From: les@jmdl.com (onlyJMDL Digest) To: onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Subject: onlyJMDL Digest V2000 #218 Reply-To: joni@smoe.org Sender: les@jmdl.com Errors-To: les@jmdl.com Precedence: bulk Archives: http://www.smoe.org/lists/onlyjoni Websites: http://www.jmdl.com http://www.jonimitchell.com Unsubscribe: mailto:onlyjoni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe onlyJMDL Digest Sunday, May 28 2000 Volume 2000 : Number 218 The 'Official' Joni Mitchell Homepage, created by Wally Breese, can be found at http://www.jonimitchell.com. It contains the latest news, a detailed bio, Original Interviews, essays, lyrics and much much more. --- The JMDL website can be found at http://www.jmdl.com and contains interviews, articles, the member gallery, archives, and much more. --- Ashara has set up a "Wally Breese Memorial Fund" with all donations going directly towards the upkeep of the website. Wally kept the website going with his own funds. it is now up to US to help Jim continue. If you would like to donate to this fund, please make all checks payable to: Jim Johanson and send them to: Ashara Stansfield P.O. Box 215 Topsfield, MA. 01983 USA ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- Re: Least Favorite Songs [catman ] Re: Least Favorite Songs "Come In From The Cold" [MGVal@aol.com] i wonder... ( JMDL content ) [mr_lovesaint@webtv.net] Joni in New York magazine [MGVal@aol.com] RE: Joni in New York magazine ["Wally Kairuz" ] Just wanted to share this..... ["valerie cullin" ] Re: Just wanted to share this..... [catman ] Re: squeaky strings [Siresorrow@aol.com] Re: the "mystery" of Hissing ["James L. Leonard" ] Re: the "mystery" of Hissing [B Merrill ] Re: UK Fest [catman ] Re: Learning the lyrics ["P. Henry" ] Re: HUH? Enough already! ["P. Henry" ] Re: the "mystery" of Hissing ["Mark or Travis" ] Brian Hinton's Joni Bio ["James L. Leonard" ] P.S. ["James L. Leonard" ] Re: a newbie perspective ["Mark or Travis" ] Re: They're rockin' in New Orleans! ["Mark or Travis" ] Re: i wonder... ( JMDL content ) ["Mark or Travis" ] Re: Just wanted to share this..... ["Mark or Travis" ] Fw: Brian Hinton's Joni Bio ["James L. Leonard" ] Re: Joni Millionaire ["Susan L.A." ] Re: onlyJMDL Digest V2000 #217 ["Frederick Freeman" ] Re: JMDL Digest V2000 #289 [NoeysMaMa@aol.com] RE: Just wanted to share this..... ["Wally Kairuz" ] Re: the "mystery" of Hissing [David Wright ] Hartford Courant Review [Chilihead2@aol.com] Re: Fw: Brian Hinton's Joni Bio [IVPAUL42@aol.com] Re: The devil's chord ["P. Henry" ] Re: Least Favorite Songs [catman ] Re: Least Favorite Songs [catman ] Re: Hartford Courant Review ["Mark or Travis" ] Re: JMDL Digest V2000 #290 [NoeysMaMa@aol.com] Re: the "mystery" of Hissing ["Patricia O'Connor" Subject: Re: Least Favorite Songs > > Come in from the Cold. I couldn't understand how this was chosen to > become a video and then, how the video got airplay. There are so many > better songs on NRH. This song is wonderful! It has some excellent lines in it. I don't know them off by heart and don't have the lyrics nearby but the 'holding the ruler without a heart' and 'just the touch of our fingers' 'bonfire in our soine' and the electricity line. this song is olne of my favourite ever Joni's . it is really evocative and spot on about first passion etc. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 05:27:41 EDT From: MGVal@aol.com Subject: Re: Least Favorite Songs "Come In From The Cold" In a message dated 5/28/00 2:19:57 AM Pacific Daylight Time, catman@ethericcats.demon.co.uk writes: << This song is wonderful! It has some excellent lines in it. I don't know them off by heart and don't have the lyrics nearby but the 'holding the ruler without a heart' and 'just the touch of our fingers' 'bonfire in our soine' and the electricity line. this song is olne of my favourite ever Joni's . it is really evocative and spot on about first passion etc. >> Typical jmdl timing! I'm sitting up at 2:30am waiting for my headache to subside, (too much pool and sun and bicycling yesterday afternoon), with this song on the headphones. As Colin pointed out there are many wonderful lines in this song, my favorite being: "We get hurt and we just panic and we strike out out of fear." For me, the song goes so much beyond first passion to continuing passion in spite of our growing ages. How do you go through all the stuff that happens to you, that gets you cold or barnacles your heart with scars and still keep that passion for love? "I am not some stone commission, like a statue in a park. I am flesh and blood and vision, I am howling in the dark." And since it's a thread, pull out anything but "Ethiopia" and "Impossible Dreamer" from Dog Eat Dog and you have my least favorite Joni songs. MG - waiting for the migraine meds to kick in ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 05:31:39 -0400 (EDT) From: mr_lovesaint@webtv.net Subject: i wonder... ( JMDL content ) if i was at the jonifest right now , what would i be doing ? i've made a small list :  1) singing a lot ... and humming when im not doing that.  2) making a fool of myself , having drank to much red wine or to many beers.  3) sitting quietly ... taking it all in ... listening to so much and rejoicing in my confusion .  4) being embarrassed for excusing myself for a cigarette every so often.  5) feeling nervous and excited and loving it .  6) eating to much ... or to little.  7) wishing i had remembered to bring my video camera. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% just a few ideas. Jess NP: chet baker - chet sings the blues ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 06:21:42 EDT From: MGVal@aol.com Subject: Joni in New York magazine The May 29th issue of "New York" magazine, (with Donna Hanover on the cover), has one of the most beautiful photos of Joni that I've ever seen. Dropdead gorgeous, one that even I would keep and frame in spite of the annoying yellow "CUE" at the top of the page. The side caption reads: "Still Golden: with a new album of standards, Joni Mitchell's got to herself back to the Garden. She is simply, absolutely ravishing in this photo. Did I mention drop dead gorgeous. MG - still trying to keep busy and ignore the migraine pain. I'm up to laundry load #12 and the back of the fridge is now spotless. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 07:48:05 -0300 From: "Wally Kairuz" Subject: RE: Joni in New York magazine hon, take a break at once!!!! give that head of yours a chance. hug mc for me! wallyk > MG - still trying to keep busy and ignore the migraine pain. I'm up to > laundry load #12 and the back of the fridge is now spotless. > ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 07:03:40 -0400 From: "vollmarr" Subject: newbie perspective I too have also been reading the negative posts between people. I don't like to see it either, however, (and do not think I am defending anyone) people are human. I think it is up to the rest of us to direct people in conflict to a better place. Judge others and you will also be judged. Tolerance is the key I think. I feel really strongly for people in conflict. I usually do not have what it takes to be a very good "peace keeper." I only have the heart for the role. Joni's song borderline comes to mind. I recently stuck my nose in a conflict on another list and came out really failing to achieve what I thought was my aim. (to promote good will between others) That send button is fatal. You really need to be careful. I think I have learned something here. You need to approach the send button like you would if your were going to buy something. Wait until tommorow, and if you still want it, go ahead and buy it. Debi ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 07:29:26 +0000 From: "valerie cullin" Subject: Just wanted to share this..... with all of us who bask in the radiant light of Joni's musical creations, ( and I had NO idea there were so many of us!) My husband surprised me with second row tickets for Joni on May 31 at her Michigan performance. All VIP backstage and limo to boot! He doesn't even know who she is! Talk about true love! And the great part for Joni is that the concert is sold out! I always put Joni in the category of one who is completely underappreciated by the public and by her peers because she never jumped on the mainstream bandwagon. She is one of two, ( the other being the equally phenomenal Carole King), performers/songwriters/poets who has stayed true to her music and her words and should be applauded for this up and down the streets and in concert halls and by her peers. Alas, in our shallow world, that has fallen short for her.....I thought! Then, when my husband told me he had to beg, steal and borrow to even get ANY tickets, I found a redeemed hope in the spirituality of our fellow human beings that we are all not alone in our much deserved praise of the poet laureate of the music world. I am sooooo looking forward to seeing her, ( obviously it is my first time seeing her......does it show?) I hope I don't do anything strange like start genuflecting to her or crying uncontrollably (yipes!) Kidding, but you never know.................... ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 07:35:27 -0400 From: "vollmarr" Subject: squeaky strings I've heard from other people (very good sources), that Elxir strings help reduce finger squeak. Ability doesn't play a role, I have found out. It just happens due to lot of processing on the acoustic guitar. (someone else gave this advice) (good source also) Fingerease seems to have been a mainstay to a lot of people to grease up the strings. The Elxir strings are made by Gore (like the ski parkas) Check out http://www.goremusic.com for more info. Let me know what you find out. I also want to find out if they work. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 12:44:16 +0100 From: catman Subject: Re: Just wanted to share this..... Valerie-how wonderful. A super hubby and tickets to Joni. what more could a girl ask for? ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 12:48:00 -0700 From: "Chris Marshall" Subject: RE: UK Fest > Chirs has just left after being here for a few hours. Talked boaut the > Troubador cd, i am sure you will all like it. He is says he is planning > another UKJoni fest this june/july. Should be good. Yep. I'm currently thinking about mid-July, looking at my calendar. Let's say 15/16 or 22/23 July. To discuss these possibilities, UK folk (or other listers who'll be in the UK) should subscribe to the ukfest list by mailing to majordomo AT secure-si DOT co DOT uk saying subscribe ukfest in the message body. You'll then be sent instructions on how to complete the subscription - it's a two phase process. If that should happen to go bang, then my list server has coughed. Mail me personally if it looks that way and I'll fix it. > we talked about Joni and hejira ,djrd, the list, the USA Canada(we both > agreed we felt in Canada), humour and one or two other things. Indeed. My intended brief visit turned into a more protracted one as we compared experiences "over the pond". The most notable difference was that Colin was followed by more rednecks in trucks with gun racks than I was, scoring two truckloads to my zero. (Aparrently they were just checking who he was because he was a stranger in those parts. Aiiieeee! Run!) I should add that at no time did my facism detector go off. :-) Regards, - --Chris Chris Marshall Secure Systems Integration Ltd Web: http://www.secure-si.co.uk/ Tel: +44 (0) 7970 459 553 Fax: +44 (0) 1954 201 741 E-mail: chris@secure-si.co.uk PGP key: http://www.secure-si.co.uk/chris/pubkey.txt Fingerprint: 86F2 8809 FAC2 37ED 491A FD7D 7CAF 3206 E706 D3B3 ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 08:29:19 EDT From: Siresorrow@aol.com Subject: Re: squeaky strings In a message dated 5/28/00 7:36:41 AM Eastern Daylight Time, vollmarr@wcnet.org writes: << The Elxir strings are made by Gore (like the ski parkas) Check out http://www.goremusic.com for more info. Let me know what you find out. I also want to find out if they work. >> i have used elixir stirngs a lot. and i play less a chord based guitar like joni's music and more a mixed scale and chord sound...maybe more bluesy. i went to them not for the lower squeek, but becuase they were supposed to last longer and hold their sound for a longer time. and i bend a lot and that is what shortens string life. ok, so now here is the answer. i think they will give you less squeek and they are definately easier on the fingers. they feel more like an electric guitar than an acoustic. BUT! having played with them for a few years, they don't sound as good as regular strings. i have a martin acoustic and when i put elixirs on it, they didn't sound nearly as good as say martin sp's. in fact, of all the stirngs i have used, martin sp is the best i have found so far. so i keep elixers on the guitar i practice on and the sp's on the one i like to play. on the squeek issue,,,,or is it squeak issue....i personally like hearing them and have no problem with them. but i remember a few years ago this thread ran and a particular woman told me i was sick if i liked the sound of fingers on joni's recordings. to me they added intimacy to the music. pat ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 08:54:09 -0700 From: "James L. Leonard" Subject: Re: the "mystery" of Hissing Hey, Alan. :-) I'll confess that the line you excised from "Edith" (below) might create a problem for my theory that the Kingpin and Harry are the same guy. I'm may be trying (and I should have admitted this in my other post) to force the proverbial square peg into a round hole, just so as to make my imagined "story" work. Who (or what) do you think the Kingpin is? Is he a pimp? Is he a mobster? How about you, too, Mark? Any theories? Jim > All the discussion on this topic is great, especially Mark's analysis but I > can't agree with "Boston Jim" that "The Kingpin" is just an attractive, > local rich guy". To me: > > "Women he has taken grow old too soon > He tilts their tired faces > Gently to the spoon" > > indicates drug addiction. > > Alan Lorimer ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 09:17:56 -0400 From: B Merrill Subject: Re: the "mystery" of Hissing Thanks for your exposition, Mark. And for everyone else's comments. >We have discussed Hissing pretty thoroughly in the past. Yes, I'm sure you have.... I would suggest that Hissing is more auto-biographical and less observational than most of you hold. The autobiographical element in confirmed by the photo of Joni in her own suburban pool (and the adjacent quote)-- which is the one hidden "centerpiece" of the album. I.e. When you open it up, you see that it is more autobiographical than you supposed from the outside... The autobiographial element is found, most of all, in the arc (of a life) from the young love of "In France" to the existential ruminations of "Shadows and Light." Joni knows that she is in that arc, just as she is in her suburban pool. Patricia, thanks for the exchange, but I still disagree with you: The "mystery" does not refer to the unfolding as opposed to the whole. As you note, we don't have any access to the history of the unfolding-- but Joni presents the mystery as a puzzle which we do have access to, which is for us to solve, aided by those clues. Scott, thanks very much for your searching, and for locating the quote. Bruce PS By chance, are there any Hissing fans out there in Joni-land who are also keen on Kate Bush's "The Dreaming" or R L Jones' "Western Slopes"? Superior women! ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 14:41:32 +0100 From: catman Subject: Re: UK Fest The most notable > difference was that Colin was followed by more rednecks in trucks > with gun racks than I was, scoring two truckloads to my zero. > (Aparrently they were just checking who he was because he was a > stranger in those parts. Aiiieeee! Run!) ah yes but the difference was that i was driving thru the back woods and you were in cities! or maybe it's because i look like an alien-the three eyes tend to give it away. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 08:11:02 -0700 From: "P. Henry" Subject: Re: Learning the lyrics I don't know, jim. Joni is about six years older than I am and my memory sure isn't what it once was... also, you have to admit she isn't exactly accustomed to doing whole sets of covers. on the other hand, you may just have something there... when you say: 'Now she's a band singer' it brings to my mind that there was a time, in fact the time when most of this material came from, when the singer was more an equal member of the band rather than focal point we are used to in more modern popular music, and was just as likely to be working from the sheets as the sax player or any other member, and, even if she didn't need to, she could actually be 'handling the score' as you say, for dramatic effect. of course, not having see the performance, it's hard for me to say... pat jim wrote" >You know, this idea that she's reading the lyric at one point in the show keeps coming up. I think she just likes to handle the score. The fact that it exists. Now she's a band singer and has a professionally made lyric sheet. She's never had a perfect ability to remember lyrics. There are some examples on the Video Tape trees. But I don't think it's that. She has been singing these songs in rehearsal and from the stage for a week now. I think she just likes to handle the score.> Angelfire for your free web-based e-mail. http://www.angelfire.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 09:10:31 -0700 From: "P. Henry" Subject: Re: HUH? Enough already! deb wrote: >...why would we be interested in what YOU have to say? ...You're being a jerk here... ...you blowing off now is completely inappropriate. ...You're just trying to cause trouble. ...leave your crap off the list. ...my advice to everyone is to completely ignore whatever screaming Pat Henry does from this point on. ...And don't bother sending me any private replies. I won't get them.> my, my, aren't you just the nicest little ray of sunshine! thanks for sharing, pat Angelfire for your free web-based e-mail. http://www.angelfire.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 09:48:38 -0700 From: "Mark or Travis" Subject: Re: the "mystery" of Hissing > All the discussion on this topic is great, especially Mark's analysis but I > can't agree with "Boston Jim" that "The Kingpin" is just an attractive, > local rich guy". To me: > > "Women he has taken grow old too soon > He tilts their tired faces > Gently to the spoon" > > indicates drug addiction. He's getting the women hooked, anyway. That's part of why I think The Jungle line with its references to heroin & descriptions of how drugs filter into & spread throughout the country needs to be in the position that it is. It sets up this aspect of Edith & the Kingpin. As for the Kingpin, I think he's probably somebody with quite a bit of money who owns several of the local businesses, including at least two of the local bars. He probably runs an illegal gambling operation or two (poker games in back rooms that the cops are well aware of but don't do anything about) and is rumored to have mob connections. He definitely has access to cocaine. He may not use it himself but readily supplies it to his women. He may be married but has a string of mistresses he has used, hooked and then dumped. He's not particularly good looking but does have a powerful sexual attraction. Patricia, what great observations! This record has threads of imagery that run all through it. The image of imprisonment is one that I had seen in some of the songs but I like the way you carried it all the through the whole album. I don't think THOSL is particularly autobiographical with the exception of one or two songs (The Boho Dance being one.) And whether she intended it or not, I think there is more there than just observations of a day in Suburbia. The image of 'a helicopter lands on the Pan-Am roof, like a dragonfly on a tomb' struck me the other day when I was thinking about The Circle Game. Is there a contrast here between the image of the child, innocent & carefree, afraid of thunder and saddened by a falling star, catching a dragonfly in a jar and the adult paper-minded male, caught up in his game of getting ahead in the business world, seeing a helicopter as a dragonfly landing on a tomb? Probably not but then Joni did plop the Cactus Tree Motel down in the last verse of Amelia! Mark in Seattle ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 12:55:31 -0700 From: "James L. Leonard" Subject: Brian Hinton's Joni Bio Yesterday I picked up the biography, Joni Mitchell: Both Sides Now by Brian Hinton. I haven't started reading it yet, and was curious as to any opinions of it. Thanks. :-) Jim ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 12:59:33 -0700 From: "James L. Leonard" Subject: P.S. I also snagged a copy of the 2-CD Shadows And Light reissue. I might never have known they finally got around to restoring it to its original vinyl content had it not been for the list. Thanks! Jim ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 10:03:01 -0700 From: "Mark or Travis" Subject: Re: a newbie perspective > I'll tell you what I'M gonna do..... I'm going to see Joni tomorrow night! > I will write my review and share it with the list and I hope that anyone > who's interested enjoys it. I will continue to read and think about the > posts here that challenge me, get me thinking and make me proud to be a > member of this community. And as for the rest? That "delete" button works > like a charm. Happy to have it! And happy to have this list. Thanks, you > guys. > > mjf A wise course of action! Bravo on an excellent post! I for one will look forward to your concert review & read it with great interest. Keep those posts coming in! Mark in Seattle ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 10:05:05 -0700 From: "Mark or Travis" Subject: Re: They're rockin' in New Orleans! > Just got off the phone with Michael et al in New > Orleans. Sounded like a great party - David Lahm > playing piano non-stop since 9 a.m. with a choir which > has included Kakki, Leslie Mixon and Lori Reason - > another musical group outside beneath the Spanish moss > laden trees with Bob Muller, Bern, Marcel, Catgirl and > Kakki (they were singing "Hit The Road Jack" when I > called). Michael's shrimp for dinner! > > Marian > dreaming of New Orleans from Vienna Dreaming along with you, Marian! (sigh) Mark in Seattle ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 10:20:49 -0700 (PDT) From: Brian Gross Subject: Re: Brian Hinton's Joni Bio - --- "James L. Leonard" wrote: > Yesterday I picked up the biography, Joni Mitchell: Both Sides Now by Brian > Hinton. > > I haven't started reading it yet, and was curious as to any opinions of it. > Thanks. :-) hahaha Don't forget the 50 lb sack of salt on the floor next to your reading chair. Because most of what you will read needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Hmmm...maybe 50 lbs is not enough Brian ===== "No paper thin walls, no folks above No one else can hear the crazy cries of love" yeah, right __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Kick off your party with Yahoo! Invites. http://invites.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 10:21:05 -0700 From: "Mark or Travis" Subject: Re: i wonder... ( JMDL content ) > if i was at the jonifest right now , what would i be doing ? > i've made a small list : > > 1) singing a lot ... and humming when im not doing that. > 2) making a fool of myself , having drank to much red wine or to many > beers. > 3) sitting quietly ... taking it all in ... listening to so much and > rejoicing in my confusion . > 4) being embarrassed for excusing myself for a cigarette every so > often. > 5) feeling nervous and excited and loving it . > 6) eating to much ... or to little. > 7) wishing i had remembered to bring my video camera. > > %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% > > just a few ideas. > Jess I attended my first Jonifest at Ashara's place in Topsfield last September and I have to say that this is a pretty accurate description of how it felt for me. Except that I was crass enough to bum cigarettes off of Kakki since I don't usually smoke these days. Somehow I didn't think of how expensive cigs are these days and I apologize to anybody I tried to hit up for one. Also I don't own a vid cam. But you described the feelings very well. It was great fun! Mark in Seattle (glad to finally get that off my chest) ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 10:30:12 -0700 From: "Mark or Travis" Subject: Re: Just wanted to share this..... I hope I don't do anything strange like > start genuflecting to her or crying uncontrollably (yipes!) Kidding, > but you never know.................... Tears have been a fairly common reaction to some of the songs in this concert so don't feel alone, Valerie. Welcome to the list! Your friends of spirit are here! Mark in Seattle ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 13:31:32 EDT From: "joseph tischner" Subject: New To List Hi all! I've been visiting the site for several weeks, but haven't posted-till now. I just wanted to give a warm thank you to Simon, Patrick and Ashara for befriending me last evening at the Joni show in CT. What a great bunch of people! I look forward to posts from u guys in the future, and maybe catching up with yall again in NY. (Indirectly, I have you to thank for the vacant front row seat that I boldly and unrepentantly seized after halftime.) It was the greatest concert-going experience of my 39 years. I can't wait to read Patrick's review. I posted a small review of my own; just as glowing as the rest of em. Alas, I regret that although I'd love to spend a lot of time on this site, and offer as much as I'm able to, real life takes precedent. (Not that this isn't real life. It's just that the time isn't available for such pleasures.) If I can spare a couple hours a week I will try. And I don't know what unkind posts are being thrown around here, (it sounds like several writers are upset and threatening to leave) but this isn't the forum. If it's over differing opinions, why not just let them be? Insults are worse than childish; they don't belong. Enjoy this; it should be only a positive force for us all. ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 13:38:54 -0700 From: "James L. Leonard" Subject: Fw: Brian Hinton's Joni Bio I corrected a typo. - ----- Original Message ----- From: James L. Leonard To: Brian Gross Sent: Sunday, May 28, 2000 1:36 PM Subject: Re: Brian Hinton's Joni Bio > Thanks for the warning, Brian. :-) > > Can you (or anyone) point out particular sections of the book that are > erroneous? I'd like to keep an eye out for them as I read. > > Thanks, > Jim > > > Don't forget the 50 lb sack of salt on the floor next to your reading > chair. > > Because most of what you will read needs to be taken with a grain of salt. > > Hmmm...maybe 50 lbs is not enough > > > > Brian > ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 15:47:30 -0700 From: "Susan L.A." Subject: Re: Joni Millionaire Penny wrote: > Welcome back to the list Susan! Thankyou Penny! I'd love to walk through those works with you on a crowdless day! The following will be a repeat for you...can you handle it? Can Kakki? ;~D > So, first question, will you be the JMDL's resident artist attending > Joni's Mendel exhibit opening in S'toon? ;-) I want to see those paintings so bad I can taste the paint and the thought of not seeing them makes me want to cut off my ear and send it to a fellow genius ;~D Finances are very tight for me and have been for over a decade...And it's not like I spend much...Although I'm feeling much better now (better than I have in 20 years) my life is in ruins...the disease has basically taken 20 years away from me...I don't even know where to begin putting it back together...so much for my genius IQ! :~D If I am able to make some money to spend I will be able to go..I wouldn't want you to asphyxiate so don't hold your breath...Instead, get Kakki to hold hers };~D Maybe the interview Liz Forbes did with me, which will appear as a photo and blurb in June's Take 5 mag will induce Mammy and/or Daddy peacebucks to part with a blank cheque...What are the odds? Say a little prayer for me ;~D Are you still going? I hope so! And I hope you have a wonderful time! Could you pick me up a momento of the occasion? A cartoon coaster? Ask Joni to sketch my face on it? ;~D "...The Queen of Hearts is always your best bet..."-Henley and Frey I'm dropping all my faith on her like a hazelnut on the roof ;~) Susan L.A. "...let those rock n' roll choir boys come and carry us away..." :~) ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 14:59:38 -0000 From: "Frederick Freeman" Subject: Re: onlyJMDL Digest V2000 #217 Yes Howard, your pick of "Black Crow" did sting for me. I just think it is one of the most brilliant song of her career, Jaco's bass, and the guitar soloing great a feeling of deliberate, as opposed to lazy flight. Then Joni swoops in like the crow diving down on "The------------re's a crowflyne." Then later when she says, Divin/Divin/Divin, and it sounds "Exactly like that" It demonstrates her unique abilility to portray motion, experience, and feeling using sound & rythym. The lyrics are musically illustrated, or maybe the other way around, she probably wrote the music and thought it sounded like deliberate flight, a crow swooping down,traveling and traveling, and related it to her own travels, I took a plane to a taxi, and then a taxi to a train (Movement is apparent in the lyric and the music), Then... Oh... I've been travling so long ( weariness, resignation, again illustrated musically)) Then back into the deliberate flight, the "Hejira" This is why I think its brilliant. You might want to listen again. But if you don't like it you don't like it. I hate most of the stuff on her three 80's albums, with about a half dozen exceptions maybe, but a lot of people love them. I jus thought you might find my interpretation interesting . Frederick ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 14:59:38 -0000 From: "Frederick Freeman" Subject: Re: onlyJMDL Digest V2000 #217 Yes Howard, your pick of "Black Crow" did sting for me. I just think it is one of the most brilliant song of her career, Jaco's bass, and the guitar soloing great a feeling of deliberate, as opposed to lazy flight. Then Joni swoops in like the crow diving down on "The------------re's a crowflyne." Then later when she says, Divin/Divin/Divin, and it sounds "Exactly like that" It demonstrates her unique abilility to portray motion, experience, and feeling using sound & rythym. The lyrics are musically illustrated, or maybe the other way around, she probably wrote the music and thought it sounded like deliberate flight, a crow swooping down,traveling and traveling, and related it to her own travels, I took a plane to a taxi, and then a taxi to a train (Movement is apparent in the lyric and the music), Then... Oh... I've been travling so long ( weariness, resignation, again illustrated musically)) Then back into the deliberate flight, the "Hejira" This is why I think its brilliant. You might want to listen again. But if you don't like it you don't like it. I hate most of the stuff on her three 80's albums, with about a half dozen exceptions maybe, but a lot of people love them. I jus thought you might find my interpretation interesting . Frederick ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 20:02:42 +0100 From: catman Subject: Re: i wonder... ( JMDL content ) > Somehow I didn't think of how expensive cigs are these days and I > apologize to anybody I tried to hit up for one. Cigarettes here cost about $6.50 for 20. i roll my own from tobacco which literally comes off the back of a lorry at $6 for 50grams instaed of the shop price of $14! ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 14:55:54 -0400 From: peves@marlboro.edu Subject: OAKDALE show 5/27 !! YES! YES! YES! Joni Mitchell Nails The Standards ! Don't let anyone tell you this woman can't sing this stuff. She completely possesses it (vice versa obviously). ! This work is so absolutely fresh, fresh, fresh. These songs are reborn. Joni's renderings pulse with nuance and character . Her inspired phrasing is an inexpressibly sublime singing of the soul; her voice so savory and beautifully seasoned. Our Joni takes the stuff to the limit and it becomes her perfectly.The woman's a singer!! I am humble and grateful, yet again for this artist's explorations. Bearing witness to this performance was a blessing I shall rave about for a long time. Joni my dear friend - you go girl! Peg Eves ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 18:17:32 -0300 From: "Wally Kairuz" Subject: RE: New To List hi joseph!!!! welcome to the people's party! stay with us... wallyK, taking over bob's role because i know he must be busy being free > Hi all! I've been visiting the site for several weeks, but haven't > posted-till now. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 16:19:35 EDT From: NoeysMaMa@aol.com Subject: Re: JMDL Digest V2000 #289 Another song I always skip---"Sex Kills." Snore. "Is justice just ice?" Pfffffbbtbtbtbtbt. To me, a lyric such as this, from "Beat of Black Wings," accomplishes the same goal without evoking scorn. "He said, 'I never had nothing' Nothin' I could believe in. My girl killed our unborn child Without even grievin'. I put my hands on her belly To feel the kid kickin'---damn! She'd been to some clinic..." Shocking, straightforward, even funny. Poignant as all hell. Love, Min ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 18:21:31 -0300 From: "Wally Kairuz" Subject: RE: Just wanted to share this..... welcome valerie!!!! there are quite a few of us here that love carole king too! and genuflect away!!!! wallyk >She is one of two, ( the other being the equally > phenomenal Carole King), performers/songwriters/poets who has stayed true > to her music and her words and should be applauded for this up and down the > streets and in concert halls and by her peers. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 11:17:57 -0700 From: "Mark or Travis" Subject: Re: Least Favorite Songs > Black Crow and Blue Motel Room. I think these two are lumps of coal > among the diamonds of Hejira. I think I don't like them becuz of the > lyrics mainly. Just goes to show how we all have different views of Joni's music (not to mention everything else.) To me these two songs provide some of the most vivid color on what is an otherwise rather monochromatic album. Hejira is a beautiful record but I for one do not think it is the apex of Joni's output. Some people complain that a lot of Taming the Tiger sounds the same. I say to them, no more so than Hejira. I'm not trying to knock it. I admire its integrity & elegance. I also admire TTT's integrity & elegance. I like the way Black Crow injects some restless, rhythmic energy into an otherwise fairly slow moving record. The lyrics are much more visceral than the rest of Hejira but I think they're every bit as good. Blue Motel Room is much more playful, allowing Joni to have some fun & bring some humor into the proceedings. What's so wrong with that? Why do people seem to dislike it when Joni has a little bit of fun? > > Ray's Dad's Cadillac. Patooey. Again, the voices layered only adds to > the not-goodness. Again, Joni having some fun. What's the problem with that? Does she always have to be the intellectual, tragic muse? This song is so witty and reminds me so much of times when the only entertainment available was going out cruising around in somebody's car. I love the lines 'when it comes to mathematics, I get static in the attic' and 'Ray's dad teaches math, zero, I'm a dunce, I'm a decimal in his class.' Maybe they're not deep but this song has wonderful lyrics. > > Come in from the Cold. I couldn't understand how this was chosen to > become a video and then, how the video got airplay. There are so many > better songs on NRH. Another one I like. Especially that last verse: When I thought life had some meaning When I thought I had some choice And I made some value judgements (judgments?) In a self important voice But then absurdity came over me And I longed to lose control And all I ever wanted Was just to come in from the cold. Wonderful, wonderful lyrics in a great song. Howard didn't mention it but 'The Tealeaf Prophecy' is another one that I think is great. I also don't understand why people dislike 'Blue Boy' so much. I love the imagery in that song and her vocal is just devastating. And I'm normally not much of a fan of Joni's 'helium voice.' I do agree with all the people who listed 'Roses Blue' and 'Songs To Aging Children Come' in the least favorite category. I would also add 'The Fiddle and the Drum' which always seemed kind of clichéd to me. Mark in Seattle ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 14:24:34 -0400 (EDT) From: David Wright Subject: Re: the "mystery" of Hissing On Sun, 28 May 2000, B Merrill wrote: > Patricia, thanks for the exchange, but I still disagree with you: The > "mystery" does not refer to the unfolding as opposed to the whole. As you > note, we don't have any access to the history of the unfolding-- but Joni > presents the mystery as a puzzle which we do have access to, which is for > us to solve, aided by those clues. Hello Bruce, I still am not really sure what you mean by the "mystery" of HOSL, and the "clues" we're supposed to look for. Do you mean you think there is some kind of Agatha Christie-type mystery concealed in the lyrics/music/art of HOSL? ("Aha -- but the poison could not have been in the band's beers, because Gail and Louise drank them!") I always took that thing about "it is not my intention to unravel that mystery for anybody" to simply be Joni saying that each listener's individual response to or interpretation of the album (because there are many possible ones) is equally valid -- that she was not "officially sanctioning" one interpretations over others -- and that she intended to create a piece that could be interpreted in many ways and on many different levels, perhaps without herself even being consciously aware of all of them. - --David ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 16:02:38 EDT From: Chilihead2@aol.com Subject: Hartford Courant Review Yes. we were there. Thanks to Heather's graciousness. Mrs. Chili clad in silk head to toe and me white trailer trash in sweats and unbathed, but we were only 12 feet from Siquomb. The BEST concert I ever had the pleasure of attending. Passed around the "Lyrics book" for friends new and old to sign and what a night. Here's the Hartford Courant Review: Joni Mitchell Sets Elegant Standards By ROGER CATLIN The Hartford Courant May 28, 2000 It was a gutsy move in the '70s for Joni Mitchell to shrug off her folk-pop crown to delve into jazz, painting and whatever artistic avenue she chose. It's gutsier still to take the concert stage nearly a quarter-century later and do something even more unexpected at age 56. Mitchell may have won her devoted fans and her place in history with her deft and introspective lyrics. But her current album and tour, although named after one of her oldest and best-known songs, ``Both Sides Now,'' actually is a salute to romantic standards of the 20th century. In her elegant, often stunning show at the SNET Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford on Saturday - her first Connecticut appearance in decades - Mitchell explored what she called the story of a relationship, from its giddy first days, to confusion and finally retreat. To do so, she used some great songs from the repertoires of Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole, and, in a couple of instances, Joni Mitchell. It's startling at first, but unsurprising on reflection, to discover what's happened to Mitchell's voice over the years - and after cases of cigarettes. No longer a high and clear trill, it's low and dusky, reflecting a wealth of experience to inform the songs. Her whole role on stage had changed, from folk waif to wizened woman - her cheekbones bespeaking Lauren Bacall, and with the wiggle and odd allure of Marlene Dietrich. Her reincarnation as interpretive singer would work well with just a small jazz combo, and indeed it did when her traveling musicians stepped forward. But the immense orchestra on stage added a deeper and richer coloration. Hardly ever did it seem to drown out the singer, as it sometimes does on the recording. The liveliest arrangements of Connecticut-born Vince Mendoza, who also conducted, added a Nelson Riddle pizazz similar to the in-studio orchestral work of Sinatra in the '60s. (It sort of looked like a studio, too, with each instrument individually miked). Hats off to the Connecticut audience, which was hip to the format and didn't keep shouting for ``Woodstock." Audience members applauded the nervy reinterpretations of Holiday's ``You've Changed,'' but saved their warmest appreciation for Mitchell's own songs. ``A Case of You'' carried a newfound pang of regret; ``Both Sides Now'' a depth of consideration only hinted in the original. And the four Mitchell songs near the end of the show - including such high-water marks as ``Hejira'' (with Larry Klein doing the Jaco Pastorius bass parts) and ``For the Roses'' should have satisfied fans starving for more of her own material. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 14:40:35 EDT From: IVPAUL42@aol.com Subject: Re: Fw: Brian Hinton's Joni Bio In a message dated 5/28/00 1:46:57 PM Eastern Daylight Time, jll@tampabay.rr.com writes: << > Can you (or anyone) point out particular sections of the book that are > erroneous? I'd like to keep an eye out for them as I read. > > Thanks, > Jim >> Well, the reference to James Taylor's suspenders, for one. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 18:10:21 -0700 From: "P. Henry" Subject: Re: The devil's chord mark wrote: >Hey everyone, I can't remember if anyone came to the conclusion about what chord Joni was talking about when she said the 'devil's chord,' but in the report I did on Joni for my Music Apprecation class, my teacher called it a diminished 5th. He also noted that it was correct that it provoked doubt. FWIW, the asshole gave me an 80/100.> mark, I'm not sure if this relates but I recall years ago on one of those 'educational' spots they started doing on fm radio years back, somewhat like the 'the more you know' spots on nbc, they reported that scientific tests had been done, on humans, no less, and that it'd been found that the rhythm used in Queen's 'we will rock you' and also in Hendrix's 'foxy lady' measurably diminished muscle tone in subjects exposed to long, loud doses of it. interestingly also associated with hendrix is the primary chord (dis-chord?) from 'purple haze' which I have heard some refer to as 'the devil's chord' as well. there is an exposition on it, with sound samples at: http://www.experience.org/jimi/purplehaze/3.asp (one of the neatest artist sites I've ever seen!) and here's the text: There's a strange-sounding chord that many of us associate with "Purple Haze." It sounds like this. Once you start to recognize the sound, you hear it all over Jimi's playing. "Stone Free" is another example from Are You Experienced. A generation of guitarists grew up calling this the "the Purple Haze chord." What exactly is that sound? Jimi's playing and choice of equipment make up a big part of it... like the new "Octavia" he used for the first time on "Purple Haze." The chord itself is usually called a "seven-sharp-nine." Someone from Jimi's generation might have called it the "Hold It" chord, after the Bill Doggett tune that James Brown used to play so much. But, of course, it's been around forever. Where did Jimi learn it? We don't know, but he was playing it long before "Purple Haze." Just listen to his playing with the Isley Brothers on "Testify." The history of the 7 sharp 9 chord goes back a lot further than "Hold It." Here's an orchestral version, from the principle theme of William Grant Still's 1st Symphony. Jumping to the 1950s, Ray Charles builds "Lonely Avenue" around that 7 sharp 9 chord at the beginning of the tune. And jazz players were using the chord liberally, as on John Coltrane's "Blue Train," Miles Davis' "Kind Of Blue," and Jimmy Smith and Wes Montgomery's "James and Wes." Back in the rhythm and blues world, James Brown not only recorded Bill Doggett's "Hold It" as an instrumental, he used it as a segue between tunes throughout his live show in 1962. Another Bill Doggett instrumental that featured the 7 sharp 9 was "Backwards," featuring Billy Butler on guitar. If we had to guess where Jimi first picked up the 7 sharp 9 chord, these Bill Doggett tunes might be a good bet -- Jimi's boyhood friend Pernell Alexander recalls that he and Jimi were blown away by a Bill Doggett matinee show they attended in Seattle in 1957. By the mid-'60s, lots of rock groups had discovered the 7 sharp 9. The Beatles used it for the "The Word" in 1965, and The Byrds based the instrumental "Captain Soul" on the chord in 1966. By the end of 1966 it had become Cream's favorite chord for beginnings and endings, as shown on the album Fresh Cream by "I Feel Free," "Spoonful," and "Toad." Around that same time, "Stone Free" appeared on the flip side of "Hey Joe," and January 1967 saw the release of the Spencer Davis Group's "I'm A Man." Then "Purple Haze" was released March 17, 1967, and this sound became forever associated with Jimi Hendrix. cheers, pat Angelfire for your free web-based e-mail. http://www.angelfire.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 29 May 2000 02:18:14 +0100 From: catman Subject: Re: Least Favorite Songs > > Again, Joni having some fun. What's the problem with that? Does she > always have to be the intellectual, tragic muse? Maybe people the reasons some of us dislike has nothing to do with the above. I for one don't like it because of the tune and the chorus. It grates on me. It has nothing whateevr to do with the lyric. > > This song is so witty and reminds me so much of times when the only > entertainment available was going out cruising around in somebody's > car. I love the lines 'when it comes to mathematics, I get static in > the attic' and 'Ray's dad teaches math, zero, I'm a dunce, I'm a > decimal in his class.' Maybe they're not deep but this song has > wonderful lyrics. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 29 May 2000 02:33:34 +0100 From: catman Subject: Re: Least Favorite Songs A song i would say is fun is twisted. One of my favourite Joni tracks, even if she didn't write it. It's a good laugh and i imagine joni giving the finger whilst she sings it. brilliant. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 18:47:37 -0700 From: "Mark or Travis" Subject: Re: Hartford Courant Review > The liveliest arrangements of Connecticut-born Vince Mendoza, who also > conducted, added a Nelson Riddle pizazz similar to the in-studio orchestral > work of Sinatra in the '60s. Am I the only one who doesn't think the arrangements on Both Sides Now sound like Nelson Riddle? To me Vince Mendoza's arrangements don't so much have 'pizazz' as they have drama. The ballads remind me of the scores of classic films composed by the likes of Max Steiner or Korngold and the more swinging numbers have a lighter touch to them than Nelson Riddle's stuff did. I think they're tailored very well to Joni's persona & voice. Mark in Seattle ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 21:54:19 EDT From: NoeysMaMa@aol.com Subject: Re: JMDL Digest V2000 #290 <> I agree. I like both the albums, but I don't think of Hejira as the pinnacle of Joni's creation. BUT the version of Hejira that she's currently performing blows my mind. Much love to all. Mindy ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 22:24:17 -0400 From: "Patricia O'Connor" Subject: Re: the "mystery" of Hissing Scott quoted Joni from Rolling Stone 1979: > The basic theme of the album, which everybody thought was so abstract, was > just any summer day in any neighborhood when people turn their sprinklers > on all up and down the block. It's just that hiss of suburbia." Mark wrote: >And whether >she intended it or not, I think there is more there than just >observations of a day in Suburbia. I think there's a heck of alot more there than "just that hiss of suburbia", and I think it has to have been intentional. The metaphors in every song work on so many levels, and are so full of meaning, it cannot have been a lucky accident. While the hiss of lawn sprinklers is a lovely image, and evocative of suburbia, the hissing in the grass usually refers to a snake, as Joni has helpfully illustrated on Hissing's cover. The best known snake is the one which resided in Eden, which convinced Eve, through the use of cunning language to eat a fruit from the tree of knowledge, thus to become conscious and capable of independent thought. Joni is the snake, metaphorically, hissing in the lawn, offering the fruit of music and poetry, to make us question the "paradise" for which we've been sold a bill of goods: the suburban ideal, the bohemian ideal, the patriarchal ideal, political power, financial power, law, the devil, God, charity, youth and physical beauty. Joni is Eve, becoming conscious and questioning the same things. "Don't interrupt the sorrow, Darn right" Patricia O'Connor p.a.oconnor@att.net ------------------------------ End of onlyJMDL Digest V2000 #218 ********************************* ------- Post messages to the list at ------- Siquomb, isn't she?