Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
I like Janet Jackson's reworking better than the source material.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo0OXOiOIK4

The great Q-Tip on vocals. Joni got credits and money for this, btw.
  

    
That's not a bad cover, Rocket. It's other covers of "Big Yellow Taxi"
that have diminished the song for me: The Counting Crows did a
version, and someone else back in the 90s--Amy Grant? Yes, Amy Grant.

Which makes me wonder if it's Joni's "River" that you grew tired of,
Gail, or the many covers of it we hear around the holidays?   

    
  

    
>And Dan, I meant to praise the excellence of your posts,
>of course. May my entertaining only child grow up to 
>think and write half as well as you. 

Thanks!  Now I've gotta pick up your book!

Actually it was on the list already, since this discussion touched off
a flurry of Joni-listening this past week.  I went through peak-Joni
close to twenty years ago and haven't seriously listened thru her
albums in at least five years (tend to do a lot of library shuffles and
playlists now that everything is on the old digital jukebox).

Coming at her albums relatively fresh after a five year absence was
something of a revelation.  I'm older now, and my perspective has
shifted a bit, naturally.  I find her work even more powerful now than
I did before, which is something of a surprise, and I think I better
understand why her work seems to connect with me so well.  Sometimes
you fall in love with something in your youth, then realize as you get
older it was alright, but not all that.  Joni's work I apparently
appreciate more with each passing year.

Hey, if Taylor Swift brings the masses to Joni, even if only 10% of
'em go anywhere beyond Blue, that'll still be a huge audience spinning
The Hissing of Summer Lawns and Mingus for the first time.  This old
cynic can at least take comfort in that.
 
  

    
Thanks again for hosting me here, Wellians.  

Joni's work does reward reexamination, doesn't it, Dan? I'm sure I'll
find new ways to be grateful for it as the decades pass.  And as I
mentioned before, I'm also a fan of the music she's making now. Like
some of our best jazz singers, she's evolved her phrasing over the
years to accommodate her reduced vocal range, and the results are
beautiful.    

Here's hoping for dozens of new books and films that analyze and
depict Joni's contribution to music (Yes, even Taylor Swift in a Joni
role. Her legacy can probably handle it).  I believe Joni & her work
merit the breadth and depth of examination usually reserved for the
canonized classical composers.  

For me, though, the best thing for Joni would be an autobiography.  As
bombastic as it may sound, I believe it's accurate to say that Joni
usually strives for truth or beauty when she speaks or writes (or as
it's put more succinctly in that great Janet Jackson cover that
<Rocket> shared: she "never lies.") If she'd steer clear of certain
embittering subjects, her brilliance would animate every page.  And
even if Joni's memoirs only served to further mythologize her life, as
Dylan's CHRONICLES did, they would offer a look into her creative mind.
 That would be invaluable.  

From the source:   
“When I write my memoirs, I’m not going to write very much about all
the songs, the music business. That’s like a dream. Basically, there’s
kind of a mystical thread that runs through my life, and I could write
a really interesting book just about how mysterious life is. I’m kind
of testing the stories. I keep telling my tales to everyone. I wax very
autobiographical to anyone who will listen and even those who won’t.” 

It seems appropriate to toast the unofficial close of this fine
discussion with a listen to "Both Sides Now"--Joni's later recording of
the song with orchestra. I'll check back in here from time to time.   
  

    
Thanks for being here, and, of course, do check in. Be nice to see you
else-Well, too, of course. 

There's another discussion starting, but I have a feeling we haven't
seen the end of this one. 
  

    
Thanks Michelle.  You've been one of the best author guests to visit
here.  You are engaged, truly into your subject, able to explain
complex things simply, willing to mix it up with us, and inclusive. 
Hope you stick around.
  

    
Great stuff, all.  

Inspired to learn more or grab the book?  Here's Michelle's website:
http://michellemercer.com/willyoutakeme.cfm
  

    
I'm rewarding myself with breaks from work with a few pages at a time.
Thanks, Michelle!
  

    
Thanks, Michelle, thanks for the book and sticking around, and thanks
john and ed ...
It's interesting that the more I hear and/or read Joni discussing her
work, I remain as captivated by her oeuvre as ever, but less interested
in what she may have to say about it - I usually find knowing more
about the genesis of an artists work adds resonance and meaning - and
of course I found this with Joni, but I also found I was less
interested in what she had to say about her work than the work itself
more than most artists I slavishly adore (all six of them...)
  

    
This is a great book!  It's so articulate and speaks to what we love
so much and feel about Joni!

I actually like reading about her own opinions of her music...she's
really aware of her own growth through many different stages in her
life.