From: owner-onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org (onlyJMDL Digest) To: onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Subject: onlyJMDL Digest V2010 #302 Reply-To: joni@smoe.org Sender: owner-onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org 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 Saturday, October 30 2010 Volume 2010 : Number 302 ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- anti-feminism ["ingrid lochrenberg" ] strength and weakness ["ingrid lochrenberg" ] Carry It On - VLJC [Gerald Notaro ] RE: Judy as Joni? [Susan Tierney McNamara ] What's going on [Kate Johnson ] New article: Joni is Supreme [TheStaff@JoniMitchell.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2010 11:10:14 +0200 From: "ingrid lochrenberg" Subject: anti-feminism Hi! Ibve been reading the contributions of Laura, Lieve and Kakki with regard to the 60bs and Jonibs positioning at the time and after. I was born in the sixties, and thatbs my main connection apart from loving it as an era where music was far more than now, promoted because of musical quality rather than a product of someone who was worth promoting for other reasons. I am quite sure that equally evocative music is being composed nowadays: it just is gets lost and the music industry has been the cause of itbs own fianancial demise bcos of their selection criteria: who wants to spend money on a cd that is just a passing fad? (Have I said this here before?...in that case Ibm sorry.) I know Joni said that the music industry vastly underestimates the bmusicalb intelligence of the masses...thatbs really well-said. But, regarding feminism, for me to hear from any women that she is not a feminist is always disappointing : what does it matter that there are militant views or people within that movement b why wouldnbt there be? My disappointment is around not even for one moment identifying with other women......that someonebs womanhood is for them an orientation towards men...I think Kakki made the point of Joni and herself being possibly just individualist and being intent on self-actualisation, but what is disempowering for them in just recognising that women through the ages have been severely constricted, not as result of menbs idealism (or perhaps so, as it ties into assumed superiority) but as an outflow of a physical supremity which, because being such a primary identification with men( as you see from ages of idealism resulting in wars, of religiouss spirituality as resulting in wars,and the passion of sport as a substitute).....It is clear also, that economically, jobs that women do better- I just think of a small business that say, fixes electronic equipment, where the woman at the front desk is spinning around dealing with customers, phones ringing, having to keep her thoughts so focussed, and just be so-together all the time, where the electronics technician, often being a guy, would be relaxedly strolling around when not engaged in his fixing of things....and you can bet that he gets better paid: I so often when needing something administrative sorted out feel despair when the phone gets answered by a man...in fact my perception generally is that women work far harder, and that it is still the age-old custom to reward men better for no other reason that they are men....here in south africa I see myself as giving a car guard money just for not being an enemy, and instead posing as a protector......and I have this sub-consciouss idea that a women who begs is satisfied with less than a man would be, and that the whole point of the exercise,...namely evokinga smile and a thank-you, is far readilier achieved at less cost to me than it would be with a man. Men get rewarded just for being men...I can only think this comes from a ancient identification with men as being either protectors, or adversaries...one or the other...and it can be a fine line. So why not even briefly identify yourself yes preferably as an individualist, but also as a woman who is essentially an individual, and recognising ones strengths as coming from onesb womanhood? I so often hear women proudly say that they prefer menbs company, and gravitate towards the men at some social occassion....(listen, i CANNOT spell...and ibm too impatient messing around with the spelling in order to satisfy the spell-check)...for me this is an indication that these women are perhaps not really thinking for themselves at all.....yes, to each is own, an joni has her reasons....I must just emphatically say that prefer womanbs talk, not necessarily cos they might be focussed more on feelings or because the talk may be more meaningful (which it is) but essentially because it is for me intellectually more stimulating than menbs conversation. And my main point is: if you are a woman who sees herself as capable, or striving towards capability, why not see this as part of you being a woman.....why not see your strengths as tied to or emanating from your womanhood,...and why does this not make you appreciate your manifestation as a woman, and then celebrate this, and in celebrating it have an appreciation for womanhood, for other woman, and for the factors that have kept womanbs lives constrained by the bsuperior sexb? And if God did create women last t surely was the pinnacle of bhis(???!!!) achievement......Why identify your strengths so individually, or so as on a par without exceeding menb, but have no fascination of it arising from a female biology? And then why not extend your appreciation towards other women......yes, and if Joni wasnbt as attractive as she is, she might not have gotten where she is.In denouncing aggressive women in one interview with Joni she came across as really agro herself- and this towards woman....... Where do your strengths come from? Why are they unconnected to your biology...why does being a woman automatically conjure up men....and why does genius present as individuality, and not in any way as a physical talent-meaning emanating in-part from that very biology that so orientates you towards the male of the species? I just donbt understand... Love to Lieve, Laura, and Kakki Ingrid ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2010 11:54:23 +0200 From: "ingrid lochrenberg" Subject: strength and weakness ...in short, what Iibm trying to say is, why does a woman with such strengths often identify with men, having such strengths on display very much due to no having been limited in that by the other sex,...why not rather, being what you are , a woman, make you appreciate that these strengths are equally or more so found in our own sex...and then realise what rules and roles have been enforced onto women.....and then have compassion for your own sexbs unrealised potential....Why orientating yourself sexually towards men, make you sell out all your strengths by not owning them as a woman who essentially then is more similar to other women, not to men.. That would mean recognising your own sex...and just a bit of identification with woman would, in my view, make one freely and without any anxieties or fears brazenly say that yes, you are a feminist...no fears about being mistaken about where your heart lies...no fears about the few negative aspcets thereof, just brazenly happy to be what you are? ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2010 10:00:05 -0400 From: Gerald Notaro Subject: Carry It On - VLJC Some of you know Maureen McGovern is one of my favorite singers. An excellent review of her new show to which many of us can relate. THEATER REVIEW: "Carry It On" By Michael Lasser on October 20, 2010 Maureen McGovern, famed for her soundtrack hits from the 70s and a distinguished Broadway career, tells her life story through song in Carry It On, now at Geva Theatre. I resent the way younger generations than mine have reduced the standing ovation - the highest praise an audience can give - to an exercise in obligatory self-indulgence. But when Maureen McGovern finished her one-woman show, "Carry It On," at Geva Theatre Center last Saturday night, I was on my feet with everyone else. She is a singer and actor of persuasive directness and warmth, blessed with a supple, expressive voice. She seems to be incapable of singing without intelligence, passion (no matter how quiet), humor (where relevant), and conviction. Long known for her four-octave range, she deserves to be equally well known for her emotional range. She sang equally well a ballad in the face of heartbreak and a medley of songs of many styles linked humorously by their use of nonsense syllables. I can't think of a song I care about that I wouldn't trust her with. "Carry It On" is a new show, McGovern explained in a recent interview, a third incarnation of what started as a typical promotional tour following the release of her 2008 CD, "A Long and Winding Road," devoted to such singer/songwriters as Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, and James Taylor. In the course of an hour-and-40-minute performance, done without intermission, she emphasized mainly the folk-like ballads of the 1970's - the songs that she grew up on and that initially defined her musical life. She is now 61, but her voice possesses the fluidity and strength of someone 25 years younger. "Carry It On" is far removed from all those autobiographical cabaret acts that clutter up so many small clubs in big cities. McGovern and co-author and director Philip Himberg have written what she calls a "theatrical musical memoir" that tells stories from her life and finds their emotional counterparts in the songs of her time. It sounds straightforward and familiar enough, but it is also compelling, even deeply moving, because McGovern tells it so well, and because the collaborators have been willing to break the narrative line to weave disparate events together and link them through music for greater emotional effect. It also helps that she receives such strong accompaniment from pianist Jeffrey Harris. McGovern can belt and whisper in the same song, but her musical acrobatics are never for mere show. Because she knows how to "read" a melody and a lyric insightfully, she can lift an otherwise ordinary song to a level of rare artistry through the character of her singing. She rediscovers each song, no matter how familiar it is. The story of the death of a high school friend in the 1970 Kent State massacre led, for instance, to Paul McCartney's treacle-like "Let It Be," but McGovern's trenchant singing transformed it into an acceptance of heartbreak and an assertion of determination. Because most of the songs from the 1970's lack any sense of jazz or theatricality, the narration creates a series of set pieces in which McGovern interweaves talk and song to create rhythm and movement. She stands stock still only when her voice alone carries a song's emotional burden. Otherwise, she walks, turns her back and talks over her shoulder, watches a film clip with us, or walks down a few steps to be closer to the audience. Together, these elements combine seamlessly to create a sense of drama, even of theater. Projection Designer Maya Ciarrocchi's nuanced linking of projections of photographs and film clips from the time helped to propel the narrative forward suggestively and satisfyingly. I'm older than the Baby Boomers, a little too old to have The Beatles in my blood, but also too young to be part of the Greatest Generation, even though I remember World War II and its great songs of longing and hope. Perhaps that's why I found the set piece about McGovern's father the most moving of all as it culminated with the English wartime anthem, "(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover," sung with sadness and hope, and then segued seamlessly to the Civil Rights movement and one of its great anthems, the spiritual-like "Carry It On." Last Saturday's performance of this much-more theatrical version of the show was McGovern's first. That may explain why the bantering in the first 15 minutes felt arch; perhaps she hasn't yet taken full possession of the material. She also stumbled over too many lines, a problem that should quickly disappear as she settles in. The performance also needed to get itself past an image of a frightening MRI and CAT scan that propels McGovern's recollection, but felt dramatically contrived even though it really happened. At the end, a taped male voice dismisses the potentially life-threatening ailment with an easy, "You're fine." It is an important moment, but it is also the only time this dramatizing of a life fell flat on its face. Two related themes run through McGovern's story, just as they do in so many popular songs - a refusal to give up hope combined with a need to do things one's own way despite the restraints people always encounter. But the good Catholic girl from Youngstown, Ohio, is all grown up now. In fact, she has become one of the most authoritative singers of the last half-century. In this show, she is already wonderful and stands on the cusp of being wondrous. "Carry It On" Through November 14 Geva Theatre Center, 75 Woodbury Boulevard Jerry ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2010 10:50:03 -0400 From: Susan Tierney McNamara Subject: RE: Judy as Joni? Directv has been running infomercials like this ... I watched a little bit of it the other night because I thought maybe they would show concert footage but it's just the two guys from America hawking these "singer-songwriter" cd collections. It didn't look like any Joni songs were included, just Both Sides Now sung by Judy Collins. I turned it off in disgust. :-) It seems like at least 30 percent of the channels on directv are populated by these continuous infomercial channels. Ugh. - -----Original Message----- From: owner-joni@smoe.org [mailto:owner-joni@smoe.org] On Behalf Of Les Irvin Sent: Thursday, October 28, 2010 9:25 PM To: joni@smoe.org Subject: Judy as Joni? Lance emailed the website with this news: "Dish TV,has been showing a Time compilation of classic artists & their songs. Judy Collins is shown when Joni's Name is mentioned. Such bad treatment of a "Star of Her Magnitude" is a mistake that a company like" Time" can not be allowed to get away with. It runs at might under the listing of "James Taylor" in the on air program guide." Has anyone seen this? ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2010 15:27:06 -0600 From: Kate Johnson Subject: What's going on The list has gone quiet, and I don't see any posts in my spam folders. Is anybody out there? Kate ~~ stubblejumpin' gal http://goldengrainfarm.blogspot.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2010 19:31:28 -0600 (MDT) From: TheStaff@JoniMitchell.com Subject: New article: Joni is Supreme A new article has been added to the Library at JoniMitchell.com: Title: Joni is Supreme Publication: New Musical Express Date: 1970.11.28 Read it here: http://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=2282 ------------------------------ End of onlyJMDL Digest V2010 #302 ********************************* ------- Post messages to the list by clicking here: mailto:joni@smoe.org Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:onlyjoni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe