From: les@jmdl.com (onlyJMDL Digest) To: onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Subject: onlyJMDL Digest V2000 #222 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 Tuesday, May 30 2000 Volume 2000 : Number 222 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: joni dissed by judy collins? [Howard Motyl ] boston globe rave [Deb Messling ] Re: Twisted... [Treehuggergirl25@aol.com] Re: joni dissed by judy collins? ["Reuben Bell" ] Joni at MSG May 22 [Emily Kirk Gray ] Re: joni dissed by judy collins? [SMEBD@aol.com] RE: Saskatoon ["Peg Eves" ] Joni Trading, etc. ["John Stilwell" ] Re: Joni Trading, etc. [pat holden ] Favorite Joni Songs ["James L. Leonard" ] Article in Phila Inquirer 5/30/00 [Brian Gross ] Judy! Judy! Judy! ["Paul Castle" ] another Join in CT review ["Ramcey tCH" ] Re: joni dissed by judy collins? [pat holden ] Judy Collins ["James O. Phillips" ] How else would I spend the weekend? [Gertus@aol.com] A voice from the past... [Merk54@aol.com] Re: The 'Fascist' Statement, some some explanation [Brian Gross ] Re: How else would I spend the weekend? [catman ] Re: Judy/Joni [catman ] Re: The 'Fascist' Statement, some some explanation [Jason Maloney ] Re: Judy/Joni [Jerry Notaro ] review from the boston globe 5/30/2000 [RickieLee1@aol.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 02:16:13 -0500 From: Howard Motyl Subject: Re: joni dissed by judy collins? Date: Mon, 29 May 2000 18:14:11 -0400 From: "cassy" <> Subject: IMO this was not another occasion for Collins to cash in on Joni's talents. It was a time for Joni to shine in her own light. Sounds like a clear-cut case of sour grapes to me. Cassy *** maybe she wasn't asked becuz Joni was singing, and reclaiming it as her own for once and for all, Both Sides Now herself--and that would have been the only obvious thing for Ms. Collins to sing. Howard M ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 09:45:01 +0100 From: catman Subject: Re: New Orleans JoniFest! From reading the posts over the months regarding this get together, i had no doubt at all that it would be a special experience for those attending. Maybe these listers should form a group, start touring and end up with their own list devoted enirely to them! From what i hear the talent is certainly there. so when is the first cd out? ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 06:30:49 -0400 From: Deb Messling Subject: boston globe rave Joni Mitchell was received like royalty by a sold-out audience at the FleetBoston Pavilion Sunday, and she deserved every ounce of adulation - not only for being the musical poet laureate of a generation but for the uncompromising, adventurous spirit that has taken her away from the singer-songwriter masterpieces for which she is beloved, and deeper and deeper into the world of jazz. Jazz flavors can be traced all the way back to 1974's "Court and Spark," and Mitchell's next studio album, "The Hissing of Summer Lawns," was a bold turn toward avant-garde-inspired experimentation. Since then, she's collaborated predominantly with jazz players. So it's no great surprise that Mitchell's new album, "Both Sides Now," is a full embrace of 20th-century jazz standards (plus a pair of originals). She performed the entire album in order, backed by a shimmering 70-piece orchestra, and for good reason. The songs trace the arc of a modern romantic relationship, from flirtation ("You're My Thrill") through consummation ("At Last") to disillusionment ("You've Changed"), despair ("Don't Go to Strangers"), and finally a semblance of philosophical perspective, crystallized in heart-breaking shades of real-life grays on the singer's own classic "Both Sides Now." At 56, Mitchell is an inate jazz singer. Her technical range is narrow, but her sense of feel and phrasing flows from pure intuition, and years of smoking has left her with a deep, dusky instrument that seems made for the langorous ballads that dominated her set. In fact, the one strike against the two-hour show (including an intermission) was its pace, which was in perpetual low gear. But Mitchell, ever the iconoclast, would be the last to ascribe to a conventional notion of dynamic pacing. Showmanship has never been the point. So with her fingers fluttering and wrapped head-to-toe in resplendent hues of apricot and red, Mitchell simply sang the songs in the deep, knowing tones of a seasoned romantic. And she made us feel, which was always the point. While the orchestra summoned both the lush emotion and delicate nuance of the songs' poetry, Mitchell's still-bright timbre lit up the joyous and melancholy words - among the few that rival her own for sheer poignance and savvy - her ravaged vibrato the punctuation to every phrase. She transformed the album's two original compositions from quiet folk anthems to luminous epics. "A Case of You" - the familiar dulcimer strains changed to ethereal strings, a mournful clarinet, and swirling brushes on a drum - fit into the romance cycle roughly midway through the disillusionment phase when, as Mitchell put it, "tender entreaties have failed and it's time to head for the bar." "Both Sides Now," the sage, bittersweet finish to the song cycle, was a revelation: a timeless meditation that's as true and telling today as it was 31 years ago. But the real beauty was in how the song - like Mitchell, like the rest of us - has grown up, textured now with haunting new harmonies and rich, complex swells. Mitchell's "good friend and ex-husband" Larry Klein, also her producer and musical director, came out to play stunning bass parts during the encore numbers: a playful "Be Cool," which will be on the upcoming follow-up to "Both Sides Now," imperially moody reworkings of "Judgement of the Moon and Stars (Ludwig's Tune)" and "For the Roses" - both indictments of the music business - a densely layered read on "Hejira," and finally Marvin Gaye's own industry kiss-off, "Trouble Man." Fans were understandably thrilled to hear the older songs. But it was equally thrilling to realize - witnessing the transliteration of Mitchell's songs from the simple alphabet of a gentle lullabye to the dazzling language of a symphony - how magnificent these songs always were, and how gifted a musician Mitchell continues to be. Deb Messling messling@enter.net http://www.enter.net/~messling/ ~there are only three kinds of people: those who can count, and those who can't. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 08:15:42 EDT From: Treehuggergirl25@aol.com Subject: Re: Twisted... boo hoo. In a message dated 5/29/00 3:48:50 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Treehuggergirl25@aol.com writes: << i LOVE that song! i love singing along with it too! i didn't know that it wasn't her 'original',,,,i'll have to look on the back of the record to see who wrote it. -angela >> Uh-oh. It seems, Angela, that your application for 'inner circle' membership has been denied. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 06:19:37 PDT From: "Reuben Bell" Subject: Re: joni dissed by judy collins? Quite honestly, this does not sound like Judy to me. I wouldn't blame her for a little bit of sour graping, but I doubt she did. I've written back and forth a bit with Judy and she has always come across as very gracious and warm, and not even slightly catty. I know that people are people, but this one just doesn't ring true with me. I imagine that these comments were quoted out of context. I think that a lot of us JMDLers would agree that the comments attributed to Judy sould a lot like something Joni would say herself if the situation were reversed. She's made a side-career of sour graping. And as for inexplicibly being left out of the TNT tribute, I think that goes for a lot of people. While I enjoyed the show immensely, and thought that Cyndi Lauper and Cassandra Wilson stood out in particular, I thought that the whole production was pretty lackluster, with a pretty motley crew of b-list celebs that contrasted with the media hype that the show got. I love Joni. I'm not trashing her. This is just my very humble opinion on this Tuesday morning. :) Reuben in Philadelphia >Joni Mitchell is taking a few hits from her acoustically-inclined colleague >Ju >dy Collins over not getting credit where it's due. >Collins, who bolstered Mitchell's career when her cover of Mitchell's "Both >Sides Now" became a Grammy-winning 1968 hit, was inexplicably left out of >the >performer lineup for TNT's recent "All Star Tribute" to her folkie >protegee. >"No one called - not Joni, nor the producers," Collins told Friedman at >Mitchell's Monday night Madison Square Garden concert. "And I made a bundle >of money for her when I did ‘Both Sides Now.'" >Asked to appraise Mitchell's shaky performance of standards off her new >album, Collins commented, "Don't ask me about that." > ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 09:41:19 -0400 (EDT) From: Emily Kirk Gray Subject: Joni at MSG May 22 way late! hi everyone. now i know what you all mean by the "i can't catch up on the digests" that i always read. i've been traveling in some vehicle for what feels like the past two weeks, with a stop at my 5th year college reunion of all things, and now only to land in ithaca, NY of all places. good lord, what is a city girl like me doing in this place? but i still have the list, i thought this morning. yikes. is it weird if i've missed you all? anyhoo -- i'm looking forward to hearing all the reports from the new orleans jonifest -- living vicariously for what sounds like a wonderful music weekend. patrick, are you going to nudge me to go to one of these sometime? now for the joni content...i've been "processing" my joni concert experience, holding it close as it revolves in my mind...it happened to occur that i see joni perform for the first time right at a moment of intense personal upheaval, so -- that can be a good and a bad thing, it turns out. she looked beautiful, happy, relaxed, funky. like she was doing her own thing, had her own art in full focus, NOT like she was doing an oldies-but-goodies-revisit. still, we knew that. i was prepared for the fact that i'd cry throughout the first two songs, out of sheer overload. but i wasn't prepared for the fact that i'd be dancing in my seat to much of the concert! like patrick covered so well in his tour report, joni has special moments when she swings...i LOVED "comes love" and "sometimes i'm happy" here especially. also i was really blown away by "be cool"! she seemed so "on" during this song, a perfect melding of orchestral and vocal arrangements, propulsive and catchy and perfect, i thought. this song alone gave me hope for the upcoming project, since i want JONI TO WRITE MORE NEW MUSIC AND AM LESS THAN THRILLED AT HER MESSING AROUND WITH OLD STUFF EXCLUSIVELY. still, hey, it's her (musical) world and i'm just lucky enough to be in it. basically, if she wants to sing the phone book i'm for it. um, what else. the theater is a yuck place to watch her and i wasn't really high enough (in the cheap seats) to see over the preceding sections...could have done without a major grammatical error in the program...loved her rapport with the crowd, listening and answering someone's question about who was on drums (random!)...loved "for the roses" but need more processing on "ludwig." actually to hear those songs together in this format was fascinating to me, because i've been thinking so much about what the album FTR does as a whole is to move steadily and surely from the personal to an interior but scathing lament for the music industry to a searching meditation on art's place in life (or vice versa?). that is, there is a circling, widening movement i sense in that album, reaching a stunning "conclusion" in "ludwig" -- i need to think more about this. but there is something in how she has chosen to re-interpret these two songs now, as she enters a more vocal, jazz phase. hmmm.... so anyway, a real highlight of the night was getting to meet some JMDLers. first, to see and hear david lahm play again at judy's--lovely. also, to get to put faces to and talk to these faces--patrick, lori, alison, brian, others i may be forgetting now. it's so nice to have seen you all! let's do another judy's run when i finish my country stint and return to the place where traffic writes the words to the songs outside your window. (good lord it's quiet here! so quiet i had real trouble sleeping last night.) - -- emily NP: total silence! i've yet to find the box labeled "CDs"! first task, for sure. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 10:11:11 EDT From: SMEBD@aol.com Subject: Re: joni dissed by judy collins? In a message dated 5/29/00 6:29:52 PM Eastern Daylight Time, cassysweet@email.msn.com writes: << IMO this was not another occasion for Collins to cash in on Joni's talents. It was a time for Joni to shine in her own light. Sounds like a clear-cut case of sour grapes to me. >> I wouldn't believe everything (or perhaps, I should say, anything) that is printed in the gossip columns. I sat near Judy Collins at the MSG concert and she seemed to be enjoying the show. She went backstage during the intermission. I also know from a very reliable source that she thinks the BSN CD is wonderful. Is there competition between Judy and Joni? I have no idea, as I have never talked to either one of them about this (I have spoken to Judy very briefly, but never to Joni), but I have seen each of them at the other's concerts (I saw Joni at a Judy concert in NY several years ago). This leads me to believe that there is some sort of friendship or admiration/appreciation between the two women. As far as money, I think that it is fair to say that they have each made a great deal of money off of the other, and they have helped one another's careers. Stephen ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 10:00:48 -0400 From: "Peg Eves" Subject: RE: Saskatoon > -----Original Message----- > > writes: > > << The Jazz Fest program also mentions an "big announcement on > new headliners" > coming in May, specifically for Saturday, July 1. Could this be.....? >> > > > Coyote (Rick) > WOW!. I don't know if I can stand it ! What a phenomenon that would be. The paintings & a performance?? ! I need to know ASAP so I can adjust. I think you're right Coyote. I can almost feel it. Joni kickin' off the millenium with a BANG. Turn the beat around Joni!! Turn it upside down!! (I like Gloria) Peg/VT Peg ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 14:48:01 GMT From: "John Stilwell" Subject: Joni Trading, etc. Greetings list members! Just joined today. My first comment would be regarding the Fleet Pavillion show from Sunday. I took my wife who regretfully is fairly new to JM. This was her first show and it was terrific! What a great night! The rain held off until the end of the show. The orchestra was fantastic and the show had something for everyone. Romantic classic songs, wonderful Joni original renditions, tremendous musicianship from ERskine, Klein and the orchestra. Only wish I could have seen Herbie! Oh well. I would like to officially make a grovel for some live Joni material, especially the CD and video trees listed on the Joni Tape Trading Page. I am a live music collector and I could offer up a bunch of material for trade. Thanks in advance to anyone! Regards, John ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 11:08:30 -0500 From: pat holden Subject: Re: Joni Trading, etc. welcome to the list John. I'm sure you will find lots of replies to your request...just watch them roll in. This is an amazing, warm, loving, caring community who, trust me here, does sit up and take notice when you speak. Tell us how you found Joni. Mags. np: crash into me, dmb live at luther college John Stilwell wrote: > Greetings list members! Just joined today. > > My first comment would be regarding the Fleet Pavillion show from Sunday. I > took my wife who regretfully is fairly new to JM. This was her first show > and it was terrific! What a great night! The rain held off until the end of > the show. The orchestra was fantastic and the show had something for > everyone. Romantic classic songs, wonderful Joni original renditions, > tremendous musicianship from ERskine, Klein and the orchestra. Only wish I > could have seen Herbie! Oh well. > > I would like to officially make a grovel for some live Joni material, > especially the CD and video trees listed on the Joni Tape Trading Page. > > I am a live music collector and I could offer up a bunch of material for > trade. > > Thanks in advance to anyone! > > Regards, > > John > ________________________________________________________________________ > Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com - -- --------------------------------------------------------------------- _~O / /\_, ___/\ /_ - ----------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 11:28:11 -0700 From: "James L. Leonard" Subject: Favorite Joni Songs Welcome back, all you fat and happy Joni Fest-ers! New Orleans is my favorite city, bar none, and I really wish I could have joined you this year. I'm glad to know everyone had such a great time, seasoned with generous amounts of good music and good food. We did our best to keep things hoppin' on the list while you were away, but it's a relief to have you all back. You were missed. That said, and with most everyone home again now, I'd like to follow up my "least favorite Joni songs" query with the obvious next question...what are your "favorite Joni songs?" Rather than just list them (and please see if you can limit the number to ten or less), please also provide your reasons for choosing those particular songs. Also, please give yourself adequate time for a well-considered selection process and written response. Thanks in advance, "Boston Jim" ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 09:50:36 -0700 (PDT) From: Brian Gross Subject: Article in Phila Inquirer 5/30/00 In today’s (5/30/00) Philadelphia (PA) Inquirer “On Music” by Tom Moon Joni Mitchell: A sublime start to a noisy season The summer lawns will hiss. The humidity will cast its sticky spell. And the weeks will be filled with sweltering ballgames and poolside romances, road trips thrown together over morning coffee, and music enhanced by the glow of a multicolored sunset. This year, the mad season has a perfect starting point: Joni Mitchell at the Waterfront Entertainment Centre on Friday. With orchestra. Playing songs from her current standards collection, Both Sides Now, and reimagining some of her long-overlooked gems. Ushering in summer with blue moans and torchy whispers and moments of suspended animation that demand attention. You know that subtlety won’t last. Soon enough will come the headbangers and teen balladeers, Michael Bolton doing unspeakable harm to the already tedious Andrew Lloyd Webber, and double shots of classic rockers. (Of particular note is the relay race of the Who on July 7 and Jimmy Page/the Black Crowes on July 8, both at the E-Centre. The tours are traveling the United States in tandem, sharing a stage to reduce production costs while filling their three or four weekly “down” days with expensive room service meals.) But first comes Joni, on the only serious tour she has attempted in more than a decade. Offering a gentle reminder that love, the mushiest of pop topics, can be rendered with grace and intelligence. The prototypical singer-songwriter is the rare original whose contributions are so broad as to be taken for granted. Her love songs have characterized men as untameable wild coyotes and women as prisoners in elaborate mind games of their own design. She has described obsession in unsparing detail, articulated Los Angeles’ false conviviality, sketched the promise of love and its sour aftertaste with the precision of a great novelist. She has adapted W.B. Yeats and romanticized Lester Young. Over and over, she has astutely observed modern life - from “they paved paradise and put up a parking lot” to the scolding truths of “Sex Kills.” In addition to serving as a beacon for several generations of confessional singers, Mitchell looms as affirmation that it is possible to sustain creative growth in an industry increasingly obsessed with overnight returns. After having pretty much defined acoustic pop-folk, she began, with her 1974 landmark Court and Spark, to investigate more elaborate jazz harmonies and thicker instrumental and vocal textures. The album, which contains “Free Man In Paris” and remains her biggest commercial success, was followed by a string of daring, downright quirky projects: The Hissing of Summer Lawns, which confounded critics as too “avant garde” in 1975; the gorgeously spare 1976 Hejira; the frenetic jazz and world rhythms of Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter in 1977. Mitchell doesn’t seem to worry whether her audience followed along. And from her creative zenith in the late ‘70s through her ambitious 1979 collaboration with bassist Charles Mingus (and subsequent tour with Pat Metheny and Jaco Pastorious, captured on the brilliant live set Shadows and Light) and into her pointedly political ‘80s writing, she has pursued increasingly iconoclastic modes of storytelling. Now, after elevating this songcraft to high art, she has changed course, demanding reconsideration as a singer with an album of standards. Structured to emulate the arc of a relationship from flirtation through disillusionment, Both Sides Now showcases a different Joni Mitchell - a vocalist whose repertoire of swoops and mewling (sic) phrases fall into a freesprited Billie Holiday tradition. Though the lush orchestration sometimes crowds her, Mitchell doesn’t merely spritz up old songs with new perkiness, as Linda Ronstadt and other would-be torch singers have. Hers is an author’s interpretation: She gets right inside the ache of “You’ve Changed” and “Stormy Weather,” shading the lines with a faint hint of bitterness, using little embellishments and anguished ad-libs to completely rewrite the songs. Even if she doesn’t manage to do that live, just to hear her reedy, keening voice will be a rare treat. Mitchell promises the most sublime prospects of summer, but other artists also hold out tantalizing promise as the season gets under way. (The article continues, as it talks about other artists, such as The Stone Coyotes and Joao Gilberto) ===== "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: Tue, 30 May 2000 13:03:57 -0400 (EDT) From: Catherine McKay Subject: Re: joni dissed by judy collins? - --- Reuben Bell quoting whoever posted this first (sorry - I've deleted it!): > >Joni Mitchell is taking a few hits from her > acoustically-inclined colleague > >Judy Collins over not getting credit where it's due. > >Collins, who bolstered Mitchell's career when her > cover of Mitchell's "Both > >Sides Now" became a Grammy-winning 1968 hit, was > inexplicably left out of > >the > >performer lineup for TNT's recent "All Star > Tribute" to her folkie > >protegee. > >"No one called - not Joni, nor the producers," > Collins told Friedman at > >Mitchell's Monday night Madison Square Garden > concert. "And I made a bundle > >of money for her when I did ‘Both Sides Now.'" > >Asked to appraise Mitchell's shaky performance of > standards off her new > >album, Collins commented, "Don't ask me about > that." responded by writing: > Quite honestly, this does not sound like Judy to me. > I wouldn't blame her > for a little bit of sour graping, but I doubt she > did. I've written back > and forth a bit with Judy and she has always come > across as very gracious > and warm, and not even slightly catty > I wonder if this is another case of context, context, context. So an interviewer, already biaised (referring to Joni's "shaky" performance), and with possibly nothing better to do on a slow entertainment news day someone calls Judy and asks her about it and Judy responds with the simple fact, "No one called me..." (whyever would they, and why would you ask me?) Then, jokingly, "I made a bundle of money for her!" (Haha - Of all the noive!) Interviewer, hoping to dig up some dirt, asks Judy what she thinks of Joni's "shaky" performance. Judy responds: "Don't ask me about that." (which could be a) a polite way of telling this person to FOAD b)because she hasn't heard the CD yet). Context, people. Context and tone can colour the entire way you read this story. ===== Catherine (in Toronto) catrin_of_aragon@yahoo.ca _______________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.ca address at http://mail.yahoo.ca ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 13:05:03 -0400 From: "Jim L'Hommedieu" Subject: Fw: Colin's Fascist Statement Hi JMDLers. I just got back into town and haven't had time yet to respond to this thread but I consider it to have historic importance and revisit it as soon as I get back into town from a 2nd trip. More soon. Thanks. Lamadoo - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jim L'Hommedieu" To: "_JMDL - June 98" Sent: Friday, May 26, 2000 2:26 PM Subject: Colin's Fascist Statement > Yesterday a bunch of us were cutting up and > Brian Gross wrote: > > > > NO NO > > Not the *BLUE* pill !! > > Don't you know what that will do?????? > > and in response, Colin wrote: > yes-it will kill off the inner circle. > > > This is the first fascist statement I have ever read on JMDL. To understand > that this is hateful garbage and not humor, let me substitute the word > "Jews" for "inner circle". If you make that substitution, yesterday's > exchange becomes: > > Brian Gross wrote: > > > > NO NO > > Not the *BLUE* pill !! > > Don't you know what that will do?????? > > yes-it will kill off the Jews. > > > Now Jim again. > I ask you JMDLers. As reasonable people, is that funny? > > I do not think it's funny one bit. I think it is a fascist, hateful > statement. I think it has no place on the JMDL. > Other opinions? > > All the best, > Jim L'Hommedieu near Cincinnati > > ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 18:11:18 -0400 From: "Paul Castle" Subject: Judy! Judy! Judy! >"No one called - not Joni, nor the producers," Collins told Friedman at >Mitchell's Monday night Madison Square Garden concert. "And I made a bundle >of money for her when I did 'Both Sides Now.'" >Asked to appraise Mitchell's shaky performance of standards off her new >album, Collins commented, "Don't ask me about that." Who Knows? But this just doesn't ring true - sounds like another Magoo looking for an angle. The word 'shaky' is the give away. The image created is of a jealous, mean-spirited and rejected soul going to Joni's concert only for the chance to mouth off her bitterness to journalists. My guess is that Magoo has the problem here. PaulC ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 13:35:21 -0400 From: "Ramcey tCH" Subject: another Join in CT review MJF's review from the CT show the other day was simply amazing. Here is another, by a dear friend who's not on the joni list: Joni Mitchell is a real diva in every sense of the word! She is elegant, self-assured, provocative and multitudinously talented. She unquestionably proved this to an audience of almost 5000 appreciative fans on Saturday night, at the Oakdale Theater in Wallingford Connecticut. Backed by a 50 piece orchestra, conducted by Connecticut born arranger Vince Mendozza, Joni performed a twelve song set from the latest CD, "Both Sides Now," as well as a juicy selection of her own material. Throughout the entire concert, Mitchell displayed the ultimate poise and beauty of a princess. Never has a female so impressed me with her warmth, sincerity and overall stage presence! Using the entire orchestra or featuring a jazz ensemble up front as backing, her entire approach this time around is world's apart from her beginnings as a young folk artist with a lone guitar. Though some find this disappointing, the true essence of what makes Joni Mitchell a stellar singer, songwriter and performer remains ever present. Mitchell has evolved artistically, but not forsaken those qualities that have endeared her to so many for so long: a stunning stage aura, gustiness to defy musical trends and overall talented genius. Her voice has become even more captivating, with a lower range that only adds to the songs on the new CD, as well as to her own numbers like "Both Sides Now" and "Hejira." Having the look, sound and allure of a modern day Marlene Dietrich, Mitchell took the nearly sold out crowd on a spellbinding ride through old standards like Billy Holiday's "You've Changed," and Marvin Gaye's "Trouble Man." It was on her own material that she shone the brightest, however. Her rendition of "For The Roses" made the evening worth the price of a ticket alone! It was a magical performance and a "must see" tour for all her long time admirers! Fern MacDonald Ramcey tCH ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 13:46:25 -0500 From: pat holden Subject: Re: joni dissed by judy collins? Catherine McKay wrote: > << entire way you read this story.>>> Catherine....the pictures you paint speak a thousand words. Mags.... > > > ===== > Catherine (in Toronto) > catrin_of_aragon@yahoo.ca > > _______________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Get your free @yahoo.ca address at http://mail.yahoo.ca - -- - --------------------------------------------------------------------- _~O / /\_, ___/\ /_ - ----------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Tue May 30 14:53:45 EDT 2000 From: "James O. Phillips" Subject: Judy Collins Okay, I'm taking a chance on not putting NJC on this email because of the recent discussion of Joni and Judy. Like it or not, Judy helped Joni by including Michael from Mountains and Both Sides Now on her gold Wildflowers lp, and for releasing Both Sides Now as a single. I'm not saying that the little diss that Judy may have said in haste on being left out of a tribute to Joni was right. However, as someone who did expose her via her songwriting in the early days, I think Judy should have been invited, even if it was a hostess. Oh and another thing. For the people that said that Judy can't sing, I beg to differ. She has a nice high clear singing voice that has transcended many repertoire changes over the years. I just can't stand it when people insult various singers abilities when the person they are insulting are good singers. Can we please stop this anti-Judy commentary that has been going on? It is getting stale, and also like sour grapes. James Oliver Phillips - ---------- Message To Spammers -- Game Over! Get spam-free email at http://www.MsgTo.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 15:13:52 EDT From: Gertus@aol.com Subject: How else would I spend the weekend? Well folk, I'm back in the UK and I've only just left. Hardly anyone noticed I was gone but what an amazing, incredible weekend! Two people were to blame for the May madness that took me from the Sussex countryside to Boston on Friday morning. The first was my husband whose response to my moaning "Joni's never going to come here again" was "Well why don't you go to the States to see her?" I told him he was being stupid but then the second culprit, the wonderful Ashara, put her oar in with an open invitation to we poor neglected Europeans to stay at her place for the Boston show. So how could I refuse? Oh, and since I was travelling so far I might as well go to Oakdale too. I didn't even bother telling most of my friends what I was doing because I knew they wouldn't understand. Those that I did tell were mostly stunned into silence or smiled weakly as they searched for words to humour me. Anyway, both shows were stunning and the best experience ever. They were as glorious as they were glamorous and I'm so glad I went to both because, despite the identical program, they were so different in atmosphere. I loved the Oakdale venue - it was relaxed but sophisticated with beautiful lighting and comfortable seats. The audience were appreciative but so respectful of the spectacular performance. The Boston audience was louder and more demonstrative in its appreciation but, being semi-outdoor, the venue was cold and less comfortable. Then there were the outfits which I'm not going to dwell on - suffice it to say that she wore the unflattering "orange" for the first half at Boston. Joni was in tremendous voice and heart and clearly enjoyed both shows which was great but the Boston orchestra didn't look to be having a ball even though she kept commending them. Maybe they were too cold! Having not read any posts for 5 days, I'm sure there have been many articulate reports of both shows so all I need to do is to tell you about the wonderful jmdlers I met and thank 3 of them especially. Firstly Heather for getting my ticket for Oakdale, organizing the pre-show meal and putting me up in her lovely house (thanks Fred too). Secondly, Maggie, for organizing the meal for 19 at the Seaport Hotel and especially for frog-marching Ashara off at the speed of light to talk to Larry Klein in the bar - she came back with an autographed program for me!) Thirdly, Ashara, for so many things. Fetching and carrying me to and from the airport, wonderful hospitality (and Sal, the great omelette chef), getting my ticket, showing me Newburyport (and Atty Mays), the autograph, driving me to Hartford and back, the great photographs and just everything! What a buzz. It was also such a great pleasure to meet Patrick blue-eyes, Kenny, Jenny, The Chilis and Simon (twice) and Linda at Oakdale. Loads more lovely people at Boston, too many to mention right now, but boy did I have a ball and special thanks to Barbara for lending me a warm fleece on a cold night. Lastly, at Oakdale I sat next to a delightful lady and great Joni fan called Molly who promised me she would join the list. If you have done, you are so welcome and please get in touch. You'll love it here! So lots of love to you all, it was so great to meet you at last, Jacky ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 15:18:52 EDT From: Merk54@aol.com Subject: A voice from the past... Hello everyone! My name is Jack Merkel, and I've been a subscriber to the list for a very long time, though because of my schedule, I am forced into lurk mode most of the time. The recent in-fighting reminded of a similar situation the list had quite a while ago. At the time I wrote a fable and posted it to the list to try and counter some of the negative energy that was going on. I am resending a copy of this, in hopes that it may accomplish the same thing now. By the way, I am seeing Joni tonight in Chicago, and then driving to Detroit to see her tomorrow. On Thursday, I'm going to the Van Gogh exhibit (10:30am). If anyone else is going to the Detroit show, and would care for a little Joni discussion either before after the show, drop me a line at Merk54@aol.com before 10 am on Wednesday. Jack A Fable... And it came to pass that a great darkness fell about the land. Not since the days of Mingus the Misunderstood, or possibly the scandals of the Jesting Jack-a-lope, had the people in the Land of Shadows and Light been so greatly divided. Surely, no one should be surpised by the turn of events, for as history often shows, the gods of Happiness and Contenment tend to get bored after a while, and their mischievous cousins, Restlessness and Ego tend to take over. And so it was that two great factions came to be - the Joan-newbies and their rivals the Mitch-elites. The Joan-newbies were made up of mostly younger citizens, or people who recently moved to the Land of Shadows and Light, while the Mitch-elites were comprised mostly of elders or long time residents of the land. The Mitch-elites, having been around the longest, had grown accustomed to the way things were - they were comfortable with the daily conversations and the close ties they made with fellow Mitch-elites "We come for conversation... Comfort and consultation". And while they welcomed input from the Joan-newbies, they were secretly nervous that these brash new upstarts could upset the gentle balance of their relationships. The Joan-newbies on the other hand, primarily, just wanted to be heard, and have a say in how things ran. They saw the Mitch-elites as some what out of touch, lost in their little world of casual conversation - "They're always talking, chicken squawking!" And on and on it went, till finally several brave souls from Both Sides, Now stepped forward and called for peace. Initially, after defending their positions, they promised to be more considerate of the others. And while their intentions were pure, rumblings of discontent still continued to leak out. In desparation, they turned to the words of the Great Godess herself, hoping that in her wisdom, they could find the solution. First they turned to a verse from the great book of Hejira, in the chapter of Refuge of the Roads. "In a highway service station Over the month of June Was a photograph of the earth Taken coming back from the moon And you couldn't see a city On that marbled bowling ball Or a forest of a highway Or me here least of all You couldn't see these coldwater restrooms Or this baggage overload Westbound and rolling taking refuge in the roads." While some missed the importance of these words, it helped others to realize the insignificance of this petty dispute. Next they turned to the book of Wild Things Run Fast, and the chapter titled Be Cool. Some were immediately enlightened just by the title, but everyone gained insight upon listening to the words of the first verse. "If there's one rule to this game Everybody can name real plain It's, be cool! If your worried or uncertain If you're feelings are hurtin' You're a fool if you can't keep cool Charm 'em Don't alarm 'em Keep things light Keep your worries out of sight And play it cool Play it cool Fifty-fifty Fire and Ice." Even more then the chorus of "Be cool" the people listened to the great words of compromise "Fifty-fifty, Fire and Ice". It was then that they turned to the great work of duality call Don Juan's Reckless Daughter, and read the chapter by the same name. It was here that they finally found what they were searching for. "Behind my bolt locked door The eagle and the serpent are at war in me The serpent fighting for blind desire The eagle for clarity What strange prizes these battles bring these hectic joys - these weary blues Puffed up and strutting when I think I win Down and shaken when I think I lose. There are rivets up here in this eagle There are box cars down there on your snake And we are twins of of spirit No matter which route home we take Or what we foresake..." It was the "Twins of Spirit" that finally set them free. For at once they realized that for all their differences, and all their disparity, they were, first and foremost, twins of spirit. And with the setting of the sun, a great lightness once again fell upon the Land of Shadows and Light. Jack "Jack-a-lope" Merkel ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 12:20:37 -0700 (PDT) From: Brian Gross Subject: Re: The 'Fascist' Statement, some some explanation - --- Jim L'Hommedieu wrote: > Hi JMDLers. I just got back into town and haven't had time yet to respond > to this thread but I consider it to have historic importance and revisit it > as soon as I get back into town from a 2nd trip. More soon. Thanks. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Jim L'Hommedieu" > > > Yesterday a bunch of us were cutting up and > > Brian Gross wrote: > > > > > > NO NO > > > Not the *BLUE* pill !! > > > Don't you know what that will do?????? My reference to the *BLUE* pill and what it would do WAS A JOKE ABOUT VIAGRA That's all ! This was a joke about erections. I CERTAINLY DID NOT EXPECT THIS TO TURN JMDLERS *INTO* HARD-ONS My apologies to all those who got bent out of shape over this (no pun intended there) Can we play nice again, kids?? Thanks, Brian np: Hejira ===== "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: Tue, 30 May 2000 20:22:51 +0100 From: catman Subject: Judy/Joni Judy wrote to something else I am on. so I asked her outright about this discussion on here. this was her response: Forever misquoted, and I guess it always will be so, and I love Joni Mitchell and am eternally grateful to her. love, Judy Collins ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 20:28:47 +0100 From: catman Subject: Re: How else would I spend the weekend? Jacky-this is just wonderful. good on your husband for suggesting it and even more so for you actually going. Life is short. you did it. You will never forget it. be proud. Okay, following your exmaple, I am off too. Just one thing Jacky, I need to drop my 7 dogs off to you as I head for the airport. What is your address? ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 13:35:48 -0400 From: "C.A. Starkey" Subject: Re: Judy/Joni Judy Collins is online?! I have been dealing with people posing as celebrities online, I always figured some real honest celebrites had to be into email and mailing lists. I did wonder a few weeks ago if that was indeed the real Carly Simon or one of her people that typed that post to the Joni list? I saw her on the View yesterday. (on tv, not actually there).....I few days prior I read she had a breast cancer scare, I didn't know about this, so if Carly actually is a member of the Joni list or one of her staff is, I'd like to say I wish you all the best. Carol ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 20:39:50 +0100 From: catman Subject: Re: Judy/Joni "C.A. Starkey" wrote: > > Judy Collins is online?! I have been dealing with people posing as > celebrities online, > I always figured some real honest celebrites had to be into email and > mailing lists. As far as i am aware this was actually from Judy herself. if it is a hoax, it was a good one. For obvious reasons, i don't intend giving out details as I am sure Judy will not want loads of email as a result. i had my doubts if the mail i read was from her. I replied to the address and also found the same address elsewhere listed as being hers. I think it was from Judy, not a hoaxer. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 20:43:27 +0100 From: Jason Maloney Subject: Re: The 'Fascist' Statement, some some explanation Brian Gross wrote: > My reference to the *BLUE* pill and what it would do WAS A JOKE ABOUT VIAGRA > That's all ! I immediately assumed it to be a reference to The Matrix (hip techno-age sci-fi yarn)....the main character is given a choice between a red and blue pill. Each pill has a very different effect. Of course, the original mention of a blue pill was, I think, "*BLUE*" (i.e in regard to Joni's album, I suppose). That was my take, anyway. Finally...I know it probably won't make the slightest difference, but I dearly wish the whole fascist nonsense could be laid to rest. I suppose the thread died due to the Nawlins fest and such, but I can see no relevance or point in resurrecting or continuing it. It was such a non-starter... *sigh Jason. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 15:29:33 -0500 From: Howard Motyl Subject: re: Fw: Colin's Fascist Statement .From: "Jim L'Hommedieu" >Subject: Fw: Colin's Fascist Statement >Hi JMDLers. I just got back into town and haven't had time yet to respond >to this thread but I consider it to have historic importance and revisit it >as soon as I get back into town from a 2nd trip. More soon. Thanks. >Lamadoo Jim, while you are away, maybe you didn't get the posts telling you to cease and desist. Some very eloquent people wrote about why they thought you were so off-base in your comments, and just tiresome in your efforts to keep this alive. Take a deep breath and let it go. You don't believe he is a fascist and you know it. We don't want to hear it. Anyone who agrees with this sentiment should try to head Jim off at the pass. I, for one, just don't want to hear any more about this. I know there are others out there feeling the same way. Howard M - ------------------------------ NP: BSN, in preparation for tonight's concert. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 17:22:27 EDT From: Merk54@aol.com Subject: Is Joni doing autographs? I haven't seen this mentioned, but I was wondering if anyone knows if Joni had done any autographs either before or after the show? I've recently completed a portrait of her in pen and ink and pencil, using the lyrics to her songs as shading (kind of hard to imagine, but it's really very cool). Anyway, I would love to get her to autograph it, so if anyone knows anything, I would appreciate the info. Jack ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 15:24:42 -0600 From: Bounced Message Subject: [none] From: "william" Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 00:21:12 +0700 As a new member of the JMDL I have to say I am astounded at the depth and devotion all you fellow friends of spirit commit to your appreciation of Joni. I had no idea there were so many of us. Well it isn't that much of a surprise if I think about it. I live in Indonesia and was fortunate enough to visit New Orleans last year when I managed to catch a Niel Young Solo concert. That was a night to remember. I can only say I am so-o-o-o-o jealous of all you guys back there, not only in New Orleans but the States, who saw/see/will see Joni. I have been an admirer of her work since 1976 when I first heard HOSL and knew this was something else. Since then .............. ooosh! But due to my globally nomadic tendences since 1982 I have never been in the right place at the right time to attend a Joni concert. I missed her and Dylan by weeks in Japan. I live in the hope that one day before she retires to ye great canvass in British Columbia for good that I will see this incredibly talented and tasteful artist for myself. In my dweams we fwy. William in Indonesia ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 17:46:08 -0500 From: Jerry Notaro Subject: Re: Judy/Joni catman wrote: > > Judy wrote to something else I am on. so I asked her outright about this > discussion on here. this was her response: > > Forever misquoted, and I guess it always will be so, and I love Joni > Mitchell > and am eternally grateful to her. love, Judy Collins Thanks, Colin. I have corresponded with Judy both online and by mail, and met her, and this sounds much more like her. Jerry ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 17:52:08 EDT From: RickieLee1@aol.com Subject: review from the boston globe 5/30/2000 greetings listers! i am proud to live in a city that so completely understands the quality and the greatness of our joni! i transcribed this myself, hence the lack of capital letters (yes wallyk! i do have a shift key. i just refuse to use it! me and e.e.) and any inadvertant typos that you may find. it was a great night!!! see you all soon! mitchell and her songs age with grace and class boston globe, may 30, 2000 joan anderman joni mitchell was received like royalty by a sold out audience at the fleet boston pavilion sunday, and she deserved every ounce of adulation - not only for being the musical poet laureate of a generation, but for the uncompromising, adventurous spirit that has taken her away from the singer-songwriter masterpieces for which she is beloved, and deeper and deeper into the world of jazz. jazz flavors can be traced all the way back to 1974's "court and spark" and mitchell's next studio album, "the hissing of summer lawns", was a bold turn toward avant-garde-inspired experimentation. since then, she's collaborated predominantly with jazz players. so it's no great surprise that mitchell's new album, "both sides now", is a full embrace of 20th century jazz standards (plus a pair of originals). she performed the entire album in order, backed by a shimmering 70-piece orchestra, and for good reason. the songs trace the arc of a modern romantic relationship, from flirtation (you're my thrill) through consummation (at last) to disillusionment (you've changed) despair (don't go to strangers) and finally, a semblance of philosophical perspective, crystallized in heartbreaking shades of real life grays on the singer's own classic, "both sides now". at 56, mitchell is an innate jazz singer. her technical range is narrow, but her sense of feel and phrasing flows from pure intuition , and years of smoking, has left her with a deep, dusky instrument that seems made for the langorous ballads that dominated her set. in fact, the one strike against the two hour show (including an intermission) was its pace, which was in perpetual low gear. but mitchell, ever the iconoclast, would be the last to ascribe to a conventional notion of dynamic pacing. showmanship has never been the point. so with her fingers fluttering and wrapped head to toe in resplendent hues of apricot and red, mitchell simply sang the songs in the deep, knowing tones of a seasoned romantic. and she made us feel, which was always the point. while the orchestra summoned both the lush emotion and delicate nuance of the songs' poetry, mitchell's still bright timbre lit up the joyous and melancholy words - among the few that rival her own for sheer poignance and savvy - her ravaged vibrato the punctuation to every phrase. she transformed the album's two original compositions from quiet folk anthems to luminous epics. "a case of you" - the familiar dulcimer strains changed to ethereal strings, a mournful clarinet, and swirling brushes on a drum - fit into the romance cycle roughly midway throught the disillusionment phase when, as mitchell put it: "tender entreaties have failed and it's time to head for the bar." "both sides now", the sage, bittersweet finish to the song cycle, was a revelation: a timeless meditation that's as true and telling today as it was 31 years ago. but the real beauty was in how the song - like mitchell, like the rest of us - has grown up, textured now with haunting new harmonies and rich, complex swells. mitchell's "good friend and ex husband" larry klein, also her producer and musical director, came out to play stunning bass parts during the encore numbers: a playful "be cool", which will be on the upcoming follow up to both sides now, imperially moody reworkings of "judgement of the moon and stars", and "for the roses", both indictments of the music business - a densely layered read on "hejira" and finally, marvin gayes own industry kiss off, "trouble man". fans were understandably thrilled to hear the older songs. but it was equally thrilling to realize - witnessing the transliteration of mitchell's songs from the simple alphabet of a gentle lullabye to the dazzling language of a symphony - how magnificent these songs always were, and how gifted a musician mitchell continues to be. ------------------------------ End of onlyJMDL Digest V2000 #222 ********************************* ------- Post messages to the list at ------- Siquomb, isn't she?