think he is becoming aware!! :-) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 07:14:54 -0700 (PDT) From: Catherine McKay Subject: Re: JMDL Digest V2013 #835 Hi, Clint! Good to know you! It's always great to hear from someone who has the personal knowledge of one of the places Joni seems to hold dear. I also wonder why Joni might have chosen that particular song. I do know that she said to Jon Pareles in the interview (and I would have to go back to listen again for the exact words) that, when Jon asked her something about which lyrics she was most proud of, she quoted these: Pawn shops glitter like gold tooth caps In the grey decay They chew the last few dollars off Old Beale Street's carcass Carrion and mercy Blue and silver sparkling drums Cheap guitars eye shades and guns Aimed at the hot blood of being no one I'd have to think about why she might keep going back to this one, and wonder whether it might have anything to do with knowing she's getting older herself and possibly witnessing a lot of urban "renewal" that completely changes the way things were. I know that, as an aging fart myself, I often wax nostalgic and cranky, and keep trying to remember what things used to look like here in Toronto before the condo boom began and there was a Starbucks on every street corner. But then, maybe I'm just personalizing things too much, remembering the so-called good old days. I'd love to hear others' thoughts on this. - ----- Original Message ----- > From: Clint Norwood > To: "joni@smoe.org" ; "joni-digest@smoe.org" > Cc: > Sent: Wednesday, June 26, 2013 9:53:36 AM > Subject: Re: JMDL Digest V2013 #835 > > Hi All and especially Ange in Oz, > > A month or two ago I became very interested > in "Furry Sings the Blues," most specifically I was interested in the > actual > meeting and how it took place. It made me wish that I could hop back in my > time machine when I was in kindergarten and ask my dad to look for a limo on > Mosby. I had asked Les to give me access to these forums so I could see if > there was any back story. I found it all terrifically interesting. But then I > see that Joni has chosen that (to me very dark) song to feature in the > Luminato performances and I think WOW!! That song/experience must have meant > very much to her. Someone (sorry I am just getting to know you guys) mentioned > that in the CBC interview that happened recently, that they wouldn't have > been > surprised to see Joni point a bony finger at the interviewer and say, "I > don't > like you." So it has come full circle for the artists. And then Ange in Oz > makes reference to the lil' ole Wiki Furry Lewis article that I wrote/edited > to > let people know that Furry lived next to Beale street in the 60's and early > seventies but by the time Joni arrived (Les put this date as Feb 5th, 1976) he > had moved to the Mosby residence (mostly for the reasons that Joni cites, that > urban renewal was bulldozing everything including Furry's Fourth St apt.) a > good deal north from Beale Street. It was flattering to say the least to see > Ange cite my own words so I decided to leave being just a spectator on these > boards and participate. So here goes, I have a big, burning question for those > who know Joni best. That is: > Why does Furry Sing the Blues hold such a place > in Joni that she goes back to it all of the time and what should it really > mean to us? > > Down and Out in Memphis, Tennessee > > Clinton Norwood (No One) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 10:35:33 -0400 From: Bob.Muller@Fluor.com Subject: Furry Sings The Blues Firstly, also a welcome to you Clint - thanks for stepping up and out. I have also edited on Wikipedia in reference to correcting some misinformation regarding Joni covers. I was going to answer pretty much what Catherine said about the visual and metaphorical power of these lyrics so she said that part. I'll only add that she continually says that Hejira remains her touchstone album, and also given her limited range these days it's probably one of the easiest songs for her to sing. Bob - ------------------------------------------------------------ The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain proprietary, business-confidential and/or privileged material. If you are not the intended recipient of this message you are hereby notified that any use, review, retransmission, dissemination, distribution, reproduction or any action taken in reliance upon this message is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of the company. - ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 07:49:41 -0700 From: Dave Blackburn Subject: Re: VIDEO: Joni: The Creative Odyssey of Joni Mitchell Joni speaks as if Paul Simon copied her after what I presume is Hejira, so 1976/6 onward. Graceland was, if memory serves, 1986. In late 1975 Paul Simon released Still Crazy After All These Years, roughly contemporaneous with Hejira, and anyone who knows that album knows that it is classic Paul Simon, with his conversational story telling, easy melodies and conventional song form. I think both songwriters were at the top of their game and wrote with an ease that you only acquire over time, both wrote narrative style lyrics with character sketches and an "eye for detail." But beyond that I don't hear what she's talking about. In a larger sense, practically every acoustic guitarist since Joni Mitchell has been influenced by her, if only by how she made it okay to get away from Verse/Chorus/Bridge form and use bland chord changes. But she singles out Paul Simon: I wonder if she had some beef with him and cooked up a reason she could cite in interviews. Dave (ahem, currently working on how to imitate Hejira!) On Jun 26, 2013, at 7:12 AM, "Susan E. McNamara" wrote: > I pondered her comment, too, Dave. I absolutely adore Graceland and if she is saying that Paul Simon was influenced by Jungle Line to create Graceland, wow. Joni heard Burundi drumming off a tape ... Paul actually went to Africa, protested apartheid, and played with many African musicians. Am I off base here? Also, I don't think Jungle line was the last time Joni used "world beat" as I guess the genre is called now. Dreamland and Tenth World would be another place she possibly influenced others like Sting and Peter Gabriel. Joni has been known to reject and embrace many of her actual influences in countless conversations. Another reason why we need to continually discuss her!!! :-) > > Susan Tierney McNamara > email: sem8@cornell.edu ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 10:34:54 -0700 (PDT) From: Clint Norwood Subject: Re: Furry Sings The Blues Thanks for the comments guys. I couldn't help but think the visit with Furry stuck with her because he said that he didn't like her. I have always found the searching after old blues greats by white people to be notable at some level because these days it seems that white people care about it more generally. I'm sure it was weird to be loved by so many and then not be loved by an ancient artist. I am sure that stuck in her craw somewhat. It's funny how someone from West Canada can step in our little town and write about us articulately in a way that fits so well. Down and Out in Memphis Tennessee, - -Clint ________________________________ From: "Bob.Muller@Fluor.com" To: Catherine McKay Cc: Clint Norwood ; "joni@smoe.org" Sent: Wednesday, June 26, 2013 9:35 AM Subject: Furry Sings The Blues Firstly, also a welcome to you Clint - thanks for stepping up and out. I have also edited on Wikipedia in reference to correcting some misinformation regarding Joni covers. I was going to answer pretty much what Catherine said about the visual and metaphorical power of these lyrics so she said that part. I'll only add that she continually says that Hejira remains her touchstone album, and also given her limited range these days it's probably one of the easiest songs for her to sing. Bob - ------------------------------------------------------------ The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain proprietary, business-confidential and/or privileged material. If you are not the intended recipient of this message you are hereby notified that any use, review, retransmission, dissemination, distribution, reproduction or any action taken in reliance upon this message is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of the company. - ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 13:35:56 +0000 From: "Susan E. McNamara" Subject: RE: VIDEO: Joni: The Creative Odyssey of Joni Mitchell I think I made a convert at work. He was not sure who Joni was and since everyone was talking about my trip to Toronto, he pulled up Joni on Pandora and ran over to my desk to tell me how he was really enjoying the music, and also the other artists that came up with her (Pandora currently pulls Paul Simon, Simon & Garfunkel, Cat Stevens and all iterations of CSNY, which I think is fascinating given her comment about Paul Simon at Luminato). We chatted about her for about 20 minutes, and I think he is becoming aware!! :-) Susan Tierney McNamara email: sem8@cornell.edu - -----Original Message----- From: owner-joni@smoe.org [mailto:owner-joni@smoe.org] On Behalf Of Shari Eaton Sent: Wednesday, June 26, 2013 12:39 AM To: joni@smoe.org LIST Subject: Re: VIDEO: Joni: The Creative Odyssey of Joni Mitchell Hi Laura, This was a great listen for a few reasons  It answers what was unanswerable to me beforehow could anyone, aware of her work, not be a Joni fan? I think my Mom hears Joni the same way this writer did.  There's more depth to Joni's writing than I knew of. More to explore! Thank you so much for the link. Shari On Jun 23, 2013, at 10:27 AM, est86mlm@ameritech.net wrote: > Ran across this very thought-provoking interview with Katherine Monk. > > http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/Local+Shows/British+Columbia/Radio+West/ID/228 9036482/?page=14 > > Laura ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 13:07:51 -0400 From: jlhommedieu@insight.rr.com Subject: Re: pronunciations Paul said, in part, >I don't think any of Joni's so-called mispronunciations are accidental, but are for artistic effect and, thus, should not be considered "wrong," but merely odd, strange or unusual.> Y Or maybe "artful". Although Joni expressed regret (at least once) about "skoo-ells", I always enjoy it. I figure it makes me think about that word a little bit. It is good for me to work once in a while. My brain enjoys the stimulation. No one actually pronounces it that way, so she must have done it for a reason. In this case it makes the rhyme but she also LEANS on that exaggerated vowel, cajoling the listener to pay attention, to be engaged, to focus on the Story, to be a words person. The way she emphasizes the mis-pronounced word signifies that she did it intentionally, that she is unapologetic. The author is making a point. That one word illustrates why people call her demanding or challenging or deep. Karin Bergquist of Over The Rhine does some novel things with vow-ells too. I never tire of the trick. Jim L PS: But "real-a-tor" is a different thing. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 11:08:34 -0700 From: Dave Blackburn Subject: Re: Pronunciations > I'd place a wager that "avez-vous un allumette?" was one of Joni's first > French phrases. She doesn't seem to have any trouble with that one. > > Betsy Except that the "s" in "vous" IS pronounced when followed by a vowel, which she doesn't do. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 09:27:16 -0700 From: Dave Blackburn Subject: Re: VIDEO: Joni: The Creative Odyssey of Joni Mitchell typo - that should have read 1975/6 onward. On Jun 26, 2013, at 7:49 AM, Dave Blackburn wrote: > Joni speaks as if Paul Simon copied her after what I presume is Hejira, so 1976/6 onward. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 06:51:20 -0700 (PDT) From: Catherine McKay Subject: Looking for some help on transcription of "This Rain" I'm looking for some help from anyone inclined to do so in transcribing the words to "This rain". Must have some combination of good will, good hearing, good sleuthing skills, magical abilities, etc., and the time to listen a few times. If anyone cares to help me out, please check out the following link, where I've uploaded the mp3 version of the Tuesday Massey Hall reading as well as a text document of what I've been able to decipher thus far AND the Emily Carr text on which Joni based this poem. If you care to participate in this crowd-sourcing venture, please reply to me privately with your thoughts on just what the heck you think Joni is saying, especially in the parts where I've got question marks. If we run into cases of people interpreting wording differently, the different versions will be posted and then there will be an arm-wrestling contest to see who wins.The sound quality isn't the greatest. If need be, we'll just wait for CBC to post this, since their version can't help but be better than mine. Cheers and thanks in advance! Here's the link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/oqpjbfaum9oq69h/2QYTiaE6hG ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 08:45:56 -0400 From: Barbara Sullivan Subject: RE: VIDEO: Joni: The Creative Odyssey of Joni Mitchell Laura, thanks for the CBC link for future broadcasts. (Joni broadcast July 1 & 8, 2013) Katherine Monks interview with the CBC network was exciting. She really did not want to write a book on Joni, explaining the journey she took., and lovin it. Sounds interesting...so I now have a read for the summer. Regards, Ada > To: sem8@cornell.edu > CC: joni@smoe.org > Subject: RE: VIDEO: Joni: The Creative Odyssey of Joni Mitchell > From: Bob.Muller@Fluor.com > Date: Tue, 25 Jun 2013 09:54:17 -0400 > > Sue, > > I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Rather than the same old same old, there are > many insights into the combination of psychology and the creative process > in general and Joni's in particular. I don't need to read another Joni bio > (until SHE writes an autobio) but this is a great read. > > Bob > > > > > From: "Susan E. McNamara" > To: "est86mlm@ameritech.net" , "joni@smoe.org" > > Date: 06/25/2013 09:40 AM > Subject: RE: VIDEO: Joni: The Creative Odyssey of Joni Mitchell > Sent by: owner-joni@smoe.org > > > > When I got back from Luminato I decided to get this book because it had > recently been released on Kindle. I'm only through the first chapter but > I think it's going to be really good. I'll have to go back in the > archives to see how the list reacted to it at the time of its release. > Speaking of archives, she keeps saying in this interview, "when I looked > back at the archives ..." which I'm sure meant the article database on > jm.com. Thank you again, Les Irvin. :-) > > Susan Tierney McNamara > email: sem8@cornell.edu > > -----Original Message----- > From: owner-joni@smoe.org [mailto:owner-joni@smoe.org] On Behalf Of > est86mlm@ameritech.net > Sent: Sunday, June 23, 2013 1:28 PM > To: joni@smoe.org > Subject: VIDEO: Joni: The Creative Odyssey of Joni Mitchell > > Ran across this very thought-provoking interview with Katherine Monk. > > http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/Local+Shows/British+Columbia/Radio+West/ID/228 9036482/?page=14 > > > Laura > > ------------------------------------------------------------ > The information transmitted is intended only for the person > or entity to which it is addressed and may contain > proprietary, business-confidential and/or privileged material. > If you are not the intended recipient of this message you are > hereby notified that any use, review, retransmission, dissemination, > distribution, reproduction or any action taken in reliance upon > this message is prohibited. If you received this in error, please > contact the sender and delete the material from any computer. > > Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual > sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of the company. > ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 06:10:27 -0700 (PDT) From: Catherine McKay Subject: Re: Sample of Sheila Weller's book It has been a few years since I read it. I do recall being somewhat thrown off by the writing style in the beginning but, after a chapter or two, I got into it and enjoyed the book quite a lot. >________________________________ > From: "jlhommedieu@insight.rr.com" >To: JMDL >Sent: Tuesday, June 25, 2013 10:51:34 PM >Subject: Sample of Sheila Weller's book > > >"The album, which went platinum, gave Carly a Top 10 hit with the bouncy, >torch, loving You Belong To Me, which she cowrote with Michael McDonald, and >which, like so many of her songs - including another on the album, In A Small >Moment(and In Times When My Head, in the previous one) - was about cheating, >jealousy, and temptation: the adult preoccupations she had witnessed in her >childhood and which were dancing around the corners of her current life." > >Pat Boland posted a very long excerpt, of which this is a part, on Facebook. >That is all one sentence! It has ten commas, two hyphens, and a parenthetical >phrase for good measure. Oh, plus a colon. > >It "scans" like it was dictated, transcribed, and published in a day. > >I have not read Sheila's book. Among those who have read it, what do you >think? > >Jim L'Hommedieu ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 10:48:11 -0700 From: Betsy Blue Subject: Pronunciations Om-uh-lets! That one is definitely stretched to fit in Carey. Jew-ells/schoo-ells was changed to jools/schools. I can't remember where, but I think Joni made reference to this at some point. There is a whole other discussion to be had on the relative emphasis of dipthong vowel sounds. I don't feel qualified to comment, but if any linguists/educated singers want to do so, I would be fascinated. I'd place a wager that "avez-vous un allumette?" was one of Joni's first French phrases. She doesn't seem to have any trouble with that one. Betsy ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 13:49:35 -0400 (EDT) From: BarbaRent7@aol.com Subject: Joni film? Having problems with my computer so didn't get a chance to read every item, but got the sense there had been a plan for a film about Joni's life that she didn't want to happen? And that the ridiculous person to star as her would have been Taylor Swift? If so, TS would have had to lipsinc since there's no way she'd ever come close to singing as great as our Joni! My film about her life (which is FAR from over!) is still running inside my head. Blessings to all! Barbara of the desert In a message dated 6/26/2013 7:45:44 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, owner-joni-digest@smoe.org writes: ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2013 23:38:59 +0100 From: Anita G Subject: Re: Squelched? Bob, surely you recall that great golfing classic 'Little Green'? Anita On 24/06/2013, Bob Muller wrote: > When you mentioned putting, I thought maybe she had taken up golf. > > Bob > ________________________________ > F ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 13:27:08 -0700 (PDT) From: Clint Norwood Subject: Re: Furry Sings The Blues Hi Ange, I think that Furry really lived in poverty. He had a streetsweeper job for the City that he did even when he was old. By the time Joni got to him he was retired. He could barely see at that point and he has said by then he could just see shadows and shapes. The thing is that maybe Joni and her crew (it would be nice to know who went with her since Robben Ford was a blues lover) didn't know how to say things right to Furry. I am sure that to some extent they thought it was sad that Beale was coming down (only 1 or two are more than a storefront these days) and everything was lost, but to Furry he was still there. I am SURE there was some miscommunication going on in that shotgun house. Just a few thoughts maybe I'll add more when they come to mind. Here are some pics of Furry (incidentally the exact house he lived in when Joni visited) from our city newspaper archives. You can also see his house in youtube videos where he and Bukka White (and others) just sat there with quarts of beer listening to him play in his bed. Furry died when a small fire occured in his home and he was forced to live where he could and contracted pneumonia which finished him. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/feb/20/late-bluesman-walter-furry-l ewis-get-marker-tuesda/?partner=RSS http://www.commercialappeal.com/photos/galleries/memphis-home-of-blues/37467/ http://www.commercialappeal.com/photos/galleries/barney-sellers-recording-loc al-history/47370/ - -Clint ( Down and Out in Memphis, Tennessee) ________________________________ From: "Stewart.Simon@sunlife.com" To: joni@smoe.org Sent: Wednesday, June 26, 2013 12:36 PM Subject: Furry Sings The Blues Does anyone know the full story of Joni's journey to Beale Street and her interactions with Furry? Has she ever answered questions about his reported dislike of her song? Were they friends before she wrote the song? I never heard anything disrespectful in the lyrics to that song, but now I'm wondering whether it's the best choice for this interview. Feel free to shed some (shadows and) light on this topic. Thanking you, Ange in Oz angetakats.com.au A month or two ago I became very interested in "Furry Sings the Blues," most specifically I was interested in the actual meeting and how it took place. It made me wish that I could hop back in my time machine when I was in kindergarten and ask my dad to look for a limo on Mosby. I had asked Les to give me access to these forums so I could see if there was any back story. I found it all terrifically interesting. But then I see that Joni has chosen that (to me very dark) song to feature in the Luminato performances and I think WOW!! That song/experience must have meant very much to her. Someone (sorry I am just getting to know you guys) mentioned that in the CBC interview that happened recently, that they wouldn't have been surprised to see Joni point a bony finger at the interviewer and say, "I don't like you." So it has come full circle for the artists. And then Ange in Oz makes reference to the lil' ole Wiki Furry Lewis article that I wrote/edited to let people know that Furry lived next to Beale street in the 60's and early seventies but by the time Joni arrived (Les put this date as Feb 5th, 1976)he had moved to the Mosby residence (mostly for the reasons that Joni cites, that urban renewal was bulldozing everything including Furry's Fourth St apt.) a good deal north from Beale Street. It was flattering to say the least to see Ange cite my own words so I decided to leave being just a spectator on these boards and participate. So here goes, I have a big, burning question for those who know Joni best. That is: Why does Furry Sing the Blues hold such a place in Joni that she goes back to it all of the time and what should it really mean to us? Down and Out in Memphis, Tennessee Clinton Norwood (No One) ____________________________________ Hi Ange and Clinton, See the link below for a little bit of color as to why Furry was upset with the song. Furry claimed that Joni used his name without permission and he received no royalties from the proceeds that were generated by the song. As to why Furry Sing the Blues hold such a place in Joni that she goes back to it all of the time - its a good question. The imagery of Beale Street and the musicians that played there is beautiful. I know this is one of my favorite songs. http://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=107 - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- This e-mail message (including attachments, if any) is intended for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, proprietary , confidential and exempt from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, you are notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender and erase this e-mail message immediately. - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ End of JMDL Digest V2013 #844 ***************************** ------- To post messages to the list, sendtojoni@smoe.org. Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:joni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe -------