Well, I am still reeling from the events of Saturday and meeting Joni- wishing I were still there!
Firstly, my sincerest thanks to Kakki and Coyote Rick for making my time SO enjoyable. These SoCal members are too good to be true, and once again, the brother/sister hood that is uniquely understood when meeting a lister for the first time just blows me away. We are a very special "family" and I trust you all cherish it as much as I. I still haven't responded to the desert island post yet- I don't need 10! For me there are only 4- Joni, Fred Neil, Tim Hardin and Jerry Jeff Walker. This group I have been listening to since the age of 13 is all I need- the rest do not matter. I am 46 now, so it has been many years of influence and comfort. To meet Joni in person, and in the manner that Kakki and I were able to, is the penultimate dream come true! When Kakki bruised my shins, I thought I was going to have a heart attack! I was hyperventilating! Of course, we were plotting as to how we would make a connection happen. We had all kinds of things planned, what to say and do, if JM got up and left before we had the chance. It was the perfect opportunity to not let go by- there were 2 other times in my life- but it didn't seem appropriate then. I have shared with a few of you, that I just KNOW that when I attend the upcoming Harbourfront Tribute, I would be able to connect with Joni. How incredible that it happened on Saturday. I just felt that it was correct to follow Kakki's gracious lead! We were SO not the gaga JMDL fans and fawning all over her, and that is the reason I believe she connected with us. Never asked for a pic- FECK! and in the end, that doesn't matter- , didn't tell her our names, didn't fawn and tell her she has had such an influence in our lives.... And as a result, she just opened up her heart to us. She is absolutely gorgeous! Tanned face, under light blue rimless sunglasses, framed by a chocolate straw hat, hair tucked up underneath. Beautifully, understatedly dressed, but so fashionably so! Pale khaki capri chinos, a knit linen olive long sleeve t, and knit linen vest w/olive, burnt orange and tan stripes. Thin! Glowing and stunning! And beautiful jewelry- again understated but magnificent! (Hey! I'm in the fabric business!!) Kakki has already so eloquently reported our thoughts and the direction of the conversation. Coco, the dog is cute! Joni adores her! She mentioned more than once, how human Coco is, how willful. Interesting. More human than some humans she knows! The talk of painting was wonderful. She so truly paints in words, and even told us that she has always thought that way about her music. The events of September 11th have profoundly affected her- I cannot wait to see the Times article- the paintings, and I am sure, the appropriate Joni commentary along with them. She coined a new word for her style of painting- "repitism"- a follow-up to her mentioning that this is how she learns and retains knowledge- talks and thinks in tones of repetition. I think we will see some truly wonderful paintings this week. She says her style is more like Van Gogh, but very influenced by Mattise. "What do you paint? Landscapes? I am a landscape painter!" And much technical chat about painterly style ensued. Kakki and I were both blown away by her comments when the chat turned to music. "No one wants to hear what I have to say!" Duality here- a comment on her disgust for the music industry machine, or lack of respect from the listening audience/poor record sales? We assured her that her fans are always listening. We talked about the 60's scene- "So much is forgotten from that time" ;-) It was evident, her distaste for what is being produced today. Hence, the lack of inspiration. Kakki has already relayed the 60's vs. 40's thing- her time was Bird (Charlie Parker) Mingus., Miles- that was art- the 60's was not. Of course, I brought up Fred Neil- how there were SOME bright spots from the 60's- she recanted times of playing w/Freddie and Vince Martin in Coconut Grove........ I suggested his was a talent and voice that chose to be silent as a result of his disdain for the Machine- he dropped out- and that the world would be a better place had he not. She agreed, and immediately mentioned Tim Hardin. ACK!!!!!!! She was happy to chat about the new 2 CD project- same crew, the ex, Vince, the London Philharmonic- she will go in November. An interesting anecdote about Vince and her direction of Ludwig's tune- too difficult to repeat w/out her vocals- but the shrill and power of the flute on that song-she compared it to the Beethoven movie Immortal Beloved and Ludwigs reaction to the orchestra when they didn't get it quite right- just phenomenal! She so needs to direct all involved so it is right and correct to her standard. She mentioned that the remakes of HER songs will be covered as they were written, but the feel of the CD will be much more true to the jazz form than what she has done in the past. WOW! Of course, I could go on and on......... suffice it to say it was THE most brilliant moment of my life, and equally thrilling to be able to share it with a like-minded lister instead of a friend who just doesn't get it the same way we all do! The personal things will remain so, as I do believe we should respect Joni's sense of privacy. All for now, Stephen in Vancouver
