--- Kakki <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> For some surprising comments from Joni on Larry's
> producer role in her
> albums, you should read the Border Crossings article
> at
> http://www.jmdl.com/articles/docs/0102bc.cfm (Don
> Larry Klein Rowe should
> cover his eyes and ears from this, though ;
....
> the Joni collaboration doesn't
> work for me. Maybe they
> were too close to each other.
This is really an excellent article. Joni makes a
comparison between a producer interfering in the
recording artist's vision of how their own work should
be, comparing it to people interfering with a visual
artist doing a painting.
I think I can understand that - who wants kibbitzers
standing around saying, you should do it *this* way;
why are you using that colour? that sound? I'd be
telling them where to go. By contrast, my husband,
who is a painter, is always asking me for my opinion
on what he's doing - which I don't like to give
because a) I'm not an artist myself, so I can judge
only what I like and not what is "right" b) to me art
is more the process than the product - from what
little experience I have had in art training (which
consisted of a nightschool drawing class at the local
high school and I had fun), the artist immerses
themself in the work. I don't mind a little creative
criticism from people whose opinion I respect, but the
whole thing is so subjective anyway. I like colour
and texture and I don't care if the product is
realistic-looking or just blobs of colour, but for
some people, that's important - what do I know? I've
got lousy eyesight, so give me something colourful and
textural and I'm happy! My husband always wants me to
tell him what looks "more realistic, this one, or that
one?" and I say, to a person with eyesight like mine,
impressionism looks like reality when I'm not wearing
my glasses, so don't even ask!
When it comes to writing, an editor friend of mine
once told me that a good editor shouldn't leave any
footprints - that is, the editor should provide
insight into making the writer's work better or easier
to understand (and correct spelling, grammar
mistakes), but they shouldn't rewrite it - the
writer's voice needs to stay intact. There's a real
art to being an editor. As anyone who has ever done
any writing for a living can tell you, everyone's an
editor - at least, they *think* they are!
I can't imagine anyone of Joni's calibre being too
happy with someone telling her how to "improve" her
work.
> I was thinking some more about the Spanish Steps in
> "Only Joy in Town" - the
> song is probably about the Roman Spanish Steps but
> the lyrics really fit
> with the scene in downtown L.A. I found a photo of
> the L.A. steps at this
> link for any interested
>
http://www.usc.edu/dept/geography/losangeles/lawalk/new/tower.html
You've convinced me - now that I know about this, I
think it's LA, rather than Rome.
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