From: les@jmdl.com (onlyJMDL Digest) To: onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Subject: onlyJMDL Digest V2000 #25 Reply-To: joni@smoe.org Sender: les@jmdl.com Errors-To: les@jmdl.com Precedence: bulk onlyJMDL Digest Friday, January 21 2000 Volume 2000 : Number 025 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: -------- JM Companion [SCJoniGuy@aol.com] Re: LACE Transcription, Part 1 [Ken Corral ] Re: most depressing song(VLJC) [Alan Larson ] RE: most depressing song(VLJC) [Louis Lynch ] RE: most depressing song(VLJC) ["Gerald Notaro (LIB)" ] RE: most depressing song(VLJC) [Louis Lynch ] RE: most depressing song(VLJC) ["Mark T. Domyancich" ] RE: most depressing song(VLJC) [Jamie Zubairi ] RE: most depressing song(VLJC) [Don Rowe ] Re: Raised on Robbery of Dawson's Creek [zapuppy2@webtv.net (Penny)] Lynn Miles (VLJC) [zapuppy2@webtv.net (Penny)] Re: most depressing song(VLJC) [Jerry Notaro ] Re: Lace Transcription ["Shelley Lennox" ] Update on Wally's condition [SMEBD@aol.com] Wally's Health [Steve Mixon ] Re: Wally's Health [Susan McNamara ] Re:JMDL Studios ... it could happen! [Martin Giles ] Re: Request/Explanation/Enquiry/S&L [Martin Giles ] Re: Wally's Health JC [Susan McNamara ] joni and anger ["Takats, Angela" ] Re: Wally's Health ["Alan Lorimer" ] Re: Wally's Health JC [Jerry Notaro ] Re: Wally's Health [Don Rowe ] Re: joni and anger [SCJoniGuy@aol.com] RE: Wally's Health [Louis Lynch ] RE: joni and anger ["Takats, Angela" ] Re: joni and anger [Don Rowe ] [Fwd: Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now] [Jerry Notaro ] RE: joni and anger [Louis Lynch ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 09:16:12 EST From: SCJoniGuy@aol.com Subject: JM Companion Just a quick note...for any of you still on the fence about getting Stacy Luftig's "Joni Mitchell Companion", roll off it asap! I've been reading it in small sections each morning while drinking coffee and enjoying the quiet, this morning I read the review of DJRD and really thought for the first time that someone was able to get their arms around the gist of the record. Really a well-written piece. I suppose those of you who got it have already finished it by now, but I'm taking my time like sipping on a fine wine. I was particularly pleased to read that even though the guy LOVED the record, he thought that "Tenth World" was about 4 minutes too long, which has always been my contention too... Bob NP: Edwin McCain, "Holy City" ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 06:46:20 -0800 From: Ken Corral Subject: Re: LACE Transcription, Part 1 Thanks for the work Lindsay. Just a quick correction. The name of the guy doing the interview is -Rene Ingle- rather than (Neil Ingles). Best Ken Corral ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 09:41:49 +0000 From: Alan Larson Subject: Re: most depressing song(VLJC) I really loved Hello in There back in the mid-70's. Some of the images of that song still stick with me, like "looking out the back door screen. and all the news just repeats itself, like some forgotten dream, that we'd both seen." Very similar in some ways to Donald and Lydia in its depressing descriptions, but Donald and Lydia much funnier with its happy ending (LOL) "but mostly they made love from ten miles away." Sam Stone also very depressing with its final verse suicide. But I would also offer up Dylan's Percy's Song as a depressing song. That he would "do battle" with the judge over a friend's 99 year sentence for killing four people in an auto accident is quite moving. "Turn turn turn to the wind and the rain." Effective use of repetition, IMHO. Arlo liked it enough to do a cover as well. And maybe Nicaragua by Bruce Cockburn. Enough said. He captures the futility of our govt's presence there by highlighting the suffering and human indignity of it all. How many people find depressing songs their most favorite type? I sang three songs about death at my high school talent assembly: "A Most Peculiar Man" and "Richard Cory" by Paul Simon, and "The Great Mandella" by PPM. It went over well... NOT! "Crucifixion" by Phil Ochs would also make my top ten list of most depressing songs. "It's a song about Jesus. It's a song about JFK. And maybe about Dylan." said Phil about this song. Depressing Joni song? Rainy Night House or Playing Real Good for Free would qualify, I think. It's sad to think that she didn't (wouldn't) go over and "put on some harmony" despite her urge to do so. Kind of like Urge for Going? "and I get that urge for going, but I never seem to go." alan in ames ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 07:56:59 -0800 From: Louis Lynch Subject: RE: most depressing song(VLJC) Ooh, ooh... I remember another Most Depressing Song... It's by Joni Mitchell, and it's not River (which is remorseful but not totally depressing) or Rainy Night House (which is nostalgically sad, but not really that depressing). My vote, in addition to "Crow on the Cradle" and "I Think It's Going to Rain Today"... "Ethiopia" from Dog Eat Dog! Such imagery of horror and despair. Joni overachieved on "depressing" on this one. By the way, I enjoy this thread -- it has some personal meaning to me. My favorite genre of music is "miserably sad," and I've had people tell me that my performance repertoire is way too sad and depressing. The one stage show announcer at the Renaissance Faire always jokes, "And now for a really sad song, here's the Harper..." On "Miles of Aisles," Joni says that disappointment is her "favorite theme." When I heard that I immediately claimed her for my muse, for all time. It used to bother me that other performers managed to pull off these rocking, upbeat songs with party-like lyrics, while the only ones I was ever interested in learning were the sad, slow, thought-provoking ballads. I go to learn a Joni song, it turns out to be "Blue." Go to Paul Simon, it's "Sounds of Silence." Carole King, it's "So Far Away." And on and on... I joke about it now at my shows. And I introduce "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye" as the most cheerful song I do, because unlike my other Irish songs that are all about death, "Johnny" is only about dismemberment. Must be an Irish thing -- all the traditional tunes are about death. "Irish Rose," it dies. "Danny Boy," the father dies. "Too Ra Lu Ra Lu Ra," the mom dies. "Wind That Shakes the Barley," the lover dies. "Rosin the Bow," the writer dies. "Foggy Dew," I think almost everyone dies. Moving from sarcasm to sorrow, and still not smoking... Harper Lou ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 11:13:40 -0500 (EST) From: "Gerald Notaro (LIB)" Subject: RE: most depressing song(VLJC) Gee, I must be more depressing than I thought. I'm loving the thread, and you all mentioned some of my favorite songs: Hello In There, I Think It's Going To Rain Today, River, Rainy Night House, Danny Boy, Great Mandella.... Jerry ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 11:09:03 -0500 From: Susan McNamara Subject: RE: most depressing song(VLJC) >Must be an Irish thing -- all the traditional tunes are about death. "Irish >Rose," it dies. "Danny Boy," the father dies. "Too Ra Lu Ra Lu Ra," the >mom dies. "Wind That Shakes the Barley," the lover dies. "Rosin the Bow," >the writer dies. "Foggy Dew," I think almost everyone dies. > >Moving from sarcasm to sorrow, and still not smoking... > >Harper Lou All Irish songs are depressing, except for the Drinking Songs!! :-) I defy anyone to listen to a song called "Kilkenny, Ireland" without crying uncontrollably for hours. It's a song about a father who writes his son in America for over 50 years expecting him to someday return. The last letter is from a family friend who tells the son his father has died. Listen to that and then go read "Angela's Ashes." I dare ya! I can't remember the artist...I'll have to ask Joe if anyone is interested. Also a song I can't listen to without crying is Chet Atkins' ode to his father "I Can Never say Goodbye." BIG BOO HOOS...and it's a beautiful song. A Joni song that always makes me cry is Magdalene Laundries. Another Irish ode. Take care, Sue PS I'm sorry I missed the John Prine thread on NJC. Have you ever heard his "Way Down?" That's another sad song. I would make a distinction between depressing and sad but that would be another long thread!! :-) ____________________ /____________________\ ||-------------------|| || Sue McNamara || || sem8@cornell.edu || ||___________________|| || O etch-a-sketch O || \___________________/ "It's all a dream she has awake" - Joni Mitchell ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 08:14:39 -0800 From: Louis Lynch Subject: RE: most depressing song(VLJC) Yes, Sue, a great song. We put Kilkelly on our Cork album and have received many, many requests for it. The last verse gives me chills... Kilkelly, Ireland, eighteen and ninety-two, my dear brother John I'm sorry I didn't write sooner to tell you, our father passed on He was living with Bridgette, she says she was healthy and happy right on the end. You should have seen him playing with the grandchildren of Pat McNamara, your friend. We buried him down along side of mother, by the Kilkelly churchyard He was a strong and feisty old man, considering his life was so hard It's funny the way he kept talking about you, he called for you at the end. Why don't you think about coming to visit, we'd all love to see you again. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 10:27:09 -0600 From: "Mark T. Domyancich" Subject: RE: most depressing song(VLJC) At 11:09 AM -0500 1/21/00, Susan McNamara wrote: >I defy anyone to listen to a song called "Kilkenny, Ireland" without crying >uncontrollably for hours. You bastards! The Last Time I Saw Richard would be my vote for Joni. Castles Made Of Sand is another tearjerker for me. Mark Domyancich Harpua@revealed.net http://home.revealed.net/Harpua ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 11:31:16 -0500 From: Susan McNamara Subject: RE: most depressing song(VLJC) >It's funny the way he kept talking about you, he called for you at the end. >Why don't you think about coming to visit, we'd all love to see you again. OK, now you've gone and done it. I'm crying at my desk. I hope you're pleased with your handsome self. Jesus, Mary and Joseph!!! :-) ____________________ /____________________\ ||-------------------|| || Sue McNamara || || sem8@cornell.edu || ||___________________|| || O etch-a-sketch O || \___________________/ "It's all a dream she has awake" - Joni Mitchell ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 16:50:15 -0000 From: Jamie Zubairi Subject: RE: most depressing song(VLJC) I don't usually go in for the 'so do I,' type posts but I have to agree with Mark here. TLTISR has to be one of the most sad songs EVER IMHO. I especially prefer the Miles Of Aisles version where she also plays the waitress in 'Drink up now, it's getting on time to close'. It's the final verse that kill. She really lets you know where she is at emotionally in 'All good dreamers paaaaass this way some day, hiding behind bottles and dark cafes, daaaaaAAAArk cafes.' The way she is able to take you where she is in that song is heartbreaking to observe. I don't listen to it often, unless I get in one of 'those' moods. Much Joni Jamie Zoob - ---------- Mark wrote: You bastards! The Last Time I Saw Richard would be my vote for Joni. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 08:59:10 -0800 (PST) From: Don Rowe Subject: RE: most depressing song(VLJC) Harper, I'm surprised at you ... since you've quit, I thought surely you'd pick "Smokin' --Empty Try Another" as the most depressing Joni song! ;-) Don Rowe ===== "I would not bet against the development of a time machine. My opponent may have already built one ... and know the future." -- Stephen Hawking __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 09:00:48 -0800 (PST) From: zapuppy2@webtv.net (Penny) Subject: Re: Raised on Robbery of Dawson's Creek Don, laughing it all away, reports, <> Well, you might have been the only one who actually got the Blues instead of Joni, but for the rest that didn't get to hear Joni on Dawson's Creek Wed night, there's a web site for the show that now has a RealAudio clip up of BSN. www.dawsonscreekmusic.com click on the link for Wed.'s episode "A Weekend In The Country" then scroll down to Joni's link. Penny :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Grace dies when it becomes us verses them......Philip Yancey ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 09:04:56 -0800 (PST) From: zapuppy2@webtv.net (Penny) Subject: Lynn Miles (VLJC) Anybody know of Lynn Miles? Found this the other night: Tech: Little Appeal for Lynn Miles By ERIC FIDLER Associated Press Writer In an era of folk singers with Web sites and music that can be downloaded from the Internet, singer/songwriter Lynn Miles uses her computer for e-mail. She hasn't even seen her pages on her record company's Web site. ``It´s not about art, it´s about how to get art out,´´ she said, referring to the booming business of music on the World Wide Web. ``It just takes away from the time you get to write.´´ And while many of her contemporaries are busy selling their CDs on the Internet or using technology to reach new listeners, Miles, 40, insists she's not interested. ``Because I am a Luddite, I haven´t really investigated it. ... I find the music business really frustrating.´´ However, she is not completely opposed to technology. She has recorded two CDs for Philo, a division of Rounder Records. A true Luddite would probably go from house to house, acoustic guitar in hand. Her U.S. debut album, ``Slightly Haunted,´´ resembled a contemporary folk album. But Miles, a native of Canada, is a singer/songwriter in the mode of Joni Mitchell or Shawn Colvin. Her songs are often built on soaring pop melodies, and she uses percussion and electric guitars to complement her voice. ``Night in a Strange Town,´´ her most recent album, was recorded in Los Angeles with veteran session musicians, giving it a more burnished feel. The album was produced by John Cody and Larry Klein, who is known for his work with Mitchell and Colvin. But the studio professionals never overwhelm the songs. Miles´ lovely voice and her writing remain front and center as she examines love and loneliness in her new home in Los Angeles. (She now divides her time between Ottawa and Los Angeles.) ``Loneliness has definitely been one of my themes,´´ she said in a telephone interview, adding that hers probably comes from moving around a lot while growing up. ``But I also think that loneliness is one of the big human conditions. I think a lot of people get involved with things that they would not have, and they go with people that they might not have gone with had they dealt with their loneliness.´´ However, singing about loneliness and broken hearts doesn't mean Miles is morose. She laughs easily during a conversation saying, ``I like who I am; I like where I am.´´ Penny :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Grace dies when it becomes us verses them......Philip Yancey ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 12:09:28 -0500 From: Jerry Notaro Subject: Re: most depressing song(VLJC) I sing with a group that does an Irish show every St. Patrick's Day. Galway Bay always gets me. Don't even get me started on Danny Boy!! Jerry ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 12:13:25 -0500 From: Jerry Notaro Subject: Re: Lynn Miles (VLJC) Glad you found her, Penny. I've posted about her before, and the Joni and Shawn comparison is right on. She is a huge Joni fan and has made tribute to her in some of her song lyrics. I've seen her perform live twice now (they all love to come to Florida in the winter for concerts) and she is just wonderful. Jerry np: Judy Collins - Voices ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 10:09:32 -0800 From: "Shelley Lennox" Subject: Re: Lace Transcription Hi Lindsey, Shelley Lennox, here from Vancouver. I modified your transcription, a bit, just made it easier to read. Very cool, can't wait to get the whole thing!!!! INTERVIEW OF JONI MITCHELL DECEMBER 21, 1999 at Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibition INTERVIEWER: NEIL INGLES (Neil Ingles): In our conversation with Joni Mitchell, she said, "I paint my joy and I sing my sorrows." At the dawn of the 21st century, her 21st album is being released for Valentine's Day. On today's "Let's Do Lunch," we'll listen to songs from the new album "Both Sides, Now." You'll be surprised and delighted by what you hear. And walk through Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions to look at Joni Mitchell's paintings with the artist. Q. Of course, everyone knows you as a songwriter and singer and performer and may not be as familiar with the fact that you have been a visual artist really all your life, and you've always lent your visual art to the design of your recordings. The albums have always been, in each case, included some artwork of yours, and even more assertively, it seems in recent years. A. Well, all but "Blue" album which was -- which I didn't do. And I don't recall why now, but I think I ran awayfrom home that year (laughs). I think I went to Europe or something, but, yeah, because I was -- I've always been a painter, and when I became a musician and was faced with the release of an album and this package, this space to be decorated, I just applied what I always, you know, intended to do. Q. Uh-huh. Where did you -- did you study actually? A. I did briefly. I went to Alberta Institute of Art in Calgary. I didn't think much of the education at that time. It wasn't what I wanted. But because I wanted to be a figurative painter and the professors there were all pouring blue and green paint down incline planes. It was a pocket where traditional painting, classical education, had been kind of abandoned and actually there was a prejudice against anyone with hand-eye coordination and a rendering ability. They wanted you green and, you know, mainly with the impulse to be an artist rather than any chops, and although in the first year you were given marks and that aspect of your ability was evaluated and I did verywell, I was in conflict with my profs all of the time mainlybecause they were Barnet Newman fanatics and I felt that he had failed both, you know, his political thrust was to make something too big for the Bourgeois to slip into their houses but instead they were ending up in General Motors lobbies and everything so, you know, as a "pinko" he'd kind of philosophically failed. Q. I don't know Newman's work. Will you tell us a little more about it? A. Oh, he was kind of the king of the Minimalists, the big blue canvas with the white stripe. I mean after the -- you know, first the stroke was liberated, you know, probably starting with Rembrandt and Van Gogh and the Expressionists, and color was liberated,and then finally abstraction began, and the image, you know,was ruined and it was just a fresh look and then brush stroke was kind of eliminated by the Minimalists. And they earned their place in our history, but I didn't -- and they're great decorative pieces for large, modern structures. You know, they look good in museums and they look good in the lobby of General Motors, you know, but there isn't that much -- and in the art mausoleums that people build these days for that kind of a modern collection. But, so -- but philosophically they were breaking down the window to another world, and there were a lot of the things that were the concepts of older painting which I still admired, and in a way it was kind of sad to find that your impulses belonged to another era and that you weren't going to be given the knowledge that you sought. So I was in conflict with them most of the time. Q. Something -- if I can -- if I can say this, that there seems something very rooted and traditional in your artwork. A. Well, this is my 90s work. And in the 90s I decided, you know, just to do -- to follow my instinct, my initial impulses. I entered art school and teach myself what I wanted to learn. In the 80s I painted large and abstractly just to get rid of that prejudice, you know. And I learned a lot about brush style and texture and I enjoyed the journey.I still don't think that much -- I'm not a "Moderne," you know. I like Post-Modern because of its, you know, return to a certain amount of classicism, but, yeah, I live in an old house, for one thing, and I paint for myself for another. I'm not part of the art world or the game. It's not like it's a hobby, you know. It's truly an obsession that I've never lost. But -- but this type of art -- I can't afford (laughs), you know, I painted paintings that I wanted, like about subjects that I wanted to see on my wall so they're very personal subjects. You know, there's my cat. Well, that painting -- we could start with that. That was painted out of necessity. My cat, Nietzsche, peed all over a couple of chairs, and you can't snuggle him because he's part ocelot, so I said to him --and I love this cat. Look at his eyes. I mean he's such a romantic animal. Q. Let's walk over to the painting. A. I said to him, if you're going to act like an animal, you're going to live like an animal, and I grabbed him by the stump of the tail and the nape of the neck, and I put him outside which I never do because we have coyotes that live at the end of the block. Well, he had the most hurt expression in his eyes and he disappeared for 18 days. Well, this cat and I have a ritual on the stairs between the bedroom and the downstairs of the house. We stop at the top, he stands on his hind legs, I swoop down, he takes my fingers in his mouth and he chews on them. Then we skip the next three steps, and he stands on his hind legs on the third [step]. Then we skip the next two [steps] and he stands up again and sometimes he stands up twice on each stair if he really loves me a lot that day. You know, like sometimes he just stands there if I did something, you know, and looks at the ground and doesn't look at me and doesn't stand up at all. But everytime I go down the stairs, this cat goes with me. So with him absent the stairs became a painful place. I mean everytime I went down them, there was hole in me. So the night he disappeared I went looking for pictures of him and found one when he was a kitten that was taken without outdoor film indoors. And his color is kind of lilac-y. He's like a puce color. So it was a kitten andhis tail wasn't straight up; it didn't look like him. I thought, I'll never get him back from this. So I painted that the first night of his absence and I had to make the --grow him into adult from the picture, the source material I had, put his head straight up and remember the color that he was so that people could identify him. Then a friend of mine had them made up into laminates. And I distributed them with a phone number all through the neighborhood, you know, and this is how I got him back. Eighteen days later a gardener called up and said, he's in our yard. So I went down and he yelled at me. He was so skinny and had such a hurt look. And he yelled and he yelled and he yelled. And I yelled back and I noticed that he wanted to duck and belly up but then he changed his mind. No, he still had more madness to get out. So he yelled at me some more, but I softened my tone, you know, intoa pleading tone, and finally he bellied up and I took him home with me. So that painting actually saved him from the wild because he was too proud to come home. I hurt his feelings so bad. Q. And you actually finished this painting in one night? A. In one and a half, yes. Q. In one and a half? A. All one night and the next afternoon we got it photographed on the second day, printed and back on the fourth or fifth, and distributed on the sixth and I got him back on the -- 18 days later. Q. Joni, you say that you paint for yourself. A. Mm-hmm. Q. And there doesn't seem to be an intent of, like, point of origination that you don't paint for a particular exhibit. A. No, I don't paint for galleries, I don't paint for museums. Q. Did Amy Adler actually call you -- A. I paint to go with my couch (laughs). Q. Now, that's the question, if you actually got some artwork from somebody else whether you're allowed to, like, paint over it if it doesn't match your couch. You wouldn't do that? A. Oh, I've done that. Q. Oh, no Joni. A. Well, not necessarily to match my old paintings and work on them, you know, like change the color for one reason or another but that's as good as any. I mean, after all, they're domestic decorations. You know, that's really what they are, they're domestic decorations. Q. Did Amy Adler actually contact you -- A. Yes. Q. -- about curating the show? A. Yes, through Wayne Shorter. She -- Q. Through the composer? A. Yes. They were gathering up there, she and a couple of other girls, you know, spending time with Wayne, and she mentioned that she would like to curate this show. Q. And did she ask you -- did she say I want --I'd like to present X number of paintings or anything like that? A. She said that there was a limited space and that it would probably require a certain amount -- she'd seen the work on album covers and, you know, even some curators won't take a print on an album cover. They want a certain kind of slide and so on, but I think because Amy already had translated her work into print, she's not so worried about the printed form. But, anyway, it sounded like a fun idea and most of my shows have been fly-by-nights. They've been, like, up one night and down the next, you know. So the idea that the public would be able to see them sounded intriguing. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 13:43:09 EST From: SMEBD@aol.com Subject: Update on Wally's condition There is an update on Wally's condition on the website and a link to send him a message. I thought that everyone would want to read it, and I don't know how often people check the homepage. Thinking of Wally, Stephen ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 11:32:11 -0800 (PST) From: Steve Mixon Subject: Wally's Health It is with deep sadness that I post this update from Wally's best friend, Jim. I apologize about the length of this message, but I've had several inquiries lately, and wanted to bring you up to date. I will be visiting Wally and Jim tomorrow. From Jim: I know a lot of you are concerned about Wally's condition, and I wish I had better news for you. There just isn't much to cheer about around here these days, although a few little silver linings pop up here and there. As some of you know, Wally's a very private person who doesn't want to push too much of his story onto his JoniMitchell.com friends day after day. At the same time, he's always been moved by the love and support he's received while fighting his illness, and asked me to send out this update. Since he hasn't posted an update since November, I guess I have some writing to do. One little silver lining is the fact that Wally got to visit with Joni before he became too sick, although he had intermittent problems throughout the weekend. (Joni's sensitive, gentle attention to Wally during our visit was a touching thing to behold.) It was only after we got back to San Francisco that we found out what the problem was. One of the many "implants" (small cancer cells in the wall of his pelvis) had suddenly grown quite large, blocking his intestine. He could feel the food moving around inside him, stuck, and as time went on the ever-present nausea worsened. He became completely unable to eat, since there was nowhere for the food to go. There couldn't have been a worse time for his insurance company to make the whole dilemma more confusing than it already was, but that's what happened. We found out from his oncologist and surgeon (both of whom he liked) that he was no longer able to see them because the insurance company had suddenly cut off coverage for their medical group. Although his primary doctor was still approved, and quickly put a new team together to treat him, having to start with new doctors at that juncture was a traumatic experience. After an unproductive week at the hospital in November, Wally finally left, disgusted, because no course of treatment had been recommended. Wasting away started to become a real worry. He made an appointment with the new oncologist the following week to see if there were any other treatment options available. The prognosis was grim: Too weak for surgery. Too weak for the toxic effects of chemo. The oncologist recommended against IV feeding because of possible infections at the IV site, and because it would nourish the tumor just as much, likely prolonging the misery. He told us that the end for many colon cancer sufferers comes from malnourishment due to a blockage, and that it's actually one of the easiest ways to go. Not an easy conversation, but the big surprise was the timeline: after Wally walked to the elevator I asked the doctor how much time he had left; he said "probably around three weeks." (That would have had him checking out around December 15.) Wally was unconvinced about the December 15 deadline, and decided that he wanted to make it to his birthday (February 6). Probably somewhere in between, I thought to myself. Well, he always did have a stubborn streak. A visit to the new surgeon was only slightly more encouraging. He said there was a small possibility that his colon could be surgically re-routed around the tumor, if Wally could tolerate the procedure. He was offered the option of getting the surgery immediately, or waiting until after the first of the year. He opted for after the first of the year so he could finish getting his affairs together, and because he didn't want to be laid up over the holidays. As December progressed, he continued to lose weight, continued to weaken. After an uneven Christmas holiday, overwhelming fatigue, nausea and pain became almost unbearable; he felt more and more miserable over the week between Christmas and New Year's. We finally got in touch with his doctor on Friday, and on New Year's Eve I picked up a morphine prescription that made him considerably more comfortable. I have a small mailing list I've been sending to just a few of his closest friends, and on January 1 the update sounded a little more upbeat: Breese (note: I've always called him by his last name, it's a long story) coasted into 2000 feeling pretty good last night. We donned funny hats and had a toast courtesy of Martinelli's, followed by sugary "ritual sips" of Sobe Wisdom, Energy and Power, then turned off the lights in the living room to see the fireworks over SF Bay. Our relaxed celebration was a direct contrast to the preceding week. He feels pretty low sometimes, but when he bounces back there are still some good times to be had. He's up and about tonight playing with the stereo and the TV, getting himself drinks, fretting over the plants that have always thrived under his green thumb (my thumb is green enough, but somewhat forgetful). We're just sitting around talking about this n' that, like we always do. Works for me. Evenings like that were, unfortunately, getting to be the exception instead of the rule. A few days later, the surgeon gave an emaciated Wally the bad news: He wasn't strong enough to tolerate the surgery. Given the uncertain outcome and invasiveness of the operation (and the possibility of some gruesome side effects), he'd pretty much decided against it already. It wasn't a big surprise: He was was almost too weak to get to the doctor's office. The news none of us want to hear is coming soon, I'm very sorry to say. Wally hasn't eaten anything for well over a month, and he's simply running out of steam. Comments from a message sent last week: We're experimenting with the nurse to find painkillers that don't suppress his breathing. I wonder if his congestion has anything to do with dehydration. Still, even though he's in and out on painkillers, he's often awake and lucid. He's sometimes conversational, even funny. I wish we could talk more, but he's largely lost his voice -- he often just speaks in a whisper. He periodically clears the pressure in his ears by talking (sometimes even when he's drifted off). "Testing," he says. "Testing." He's now asleep or "out of it" more often than not, and struggling to achieve basic functions a good deal of the time when awake. Another small silver lining: Although he's uncomfortable and very, very weak, he's not in a great deal of pain (the painkillers are also helping to keep his anxiety level down). There are still occasions where he's foggily his usual self, smiling or speaking gently every once in a while -- very endearing, simultaneously heartbreaking. The real Wally is still there. He's still giving me advice on the website which is so much a part of him. He enjoyed Joni's "Both Sides Now" debut on Dawson's Creek, and manages short conversations with visiting friends. He needs help sitting up now, though, and it's starting to get to the point where 24 hour care is necessary because he's developing additional problems as his body gradually shuts down. We're all doing the best we can out here, taking things day by day. If you'd like to drop him a line, please feel free to do so at JoniMessages@aol.com (he hasn't been checking his usual e-mail address for some time). I'll read as many of the messages to him as I can. Your kind messages of love and support continue to be an important part of his life. Leslie Mixon ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 14:42:08 -0500 From: Susan McNamara Subject: Re: Wally's Health Thanks, Leslie, for your commitment to our dear friend Wally Breese. My prayers are with him, Jim, yourself, and our whole community. We would have never come together if it wasn't for Wally's vision. I'm very very sad. Love, Sue ____________________ /____________________\ ||-------------------|| || Sue McNamara || || sem8@cornell.edu || ||___________________|| || O etch-a-sketch O || \___________________/ "It's all a dream she has awake" - Joni Mitchell ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 19:33:51 +0000 From: Martin Giles Subject: Re:JMDL Studios ... it could happen! OK guys. Move out of the way, I volunteer my services as recording engineer at the jmdl studio. Of course, if the studio is going to be at your house Larry, I'll assume you will be paying my expenses (air fares etc.) as I'm situated in England most of the time. George Massenburg. > Okay, so this delicious bit about Joni selling her > home studio has got me to thinking -- we're over 600 > strong, right? I'll bet we could gin up enough cash > to score her gear -- at an extra-special "internet > community" discount, of course. Then we open our own > recording studio -- and put out a REAL tribute album. > There's just one catch -- the gear will have to be > installed in my house ... I assume no one would > object, naturally, since I'm the producer. ;-) > > Larry Klein ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 20:02:50 +0000 From: Martin Giles Subject: Re: Request/Explanation/Enquiry/S&L Jason said.. > I'm not really a huge fan of Live albums, and I had expected MoA and S&L to > always be the *gaps* on my Joni collection. Usually I would agree with you about live albums. For the most part they seem to contain nothing particularly new, but S&L is very different. All the way through, the arrangements are very different, and (IMO) better than the originals in many ways. I particularly love the tracks from Mingus that appear on S&L. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat is sublime, and the beebopped version of Dry Cleaner blows me away. I'm sure that Joni says somewhere about how she loved the way that those guys played on that tour, that there was so much listening going on. They were really cooking! On the original album, I have always felt that these tracks lack a lot of sparkle and energy. I suppose being very jazzy, they benefit from being played live infront of an audience. But then thinking about In France They Kiss On Main Street, Edith And The Kingpin, etc, etc, God they're all so good. I hardly ever get the studio albums out to listen to these tracks, they are hugely surpassed by their live versions.. Oh and the Amelia/Pat's solo/Hejira section sends me to nirvana every time. OK, you get the picture. I like this album. No. I LOVE this album. Infact I'm going to go home now and play it again. atb, Martin. In London ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 15:27:42 -0500 From: Susan McNamara Subject: Re: Wally's Health JC This topic is very JC as far as I'm concerned. No rules apply. Love to you all, Sue >Sue said it all: > ><> > >I'm breaking a rule. "Me too". > >Bob ____________________ /____________________\ ||-------------------|| || Sue McNamara || || sem8@cornell.edu || ||___________________|| || O etch-a-sketch O || \___________________/ "It's all a dream she has awake" - Joni Mitchell ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 22 Jan 2000 07:30:36 +1100 From: "Takats, Angela" Subject: joni and anger Hello there, I've been listening to some Alanis Morissette stuff lately....so many of her songs are overflowing with anger and deep hurt...and i've been thinking about joni's work, and trying to come up with songs in which she expresses such anger...i don't have all her albums, but even when she seems to be at her worst - very down and 'blue' she never really displays anger at her situation? any ideas from listers on this topic? Ange Sydney ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 22 Jan 2000 07:32:12 +1100 From: "Alan Lorimer" Subject: Re: Wally's Health Does anyone on the list know how we could possibly get an advance copy of "Both Sides Now" for Wally to listen to? Alan Lorimer ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 15:41:39 -0500 From: Jerry Notaro Subject: Re: Wally's Health JC Leslie, I know that was difficult to write and post. But thank you for your straight forward remarks and keeping us in the know. You, Jim, and Steve are Wally's angels now. You are all in our thoughts. Jerry ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 12:41:22 -0800 (PST) From: Don Rowe Subject: Re: Wally's Health I couldn't agree more with Sue Mac on both points -- I share a deepending saddness over this news, wondering yet again, if a more charitable God would even allow such things to happen to such people as Wally. As for the NJC tag -- were it not for the dedication and heroism of Wally Breese -- the entire Internet would be "NJC." And our world darker for it ... Don Rowe ===== "I would not bet against the development of a time machine. My opponent may have already built one ... and know the future." -- Stephen Hawking __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 15:47:24 EST From: SCJoniGuy@aol.com Subject: Re: joni and anger Ange asks: <> IMO Joni's very deceptive with her "angry songs" because she doesn't sing "angry"...she sings sad, she sings melancholy, but her anger is tough because her voice is so pretty. She admits this herself, and says she enjoys hearing a singer like Tim Curry who can "spit her words out" better than she can. Sex Kills is a very angry song, but it doesn't project anger from the recording. The live version from New Orleans is better, the guitar is distorted and raw, and projects the anger much better. By the same token, Joni CAN express anger...I saw those eyes shoot flame at the asshole in Atlanta who disupted her show, she had no problem verbally squashing him like the gnat he was. I imagine she wanted to even kick him in the shins! ;~) Bob NP: ZZ Top, "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide" PS: Depressing song: Rickie Lee Jones, "Skeletons" ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 12:57:12 -0800 From: Louis Lynch Subject: RE: Wally's Health Agreed! JoniMitchell.com was the first place I ever visited on the Internet, and I could not imagine it not being there. I don't know you personally Wally, but I've seen your spirit, and it's a great one! Thank you! Harper Lou PS: Does anyone know anyone at Warner Brothers, or Reprise, or Joni's staff? Can we can get Wally a special copy of her new CD, if he doesn't have it already? - -----Original Message----- From: Don Rowe [mailto:dgrowe227@yahoo.com] Sent: Friday, January 21, 2000 3:41 PM To: SCJoniGuy@aol.com Cc: joni@smoe.org Subject: Re: Wally's Health I couldn't agree more with Sue Mac on both points -- I share a deepending saddness over this news, wondering yet again, if a more charitable God would even allow such things to happen to such people as Wally. As for the NJC tag -- were it not for the dedication and heroism of Wally Breese -- the entire Internet would be "NJC." And our world darker for it ... Don Rowe ===== "I would not bet against the development of a time machine. My opponent may have already built one ... and know the future." -- Stephen Hawking __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 22 Jan 2000 07:58:39 +1100 From: "Takats, Angela" Subject: RE: joni and anger Hey Bob....thanks for your thoughts on joni/anger...I agree that the pretty nature of her voice makes it hard for her to express fierce anger. And when i think of it, Alanis' voice does come across as almost 'ugly' in some of her really angry songs...cause she's just fuming. I'm not one to write many angry songs...I'm a bit of a joni, in that I am more inspired by depression and lonliness - when it comes to 'negative' types of emotions to write about. But I do think it's interesting that someone like Joni - who has a gift of expressing the most complex situations/emotions/relationships in her work...seems to have avoided touching on an emotion that so many of us can relate to... more of my thoughts - - Ange Sydney > Ange asks: > > < her worst - very down and 'blue' she never really displays anger at her > situation? any ideas from listers on this topic?>> > > IMO Joni's very deceptive with her "angry songs" because she doesn't sing > "angry"...she sings sad, she sings melancholy, but her anger is tough > because her voice is so pretty. She admits this herself, and says she > enjoys hearing a singer like Tim Curry who can "spit her words out" better > than she can. > > Sex Kills is a very angry song, but it doesn't project anger from the > recording. The live version from New Orleans is better, the guitar is > distorted and raw, and projects the anger much better. > > By the same token, Joni CAN express anger...I saw those eyes shoot flame > at the asshole in Atlanta who disupted her show, she had no problem > verbally squashing him like the gnat he was. I imagine she wanted to even > kick him in the shins! ;~) > > Bob > > NP: ZZ Top, "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide" > > PS: Depressing song: Rickie Lee Jones, "Skeletons" ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 13:00:25 -0800 (PST) From: Don Rowe Subject: Re: joni and anger Hi Ange -- I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't get involved in any more Alanis Morrissette discussions, but I find myself unable to resist. First of all, Alanis' anger never struck me as anything but a contrived and cliched schtick -- since her material flatly refuses to consider even the slightest possibility of her actions contributing to her suffering. Sure she whines at high volume about what a victim she is ... but that's not anger, it's carefully practiced stagecraft. Contrast that with Joni, who has always been continually searching for things she's done or said, that have brought her to where she is, or brought her to how she feels. In such an honest search, anger becomes unfocused and ineffectual, giving way to deeper layers of understanding. Even "Lead Balloon" immediately questions it's initial drink throwing tantrum ... and that's why Joni has lasted -- and Alanis will not. But there are plenty of genuinely angry moments -- "Tax Free", for example ... and in "Cherokee Louise" where she hisses like a cornered snake the line "and he drags her to her knees" ... "The Windfall" is plenty angry -- as we've been discussing recently. And there is righteous anger throughout "Sex Kills" as well. Oh our Joan has her angry moments, they're just not artless counterfeits, as they are, like real anger itself -- brief and quickly tempered with other feelings. Let the pyrotechnics begin! Don Rowe ===== "I would not bet against the development of a time machine. My opponent may have already built one ... and know the future." -- Stephen Hawking __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 16:04:21 -0500 From: Jerry Notaro Subject: [Fwd: Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now] This is a multi-part message in MIME format. - --------------6EF48D7869AD206EE9B2AB42 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; x-mac-type="54455854"; x-mac-creator="4D4F5353" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Just in from Reprise. Jerry - --------------6EF48D7869AD206EE9B2AB42 Content-Type: message/rfc822 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline Received: from wbr-gatekeep.WBR.COM ([205.143.70.70]) by bayflash.stpt.usf.edu (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id QAA17826 for ; Fri, 21 Jan 2000 16:14:40 -0500 (EST) Received: by WBR-GATEKEEP with Internet Mail Service (5.5.2448.0) id ; Fri, 21 Jan 2000 12:53:32 -0800 Message-ID: <1880B7146BE6D2118C9F00805FEAB47F42C2E1@WBR-CORP> From: Reprise To: Subject: Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 13:00:58 -0800 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2448.0) Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252" X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000 Re: Joni Mitchell Advance Orders on "Both Sides Now" (Limited Edition) The email is to inform you that there was an editorial error on the "Both Sides Now" (Limited Edition) website. It stated that the limited edition box contains "Joni Mitchell's personal signature" -- this will not be the case. The limited edition special packaging will contain the CD and four original Joni Mitchell lithographs but no signature. If you would like to cancel your order, you may do so by sending an email to tworder@customersvc.com or call 800-274-9700. We apologized for any inconvenience this may have caused. Sincerely, Reprise Records - --------------6EF48D7869AD206EE9B2AB42-- ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 21:05:39 GMT From: "Catherine McKay" Subject: RE: most depressing song(VLJC) >I introduce "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye" as the most cheerful song I >do, >because unlike my other Irish songs that are all about death, >"Johnny" is >only about dismemberment. ROTFL! IF you haven't read Roddy Doyle's "A Star Called Henry", you must - you'll be laughing and crying at the same time. It's kind of an Irish song in novel format. Catherine (in Toronto) cateri@hotmail.com ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 13:06:00 -0800 From: Louis Lynch Subject: RE: joni and anger Ange asks: <> I think "Three Great Stimulants" is a very angry song. In fact, there are several very angry sets of lyrics on Dog Eat Dog. I remember being impressed with Joni's straightforward expressions of disgust and anger on the album. It seemed so innovative for her, because most of her other work weaves a lot of emotions together. There's nothing nebulous about DED -- it is pure emotion, and I still think it's one of her strongest works. She didn't use poetry or tongue-in-cheek (Big Yellow Taxi) lyrics to make her point. Her voice wasn't as "pretty" on DED, so it may have added to the overall feeling. I know you all might cringe, but there are times I like DED best of all! (except that Thomas Dolby thing, of course) The "Lead Balloon" cut from Taming the Tiger sounds angry to me. Some of her lyrics on other TTT tracks are hostile as well. Regards, Harper Lou ------------------------------ End of onlyJMDL Digest V2000 #25 ******************************** 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. Do you have mailing list-related questions? -send them to Today in History Project: Know of a date-specific Joni fact? - -send it to ------- Post messages to the list at Unsubscribe by sending "unsubscribe onlyjoni-digest" to ------- Siquomb, isn't she?