From: owner-joni-digest@smoe.org (JMDL Digest) To: joni-digest@smoe.org Subject: JMDL Digest V2013 #845 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 845 ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- Re: Furry Sings The Blues [Catherine McKay ] Re: Furry Sings The Blues [Dave Blackburn ] Re: Furry Sings The Blues [Clint Norwood ] Re: Furry Sings The Blues [Ange T ] RE: Furry [Michel BYRNE ] Re: Furry Sings The Blues [Catherine McKay ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 14:09:06 -0700 (PDT) From: Catherine McKay Subject: Re: Furry Sings The Blues In the version she sang at Massey Hall (and maybe elsewhere), when she does the "Furry voice," she says, "I DO know Spanish tuning. I DO!" Does anyone know what "Spanish tuning" is? >________________________________ > From: Clint Norwood >To: "Stewart.Simon@sunlife.com" ; "joni@smoe.org" >Sent: Wednesday, June 26, 2013 4:37:20 PM >Subject: Re: Furry Sings The Blues > > >One thing that was untrue about what Joni's manager said about Furry Sings the >Blues is that the song only mentioned his name and not much about him so he >didn't deserve any royalties. This was partially untrue. In the lyrics (at >least in the Shadows and Light concert film) Joni says something like, "my >Monday woman, My Tuesday woman etc." and that was a direct reference to his >song Furry's Blues. So as you can see there is more than just a mild reference >to Furry. I also believe that they should have given him a little something in >the way of money as he was pretty close to destitute. But you know the bean >counters had more to do with that than Joni I hope. > >Also one thing: Old >blues guys weren't always easy in the company of women. Ask Bonnie Raitt. >-Clint Norwood(Down and Out in Memphis, Tennessee) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 13:56:04 -0700 From: Dave Blackburn Subject: Re: Furry Sings The Blues Yes, Clint, I agree that a C note would have not been patronizing and been taken as a due of respect. Joni does undoubtedly mock him in the song somewhat and does get pretty specific about his condition and habits. She was well aware of the irony of her limo shining on his shanty street while he clearly had nothing. A little "pourboire" would have been appropriate. And, she wrote the song confessing she was not familiar with what W.C Handy played, thus not curious enough to read up on him, relying just on her strong impressions of his heyday. Furry Lewis was the living link to Handy and might have been fascinating to learn from if she had gained his trust. Sure is a great song though Dave On Jun 26, 2013, at 1:37 PM, Clint Norwood wrote: > One thing that was untrue about what Joni's manager said about Furry Sings the > Blues is that the song only mentioned his name and not much about him so he > didn't deserve any royalties. This was partially untrue. In the lyrics (at > least in the Shadows and Light concert film) Joni says something like, "my > Monday woman, My Tuesday woman etc." and that was a direct reference to his > song Furry's Blues. So as you can see there is more than just a mild reference > to Furry. I also believe that they should have given him a little something in > the way of money as he was pretty close to destitute. But you know the bean > counters had more to do with that than Joni I hope. > > Also one thing: Old > blues guys weren't always easy in the company of women. Ask Bonnie Raitt. > -Clint Norwood(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. > --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 14:36:03 -0700 (PDT) From: Clint Norwood Subject: Re: Furry Sings The Blues Hi Catherine, Yes that was the most revealing thing she said about their meeting (when she tried to say to him that she also played in open tuning) and said "it was all downhill from there." Spanish tuning is really just Open G tuning, the second most popular tuning behind the open D for country fingerpickers like Furry. She tried (apparently) to talk music theory with him and he took it wrong. Maybe Furry was nervous about talking theory. I know loads of musicians that don't know anything about WHAT they are playing they just know HOW. Furry was likely like that. Not having a lot of experience around older African-American people, Joni probably was working uphill. MISCOMMUNICATION STINKS !! ;) - -Clint Norwood (Down and Out in Memphis, Tennessee) ________________________________ From: Catherine McKay To: Clint Norwood ; "Stewart.Simon@sunlife.com" ; "joni@smoe.org" Sent: Wednesday, June 26, 2013 4:09 PM Subject: Re: Furry Sings The Blues In the version she sang at Massey Hall (and maybe elsewhere), when she does the "Furry voice," she says, "I DO know Spanish tuning. I DO!" Does anyone know what "Spanish tuning" is? >________________________________ > From: Clint Norwood >To: "Stewart.Simon@sunlife.com" ; "joni@smoe.org" >Sent: Wednesday, June 26, 2013 4:37:20 PM >Subject: Re: Furry Sings The Blues > > >One thing that was untrue about what Joni's manager said about Furry Sings the >Blues is that the song only mentioned his name and not much about him so he >didn't deserve any royalties. This was partially untrue. In the lyrics (at >least in the Shadows and Light concert film) Joni says something like, "my >Monday woman, My Tuesday woman etc." and that was a direct reference to his >song Furry's Blues. So as you can see there is more than just a mild reference >to Furry. I also believe that they should have given him a little something in >the way of money as he was pretty close to destitute. But you know the bean >counters had more to do with that than Joni I hope. > >Also one thing: Old >blues guys weren't always easy in the company of women. Ask Bonnie Raitt. >-Clint Norwood(Down and Out in Memphis, Tennessee) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 27 Jun 2013 07:40:50 +1000 From: Ange T Subject: Re: Furry Sings The Blues Clint - thanks so much for taking the time to dive into this thread with me. Loved the photos of Furry and the info you provided. And Stewart (or is it Simon? Sorry if I've got your name wrong!) wow - just read the Rolling Stone article - you are a gem for sending that link! The last line of the interview, quoting Furry, was PURE GOLD: >> "Now I know I ain't a star," he says, reaching for his glass and winking with a wise old grin "But I sure might be a moon." I imagine Joni would have 'stolen' that line off him if he'd said that the day they met...it's brilliant! How could any songwriter be in the company of somebody with such personality and NOT want to steal a little from them? The question is - is it stealing? Or is it just great songwriting...to be so overwhelmed by a character that you can pour their personality into rhyming lines. Does any songwriter really owe anyone anything for taking a little piece of their soul and putting it in a song? I had to laugh at her manager, also quoted in the article: >> "She really enjoyed meeting him, and wrote about her impressions of the meeting, He did tell her that he didn't like her, but we can't pay him royalties for that. I don't pay royalties to everybody who says they don't like me. I'd go broke" The songwriter within me is feeling kinda inspired....maybe I need to write a song about Joni writing a song about Furry... although, given the recent thread about Joni's harsh words against Paul Simon (Graceland was a life-changing album that can do no wrong in my world!) I imagine she wouldn't be too pleased with another 'copycat'...and then there'd be Furry, looking down from music-heaven, demanding I wire him some cash. Ha! Thanks listers! I feel very excited about next week's radio interview! Ange in Oz (not down and out...but not driving a shiny limo either) angetakats.com.au ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 21:35:18 +0000 From: Michel BYRNE Subject: RE: Furry Just to add a small note to everything that's been said about that great song: in the Luminato version, Joni adds a line (when quoting, or imitating, Ol' Furry): 'I can play in Spanish tuning too' (or something to that effect). One of her own memories was that Furry took offence when she tried to draw him out on the subject of open tunings, as he thought she was implying he couldn't play in standard tuning. So her new version brings in a bit more of the drama from their meeting. Apart from all the qualities already mentioned which make that song so great, I'd add its lyrical structure (cinematic descriptions of Beale St in the first half of every verse, and cameos of Ol' Furry in the second half), and also that utter clarity at the end of the song, in so few words, about the unbridgeable economic divide between the millionaire rock star and the impoverished blues player. I'd like to think Furry (and Jenny!) were given some kind of financial thanks by Joni... Michel ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 14:49:46 -0700 (PDT) From: Catherine McKay Subject: Re: Furry Sings The Blues Thanks, Clint, and Richard, and anyone else who answered the "Spanish tuning" question. I expect a lot of people just play without knowing the theory: they just know that what they're playing works. I'm not sure how much Joni knows about music theory either. She may have her own unique way of expressing it, or maybe she knows more than she likes to let on. I can just see Furry possibly being a little overwhelmed by her. >________________________________ > From: Clint Norwood >To: Catherine McKay ; "Stewart.Simon@sunlife.com" ; "joni@smoe.org" >Sent: Wednesday, June 26, 2013 5:36:03 PM >Subject: Re: Furry Sings The Blues > > > >Hi Catherine, > >Yes that was the most revealing thing she said about their meeting (when she tried to say to him that she also played in open tuning) and said "it was all downhill from there." Spanish tuning is really just Open G tuning, the second most popular tuning behind the open D for country fingerpickers like Furry. She tried (apparently) to talk music theory with him and he took it wrong. Maybe Furry was nervous about talking theory. I know loads of musicians that don't know anything about WHAT they are playing they just know HOW. Furry was likely like that. Not having a lot of experience around older African-American people, Joni probably was working uphill. MISCOMMUNICATION STINKS !! ;) > >-Clint Norwood (Down and Out in Memphis, Tennessee) > > > > > > >________________________________ ------------------------------ End of JMDL Digest V2013 #845 ***************************** ------- To post messages to the list, sendtojoni@smoe.org. Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:joni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe -------