Well, well. Tongues are certainly wagging around here... Jim made a brilliant observation re: the Travelogue cover. Jim, you'd make a great ad man. If you'd been around the table during the discussion of the cover art, there'd be a new cover. That said, I love the painting. Those frames are just gorgeous and Joni's technique is growing by leaps and bounds. The light and form are far more flattering and real than other works. And her brushwork with the smoke indicates the girl has all the chops. To my eyes, what the cover art is saying is, "Hey gang, this disk is coming from Joni Mitchell, the painter. I'm a painter." -It also seems to be a deliberate attempt to link the last few projects together. She has settled into something here. Perhaps it's her 'smoky voice' period...
As to the subject of Nonesuch... I hate to be the worry wart, but there's no new deal here. This is the old Warner deal, which contractually demanded 2 recordings. Hence her comment saying she 'may never sign another record deal.' The best we can hope for, at the moment anyway, is that Travelogue will count as one record, not two. Leaving her obligated to once more. Although, if she wanted out... and they wanted out... "sigh." Quoting Brenda... "Tom Whalley, the chairman of Warner/Reprise has been nothing but clear since he arrived last year about rejuvenating those labels as pop labels and increasing market share. He came from Interscope - a big spend, big sales kind of label. Joni's new music doesn't fit that plan." Much of Joni's present distaste for the Industry stems from this little tidbit. I recall one of her interviews she was quite bitter about the 'new guy' coming on board after promises from the 'old guy' who retired just as the ink was drying on her Warner contract. I'm certain she felt betrayed. -I also think the dirth of new material rises out of this. I don't think she wants to give Warner anything more than she has to. In a way it's all fitting when you think of it. From the beginning Joni has been 'in' the industry at the moving hand of others... Crosby sheppared her entry into the biz. Freddie Walecki's ax revived her muse. As did the oft criticized husband... he was a breath of 'the new' that kept Joni sonically interested. My gut feeling is it will take the luck of someone other than Joni to guide her to a contractua situation that would make her feel good about recording again. I hope this happens. We know she has more music in her. And perhaps some, but not a lot of poetry. But she's not the kind to push the necessary buttons herself. Heck, she doesn't even have a computer in the house. As to the Joni interview... I think we're reading too much into this compressed article. I can easily see where she's coming from. In the comic industry that I once worked in, Marvel Comics was a thriving money maker until Billionnaire Aquisition King Ron Pearlman stepped in. The giant was driven into bankruptcy and then tried to recover by pushing out 'old' talent and chasing fads like Anime. My response: I was grateful for every penny I earned in the industry. But if you asked me, I would tell you I wished the whole stack of cards would burn to a cinder. Not the form I love, but that the mindset of those who have the power would be proven horribly, horribly wrong. -That's what I feel she's wishing for. --What I want to know is when that hunk Steve Polifka is going to hang out with me to chat Joni and break bread? Hiyas CoyoteRick. j.
