Hello, All - I'm a fairly new lister but long-time Joni lover - she (along with Dar Williams) has always been my "litmus test" by which all others are musically measured... and most come up seriously lacking... :-)
I've very much enjoyed reading the digests for the last few weeks, getting a feel for the list - I just wanted to chime in on a few things: ~ The recent discussion on Israel just proves what a close-knit community you are - just as when a family gets close, I have found that list members can take on that same entwinement (enmeshment?). As in any relationship, intimacy leads to intensity - it's to your credit that the conversation found its way back to civility and respect... :-) ~ Bob, in reply to your request for Joni appearing in fiction, I only *just* finished re-reading a favorite novel, The Pull of the Moon by Elizabeth Berg - I can't come up with the word for the quote page at the beginning of a book (not dedication... inscription... attribution... prologue... introduction... foreshadowing... but I'll be d*mned if I can remember what it *is*!), but... on that particular page it says: Upon being asked if she knew how to be fifty, Joni Mitchell answered: It will make itself known". <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0515120898/ref=ase_inktomi-df1-2-20/104-5169621-4991949";>Amazon.com: buying info: The Pull of the Moon</A> ~ Morbid or not, I also felt the need to make my funeral music wishes known, and five years ago mixed my own 90-minute cassette of the special offerings, opening with my e-mail subject-titled song and closing with Joni's Both Sides Now, a song that perfectly sums up what I've experienced so far in my 47 years on this planet ("something's lost and something's gained in living every day"). Oz fanatic that I am, flautist Nestor Torres' version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow is included, along with James Taylor's The Secret o' Life, The Grateful Dead's Uncle John's Band, Carole King's Tapestry, The Kinks' Don't Forget to Dance and Jimmy Buffett's Lovely Cruise... among others - there have been so many wonderful songs released since then I'm thinking of making a Volume 2! Thanks for letting me join the party - I won't post frequently, but I will listen and learn and share when I have the time/energy/inclination. I'm so thankful that Joni came into my life in high school in the early 70's, and remains such an integral part 30+ years later - she's taught me much about how to be A Woman of Heart and Mind... <3 P.S. I'm also a buddy of Gregg Cagno's - that should get me some extra brownie points, right? :-) Susan http://www.heartsdesireconcerts.com "Guiding a ship, it takes more than your skill It's the compass inside, it's the strength of your will..." ~ Dar Williams
