From: les@jmdl.com (onlyJMDL Digest) To: onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Subject: onlyJMDL Digest V2004 #351 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 Friday, December 10 2004 Volume 2004 : Number 351 ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- Re: FTR [Em ] Joni mentioned in Metro interview [ReckersL@ebrd.com] Re: Woodstock Grammy Win [Brian Gross ] RE: Joni mentioned in Metro interview ["Azeem" ] RE: The Circle Game and Urge for Going - funeral songs ["Maggie McNally" ] RE: brian kennedy, was RE: Joni in Fiction - vljc ["Maggie McNally" Subject: Re: FTR - --- SCJoniGuy@aol.com wrote: > Yeah, your point is well made about the bookends, Em. Hi Bob thanks for the response, and I'm glad my bookends comment sort of made sense. > Banquet > generally is a > song that decries the inequities in the world, and then she walks > you > through the gallery of the album, looking at some self-portraits and > some > observations about others, and by the end of it there's the "you've > got to shake your > fists like lightning" stuff, as if to say that you've got to find > the > strength to go on, even with all the inequities and all the shit > that happens along > the way. Not only the strength to merely continue to exist, but the strength to write the next symphony or shit forth the next series of paintings. And to go on largely without love, too. Or at least without love in the physical sense. To move forward on blind faith, really. (or deaf faith in L's case) I think its a wound licking song with the full expectations that wound licking is a part of life. I'm wondering if the "you" in the song isn't sometimes Joni rather than *just* L. Same as in Amelia its sometimes Joni she refers to and sometimes Amelia. As in "you're too raw, you're too raw". Who's too raw? Seems I remember a discussion a while back and it came out that some of these (FTR) songs are about James Taylor, but I don't think JT is the "you" in JOTMAS. Cuz I think JT was (at that point), having too much fun for it to be about him. This song is for a much lonelier person. To me, FTR is an "out in the woods" album. So maybe in between the rush of jumping up on rocks like a cat and running through the woods, she experienced some frightening aching lonliness. Who knows, I could be totally wrong. And really I shouldn't analyze it, because usually analyzing songs takes away their shrouds of mystery and then they are less attractive, to me anyway. Or less "of interest". But Joni's music begs analyzing, in a way. For instance, was listening to ROTR from Hejira on the way home yesterday and tho it struck me how strained her voice is sounding on this album, it also strikes me the GENIUS with which she turns a phrase. The part about these are the clouds of Michelangelo and I forget the rest of the line, but she phrases it perfectly. And she phrases it to mirror what she's talking about. She phrases it in a muscular or at least very physically fit way. A master, at that point. OK thats all, thanks for letting me ramble. Joni's work has really REALLY affected my life this past year. My pig-self just wishes there were more and more FTR's to get to know. But if Joni had ONLY ever written JOTMAS she would still be a songwriting legend, to my mind. :D thx again, Em ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2004 16:41:33 -0000 From: ReckersL@ebrd.com Subject: Joni mentioned in Metro interview Last night I had a quick look at the day's Metro, the free newspaper that I pick up from the station every morning. I know it exists in many countries, but this was the London edition. Every day it has a short interview with some celebrity or other, often to plug their latest book or show. There's always an advert-type reference to the interview on the front page, and this grabbed my attention as it said something like: "Would you believe it? Hippy singer Joni Mitchell is his greatest fan! Read more on page 10!" Anyway, the interviewee in question was one Adrian Edmondson - a name that meant nothing to me, but I did recognise the face in the photo. He's appeared in British comedy programmes such as The Comic Strip and The Young Ones. And apparently he's married to Jennifer Saunders. I knew that if I wanted to be worthy of my JMDL membership, I HAD TO report this, so here goes. Half way through this interview, Adrian was asked: "Who's the most surprising person you've found who's a fan?" - probably a question our man Adrain had suggested, I would think! Anyway, the answer was, quote: "I used to promote pop promos in the 1980s and I went to America to direct one for a band called The Innocence Mission, who have sadly gone missing from the radar. They were managed by someone whose wife was Joni Mitchell. One day, Joni Mitchell turned up at this studio in LA, ran across the room, threw her arms around me and said: "I love you. Whenever we have Young Ones parties, I always play Vyvyan." Can you imagine Joni Mitchell playing Vyvyan? On a regular basis? "Whenever we have Young Ones parties...," she said. As if it's a regular occurrence. I've always enjoyed that but Jennifer is a huge fan, so she is very jealous." unquote. So voila, I've done my job - can I have a renewal of my membership please? All the best, Lieve. ______________________________________________________________ This message may contain privileged information. If you have received this message by mistake, please keep it confidential and return it to the sender. Although we have taken steps to minimise the risk of transmitting software viruses, the EBRD accepts no liability for any loss or damage caused by computer viruses and would advise you to carry out your own virus checks. The contents of this e-mail do not necessarily represent the views of the EBRD. ______________________________________________________________ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2004 09:53:11 -0800 (PST) From: Brian Gross Subject: Re: Woodstock Grammy Win You're right, Bryan! I must have been thinking along the same lines as Colin's dog! (BTW, I wonder why coal, which is carbon, would not be detectable on x-ray, as it must be denser than soft tissue, but less dense than bone) Or maybe it was just the feeling of having walked in Sir Lance's shoes not so very long ago. Empathy is a good, yet difficult, thing. Take care everyone, and Happy Hannukah (3 candles plus the Shamas tonight.) Brian npimh: deja vu (all over again) - --- BRYAN8847@aol.com wrote: > Brian - That was last year's Grammy list (not the list of nominations > released yesterday). I had forgotten though that Travelogue was honored with > a Grammy for Woodstock...some praise at least for that much-maligned CD. > Bryan ===== Don't it always seem to go That you don't know what you've got till it's gone --Roberta Joan Anderson, who never lies __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? All your favorites on one personal page  Try My Yahoo! http://my.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2004 19:01:27 -0000 From: "Azeem" Subject: RE: Joni mentioned in Metro interview Lieve wrote: <<< Anyway, the interviewee in question was one Adrian Edmondson [snip] I knew that if I wanted to be worthy of my JMDL membership, I HAD TO report this, so here goes. Half way through this interview, Adrian was asked: "Who's the most surprising person you've found who's a fan?" - probably a question our man Adrain had suggested, I would think! Anyway, the answer was, "I used to promote pop promos in the 1980s and I went to America to direct one for a band called The Innocence Mission, who have sadly gone missing from the radar. They were managed by someone whose wife was Joni Mitchell. One day, Joni Mitchell turned up at this studio in LA, ran across the room, threw her arms around me and said: "I love you. Whenever we have Young Ones parties, I always play Vyvyan." Can you imagine Joni Mitchell playing Vyvyan? On a regular basis? "Whenever we have Young Ones parties...," she said. As if it's a regular occurrence. I've always enjoyed that but Jennifer is a huge fan, so she is very jealous." So voila, I've done my job - can I have a renewal of my membership please? >> What a fantastic tale, Lieve! I think you deserve to be upgraded to gold-standard membership for spotting that. That's only one level below inner-circle status ;-) I can soooo imagine Joni saying and doing something like that. She has always been so charming when meeting her fans, and full of stories (as she was on the unforgettable occasion I met her), and this, allied to her liking for English comedy (eg her Fawlty Towers reference on the GLR interview), is vintage Joni. Azeem in London NP: Bebel Gilberto - Cada Beijo (has a sexier track been released this year??) - --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.802 / Virus Database: 545 - Release Date: 26/11/2004 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2004 14:49:28 -0500 From: "Maggie McNally" Subject: RE: The Circle Game and Urge for Going - funeral songs Mia, this is simply beautiful. Thank you for sharing, especially the reworked lyrics and the description of your grandfather "putting on a harmony" with himself. We are all here because music transports us in some special way, and in my opinion, no more so than when we are marking those primary life passages...weddings, births, deaths. I'll never forget the organist at my mom's memorial service playing "Ripple" on the huge church pipe organ. Made me laugh, allowed me to cry. Maggie - -----Original Message----- From: mia ortlieb [mailto:hvnphun16@hotmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, December 07, 2004 12:05 AM To: joni@smoe.org Subject: The Circle Game and Urge for Going - funeral songs Last weekend was my grandpa's funeral. We celebrated his wonderful life with music. He was 94 years old, a pacifist that had emmigrated from the Austrian Alps where his love for music developed, and he loved to sing all sorts of German/Austrian tunes and, as a young man, would often hop the borders and sing for the Italians. As a young child, I remember being at my grandparent's house and everybody would sing and harmonize together. It was literally like being in "The Sound of Music" movie. In his twilight years, my mom took care of him in her home until he passed. He used to tape record himself singing, with his tight-lipped German accent and Mario Lanza type voice, then play it back and harmonize with himself. I'll really miss him. At the visitation, I played and sang "The Circle Game" in celebration of his life. I had no problem playing the guitar, but as soon as I started singing, my voice started quivering. I was like - this can't be! It's only family and friends here - what is going on? I thought it must be nerves, but afterwards people kept on coming up and telling me how sweet and emotional I sounded, that I made everybody cry. Okay, I'll go with that ;-) I invited all to sing the chorus, and I was surprised to hear how many actually knew the song and sang along! This really took the edge off! Also, my auntie Nancy rewrote and sang the last verse to make it relevant to my Grandpa's life and our lives as well: "So the years spin by, and the man's nearly five and ninety, but his dreams have lost no grandeur coming true, We'll have new dreams, never better dreams, and plenty before our last revolving year is through" At the church the next day, I played the guitar for "Urge for Going" while my auntie sang. She also rewrote the second verse: "I had my dad in summertime, with summer colored skin, And not another girl in town, my daddy's heart could win..." It was so sweet and fitting, considering he died when winter is actually closing in on us! Mia ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2004 14:54:40 -0500 From: "Maggie McNally" Subject: RE: brian kennedy, was RE: Joni in Fiction - vljc Patrick! Thank goodness one of us has a memory, 'cause I was reading the thread that referred to Brian Kennedy and racking my brain to remember why I knew his name. I saw Van with Bob in January or February or 1998 at the Fleet Center show, then again in May in Northern California with Joni. His performance was memorable, indeed. Thanks for helping with the flashbacks. Maggie - -----Original Message----- From: patrick leader [mailto:pleader@nyc.rr.com] Sent: Wednesday, December 08, 2004 9:28 PM To: Ross, Les; Joni@smoe.org Subject: brian kennedy, was RE: Joni in Fiction - vljc ahh, brian kennedy, when joni did a west coast tour with dylan and van morrison in may 1998, i attended three shows in los angeles with a great contingent of listers. brian kennedy was singing back-up for van, and a bunch of us (especially kakki and i) bonded over his sexy charm, good looks and truly gorgeous irish tenor. i love his version of 'a case of you' as well. he was a guest singer for some version of 'riverdance on broadway' a couple of years ago and during the run he played a series of monday night dates at 'arlene's grocery' a tiny rock club on the lower east side (very close to 'the living room' actually). i saw him there, too, with a bunch of rowdy expats. great show. he's also rather adamantly bisexual, claiming that to identify as gay or straight would be unfair to half the folks he loves. he said, "sometimes i'm so confused, i don't know which end is up" a truly magnificent double-entendre. i'd like to help him with his dilemma... i have two albums and a couple of other songs. plenty to love, but my favourite is an album called 'a better man' patrick np - todd rundgren, 'afterlife' "the child is so sweet, and the girls are so rapturous. isn't it lovely how artists can capture us?" 'children and art', from sondheim's 'sunday in the park with george' > >It's written by Brian Kennedy who's better known for his singing and >'platinum-selling' albums like The Great War of Words and Get on With Your >Short ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2004 15:49:40 -0800 (PST) From: Nuriel Tobias Subject: Kate Bush Fans at JMDL - This one's for you:) (Joni, you don't mind, right?) Kate has sent out the following message to her fans via the Kate Bush Club (yes, it still exists!) Hello Everyone, Many thanks for all your great letters of support and encouragement - they mean such a lot. The album is nearly finished now and will be out next year - we'll let you know when. It features some beautiful orchestral movements by Michael Kamen - we had a wonderful day together at Abbey Road Studios last winter. I'm so pleased with everyone's work on this record. There are some lovely performances and I hope you will all feel it's been worth the wait. Bertie keeps me very busy, he is so much fun and we are all really looking forward to Christmas. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and I hope next year is a really happy one for you. Lots of love, Kate Jazz up your holiday email with celebrity designs. Learn more. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2004 22:20:03 EST From: PassScribe@aol.com Subject: Re: Joni mention in book In a message dated 12/9/04 3:04:28 AM, Les Ross writes: > > Date: Wed, 8 Dec 2004 12:06:38 -0000 > From: "Ross, Les" > Subject: Joni in Fiction VLJC > > > << palette..)>>> > Les, the two best music biographies I've read have been "A Cure For Gravity" (Joe Jackson) and "Soul Picnic" (The Music & Passion of Laura Nyro). If you haven't read them yet, I'd strongly recommend them (even if you're not a JJ or LN fan.) Kenny B ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2004 02:06:54 -0500 From: ljirvin@jmdl.com Subject: Today's Library Links: December 10 On December 10 the following articles were published: 1994: "Joni Mitchell warms up Euro press with showcase" - Billboard http://www.jmdl.com/articles/view.cfm?id=790 1999: "The Lonely Painter" - Woodstock.com http://www.jmdl.com/articles/view.cfm?id=704 ------------------------------ End of onlyJMDL Digest V2004 #351 ********************************* ------- Post messages to the list by clicking here: mailto:joni@smoe.org Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:onlyjoni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe ------- Siquomb, isn't she? (http://www.siquomb.com/siquomb.cfm)