Andrew wrote:
<<<criticized her for not being that willowy, wispy Joni
of days gone by. I think that's what Joni resents. >>>
and now me:
Especially after seeing part one of the CBC Life and Times of Joni Mitchell, Woman of
Heart and Mind, I cannot help but feel frustrated when some people want Joni to be
anything other than who and what and where she is 'now'.
Over the course of the first hour, I gained a whole new appreciation for her. I felt
as though I was discovering her all over again. Amazing considering Ive been a
constant, life long fan of hers since Court and Spark and Blue were in the limelight.
Joni has given us an incredible body of work, and has touched the lives, hearts and
souls of countless people around the world. All of her contemporaries adore her,
especially Graham ; there's no mistaking that twinkle in his eye ;-). Joni is unique,
one of a kind. There is no one like her on the face of the earth.
Notice how many musicians relay how difficult it is to sing and play 'Joni' tunes.
She makes it all look so easy.
I love her stories and feel that she is a true story teller. She offers us her
precious jewels, a story within a story, within. I love it when she feels the need to
explain the origin of a song for I want to know who and where and the why. And why
not.
If Joni is finished writing 'new' songs, I can accept that. I respect her decision if
that's where she is, now. She's a fluid, free spirit so who knows where she will go
next.
I appreciate Both Sides Now as well as Travelogue for the same reasons that I
appreciate every single album she has recorded. She takes a chance and flies with it.
I love that Joni chose to record her own songs in new ways. She pushes the envelope as
Joni often does; sometimes catches us off guard and makes us think and ask ourselves
what it is about a particular line, song, tone or entire album that affects us in the
way that it does.
Joni is an artist and with each new project, she smooths out a fresh canvas with her
hands. She combines different colours, lines, brush strokes for effect. Her
masterpieces are built layer upon layer, as the past collides with the present and
moves us into the future.
Joni paints in a wide spectrum of colour, whether she's choosing paint or words, she
lays down her soul onto paper in search of release for her feelings and thoughts and
ideas.
At the time that VanGogh was alive, he only sold one painting (so I understand). At
the time he was painting, many people thought he was a mad man. Completely insane.
(And what is sanity anyway?) alas, I digress.
Imho, VanGogh .. and Joni are geniuses in their own right, in their own time, in their
own way. Perhaps she wont be truly recognized or appreciated as such until long after
the dust has taken flight upon prairie winds. Don't it always seem to go. Take a deep
breath and inhale her for who she is, here and now.
Watching the Joni special the other night made my heart ache. No musician has ever
affected me in the ways she has, ever. I watched the images and walked with her life
through her life experience...her marriage, the hope and the tragic loss of a baby, a
hope that walked beside her like a ghost for many years. Not an easy decision
whatsoever. She makes that very clear.
I love that the folks on the jmdl share so many thoughts and interpretations of her
work, because that is what Joni asks of us. When we come to her in search of meaning
to a phrase, a word, a notion, she turns that around and asks what it means to us.
I want her to know that I hear her right inside my heart.
Mags.
np: Cactus Tree, from Song to A Seagull...my lullabye album from days gone by.
You open my heart, you do.
Yes you do.
- JM
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