From: owner-onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org (onlyJMDL Digest) To: onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Subject: onlyJMDL Digest V2014 #570 Reply-To: joni@smoe.org Sender: owner-onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk Website:http://www.jonimitchell.com Unsubscribe:mailto:onlyjoni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe onlyJMDL Digest Sunday, April 5 2015 Volume 2014 : Number 570 ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- Re: Smoking?? [anne madden ] Re: Free man in Paris - holycombe [Anita Gabrielle ] My surprise Joni / Easter connection [Jack Merkel ] Re: Smoking?? ["Mark Scott" ] Re: gathering on 4/11 [Victor ] Free man in Paris - holycombe [Marianne Rizzo ] Joni [Rebecca Alexander ] RE: Joni Article in The Guardian (UK) ["John E McGloin" ] Re: JMDL Digest V2014 #1937 [Jamie Zubairi home ] RE: JMDL Digest V2014 #1933 ["kimberly" ] Re: Nervous [Anita Gabrielle ] Here are 2 places to express your love to Joni [Barbara Sullivan ] RE: Joni Article in The Guardian (UK) ["John E McGloin" ] Joni Mitchell - Sisotowbell Lane [lcs4bike@yahoo.com] gathering on 4/11 [Dave Blackburn ] Re: Joni Article in The Guardian (UK) [Brian Gross ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 5 Apr 2015 17:33:39 +0000 (UTC) From: anne madden Subject: Re: Smoking?? Nicotine patch will take away some of the craving butB hardly the same thing as puffing a cigarette.B Joni really seems to enjoy her cigs. On Sunday, April 5, 2015 10:07 AM, Gerald Kent wrote: It's been several days now.B I wonder if Joni has wanted to/been allowed to/been well enough to smoke.B It's such a part of her life.B Any thoughts? Sent from my iPad ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 5 Apr 2015 20:44:23 +0100 From: Anita Gabrielle Subject: Re: Free man in Paris - holycombe Yes it was me tapping away on the djembe, sometimes almost in time. Was it Robin or Bob shaking a gourd type thing? I just remember being blown away by the thousand vocals and not a single wrong word in the lyric. And Barry C just lifts anything he ever blows on. What a musician he is. I recall him singing "What's Going On" on your porch, Dave, last Summer and then launching into an alto sax solo that left me agape. Incredible. In amongst this strange time, it is so wonderful to think of all the music I have heard, all the people I have met and emailed during the past years, all through the love of Joni's music. I feel so blessed. And Marianne, I look forward to hear of your dreaming, Anita > On 5 Apr 2015, at 18:42, Dave Blackburn wrote: > > Marianne, thatbs Barry Cahill on flute, Ibm playing guitar and Anita was on the drum as I recall. A cast of thousands on the vocals! > > > >> On Apr 5, 2015, at 10:28 AM, Marianne Rizzo wrote: >> >> This is beautiful! >> Thank you Anita and everyone there! >> ( who was playing the flute?. . very nice) >> All sounded so good! >> >> And thanks everybody for all your thoughts and feelings, at this time, >> about joni. >> I appreciate reading all your comments. >> I was so happy to have a dream about her Saturday morning just before waking. >> I may post about that later. >> Love Marianne >> >> >> From: Anita G >> Subject: Free Man In Paris = Holycombe Joni Fest 2008 >> >> Dear All >> Following on from Dave and Robin's invitation to their place next week-end >> for a supportive day and sing song, earlier today I waxed lyrically and >> fondly remembering the Holycombe Festival of 2008 when, one morning we had >> sing song and Dave went into 'Free Man In Paris'. >> >> I uploaded the recording to Hightail and perhaps this link can be copied >> and pasted in to your browser. Doubtless Moni will tell me what's wrong if >> I haven't got it right if she's about today, but I hope this will work. >> >> https://www.hightail.com/download/UlRRZUNqY1NwaFJFQmRVag >> > 00000000&s=19102> >> >> >> This will show folk what it's like to get along to a Joni Fest when >> something impromptu, like this, can happen. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 5 Apr 2015 21:09:11 +0100 From: "John E McGloin" Subject: RE: Smoking?? I can't help thinking what part smoking might have played in Joni's illness. Cheers John - -----Original Message----- From: owner-onlyjoni@smoe.org [mailto:owner-onlyjoni@smoe.org] On Behalf Of anne madden Sent: 05 April 2015 18:34 To: Gerald Kent; JMDL Subject: Re: Smoking?? Nicotine patch will take away some of the craving butB hardly the same thing as puffing a cigarette.B Joni really seems to enjoy her cigs. On Sunday, April 5, 2015 10:07 AM, Gerald Kent wrote: It's been several days now.B I wonder if Joni has wanted to/been allowed to/been well enough to smoke.B It's such a part of her life.B Any thoughts? Sent from my iPad ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 5 Apr 2015 13:38:30 -0500 From: Jack Merkel Subject: My surprise Joni / Easter connection Betty and I were invited to Easter brunch about an hour from the house so I was looking for music to play for the journey. Considering the current circumstances, some Joni was definitely in order. I've already listened to Hejira and DJRD and Blue and For The Roses, so I decided to play HOSL. First song, In France They Kiss On Main Street, when I was surprised by the unexpected Easter reference. "We'd all go looking for a party Looking to raise Jesus up from the dead" Looks like I may have a new Easter tradition! Jack Sent from my iPhone ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 5 Apr 2015 14:37:09 -0700 From: "Mark Scott" Subject: Re: Smoking?? I can't imagine they would let her smoke in the ICU of a hospital. Maybe this will finally break her of the habit. One can always hope. Mark in Seattle - -----Original Message----- From: John E McGloin Sent: Sunday, April 5, 2015 1:09 PM To: 'JMDL' Subject: RE: Smoking?? I can't help thinking what part smoking might have played in Joni's illness. Cheers John - -----Original Message----- From: owner-onlyjoni@smoe.org [mailto:owner-onlyjoni@smoe.org] On Behalf Of anne madden Sent: 05 April 2015 18:34 To: Gerald Kent; JMDL Subject: Re: Smoking?? Nicotine patch will take away some of the craving butB hardly the same thing as puffing a cigarette.B Joni really seems to enjoy her cigs. On Sunday, April 5, 2015 10:07 AM, Gerald Kent wrote: It's been several days now.B I wonder if Joni has wanted to/been allowed to/been well enough to smoke.B It's such a part of her life.B Any thoughts? Sent from my iPad ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 5 Apr 2015 10:07:28 -0700 From: Victor Subject: Re: gathering on 4/11 Stop in Bend please! I'll bring some Oregon craft beer! Sent from my iPhone > On Apr 5, 2015, at 9:17 AM, Michael Paz wrote: > > Sounds like a blast! Can you send the lear jet round to pick me up? > I will bring crawfish!!! > > > > > On Apr 4, 2015, at 5:32 PM, kbhla@fastmail.fm wrote: > > That sounds wonderful, Dave and Robin! I hope to be there. Thank you so > much for putting this together. > > Kakki > >> On Sat, Apr 4, 2015, at 11:38 AM, Dave Blackburn wrote: >> Dear Joni friends, >> >> Robin and I would like to host a minifest potluck gathering at our >> home in Fallbrook on Saturday afternoon from noon (April 11th) for any >> members of this list who would like to come together to visit, play >> music and give ourselves some strength during this time of worry about >> Joni. Please email me, or Robin, robinadler52@att.net offlist if youbd >> like to join us. The weather looks fine and there are inexpensive >> motels nearby, if needed. >> >> thanks, >> >> Dave > > -- > > kbhla@fastmail.fm ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 5 Apr 2015 13:28:41 -0400 From: Marianne Rizzo Subject: Free man in Paris - holycombe This is beautiful! Thank you Anita and everyone there! ( who was playing the flute?. . very nice) All sounded so good! And thanks everybody for all your thoughts and feelings, at this time, about joni. I appreciate reading all your comments. I was so happy to have a dream about her Saturday morning just before waking. I may post about that later. Love Marianne From: Anita G Subject: Free Man In Paris = Holycombe Joni Fest 2008 Dear All Following on from Dave and Robin's invitation to their place next week-end for a supportive day and sing song, earlier today I waxed lyrically and fondly remembering the Holycombe Festival of 2008 when, one morning we had sing song and Dave went into 'Free Man In Paris'. I uploaded the recording to Hightail and perhaps this link can be copied and pasted in to your browser. Doubtless Moni will tell me what's wrong if I haven't got it right if she's about today, but I hope this will work. https://www.hightail.com/download/UlRRZUNqY1NwaFJFQmRVag This will show folk what it's like to get along to a Joni Fest when something impromptu, like this, can happen. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 5 Apr 2015 20:07:30 -0400 From: Rebecca Alexander Subject: Joni Thanks Jamie & Bob That explains why I get such confusing repetitive email from this list. Thanks for the replies. I am very happy to hear Joni has some family & support. Blessings to you all. Becky ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 5 Apr 2015 21:07:54 +0100 From: "John E McGloin" Subject: RE: Joni Article in The Guardian (UK) Agreed Catherine Considering how dreadful the media can be, I thought this was a meaningful, heartfelt and intelligent response. Scottbs comment regarding the dichotomy between the artist and their art seems particularly apt and as you say people react differently. Joni appears to mean different things to different people. I think those vibes are working! Cheers John From: Catherine McKay [mailto:anima_rising@yahoo.ca] Sent: 05 April 2015 17:01 To: Anita G; John E McGloin Cc: jonipeople LIST Subject: Re: Joni Article in The Guardian (UK) And such it is, with life. We all react differently from one another, and ourselves differently at different times. I too noticed the writer's complaint that there were no scholarly articles, symposia and so on about Joni's creative output. I guess she hasn't researched all that very well. But I think she was writing from the heart, the gut, whatever you want to call it. Many of us have felt that sense of being alone as Joniphiles... until we found this 'ere place. As far as Joni's health, i wish her a long life and a good one, but I don't think anyone really owes us a news update. To me, those things are private for family and close friends and I say good for 'em for keeping her personal information personal. I'm going with the "no news is good news" feeling (but have you ever wondered that that can mean both, "To hear no news, means it's good news, because it's not bad", and also, "All the news is bad, or at least, not-good.") And I'm not planning on posting anything on Twitter because I hate Twitter, nor am I planning to add a plug-in to Facebook so I can post something there with a hashtag (I hate hashtags, too, because I'm a grouch.) Appreciate the irony of the fact that Joni herself claims she doesn't do any internet-stuff, and yet people are sending messages via that medium. You just have to laugh, 'cause it's all so crazy! I figure she can feel the good vibes, dammit! _____ From: Anita G To: John E McGloin Cc: jonipeople LIST Sent: Sunday, April 5, 2015 10:25 AM Subject: Re: Joni Article in The Guardian (UK) I also imagine lots of people are experiencing a vast range of feelings at the moment with the news of Joni's ill health. What they might feel today in response to the article might be quite different tomorrow. I reckon there will be considerable ups and downs here as we contemplate, in our all our own ways, the possibility of Joni's passing and the possibility of her recovery. Anita ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 5 Apr 2015 10:42:31 -0700 From: Dave Blackburn Subject: Re: Free man in Paris - holycombe Marianne, thatbs Barry Cahill on flute, Ibm playing guitar and Anita was on the drum as I recall. A cast of thousands on the vocals! > On Apr 5, 2015, at 10:28 AM, Marianne Rizzo wrote: > > This is beautiful! > Thank you Anita and everyone there! > ( who was playing the flute?. . very nice) > All sounded so good! > > And thanks everybody for all your thoughts and feelings, at this time, > about joni. > I appreciate reading all your comments. > I was so happy to have a dream about her Saturday morning just before waking. > I may post about that later. > Love Marianne > > > From: Anita G > Subject: Free Man In Paris = Holycombe Joni Fest 2008 > > Dear All > Following on from Dave and Robin's invitation to their place next week-end > for a supportive day and sing song, earlier today I waxed lyrically and > fondly remembering the Holycombe Festival of 2008 when, one morning we had > sing song and Dave went into 'Free Man In Paris'. > > I uploaded the recording to Hightail and perhaps this link can be copied > and pasted in to your browser. Doubtless Moni will tell me what's wrong if > I haven't got it right if she's about today, but I hope this will work. > > https://www.hightail.com/download/UlRRZUNqY1NwaFJFQmRVag > 00000000&s=19102> > > > This will show folk what it's like to get along to a Joni Fest when > something impromptu, like this, can happen. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 5 Apr 2015 23:01:51 +0100 From: Jamie Zubairi home Subject: Re: JMDL Digest V2014 #1937 Helloooo Becky! Funny you should ask that. I'm not sure what their status is but recently Kilauren and Marlin and Daisy went to LA to stay with Joni for Kilauren's birthday and the pictures seemed happy. This was only a few weeks ago. When Joni was first hospitalised I went to Kilauren's facebook page and she said something along the lines of 'Now I can't sleep at all'. I'm guessing that she was thinking of her Mama. (on a side note, you might have noticed that your question came to you 'un-digested' as you posed the question. You may also have noticed that your email also included the *entire* digest. This makes it hard for people who get the digest version (like you do) to read new posts when the digest comes through. To stop this happening, it's best to start a fresh email to joni@smoe.org rather than pressing 'reply' to the digest. You may not know that this happens if you're not a regular poster to the list.) Hoping you're well on this Easter Sunday. Much Joni Jamie Zubairi Actor, Voiceover, Painter, Photographer. Agent: Byron's Management 020 72428096 SpotLight Showreel Unbroken Line You can see him in: *Gopala - *A dance performance at LSO 20th March 2015 LSO St Luke's, Old Street *Adding The Blue*, as the artist in Chrissie Hynd's music video *Cucumber* for Channel 4, by Russell T Davies due Jan 2015 Awards: Ovalhouse Associate Artist 2014 Arts Admin Associate Artist 2010 Recent work: *Expectations* Oct 22-25 Ovalhouse supported by public funding from the Arts Council of England *Tino Sehgal Unilever Commission "These Associations"* Tate Modern (Turner Prize Nominated) *Unbroken Line*' OvalHouse, supported by public funding from the Arts Council of England. On 5 April 2015 at 22:35, Rebecca Alexander wrote: > Since someone mentioned it, what is the status of Joni & her daughter & > grandchildren. Do the stay in touch --are they estranged? Not important to > know , I am just curious.I hope she has some family & friends around to > support her. > Becky > ------- > To post messages to the list,sendtojoni@smoe.org. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 4 Apr 2015 08:56:11 -0700 From: "kimberly" Subject: RE: JMDL Digest V2014 #1933 Laura, Tex and everyone. I was fortunate to visit a small gallery a few years ago that left me transfixed by a tiny painting that pulled me in so completely that I lost track of the time and didn't even look to see who the artist was. My husband took a nap on a nearby bench while I let myself be mesmerized by this painting. As I reluctantly re-entered my body and took in the larger setting I realized I was looking at The Tempest. Joni's work has always had this out of time and place effect on me. Like so many of us, Joni was the sound track for my generation. As I continue to reflect on why and how deeply her music influenced and continues to influence my perception of life, love and the human experience in general, I have renewed gratitude that it did. I am also grateful on a daily basis for our community of JMDL. I would feel very alone right now, as we wait for news of Joni's condition, without all of you and our common experience. Thank you all for welcoming me in and for sharing your experiences. Kimberly - -----Original Message----- From: owner-joni-digest@smoe.org [mailto:owner-joni-digest@smoe.org] Sent: Saturday, April 04, 2015 12:00 AM To: joni-digest@smoe.org Subject: JMDL Digest V2014 #1933 JMDL Digest Saturday, April 4 2015 Volume 2014 : Number 1933 ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: - -------- Re: While we're waiting... [lcs4bike@yahoo.com] - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 4 Apr 2015 01:53:39 -0500 From: lcs4bike@yahoo.com Subject: Re: While we're waiting... My favorite Texan wrote: It's been one of those can't keep off the turntable when I'm not playing Joni albums. Hi Happy Tex, The truth struck me in what you said about the turntable. The visual of the reality of still spinning Joni's music like the Circle Game after all these years... Yeah... Joni really is THAT good!!! And even if the LP or CD isn't actually spinning, as the seasons go 'round and 'round so do Joni's lyrics and unique emotional cords in my head and heart. Her auditory art never fails to strike a chord with me in my daily living experiences. Joni might be retired and she might be sick right now, but she is very much present to me in her recorded music. I never got to see her perform in concert, but I was able at Ruby Lake to look deep into her beautiful blue eyes and tell her I think the world of her. And each time I spin one of Joni's albums, I get the same effect as the motion (moved with emotion) I'm left with after having looked at the visual message of the picture and the brush strokes left in the paint on an incredibly textured Van Gogh painting. There is one visiting here in Arkansas right now at Crystal Bridges, a Walton family (Walmart) free to the public museum in Rogers, Arkansas. Van Gogh's presence and message in his painting was life changing for me. Recorded music is the painting we have even when the guitar is no longer actually being stroked as the performing art is no longer being performed. The artist is still there for us in the stroke marks of the sound. I wish I could see Joni's paintings. If I had one wish to be granted, that would be it. To look at Joni Mitchell's paintings like I was able to look at Vincent Van Gogh's recently. Life is for learning only because of the incredible sharing of these artists. So much gratitude and a heart full of prayers for Joni... Love, Laura in Arkansas Sent from my iPhone - ------------------------------ End of JMDL Digest V2014 #1933 ****************************** - ------- To post messages to the list,sendtojoni@smoe.org. Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:joni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe - ------- ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 4 Apr 2015 10:36:12 +0100 From: Anita Gabrielle Subject: Re: Nervous Just read on Twitter from joni.com "Joni remains under observation in the hospital and is resting comfortably. Her progress is encouraging as she continues to improve each day." > On 4 Apr 2015, at 03:58, lesli shadowsandlight wrote: > > gosh, my ears perked up. i haven't been seeing many posts at all. all of > us are pulling for joni and i'm sure she knows that. things take time. > >> On Fri, Apr 3, 2015 at 7:01 PM, Mark Scott wrote: >> >> Oh have I got my house slipper in my mouth! Lindsay, I don't know how or >> why my fingers did that. Please, please know it was a completely >> unconscious slip up. I certainly know better, my friend. >> >> And so senility sets in. >> >> Mike >> >> -----Original Message----- From: Bob Muller >> Sent: Friday, April 3, 2015 6:26 PM >> To: Mark Scott >> Cc: Lindsay Moon ; Joni List >> Subject: Re: Nervous njc >> >> You're banished for calling Lindsay "Leslie". She really hates that. Sorry >> to see you go Mike. >> >> Bill >> >> Sent from my iPhone >> >> On Apr 3, 2015, at 9:11 PM, "Mark Scott" >>> wrote: >>> >>> I don't think youb re a weirdo, Leslie. I'm hoping it's just that those >>> closest to Joni are being loyal and honoring her wish to keep her private >>> life private. >>> >>> In the meantime, I'm feeling paranoid. I sent a long post to the list >>> last night and haven't seen it show up in my inbox. Have I been banished? >>> >>> Mark in Seattle >>> >>> -----Original Message----- From: Lindsay Moon >>> Sent: Friday, April 3, 2015 3:34 PM >>> To: Joni List >>> Subject: Nervous >>> >>> Just wondering if everyone is okay with the two-day old "Joni's in good >>> spirits" report. I am growing more uneasy as another day passes with no >>> update at all. Is she in or out of the hospital? It's also odd to me that >>> none of her contemporaries (Graham Nash or David Crosby to name two) have >>> said much of anything. Malka is quiet. Les is quiet. I just joined >>> Twitter the day she went in the hospital and do not know how to use it very >>> well, but when I search those names, I don't see much that they've said. >>> In other words, the silence is deafening. >>> >>> Am I just being a weirdo? >>> >>> Living on nerves and feelings, >>> Lindsay ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 4 Apr 2015 17:34:00 -0400 From: Barbara Sullivan Subject: Here are 2 places to express your love to Joni Her followers have rushed to social media to show that they care, posting their concern using the #WeLoveYouJoni hashtag. To give them a place to express their love for Joni, a new website We Love You Joni contains more than 3,000 postings with outpourings such as those below.Here are a few posts, including mine. Theres really no famous person I care about as much as this woman. To a rapid healing process. #WeLoveYouJoni My aunts and uncles and parents would play you records. As a toddler I would fall asleep in front of the speaker, stairing into the patterns of the woven cover and of the songs. Later you helped me see that making art spanned across all mediums. Rightly so. You soothed my broken hearts and complimented the parties. The biggest bouquet of flowers that ever I picked was given to you because you have given so much to us by way of your lifes work. Good working Joni, now you get to rest. On behalf of my entire family, we thank you. Grateful that you were there when I was growing up, in my radio, on my record, and in my heart. Sending my best and most positive vibes to transform your health.Hello it's me and all your loving fans!It's gonna be a new day ahead for you Joni.Our words you've heard before...becauseIt's only for the sake of Love.The Best is yet to come!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9G5X180C2w ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 5 Apr 2015 08:32:00 -0500 From: "mep chorus.net" Subject: Re: Conflicting stories Jim L'Hommedieu wrote: 1. Was she non-responsive or did she just faint? 2. Is she still in intensive care or not? 3. Did she get surgery or not? 4. Does the lack of news mean that she wants it that way? 5. Since she lacks parents, a manager, and a spouse, does she have any support group? You know, is she making her own decisions, or is it Kilauren? Me now: my concerns exactly! I certainly understand Joni's wish for privacy, if that's indeed what she wants, and if she's the one making the decisions. But I'm finding the lack of news a little more worrisome with each passing day. Still, I'm glad she was found last week, and very glad she's getting medical care. I'll also be happy to receive any news we eventually get. And, re: lack of a support group: a posting or Tweet last week--maybe one from jonimitchell.com?--made reference to her being with "friends" at the hospital. I hope that's true, and that they've continued to be able to be there for her. Best, Mary P. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 5 Apr 2015 14:36:54 +0100 From: "John E McGloin" Subject: RE: Joni Article in The Guardian (UK) I don't understand. What are your problems with the article? Not trying to start a fight - honestly. Regards John - ----Original Message----- From: owner-onlyjoni@smoe.org [mailto:owner-onlyjoni@smoe.org] On Behalf Of Allison Crowe Music Sent: 05 April 2015 08:36 To: joni@smoe.org Subject: Re: Joni Article in The Guardian (UK) With fans like that, who needs enemies seems fitting rejoinder to this weekend's piece in the Guardian. Like the unctuous fellow who nearly drowned in his self-absorption vis-a-vis Joni Mitchell in a Canadian newspaper some months ago, this writer appears oblivious to the fact they really don't know Joni at all. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 04 Apr 2015 15:32:29 -0700 From: kbhla@fastmail.fm Subject: Re: gathering on 4/11 That sounds wonderful, Dave and Robin! I hope to be there. Thank you so much for putting this together. Kakki On Sat, Apr 4, 2015, at 11:38 AM, Dave Blackburn wrote: > Dear Joni friends, > > Robin and I would like to host a minifest potluck gathering at our > home in Fallbrook on Saturday afternoon from noon (April 11th) for any > members of this list who would like to come together to visit, play > music and give ourselves some strength during this time of worry about > Joni. Please email me, or Robin, robinadler52@att.net offlist if youbd > like to join us. The weather looks fine and there are inexpensive > motels nearby, if needed. > > thanks, > > Dave > - -- kbhla@fastmail.fm ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 4 Apr 2015 16:48:32 +0100 From: Anita Gabrielle Subject: Re: Joni Article in The Guardian (UK) Blimey, Joe I thought 'He's in a really bad way" until I realised you'd also cut and pasted the article. The bit at the end which says: > "I don't think she knows how much she' s venerated. Or maybe she knows and it doesn't t matter. It fulfils nothing. It makes no difference. She's as alone with her music as we are." Pretty bleak, huh? Linda Grant - You Should Join JMDL!!! :-))) Anita > On 4 Apr 2015, at 10:36, Joe Jones wrote: > > http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/apr/04/not-easy-to-be-joni-mitc hell-fan-but-illness-devastates-me > > Itbs not always easy to be a Joni Mitchell fan, but her illness > devastates me - Linda Grant > > Joni Mitchell is one of the greats, indisputably, and her increasingly > frail health is, to a superfan like me, a terribly sad thing to see b > however angry, bitter and paranoid she seems to have become > > I donbt think Joni Mitchell knows how much shebs venerated. Or maybe > she knows and it doesnbt matter, writes Linda Grant. > > Saturday 4 April 2015 08.00 BST > > For a long time I have worried about where I will be when I hear the > announcement of Joni Mitchellbs death. I donbt want it to be when I am > in transit, or about to do a literary festival or attend a family > celebration. I need to be on my own. I need to close down the > internet, draw the curtains and spend the next two days repeatedly > listening to the albums Hejira, The Hissing of Summer Lawns, Court and > Spark and Blue. I am going to be traumatised. This wonbt be just a > death; it is going to feel like an emotional amputation. No other > artist has meant as much to me, or has taught me so much about myself. > This week the news broke that Mitchell, now 71, had been found > unconscious and was in intensive care. A childhood survivor of polio, > her health has not been good for a long time. She has, by her own > admission, wrecked her voice through smoking and is suffering from a > mysterious skin condition called Morgellons disease. She is not in > great shape, and I worry that our long ride together may soon come to > an end. > > You start out being a fan of some teenybop star when you are 12 or 13 > and then grow out of it. You cringe and shudder when you remember > those hot, passionate feelings for the little doe-eyed boy-man, deny > that you ever had a Smash Hits centrefold of Donny Osmond or One > Direction on your bedroom wall. But what if you started to listen to > someone when you were 17, someone who was one of the greatest of their > generation and of the century, who articulated that particular moment > when opposing longings for love and for artistic self-expression are > waging war in you? And nearly 50 years later, you are still a fan, and > the person whose music means everything to you is hospitalised and in > danger and youbre holding your breath; youbre ready to be heartbroken. > Joni Mitchell treated in intensive care at Los Angeles hospital > > Mitchell is one of the greats b as great as Bob Dylan, maybe greater, > but itbs not a contest; she just means more to me than he does. If she > means nothing to you, too bad, your loss. Just donbt persecute her. > One element of my devotion is anger at the raw and rawer deal she has > received from the music press, since the contemptuous awarding of the > title bOld lady of the yearb by Rolling Stone, as if she were more of > a groupie than a great lyricist. Mention Joni Mitchell today and you > may still be greeted by a sarcastic falsetto imitation of her song > Woodstock, from the early years before the cigs introduced gravel into > her voice. She was at her height in the early 70s, a decade of bad > clothes and celebrity sex pests, of overblown prog-rock and a general > political malaise. Punk came along and kicked in anything with nuance, > sophistication, feeling, lyricism. She was shunted into the same > derisory cul de sac as, say, Peter, Paul and Mary or Donovan b hippy > and drippy b when she was a jazz singer, a consummate composer, a poet > and a thinker. > > What she always lacked, to oppose all that dismissive contempt, was > the obsessiveness of the male fanbase: the Deadheads and Dylanologists > who catalogue and compete for record-collection kudos among a > fraternity of admirers. Where are the dry, 1,000-page volumes of > musical Joni-trivia, the conferences, the PhD dissertations? We just > locked the door and listened on our own. On hearing the news of her > hospitalisation, the crime writer Val McDermid tweeted: bDistraught to > hear Joni Mitchell in intensive care. Her music inhabits my heart, my > very soul.b > > I accept that Mitchell has not been the easiest star to love. She > gives little back to her fans and her views on feminism have been > disheartening to say the least. She seems to have lately rejected > everything her generation stood for, from its ideals to its clothes. > There is a tendency to think that if you could only meet the person of > whom you are a fan, you would inevitably become friends. For a long > time I imagined that I would be hitchhiking one day and Joni would > pick me up and webd drive along under a limitless sky talking about > the men we had loved and the trap of marriage and the perhaps > unavoidable tendency of romantics to become cynics, and the desire for > Paris gowns and lacy dresses and skating on a frozen lake in a snow > storm b& and I wouldnbt need to tell Joni a thing about me. She already > knew. Shebd written my emotional biography. bI am a woman of heart and > mind / With time on her hands / No child to raiseb. bSharon, I left my > man / At a North Dakota Junction / And I came out to the Big Apple > here / To face the dreambs malfunction.b And, definitively, bNothing > is capsulised in me / On either side of town / The streets were never > really mine / Not mine these glamour gowns.b If I could express any of > that in a novel, so succinctly, I would have done. But shebs the > genius, not me. > > I hate the media and the music business for their disgraceful > treatment of an artist of her stature. And I have to concede, when I > read interviews with her, that these blows have not been borne > graciously. They have not been borne at all. She seems lonely, angry, > bitter, paranoid and afraid. I worry about her. Had she been a man, > she would be on her third or fourth considerably younger partner, with > a new young family, that complacent second act that women are denied. > Maybe if shebd been a Buddhist or got into some faith system, been > born again into a cult or the church, shebd have found peace. But in a > recent interview in the Sunday Times, she laid into hippies, all > contemporary music, Bob Dylan, and again, feminists. She nixed a > biopic starring Taylor Swift because all the young star could offer > was cheekbones. Her reunion with the daughter she had given up for > adoption went sour. Her tone is autocratic, arrogant and angry. She > reminds me, in a way, of Philip Roth, another raging titan of the > American arts. > > She has called herself ba scientist of loveb; how to love is what > shebs trying to get to the bottom of. Like Jean Rhys, she has drawn > the anatomy of a womanbs heart, the men we fall for, the loneliness, > the fatal choices. The accretion of age, the disappointments of > living, are part of the journey webve all been on with her, so this > life-long fandom canbt have a happy ending. Or even a happy middle. > Pity the poor children with an indelible online record of the day they > wept when they heard Zayn Malik was leaving One Direction. Perhaps the > lifelong experience of being a fan, an admirer, an acolyte or a > student of an artist will turn out to have been a fluke, a small > window of privilege, and from now on careers will burn up in a year or > two, the experience fleeting for the adorer and the adored alike. I > donbt think she knows how much shebs venerated. Or maybe she knows and > it doesnbt matter. It fulfils nothing. It makes no difference. Shebs > as alone with her music as we are. > > Joe Jones (St. Asaph) > > np - Late For The Sky - Jackson Browne > > -- > -- > Joe Jones > +44 7831 914094 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 4 Apr 2015 10:36:50 +0100 From: Joe Jones Subject: Joni Article in The Guardian (UK) http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/apr/04/not-easy-to-be-joni-mitchell-fan-but-illness-devastates-me Itbs not always easy to be a Joni Mitchell fan, but her illness devastates me - Linda Grant Joni Mitchell is one of the greats, indisputably, and her increasingly frail health is, to a superfan like me, a terribly sad thing to see b however angry, bitter and paranoid she seems to have become I donbt think Joni Mitchell knows how much shebs venerated. Or maybe she knows and it doesnbt matter, writes Linda Grant. Saturday 4 April 2015 08.00 BST For a long time I have worried about where I will be when I hear the announcement of Joni Mitchellbs death. I donbt want it to be when I am in transit, or about to do a literary festival or attend a family celebration. I need to be on my own. I need to close down the internet, draw the curtains and spend the next two days repeatedly listening to the albums Hejira, The Hissing of Summer Lawns, Court and Spark and Blue. I am going to be traumatised. This wonbt be just a death; it is going to feel like an emotional amputation. No other artist has meant as much to me, or has taught me so much about myself. This week the news broke that Mitchell, now 71, had been found unconscious and was in intensive care. A childhood survivor of polio, her health has not been good for a long time. She has, by her own admission, wrecked her voice through smoking and is suffering from a mysterious skin condition called Morgellons disease. She is not in great shape, and I worry that our long ride together may soon come to an end. You start out being a fan of some teenybop star when you are 12 or 13 and then grow out of it. You cringe and shudder when you remember those hot, passionate feelings for the little doe-eyed boy-man, deny that you ever had a Smash Hits centrefold of Donny Osmond or One Direction on your bedroom wall. But what if you started to listen to someone when you were 17, someone who was one of the greatest of their generation and of the century, who articulated that particular moment when opposing longings for love and for artistic self-expression are waging war in you? And nearly 50 years later, you are still a fan, and the person whose music means everything to you is hospitalised and in danger and youbre holding your breath; youbre ready to be heartbroken. Joni Mitchell treated in intensive care at Los Angeles hospital Mitchell is one of the greats b as great as Bob Dylan, maybe greater, but itbs not a contest; she just means more to me than he does. If she means nothing to you, too bad, your loss. Just donbt persecute her. One element of my devotion is anger at the raw and rawer deal she has received from the music press, since the contemptuous awarding of the title bOld lady of the yearb by Rolling Stone, as if she were more of a groupie than a great lyricist. Mention Joni Mitchell today and you may still be greeted by a sarcastic falsetto imitation of her song Woodstock, from the early years before the cigs introduced gravel into her voice. She was at her height in the early 70s, a decade of bad clothes and celebrity sex pests, of overblown prog-rock and a general political malaise. Punk came along and kicked in anything with nuance, sophistication, feeling, lyricism. She was shunted into the same derisory cul de sac as, say, Peter, Paul and Mary or Donovan b hippy and drippy b when she was a jazz singer, a consummate composer, a poet and a thinker. What she always lacked, to oppose all that dismissive contempt, was the obsessiveness of the male fanbase: the Deadheads and Dylanologists who catalogue and compete for record-collection kudos among a fraternity of admirers. Where are the dry, 1,000-page volumes of musical Joni-trivia, the conferences, the PhD dissertations? We just locked the door and listened on our own. On hearing the news of her hospitalisation, the crime writer Val McDermid tweeted: bDistraught to hear Joni Mitchell in intensive care. Her music inhabits my heart, my very soul.b I accept that Mitchell has not been the easiest star to love. She gives little back to her fans and her views on feminism have been disheartening to say the least. She seems to have lately rejected everything her generation stood for, from its ideals to its clothes. There is a tendency to think that if you could only meet the person of whom you are a fan, you would inevitably become friends. For a long time I imagined that I would be hitchhiking one day and Joni would pick me up and webd drive along under a limitless sky talking about the men we had loved and the trap of marriage and the perhaps unavoidable tendency of romantics to become cynics, and the desire for Paris gowns and lacy dresses and skating on a frozen lake in a snow storm b& and I wouldnbt need to tell Joni a thing about me. She already knew. Shebd written my emotional biography. bI am a woman of heart and mind / With time on her hands / No child to raiseb. bSharon, I left my man / At a North Dakota Junction / And I came out to the Big Apple here / To face the dreambs malfunction.b And, definitively, bNothing is capsulised in me / On either side of town / The streets were never really mine / Not mine these glamour gowns.b If I could express any of that in a novel, so succinctly, I would have done. But shebs the genius, not me. I hate the media and the music business for their disgraceful treatment of an artist of her stature. And I have to concede, when I read interviews with her, that these blows have not been borne graciously. They have not been borne at all. She seems lonely, angry, bitter, paranoid and afraid. I worry about her. Had she been a man, she would be on her third or fourth considerably younger partner, with a new young family, that complacent second act that women are denied. Maybe if shebd been a Buddhist or got into some faith system, been born again into a cult or the church, shebd have found peace. But in a recent interview in the Sunday Times, she laid into hippies, all contemporary music, Bob Dylan, and again, feminists. She nixed a biopic starring Taylor Swift because all the young star could offer was cheekbones. Her reunion with the daughter she had given up for adoption went sour. Her tone is autocratic, arrogant and angry. She reminds me, in a way, of Philip Roth, another raging titan of the American arts. She has called herself ba scientist of loveb; how to love is what shebs trying to get to the bottom of. Like Jean Rhys, she has drawn the anatomy of a womanbs heart, the men we fall for, the loneliness, the fatal choices. The accretion of age, the disappointments of living, are part of the journey webve all been on with her, so this life-long fandom canbt have a happy ending. Or even a happy middle. Pity the poor children with an indelible online record of the day they wept when they heard Zayn Malik was leaving One Direction. Perhaps the lifelong experience of being a fan, an admirer, an acolyte or a student of an artist will turn out to have been a fluke, a small window of privilege, and from now on careers will burn up in a year or two, the experience fleeting for the adorer and the adored alike. I donbt think she knows how much shebs venerated. Or maybe she knows and it doesnbt matter. It fulfils nothing. It makes no difference. Shebs as alone with her music as we are. Joe Jones (St. Asaph) np - Late For The Sky - Jackson Browne - -- - -- Joe Jones +44 7831 914094 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 4 Apr 2015 11:03:07 -0500 From: lcs4bike@yahoo.com Subject: Joni Mitchell - Sisotowbell Lane Check out this video on YouTube: http://youtu.be/0FqScA0Nfd8 Sent from my iPhone ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 4 Apr 2015 11:38:54 -0700 From: Dave Blackburn Subject: gathering on 4/11 Dear Joni friends, Robin and I would like to host a minifest potluck gathering at our home in Fallbrook on Saturday afternoon from noon (April 11th) for any members of this list who would like to come together to visit, play music and give ourselves some strength during this time of worry about Joni. Please email me, or Robin, robinadler52@att.net offlist if youbd like to join us. The weather looks fine and there are inexpensive motels nearby, if needed. thanks, Dave ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 5 Apr 2015 06:56:33 -0700 From: Brian Gross Subject: Re: Joni Article in The Guardian (UK) All, Having just read Scott's post, I went back and reread the Guardian article. For those wishing to do the same, here is the link: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/apr/04/not-easy-to-be-joni-mitchell-fan-but-illness-devastates-me Between the good questions the article raises, the ones Scott asks, and also those points raised by Jim Lamadieu in his most recent post I am taken back to last April as my family sat vigil over my only brother as he lay in intensive care, sadly never to reawaken. The Guardian article and Jim's questions prepare us for the inevitable situation we most certainly will find ourselves in one day. With no new news at hand, our minds go to those dark places as we ponder the finite lifespans of those we love and respect. In Judaism, following a death we go through a period of mourning called shiva. We sit around and remember the departed and share how their lives affected our own. We do so to reinforce that even though their physical beings may no longer be with us, they are truly still in our hearts and souls. They live on through and within *us*. I sincerely hope that Joni will recover from all that presently ails her and that she can live out her life as *she* wants to. Why should *now* be any different than the last 50 years? In this season of birth and resurrection, I wish you all a Good Passover and a Happy and Joyous Easter, and most of all, best wishes for Joni's speedy and complete recovery so that our lives can continue to be enriched by her as they have for so many years already. I hope our spirits and wishes have touched her too, to help her heal. Brian - ----------------------------------------------------------- Politicians and diapers both need to be changed often. And usually for the same reasons. - ----------------------------------------------------------- - -------------------------------------------- On Sat, 4/4/15, Scott Price wrote: Subject: Re: Joni Article in The Guardian (UK) To: "Joni List" Date: Saturday, April 4, 2015, 10:05 PM Do we, should we, separate the artist from her art? She disdains the confessional label but she reveals so much its like shes inviting all of us in to scrutinize and analyze and at that point the melding of the art and the artist is complete. Has there ever been deeper soul-baring than the achingly-transparent Blue? As Joni has said, not a single false note on that entire album. I dont know if Linda Grant would cringe if her essay in The Guardian was characterized as confessional but she expresses things that I have thought about and pondered and fussed and worried about. These emotions that Joni captures so well which serve as the magnet that draws us in to her art are our common denominators, and Ms. Grants writing shows that not only does she get it, she gives it too, in the form of transparency and honesty and raw feelings. Just as Joni would do. Scott ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 05 Apr 2015 17:21:40 -0700 From: Scott Price Subject: Re: Joni Article in the Guardian (UK) On 4/5/2015 7:15 AM, mep chorus.net wrote: > she seems to regard Joni's fan base as mainly female, not very > organized collectively, and traipsing off to listen to Joni's music in > solitude Grant writes: >>"What she always lacked was >> the obsessiveness of the male fanbase: the Deadheads and Dylanologists >> who catalogue and compete for record-collection kudos among a >> fraternity of admirers. Where are the dry, 1,000-page volumes of >> musical Joni-trivia, the conferences, the PhD dissertations?" > To which I answer: they're right here!!! Well, maybe not the PhD > dissertations, but just about everything else. Hi Mary P., What's it been, about a decade or so? Assume you're a Badgers fan; I'm rooting for them too. Lemme pick a theme for this: duality...love...spirituality...no, wait, pigeonholing, that's it. I'm guessing Ms. Grant isn't aware of the degree to which some have amassed libraries and collections of the works of Joni Mitchell. And yes, there are a fair share of males in that group. The Dead encouraged soundboard recordings during thousands of performances which naturally led to cataloging and trading and connecting. Old timers here will remember Joni tape trees and how thrilling it was to hear, often for the first time, live recordings of Joni performances that otherwise would have existed only in the memories of those originally present. Nevertheless, the perception, especially in light of the well-documented "obsessiveness" of Deadheads and Dylanites, is that Joni's music is played in a room lit by candles while chanting "Joni Mitchell never lies. Joni Mitchell never lies." Joni's "fanbase" is no less obsessed. It's just not as recognized. After all, it's hard to be noticed when you're stealing away to a quiet place to listen with all your intent to the words and music while you shut out everything else. Happy Easter to all. Scott ------------------------------ End of onlyJMDL Digest V2014 #570 ********************************* ------- Post messages to the list by clicking here:mailto:joni@smoe.org Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:onlyjoni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe