From: les@jmdl.com (onlyJMDL Digest) To: onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Subject: onlyJMDL Digest V2000 #22 Reply-To: joni@smoe.org Sender: les@jmdl.com Errors-To: les@jmdl.com Precedence: bulk onlyJMDL Digest Wednesday, January 19 2000 Volume 2000 : Number 022 The Official Joni Mitchell Homepage is maintained by Wally Breese at http://www.jonimitchell.com and contains the latest news, a detailed bio, original interviews and essays, lyrics, and 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: -------- Kicks of aggression vs. kicks of affection [Richard Rice ] re: Neil Young Boxed Set (W/ JC) [SCJoniGuy@aol.com] Re: Please Read ! NO 15,000 signatures [SCJoniGuy@aol.com] Siquomb, isn't she? [Leslie Mixon ] Request for a favor [Suzanne Simpson ] Re: Please Read ! NO 15,000 signatures [Scott Price ] Re: What's that she's playing? [Susan McNamara ] RE: What's that she's playing? [Louis Lynch ] JM Companion ["Alison Einerson" ] Re: Kicks of aggression vs. kicks of affection ["Catherine McKay" ] Re: Kicks of aggression vs. kicks of affection [zapuppy2@webtv.net (Penny] Attention Canadians!!! [AsharaJM@aol.com] Re: I See The Promised Land ~ Impossible Dreamer? ["Mark or Travis" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 02:37:37 -0500 From: Richard Rice Subject: Kicks of aggression vs. kicks of affection Hi Mike, Very interesting post but my money is still on she did it out of aggression. But if it's true she was simply following Mayan customs, does this mean my friend Ed kicked me to show snoogums? What a sweet guy!!! I'm going to run out and by he and his wife flowers right this instant! :-) Do I smell a poll here? Maybe we could get Harris to conduct it or something? --Kick of aggression or kick of affection? You decide. As for the signed CD set, I never understood the appeal of a signature. Even when I was a kid, if Jack Kirby wrote his name on my Fantastic Four I would have thought he just ruined the cover. Now if she were signing blank checks... not that's another story! Other than a signature serving as 'proof' to authenticate something, I don't see much warmth or involvement in it. The content of the writing would have to have some meaning for me. "Thank you John for being my most special and loyal fan. The Next CD will be dedicated to you with all my heart and love" signed Joni. Now that would pass muster even more than the blank checks. (I think.) Signing 15,000 CDs 'Joni Mitchell' would only serve to make my point. The personal touch we really crave is a chance to look her eye to eye and say thank you and I love you. Oooo, short post and fewer grammatical goofs. Wow. Now all I need is some real Joni Content... John. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 01:20:53 -0800 From: "Kakki" Subject: Re: Kicks of aggression vs. kicks of affection John wrote: > Do I smell a poll here? Maybe we could get Harris to >conduct it or something? --Kick of aggression or kick of >affection? You decide. For those wondering more about the situation, Joni wrote a song about it "The Windfall - Everything For Nothing" which is on the NRH album. From what Joni has said in some interviews, it was a bad situation that had gone on for a long time and Joni almost felt a prisoner in her own house. It went beyond painting the piano green. If I am to believe Joni's account I could almost see the kick as a form of self-defense, if not actual self-defense. > The content of the writing would have to have some > meaning for me. "Thank you John for being my most >special and loyal fan. The Next CD will be dedicated to you >with all my heart and love" signed Joni. Now that would >pass muster even more than the blank checks. (I > think.) Signing 15,000 CDs 'Joni Mitchell' would only >serve to make my point. The personal touch we really >crave is a chance to look her eye to eye and say thank >you and I love you. You are soo, soo absolutely right, John. This is beautfully stated. Kakki ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 08:02:17 EST From: SCJoniGuy@aol.com Subject: re: Neil Young Boxed Set (W/ JC) Jerome wrote: <> Wow, very cool news, Jerome! Do you know if the box is going to be ALL unreleased stuff? Hopefully, it won't have 2 discs of feedback from ArcWeld! :~) I'm sure it's going to be carryinf a lofty price tag. Maybe we can tree up the Joni stuff for those who don't want to pay the big bucks for the whole thing or for those (like myself) who have already upgraded their Neil collection to CD... Bob NP: The Ethel Mertz Experience, "If You See Her, Say Hello" ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 08:06:31 EST From: SCJoniGuy@aol.com Subject: Re: Please Read ! NO 15,000 signatures <> I sorta smelled a rat to begin with on the whole "signature" issue...but no matter, just bring the booklet to the N'awlins Jonifest and get her to sign it there! ;~) DISCLAIMER: There is no truth, or even rumor, that Joni is coming to the Jonifest, only my nightly prayer! :~) Bob, grateful for his "delete" key these past two days! NP: Kevn Kinney, "Masters of War" ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 06:55:57 -0800 From: Leslie Mixon Subject: Siquomb, isn't she? While we're on the subject, let me share that my environmental license plates arrived today. She pulled up behind a Jetta... and took a look at her license plate, it said - SIQUOMB I thought it would be a good way to start the millenium and befit a new vehicle... Leslie ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 18 Jan 1980 11:44:25 -0600 From: Suzanne Simpson Subject: Request for a favor Could somebody who subscribes to the Wall Street Journal scroll off yesterday's article on "Cry, Cry, Cry" (Dar Williams, Richard Shindell, Lucy Kaplansky) and send it to me? WSJ requires subscription for on-line access. Thanks! ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 10:22:13 -0800 From: Scott Price Subject: Re: Please Read ! NO 15,000 signatures At 10:01 PM 1/17/00 -0800, Kakki wrote: >I called Robbie Cavolina tonight to ask him about >it. He did not realize that this was in Reprise's ad >and said it is not true. Hi Kakki, Thank you for taking the initiative and getting the real scoop on this. Agreed, it is much better to find out about this now rather than later. While I am disappointed, I think I'd have been angry to have discovered there was no signature AFTER I had purchased the limited-edition album. Regarding someone's post about the importance (or lack thereof) of an actual signature, while I agree that the music itself is what most all of us (buying public) really want, I do feel that much like a painting, Joni's signature on the album would be the icing on the cake...a hands-on stamp of approval...a testament to her pride in the project...and most of all, it would have added a very "human" touch to the whole process. Scott, nevertheless very excited about the project! ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 14:16:49 -0500 From: Susan McNamara Subject: Re: What's that she's playing? >A thought in my mind while doing morning chores... > Thanks, John, for your thoughts on Joni's guitar playing. Not to be a doomsayer, but even though the VG8 stopped Joni from retiring, another incentive for her to keep playing was the turbulent indigo grammy and her 5 record recording deal with Warner Bros. So she has 1) Hits 2) Misses 3) TTT 4) Both Sides Now and if they consider the Tribute album 5) that means she will have completed her contract. The fact that she is renovating her home studio into a painting studio may lead some to believe that her original intention (before meeting Fred Walecki's amazing machine) to retire to her painting is still a priority for Joni. But as Steven Van Zandt says while imitating Michael Corleone: They keep pulling me back...! I would love to hear her play acoustic guitar again, just for one more album. Sue ____________________ /____________________\ ||-------------------|| || Sue McNamara || || sem8@cornell.edu || ||___________________|| || O etch-a-sketch O || \___________________/ "It's all a dream she has awake" - Joni Mitchell ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 11:38:09 -0800 From: Louis Lynch Subject: RE: What's that she's playing? Sue wrote: > I would love to hear her play acoustic guitar again, just for one more album. Well, Sue, now that my latest harp album is complete, I've been asked to consider producing a CD of English country dances for a Washington folk music group. As of right now, I don't have an acoustic guitarist since my old guitarist is moving to another state. And my stupid little brother is too busy becoming a well-known jazz guitarist in New York, so he can't make the recording sessions. I hear Joni's pretty decent on acoustic guitar, so by all means, tell her to look me up. She comes pretty highly recommended from several people on this list, so I'll give her a shot. If Joni can work around the tight scheduling situation I have with the flute player and cellist, she's in! Tell her to e-mail me privately, and I'll give her my home phone number so we can discuss the pay off-list. Regards, and Happy Birthday to Dr. King! Harper Lou (still not smoking cigarettes and as sarcastic as ever!) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 13:10:05 -0700 From: "Alison Einerson" Subject: JM Companion Hello all, Just got my Joni Mitchell Conmpanion in the mail...I am so excited! Thie pictures alone are worth the whole book (especially the one with her and Odetta-what's with the 40's war nurse look?). Thanks Stacy Luftig for your hard work. Anxious to start reading... Alison in SLC ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 20:25:03 GMT From: "Catherine McKay" Subject: Re: Kicks of aggression vs. kicks of affection >As for the signed CD set, I never understood the appeal of a >signature. >Even when I was a kid, if Jack Kirby wrote his name on my Fantastic >Four >I would have thought he just ruined the cover. Now if she were >signing >blank checks... not that's another story! I'm with you, John - I've never understood the autograph thing either. It's probably the last thing I'd think of asking anyone. If I ever met Joni face-to-face, I'd be too busy drooling all over my shoes like someone recovering from dental surgery, to think of asking her to sign something, and then, I wouldn't have any paper, or a pen or anything on me anyway and then, even if I did, I'd lose the paper somewhere in the black hole that is my purse. It would emerge some 6 months later, crushed and mushed to bits, covered with bits of candy bar and snotty Kleenex bits and all the other assorted goodies that end up in the same black hole. On the other hand, for the right bucks, I could start working on my Joni forgeries and sell them to finance the purchase of my next whatever - that ties in well with the bank robbery theme we discussed earlier. Catherine (in Toronto) aka Mugsy cateri@hotmail.com ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 20:39:30 GMT From: "Catherine McKay" Subject: Re: What's that she's playing? Sue said: >Not to be a doomsayer, but even though the VG8 stopped Joni from >retiring, >another incentive for her to keep playing was the >turbulent indigo grammy >and her 5 record recording deal with Warner >Bros. [...] The fact that she >is renovating her >home studio into a painting studio may lead some to believe that her >original intention (before meeting Fred Walecki's amazing machine) to >retire to her painting is still a priority for Joni. That may be so, but how do you get the muse to shut up? Maybe she'll cut back, but stop altogether...? >I would love to hear her play acoustic guitar again, just for one >more >album. Amen to that. The VG8 is an amazing machine and if someone offered to give me one, I wouldn't say no - but IMO there's more soul in an acoustic. Catherine (in Toronto) cateri@hotmail.com ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 13:07:05 -0800 (PST) From: zapuppy2@webtv.net (Penny) Subject: Re: Kicks of aggression vs. kicks of affection Catherine wrote: >>It's probably the last thing I'd think of asking anyone. When I had the luck of meeting Joni, she made it obvious she had a pen in her hand, as to invite the request for a signature. Haha, she even seemed like it was a very fair exchange for the beer I gave her. ;-) <> Haha! Pretty accurate description! Such a mental and emotional rush, it's but a fog now. >>and then, I wouldn't have any paper Luckily, my pal had just given me the set of Jazzfest postcards and had the presence of mind (remember, mine was gone) to stick them in my hand with the currrent year on top. Joni signed right across Louis Armstrong's white jacket so her autograph could be easily seen. Joni seemed very aware that she often has to take of her fans since they're such a mess during the meeting. Lovely, gracious woman. Peace Penny :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Grace dies when it becomes us verses them......Philip Yancey ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 19:59:04 EST From: AsharaJM@aol.com Subject: Attention Canadians!!! Whoops! In my offer for the video "A Day in the Garden," I forgot that our Canadian contingency has a special situation. You have the US format for your videos, but cannot send an envelope with US stamps on it. So.....for the Canadian JMDLers ONLY, you can send a bit of money (US money only, please!) to cover the postage costs, so you don't have to worry about stamps. Hope that makes it easier for you! Hugs, Ashara www.photon.net/lightnet ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 18:57:54 -0800 From: "Mark or Travis" Subject: Re: I See The Promised Land ~ Impossible Dreamer? But I want you to know > tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, > tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes > have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. I just finished reading this and more tears.... What a brilliant & beautiful light this man was. Thank you again, Simon. Mark in Seattle ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 21:29:45 -0500 From: Richard Rice Subject: Corrections.(JGC) Joni Guitar Content. Pop quiz, later. Hello again, Grap your pencils gang, corrections time. At the request of Fred Walecki I need to correct, as well as clarify, some points I made regarding our conversation. Genuine apologies to Fred. I tried to be as accurate as possible in my post, and most certainly wanted to express with as much sincerity as possible the spirit of our conversation. Again, let me again say thanks to Mr. Walecki. Our second chat simply confirmed my feelings about our first. His enthusiasm, care and love of music shine through the phone lines like a thousand watt bulb. I felt like the luckiest guy in America talking to him. I sure hope Les's powers of persuasion will convince him to share more with the group as a whole. - --Sorry Mike, I never got a chance to ask your question about Joni's string gauges, but with luck you may be able to ask him yourself... First, if anyone took Joni's conversion of her recording space into a painting studio to mean she was abandoning her music, fear not. One can see how you might read it that way. I certainly did. As Mr. Walecki informed me, truth is, Joni is even MORE committed to her music these days! (With many thanks to him) Joni is in love with making music and decided to remove her home recording studio so that her home would feel more like a 'home' and not some industrial space. Nothing more than that. Going into a profession working environment is also reflective of her commitment to do it right: a professional work environment serves the needs of profession work. As someone who paints 15 feet from the refrigerator, I can certainly relate to this desire... Yeahhhhhh, Joan! Alert! Alert! For those of you with spare change left over from the purchasing of her Hejira Tour Guitar gear, be informed that the equipment from Joni's Recording Studio is also available IN ITS ENTIRETY! (Save a pair of speakers and a microphone or two.) Certainly if anyone is interested in faithfully creating her sound this sale is as good as it gets!!! Fred adds that her equipment will be had at a very fair price for what is aviable. ( Should anyone find a well-heeled relative ready to leave a sizable inheritance, please email me privately...) The official quote of Mr. Walecki regarding his stature along side Ken Paker is, "I'm not lint in his belly button." Fred Walecki has the utmost respect for Ken Parker's craftsmanship and attention to detail. He is, in Fred's eyes a true Rennaisance man. To convey Ken's remarkable attention to deal he discribed for me how Ken does not drill holes in his guitar before laquering them., (As others would do) because the lacquer would pucker around the edge of the hole. Instead Mr. Parker makes special drill bits that drill the holes after the laquer is applied, in a way that does not disturb the surface. When Ken took up the challenge to build Joni a guitar, Mr. Walecki envisioned it as something wonderfully original and creative, "as something out of the movie 'Brazil'." It was this faith in Ken that led him to encourage Joan to accept Ken's offer. When said guitar arrived and Mr. Walecki took it out of it's case, (not packing as I described it), Joan did indeed stand by with arms crossed; although not crossed in the way I implied in my post. Joni has the utmost regard for Mr. Walecki so she was in no way showing disregard for the unseen guitar. ("She is so interested in Life.") Instead, her body laguage was of a woman preparing to give her honest and earnest review of a work of art. Wow. I wish we all were in on that moment! Afterwards, Ken Parker used Joni's guitar as a prototype for the Parker Concert, a principle change being the type of wood used. For those interested Mr. Walecki also passed along information that it will probably be another year before Ken offers a VG8 ready Parker to the public. (Hang on to that cash Paz, if you can hold off that long!) Ken has so much respect for the designs of others, he does not want to simply copy off designs just to rush a model out to market. It will be his own. As for the guitar Mr. Walecki built, I gave the false impression that Mr. Walecki used a stipped down Strat and wired it up for the VG8. --I now say, NO WAY! He used the body shape of a Strat as a template, only in the interest of furthering this dream instrument into a reality. The body of her Greenpeace came from the hands of Fred Walecki himself. Once cut, it was made without pick ups as pick ups were not needed. This guitar was built to take advantage of that revolutionary technology in the VG8. With all due respect to the amazing instrument the Parker Fly is, it's Fred's Greenpeace we hear on Taming The Tiger, and it's his instrument I most wish I could have been around to see. Can you image how wonderful it must have been for Joni to play with this guitar?!!!!! I can just see her swaying away, dancing in her studio late into the night, trying out her tunings, listening to the new tonal palettes, and just rocking up a musical storm into the wee hours of the morning! I guarantee you she could not sleep out of excitement in those early days!!! Harlem in Havanna is testiment to that!!! God bless you Fred Walecki. Besides the care and love of your family, this is one of the big things I think you were put here for, my man. Save one or two comments about the use of a Fishman bridge on Parker's and a Power bridge on Fred's, I believe I have covered most of my faux pas. ( I think. ) As I will pass this email along to Fred Walecki for review before posting, let me be one of many here who wish him and his family the very best happiness in life. We hope you will join us, if only briefly, to share in our love and pleasure in Joni Mitchell's music! Please share a hello. We would love to hear of your long, impressive involvement in the music industry. And of course, anything with Joni content will simply curl toes with happiness. We 'double dare you, with sugar on top.' John Calimee Uh oh, Corrections to the corrections... Mr. Walecki caught yet another (!!!) gaff. When I said they jumped into Joni's 'tin' car joyriding down the wrong side of the LA freeways.... No seriously. When Fred Walecki said they took Joni's Toyota, I heard 'tin' instead. God forbid I leave the impression that Joni is driving around in a old beater. Whew... I think that's all. really. Should the site need anyone to transcribe the minutes, you may want to choose someone other than 'run-on sentence' John. (It was the one year away from the nuns that did me in grammatically...) Quiz in ten minutes. Mueller, no cheat sheets!!! Bye all. Er, Fred, the youthful and wise beyond his years, Mark Domyanich is interested in knowing what string gauges were used for Joni's Shadows and Light tour? We'd love you a bunch if someone could answer that question. Thanks. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 00:42:49 -0500 From: Richard Rice Subject: Votes untallied on kicks but in on guitars. Hi all. It is obviously the wish of everyone here that Joni add the sound of her Collings back to her mixes. Fingers are crossed on that. At the risk of more corrections, Mr. Walecki commented several times that Joni considers herself a 'guitar monogomist' at the moment. Previously, she carried a wide variety of gear on the stage, but now she likes the idea of being 'faithful' to her new baby. I'm not sure if this means no recording from the Collings, or if she is refering to the wave of new guitars being offered to her in the same techno vein as the Parker and VG8. Considering how she enjoyed recording with a full orchestra, and how much she loves change, it would appear the next project of original material could produce a radical change indeed in her sound. Although, in retrospect, what seems radical to our ears, eventually become a very normal evolution in her sound. Stay tuned. Things could get interesting. Pray for her health and well being: let's see, a year promoting Both Sides Now, a year writing new material, a year recording. Looks like 2002-3 until her record contract is fulfilled. Fred also mentioned that it is his hope to see a few of her guitars go to the highest bidder, just in case she changes her mind and wants to try to replace the Bensons. He also wishes to sell a guitar, or two in a more 'afforable' price range so that her fans have a shot at owning a guitar. Among those pricer models, she is also offering a Yamaha Apx-10, the likely model offered to us in the 'K-Mart' crowd... By the way, this guitar was never used on stage, but he quotes her as saying it has, "coughed up a few melodies." I may be stomping on Les's toes here posting this, as Fred is quite interested in an official hook-up with the list. Any news on that front, Les? My god, I feel like a robber, giving away all the secrets. I'd stop with the posts but too delerious with happiness the last few weeks. Someone, pleeeeeeeeeeeeease shut me up!!! John. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 22:56:47 -0800 From: "Kakki" Subject: Re: Votes untallied on kicks but in on guitars. > Someone, pleeeeeeeeeeeeease shut me up!!! No, no, John, please keep spilling - this is wonderful reading! Hey, what was that new-fangled guitar Paz found last year that tunes itself? Maybe she could try that next and get back the acoustic sound while retaining the tuning ease of the VG-8. I also don't think Joni is ever going to quit music - she's got too much inside her to shut it off. Kakki ------------------------------ End of onlyJMDL Digest V2000 #22 ******************************** Don't forget about these ongoing projects: Glossary project: Send a blank message to for all the details. FAQ Project: Help compile the JMDL FAQ. 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