From: owner-joni-digest@smoe.org (JMDL Digest) To: joni-digest@smoe.org Subject: JMDL Digest V2014 #2005 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, April 12 2015 Volume 2014 : Number 2005 ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- RE: Globe and Mail [Barbara Sullivan ] Re: Joni's Illness [Anita Gabrielle ] Re: Globe and Mail ["mep chorus.net" ] Re: Globe and Mail njc [Catherine McKay ] Re: SFJAZZ Gala 2015 To Honor Joni Mitchell ["Susan E. McNamara" ] Re: SFJAZZ Gala 2015 To Honor Joni Mitchell [Dave Blackburn ] Re: Globe and mail [lcs4bike@yahoo.com] Re: Globe and Mail njc [Jeff Clark ] Re: SFJAZZ Gala 2015 To Honor Joni Mitchell ["Susan E. McNamara" ] Re: Fountain of sorrow [Marion Leffler ] Re: JMDL Digest V2014 #2004 [Pavla Frazier ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 12 Apr 2015 08:48:08 -0400 From: Barbara Sullivan Subject: RE: Globe and Mail Oh my gosh Anita...you really put it in such a way, it blows my mind!You should send this to the idiot who wrote the article.Thanks,Barb Have a Grrr8...phenomenal day! BARBEARUH > Date: Sat, 11 Apr 2015 19:12:46 +0100 > Subject: Re: Globe and Mail > From: lawntreader@googlemail.com > To: anima_rising@yahoo.ca > CC: mjsentance@gmail.com; joni@smoe.org > > I can't quite find the reasons why I find this article really irritating > and patronising. It doesn't seem nearly as contentious as so many other > things I have read over the years on JMDL and there has clearly been some > thought gone into the relationship we have to an artist and to their art, > alongside the 'contamination' folk may suffer from art created by 'bad' > people. I think it might be the last bit that says; > > " And if shebs suffering from delusional parasitosis, it would in fact be > more compassionate to describe her as a victim of mental illness than to > preserve a fictitious persona. After all, her songs will live for much > longer than she does." > > I don't feel Joni has ever had a 'fictitious persona' at all. She has > always been might real with ups and downs, good and bad, arrogance and > humility, consistency and non consistency, boring stories and interesting > stories. Pretty all round good/bad like the rest of us from time to time - > except with great honesty in the public eye and we don't have her > talent. No-one > for me has described so lyrically the human condition with more insight > than Joni and my research for the Symposium in July underlines this ability > of Joni's time after time. > > Alongside this, I get so irritated by the ever elongated lists of > psychiatric conditions that are written by doctors attempting to define > things they just don't understand and have come up with 'definitions' of > people's struggles for centuries. These blinking fashionable words that > come and go like 'hysteria', 'the 'vapours', 'neurosis' etc.etc The abuses > suffered by independent thinkers (especially women) at the hands of > psychiatrists have been well documented. If Joni is suffering from > 'delusional parasitosis' it sounds just like another label to me. Let's > hope they don't come up with another one of those great ideas like a > lobotomy or Electro Convulsive Therapy to 'help' Joni. Oh no, just > remembered they're not in fashion at the moment. Is Prozac still > fashionable, or is this there something else that makes the drug companies > another mint? Oh yes, isn't it called Placebo? > > In the world, it seems there cannot be a Great Mystery. Everything has to > be labelled and boxed, even if the labelling and boxing is incredibly > harmful. A terrible combination of symptoms are just that. A terrible > combination of symptoms that we should seek to understand without > pathologising. > > I was so deeply moved that I cried after reading Mary's Christmas Tree post > and now, after reading this article, I am off to vomit. What an up and down > day. > Pretty ordinary, really, > Anita > > On 11 April 2015 at 17:35, Catherine McKay wrote: > > > Sorry, everyone. I sent that in rich-text and it took away the url. Here > > it is: > > http://harpers.org/archive/2013/09/the-devils-bait/ > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: Catherine McKay > > To: Michael Sentance ; "joni@smoe.org" < > > joni@smoe.org> > > Cc: > > Sent: Saturday, April 11, 2015 12:08 PM > > Subject: Re: Globe and Mail > > > > Someone posted a link on Facebook yesterday to an article on Morgellon's > > that > > might have been posted here as well when it came out. Be warned: you will > > no > > doubt feel icky and itchy when you read it. I think the writer does a good > > job > > of balancing the crazies/addicts against the sane (or seemingly sane) > > people > > who say they have Morgellon's, or who have something that matches its > > symptoms. I reserve judgement on this. I remember years ago getting a phone > > call at work from a woman who described many of these symptoms and was > > looking > > for help, at a time when none of us had heard the word "Morgellon's" and > > thinking this woman did NOT sound crazy. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Apr 2015 09:17:50 +0100 From: Anita Gabrielle Subject: Re: Joni's Illness > On 12 Apr 2015, at 02:10, Rebecca Alexander wrote: > > there is one thing I do know, the mind & body can't be separated in how the body expresses it's illnesses. > That's what I meant by suffering is suffering is suffering. Morgellons or Smogersbord. Joni has been ill. The article felt to me like kicking someone when they're down. I don't like that. It just doesn't seem to help anyone. Just gives a platform for someone's transference and projections, Anita ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Apr 2015 09:34:16 -0500 From: "mep chorus.net" Subject: Re: Globe and Mail Anne wrote: "One word - rubbish! What a dreadful piece of horrible writing. When I had endometriosis, nobody knew what it was and they thought it was "all in my head" - and it may well be with Morgellons. As for people avoiding artists and entertainers with undesirable tendencies, seriously? What century does this guy live in???" Anne, I couldn't agree more. Funny how most of these diseases deemed by medical experts to be "all in one's head" usually affect women! My mother, who was a nun for ten years as a very young woman, said that the graveyard at the convent was full of sisters who had died of imagination. I do agree that we, as a society, need to reduce the stigma often associated with psychiatric illnesses, big time. But I'm concerned with the tendency of medical science to simply write things off that it doesn't yet understand. I'm not convinced that Morgellon's is a psychiatric illness. More to the point, we have no idea whether Joni's hospitalization had anything at all to do with Morgellon's. Take care, Mary. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Apr 2015 14:57:28 +0000 (UTC) From: Catherine McKay Subject: Re: Globe and Mail njc The Globe and Mail is Canadian. It's our so-called "National Newspaper". I thought they had higher standards too. Apparently not. It's nice to see that the comments below the article are, for the most part, saying what people here are saying. From: Jeff Clark To: JMDL Sent: Sunday, April 12, 2015 9:03 AM Subject: Re: Globe and Mail njc Catherine wrote: <> We were taught that. Its like the Wild West out there and has been for awhile. Anyone can say anything about anyone or anything. Free speech. Isn't Globe and Mail British? I thought they had slightly higher standards. I think the Globe and Mail is kind of like our National Enquirer.Jeff ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Apr 2015 15:33:11 +0000 From: "Susan E. McNamara" Subject: Re: SFJAZZ Gala 2015 To Honor Joni Mitchell LOL! I try to manifest my Cornell education from time to time! :-) On 4/12/15, 11:29 AM, "Dave Blackburn" wrote: >Perq spelled correctly! Love it, Sue! > > >> On Apr 12, 2015, at 8:20 AM, Susan E. McNamara wrote: >> >> Laurie Antonioli is performing as well as some other amazing people. It >> was said that Boz Scaggs is a late entry. The tickets are so high >>because >> this is not a concert like the tribute in Toronto in 2013, it9s a >> fundraising gala for SFJazz. A lot of cultural organizations have >>events >> like this to raise money for their organizations and the target audience >> is usually very wealthy cultural donors. The fact that it is still >>being >> advertised gives me hope that Joni may still show. Since this is a >> fundraising event, and the highest priced tickets have the perq of 3have >> dinner with Joni2 I hope that they reschedule if Joni is not well enough >> to attend. Not sure if that is possible with an event of this size. In >> hindsight, knowing what I know about how magnificent the event at Massey >> Hall was, I would shell out $1,000 and eat peanut butter sandwiches for >> the next year to be at this event. I9m still considering it!!! :-) >> >> Love Sue ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Apr 2015 09:17:43 -0400 From: Barbara Sullivan Subject: Mr Magoo= Russell Smith http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/life-video/video-joni-mitchell-in-hospita l/article23732179/ I just read the article in the Globe by Mr Magoo, Russell Smith. What rubbish is right Anne.I must have missed any broad cast on (Detroit) TV about Joni being hospitalized. My friend from NYC called and said it was all over the news there. This broadcast was off to the side on thisarticle. Just thought I would share. Prayers of Love to Joan!BarbMr Magoo's article if you have not read. With No intentions to tick you off or ruin your day.http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/its-time-to-stop-tiptoeing-arou nd-j > oni-mitchells-health-condition/article23883495/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Apr 2015 08:29:15 -0700 From: Dave Blackburn Subject: Re: SFJAZZ Gala 2015 To Honor Joni Mitchell Perq spelled correctly! Love it, Sue! > On Apr 12, 2015, at 8:20 AM, Susan E. McNamara wrote: > > Laurie Antonioli is performing as well as some other amazing people. It > was said that Boz Scaggs is a late entry. The tickets are so high because > this is not a concert like the tribute in Toronto in 2013, it9s a > fundraising gala for SFJazz. A lot of cultural organizations have events > like this to raise money for their organizations and the target audience > is usually very wealthy cultural donors. The fact that it is still being > advertised gives me hope that Joni may still show. Since this is a > fundraising event, and the highest priced tickets have the perq of 3have > dinner with Joni2 I hope that they reschedule if Joni is not well enough > to attend. Not sure if that is possible with an event of this size. In > hindsight, knowing what I know about how magnificent the event at Massey > Hall was, I would shell out $1,000 and eat peanut butter sandwiches for > the next year to be at this event. I9m still considering it!!! :-) > > Love Sue ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Apr 2015 11:05:54 -0400 From: Barbara Sullivan Subject: RE: SFJAZZ Gala 2015 To Honor Joni Mitchell Anita,I guess I did see something a while back, but didn't pay attention much to it,as it was such a distance and I knew I could never attend. What exactly isLaurie doing at the event, just speaking? I just was just taken back by the admission... $100,000.Thanks BarbDate: Sat, 11 Apr 2015 21:16:23 +0100 Subject: Re: SFJAZZ Gala 2015 To Honor Joni Mitchell From: lawntreader@googlemail.com To: chasada@msn.com From your post, Barbara, I guess you missed the bit that our Laurie has been asked to sing it............ Here tis 'Led by musical directors Brian Blade and Jon Cowherd, the Gala concert will feature special guests KrisKristofferson, Joe Jackson, Patti Austin, Kurt Elling, Tom Scott, Mark Isham,and Laurie Antonioli interpreting Ms. Mitchell s groundbreaking work' And it slipped out here first :~))Anita ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Apr 2015 09:27:33 -0500 From: "Laura O." Subject: Daisy & Joni's Hospital Stay I'm so glad you re-posted this because if Kakki had posted this on the JMDL I missed it. And altho I can see alot on facebook NOT being a member, I couldn't access the link because of that reason. I've read some of Daisy's responses, sometimes heated & defensive, on YouTube pages so I know she's out there (whether people choose to believe she's Joni's grandchild or not) I was excited to hear what she had to say. Having worked in a hospital, altho not a nurse, but behind the scene of those hard-working professionals an older person can be put in the Intensive Care unit for even a small procedure that a younger person may go home that same day. A 71 year old woman, and taking into consideration present AND PAST health issues, would want to be given 24/7 observation which is done in ICU. Babies and senior citizens can get dehydrated and not recover, and be gone just-like-that! Also, being she smokes.... not being able to smoke for a given period of time due to an immediate health issue could cause her body to go thru serious withdrawels and that would also have to be dealt with and how that affects her heart and other organs and extending a hospital stay. ANY procedure where one has to go under anesthesia is ALWAYS risky (look at the forms you need to sign). So if it's serious or minor I'm glad she's being taken care of and watched. Altho, at this point she could have been in and out of instensive care within 24 hours and is being taken care of in a private room until the time the doctors feel it's safe she can go home. It's all speculation. But the sooner she can safely go home the better, because one can also pick-up deadly infections (Staff) in a hospital. Who was it that reminded us Joni doesn't like hospitals/doctors here? yeah good reminder, I had forgotten. But, hopefully, being surrounded by her friends/family, she's feeling the love and getting some well-deserved rest! But it's good to know that Daisy says she's progressing well. The fact she says it was a 'miracle' makes me believe something serious took place, or something serious somehow past over her and the doc's are making sure she's stable and were looking for something 'hidden'. There is a power to prayer, so the more of us praying for her, the better. I'm sure that some of those in her tight group of friends she has are doing so as well, if they are so inclined to pray. In the pictures of her appearances thru the years, I've observed many of her 'close friends' right next to her or in other photos of the events...so you know they are there with her even if they don't make her photo shots. This is a good article written by her make-up artist and close friend (altho now, sadly, deceased) Paul Starr. But the feeling from the writing is that Joni has quite the social life (hidden from the public) and likes the sense of 'community' where she lives. Even when seen, alone, in public eating in restaurants (as Kakki can confirm), she's not in a dark back corner with management keeping her hidden, but sitting in the open with her little dog, which of course grabs attention and invites conversation, and wouldn't one say Joni is an observer, people watcher? Perhaps she finds this relaxing as well as stimulating. I take comfort in knowing she's surrounded by trusted friends, younger ones and old ones. I think this is a great little interview, I not only get a peek into her make-up bag (I like knowing what skin care cream she uses HAHA) but I got a real sense of her private life and friendships. She may be reclusive from the press but she's no "I vant to be alone" Greta Garbo! I believe she needs and seeks stimulation from discussions and visiting with friends (and strangers) keeps her inspired. Read to the bottom... http://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=1461&from=search Check out the article just posted in the LIBRARY. Reading it and all the links is an education about Morgellons. I think even if Joni's hospital stay has nothing to do with Morgellons she may be glad to hear it's stirring up interest and, even for a little while, would rather people become aware of it, discuss it and others speak out that they also have it, then what may truly be the cause of her hospitalization. http://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=2954 Laura **************************************** Fri, 10 Apr 2015 18:03:44 +0000 From: "Susan E. McNamara" Subject: RE: Missing Joni Mary, It came to our attention earlier in the day, through our good friend Kakki, that Daisy, Joni's granddaughter, responded to a Facebook post on the Joni Mitchell FB page telling folks the following: Daisy Claire Gibb - for all that are worried, joni is recovering very well and is being considered a "miracle" i am a close relative of hers, and we are happy to say she is progressing well. 18 hrs * Unlike * 25 Daisy Claire Gibb illness has nothing to do with smoking 19 hrs * Unlike * 6 Daisy Claire Gibb i'm sure when she's out her statement will be said, at this time i can't tell anyone what she has. 19 hrs * Like * 6 Here's a link to the page, but you may not be able to see it if you are not a member of this FB group: http://tinyurl.com/o8pg33v ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 11 Apr 2015 23:17:34 -0500 From: lcs4bike@yahoo.com Subject: Re: Globe and mail Anita wrote: I was so deeply moved that I cried after reading Mary's Christmas Tree post and now, after reading this article, I am off to vomit. What an up and down day. Pretty ordinary, really," Hi Anita, Yes, I agree, ordinary for all on this rotating planet where the weather is always changing! We each are unique environments packaged by the ever changing earth environment of which we are part. So ups and downs and all arounds are very ordinary. And considering that each of us is an environment, there could be all kinds of invaders from the outer space beyond out bodies. Parasites, aliens, or friendly symbionts, living or non-living, there are many more inhabitants of each of us than we can imagine. Joni is highly intelligent, honest, and human so whatever she says or thinks is interesting to me... and that includes about Morgellon's. I teach future physicians, and I hope coinciding with the vast amount of knowns I pass on to them they also learn to be good observers and thinkers in dealing with the as of yet unknowns. We are all just "particles of change... orbiting around the sun." Wow, Joni!!! Thank you for sharing your beautiful insights! You have given us so much! I hope you feel our love right now. That's my prayer. Love, Laura Sent from my iPhone ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Apr 2015 13:03:10 +0000 (UTC) From: Jeff Clark Subject: Re: Globe and Mail njc Catherine wrote: <> We were taught that. Its like the Wild West out there and has been for awhile. Anyone can say anything about anyone or anything. Free speech. Isn't Globe and Mail British? I thought they had slightly higher standards. I think the Globe and Mail is kind of like our National Enquirer.Jeff NP Jimmy Durante, As Time Goes By ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Apr 2015 15:20:25 +0000 From: "Susan E. McNamara" Subject: Re: SFJAZZ Gala 2015 To Honor Joni Mitchell Hi Barbara, Laurie Antonioli is performing as well as some other amazing people. It was said that Boz Scaggs is a late entry. The tickets are so high because this is not a concert like the tribute in Toronto in 2013, it9s a fundraising gala for SFJazz. A lot of cultural organizations have events like this to raise money for their organizations and the target audience is usually very wealthy cultural donors. The fact that it is still being advertised gives me hope that Joni may still show. Since this is a fundraising event, and the highest priced tickets have the perq of 3have dinner with Joni2 I hope that they reschedule if Joni is not well enough to attend. Not sure if that is possible with an event of this size. In hindsight, knowing what I know about how magnificent the event at Massey Hall was, I would shell out $1,000 and eat peanut butter sandwiches for the next year to be at this event. I9m still considering it!!! :-) Love Sue On 4/12/15, 11:05 AM, "Barbara Sullivan" wrote: >Anita,I guess I did see something a while back, but didn't pay attention >much >to it,as it was such a distance and I knew I could never attend. What >exactly >isLaurie doing at the event, just speaking? I just was just taken back by >the >admission... $100,000.Thanks BarbDate: Sat, 11 Apr 2015 21:16:23 +0100 >Subject: Re: SFJAZZ Gala 2015 To Honor Joni Mitchell >From: lawntreader@googlemail.com >To: chasada@msn.com > >From your post, Barbara, I guess you missed the bit that our Laurie has >been >asked to sing it............ >Here tis >'Led by musical directors Brian Blade and Jon Cowherd, the Gala concert >will >feature special guests KrisKristofferson, Joe Jackson, Patti Austin, Kurt >Elling, Tom Scott, Mark Isham,and Laurie Antonioli interpreting Ms. >Mitchell s >groundbreaking work' >And it slipped out here first :~))Anita ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 11 Apr 2015 22:40:00 -0400 From: Marianne Rizzo Subject: Globe and mail Yeah, what anita said. ( I was thinking those things but she took the time to express them). And it is often women who get a psychological diagnosis. I understand there is a higher rate of morgellons in women ( maybe 60/40). In terms of etiology (and treatment) of morgellons . . . I am disappointed (appalled) in the "professionals" who call this a psychological disorder. Because they do not know the cause or the treatment, their forgone conclusion is "psychological." This short sighted conclusion is: job undone. They could rather just admit that they have not yet found the answers. The true scientist will. And To grab at this morgellons straw at this time also ( as some in the press have done) is not the way I would prefer. Yes, and what Michael said about us all having this candlelight vigil ( thank you Michael). This special place. Thank you for this, everyone. You are a comfort to me at this time. . . And at other times. . . "If you got a place like that to go, you just have to go there. If you got no place special, well then, you just go no place special." Thanks for this place special. Marianne ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Apr 2015 15:16:04 +0200 From: Marion Leffler Subject: Re: Fountain of sorrow Thanks Catherine and Mark for your responses. What I was really wondering was whether the said animosity between Joan B and Joni was actually a fact since on the same album Joan B recorded two Joni-related songs, one about her and one together with her. I totally agree with you that it does not matter who a song is about as long as it has some general emotion or experience that can be shared. Sorry for not having made myself quite clear. Hoping everybody is having a happy weekend, Marion 2015-04-12 2:18 GMT+02:00 Mark Scott : > I may have heard Jackson's version of the song once or twice. It's the > Joan Baez version that I also am familiar with. I think if Joan liked the > song, it wouldn't matter to her who it was about or if it was about anybody > in particular. The words take on whatever meaning you take away from them. > I'm not a Jackson Browne fan but the song has some nice turns of phrase and > I think most people who look back on certain relationships in their lives > can relate to it. I also think I find more in it now than when I was a > callow young man of 20 or so. 'Though the future's there for anyone to > change, still you know it seems it would be easier sometimes to change the > past'. > > Mark in Seattle > > -----Original Message----- From: Catherine McKay > Sent: Saturday, April 11, 2015 4:36 AM > To: Marion Leffler ; jmdl > Subject: Re: Fountain of sorrow > > > Hello, Marion! > I had that same Joan Baez album, which is where I first heard the song > "Fountain of Sorrow." I'm guessing that Joan B just liked the song without > knowing who it was about or even if it was about a particular person. I'm > quite sure Jackson Browne didn't reveal who it was about for a long time. > Sometimes you just like a song for what it says to you without knowing if > it's based in actual history or just resonates with you somehow. > From: Marion Leffler > To: jmdl > Sent: Saturday, April 11, 2015 3:30 AM > Subject: Fountain of sorrow > > > I guess you all are aware of the cover Joan Baez did on her album Diamonds > and Rust. If this song is about Joni, how come JB covered it? As I recall > Joni and Joan are supposed to be anything but friends, according to this > list. On the other hand, they did Dida together, very beautifully too. So I > am left wondering... ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Apr 2015 12:23:16 -0400 From: Pavla Frazier Subject: Re: JMDL Digest V2014 #2004 Unfortunately, the person who wrote the article is not a medical researcher and seems to be asserting, at least in part, his conclusions. What does he know about medical conditions? There has been an historic tendency, distant, recent and current, to discount physiological problems and labeling them as being "all in one's head." Endometriosis, fibromyalgia, Lyme disease, even migraines, for recent examples. The further one goes back, one sees the correlation between lack of knowledge re: a condition and the too frequent attribution of a psychological or even a spiritual cause. So, in the benign ignorance and similarly benign arrogance of too many deemed capable of making such pronouncements, the unknown is attributed to being "all in one's head." That is, some (not all), in the medical community (what constitutes that is dependent upon the era) are not trained to say "I don't know, no conclusion or likely diagnosis until more data is available and analyzed." However, at the NIH there is an entire program for the study of undiagnosed conditions. https://www.genome.gov/27557990 Think of most diseases that the public has pretty good understanding of. The understanding of all disease goes through a phase of assessment, identification of core signs and symptoms, physiological processes, related conditions, effective treatment and outcomes. All of this takes time and disciplined scientific inquiry and process. Furthermore, "things that we thought we knew and told ourselves were true, all start changing" with time and further analysis. This fully holds true in science and medicine! So, premature statements and jumping to conclusions by anyone, whether in the medical community or the press and misinterpretation of that is not useful is detrimental to the required scientific process. And potentially harmful to patients. Bottom line - as technology continues to develop, more refined analysis is enabled- adding data from which to make sound conclusions, diagnosis and treatment. Sent from my iPhone > On Apr 12, 2015, at 3:00 AM, JMDL Digest wrote: > > > JMDL Digest Sunday, April 12 2015 Volume 2014 : Number 2004 > > > > ========== > > TOPICS and authors in this Digest: > -------- > Re: Globe and Mail [Anne Sandstrom ] > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Date: Sat, 11 Apr 2015 15:24:31 -0400 > From: Anne Sandstrom > Subject: Re: Globe and Mail > > One word - rubbish! > > What a dreadful piece of horrible writing. When I had endometriosis, nobody knew what it was and they thought it was "all in my head" - and it may well be with Morgellons. As for people avoiding artists and entertainers with undesirable tendencies, seriously? What century does this guy live in??? > > Sheesh > > Lots of love, > Anne > > Sent from my iPad > >> On Apr 11, 2015, at 10:57 AM, Michael Sentance wrote: >> >> I find solace in the digest as we await information. It's like being part >> of a candlelight vigil. >> >> In the meantime, there is this unpleasant speculation from Toronto: >> >> http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/its-time-to-stop-tiptoeing-around-j >> oni-mitchells-health-condition/article23883495/ >> >> Russell Smith: Itbs time to stop tiptoeing around Joni Mitchellbs health >> condition >> >> RUSSELL SMITH >> >> Special to The Globe and Mail >> >> he media have been unusually careful about reporting Joni Mitchellbs >> condition since she fell ill a couple of weeks ago. This is because people >> love her songs, and because they love her as a symbol of emotional >> sensitivity, of a certain idealistic age, of womenbs rights (since she >> succeeded in a male, rock bnb roll-dominated era of popular music) and >> perhaps of their own childhoods. >> >> So we are being extremely delicate in our reporting. No news items have >> revealed what exactly caused her sudden hospitalization, but all have >> mentioned that she bsuffers from Morgellons disease.b This is because >> Mitchell herself described the affliction and used its name in an interview >> in 2010. News stories may then carefully allude to the fact that this >> bdiseaseb is bmysteriousb or even bcontroversial.b But the damage >> is done: >> The phrase bsuffers from Morgellonsb is quite simply inaccurate, and even >> harmful, in that it perpetuates a delusion. >> >> Those who claim to be suffering from it are more likely suffering a >> psychiatric illness, experts say. If thatbs the case with Mitchell, we >> should really be saying she brevealed in 2010 that she suffers from >> delusional parasitosis.b The name Morgellons was invented by a person who >> is not a doctor and is not employed by any hospital, university or research >> institution. It was intensely studied by the Centers for Disease Control >> and Prevention in the United States, and the CDCbs conclusions, released in >> 2012, were straightforward: Researchers found no common cause of the >> disease, and say those who believe they have it have often self-diagnosed >> after encountering websites that describe it. In other words, it is a >> delusion that is spread by the Internet. >> >> The fact that newspapers are being so tactful about the possibility of >> psychiatric disturbance in Mitchellbs case is incongruent with the >> supposedly new attitudes about mental illness that are being trumpeted in >> those same newspapers. Arenbt we constantly reading about how we should >> bend the stigmab when it comes to mental illness? Arenbt we being told >> that >> there is no shame in psychiatric disorders, that their sufferers should not >> be morally judged, that they should be open about their ailments? Wasnbt >> that the goal of Bellbs massively hyped bLetbs Talkb campaign? If >> there is >> no shame in being depressed, why should we be afraid of the shame involved >> in suffering from delusions? >> >> Furthermore, recent years have seen a spate of studies, articles and books >> claiming a connection between mental illness and artistry or creativity. >> These have been eagerly received by anyone who has ever felt down in the >> dumps or nervous in an elevator; they have served to romanticize neurosis. >> It turns out there is a slightly higher incidence of certain mood >> disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder, among professional >> artists. Simultaneously, a popular idea identifies Aspergerbs syndrome as >> an infallible indicator of genius. >> >> Cue the endless lists of b10 eccentric artistsb and b20 great writers >> who >> were drunks.b Michelangelo never washed, so your occasional weeping jags >> and your fear of job interviews may mean you are actually a misunderstood >> artistic genius. Being an bintrovertb suddenly became sexy; 100 Internet >> quizzes bloomed, designed to show you that you were introverted. In fact, >> anyone who isnbt actually sociopathic will obtain a high score on these >> tests. They are designed to reassure you that you are actually sensitive >> and may yet create your artistic masterwork. >> >> This popular connection between sadness and creativity plays into a >> long-cherished myth of the artist as tortured, and it comforts everyone who >> has ever written poems by saying they are actually hypersensitive, that >> they are special. >> >> So why didnbt all these studies about the unusual and desirable craziness >> of artists get trotted out in the Joni Mitchell case? Because her belief in >> Morgellons is not sexy. Anxiety is romantic, depression is romantic. >> Delusional parasitosis is just sad and worrying. >> >> There is another reason for our reluctance to cast the singer in a bad >> light, and it is a particularly contemporary one. There has been a lot of >> worrying lately b particularly after the child-abuse accusations made >> against Woody Allen b about what artistsb personalities mean to our moral >> relationship with their art. I thought this question had been resolved >> centuries ago: Lots of artists did terrible things and held unacceptable >> views, and we studied their work in university. No problem. >> >> But a new radicalism seems to have taken hold of the young on this issue. >> There is now a sense that to digest a piece of art made by a bad person is >> to digest his badness, to become contaminated by it. So we should avoid the >> art of bad people. (Admittedly, the proponents of the theory are rather >> selective in the artists they choose to blacklist for moral crimes: I have >> not once ever heard anyone suggest a ban on the music of Michael Jackson, >> for example.) >> >> If you start requiring your favourite artists to be good people, then you >> start running into moral quandaries of your own. You find out too late, for >> example, that they did something bad in their youth, or that they just >> announced that they didnbt believe in feminism (as Joni Mitchell did in >> 2013). Then you must affect all kinds of intellectual contortions to >> justify that artistbs flaws, rather than just shrugging your shoulders and >> saying, bWhat an idiot. Nice rhyme scheme, though.b >> >> Life would be easier for Mitchell fans if they didnbt have to tiptoe around >> her condition. She may be a little unbalanced, or even highly neurotic b we >> donbt know for sure. But either way, we can still love her songs. And if >> shebs suffering from delusional parasitosis, it would in fact be more >> compassionate to describe her as a victim of mental illness than to >> preserve a fictitious persona. After all, her songs will live for much >> longer than she > ------- ------------------------------ End of JMDL Digest V2014 #2005 ****************************** ------- To post messages to the list,sendtojoni@smoe.org. Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:joni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe -------