MG wrote, "What is an artist but a person? What makes up a person but
their likes and
dislikes and their relationships with the world around them? Their
relationships with men, women and children. Their joys and their fears. "
and i agree, wholeheartedly. in fact, it was not even marcel's
post that i objected to, but rather: the list he included at
the end. this list, in my mind, boils down all of the joys and
subtleties and everyday occurences you write about, MG, into
a simple equation: which man joni was with when she wrote which
album.
in fact, i'm not sure i'm even "objecting" now that i think
about it. but, something about the way that list looked struck
me as sad. and, politically: icky.
i'm not sure i have entirely logical reasons for reacting
this way. i, too, love reading biographies. i don't argue
that joni's LIFE isn't wholly wrapped up in her music (although
how can i be certain, after all: i don't know her.)
i can be somewhat certain, though, that neither her life
or her work can be reduced to a list of men she was dating.
again, i stress that this is my own opinion.
--emily
