Mark wrote:
>I don't see it as being totally wrong to compare Joni's artistic
philosophy to that of Ayn Rand.>I'm thinking more of "The Fountainhead" in
this regard than of "Atlas Shrugged"> The protagonist of "The Fountainhead"
is a brillant architect who absolutely refuses to compromise his work-to
garner critical or popular acclaim or for any other reason.>Rand's
contention is that great art can only be created from the artist's purely
selfish desire to fulfill his or her own unique vision.I don't think that's
much different from Joni's > refusal to pander to critical or popular taste.
I have to say I totally agree with Mark on this.If Joni had not had the
courage of her convictions way back in '75, we would never have had the
incredibly brillant THOSL, and all the music that followed.Even though she
had previously experimented with some jazz influences, such as on C&S,it
wasn't until THOSL that she brought it to full fruition with the exquisite
jazz/rock fusion hybrid that was uniquely her own.Even though other artists
had toyed with that genre,none did so with the absolute perfection that
Joni did.It would have been so easy for her,especially riding the tidal wave
of success she had with C&S, to stick with what had been commercially
successful for her( which is what undoubtedly the record company would have
wanted).But instead, she took the high road and pandered to noone,only
obeying her muse.If you read the liner notes to THOSL, it pretty much says
it all: "This is a total work
conceived graphically, musically, lyrically and accidentally -- as a
whole.The performances were guided by the given compositional structures and
the audibly inspired beauty of every player.The whole unfolded like a
mystery." -----Megan
