WHEN in the course of human Events, it becomes necessary….
The Long Goodbye: Joni Mitchell, Love Among the Ruins
byVanderleunonApril 8, 2018
You think you know, but you don’t know.
“I don’t know if I’ve learned anything yet! I did learn how to have a happy home, but I consider myself fortunate in that regard because I could’ve rolled right by it. Everybody has a superficial side and a deep side, but this culture doesn’t place much value on depth — we don’t have shamans or soothsayers, and depth isn’t encouraged or understood. Surrounded by this shallow, glossy society we develop a shallow side, too, and we become attracted to fluff. That’s reflected in the fact that this culture sets up an addiction to romance based on insecurity — the uncertainty of whether or not you’re truly united with the object of your obsession is the rush people get hooked on. I’ve seen this pattern so much in myself and my friends and some people never get off that line.
“But along with developing my superficial side, I always nurtured a deeper longing, so even when I was falling into the trap of that other kind of love, I was hip to what I was doing. I recently read an article in Esquire magazine called ‘The End of Sex,’ that said something that struck me as very true. It said: “If you want endless repetition, see a lot of different people. If you want infinite variety, stay with one.” What happens when you date is you run all your best moves and tell all your best stories.
“You can’t do that with a longtime mate because he knows all that old material. With a long relationship, things die then are rekindled, and that shared process of rebirth deepens the love. It’s hard work, though, and a lot of people run at the first sign of trouble. You’re with this person, and suddenly you look like an asshole to them or they look like an asshole to you — it’s unpleasant, but if you can get through it you get closer and you learn a way of loving that’s different from the neurotic love enshrined in movies. It’s warmer and has more padding to it.” — Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell – Both Sides Now 1969
Despite her prominence among the young musicians of the 1960s and 1970s, and her writing of “Woodstock” (where she was prevented from performing because her manager thought it was more advantageous to appear on The Dick Cavett Show), she did not align herself with the era’s protest movements or its cultural manifestations. She has said that the parents of the boomers were unhappy, and “out of it came this liberated, spoiled, selfish generation into the costume ball of free love, free sex, free music, free, free, free, free we’re so free. And Woodstock was the culmination of it.” But “I was not a part of that,” she explained in an interview. “I was not a part of the anti-war movement, either. I played in Fort Bragg. I went the Bob Hope route because I had uncles who died in the war, and I thought it was a shame to blame the boys who were drafted.” Even Bob Dylan, one of the most iconic musicians of the Baby Boom generation, has not escaped Mitchell’s generational critique: “I like a lot of Bob’s songs. Musically he’s not very gifted.”
“On May 29, 2015, it was confirmed that Mitchell had suffered a brain aneurysm and that while speech was difficult, she had been communicating with others. As of May 2015 Mitchell was expected to be moved to a rehabilitation facility, as her condition was still considered to be “very serious”.[72] About a month later close friend David Crosby said “nobody found her for a while” and “to my knowledge, she is not speaking yet.”[73] However, Mitchell’s conservator, Leslie Morris, later released a statement saying that “details that have emerged in the past few days are mostly speculative. The truth is that Joni is speaking, and she’s speaking well. She is not walking yet…”[74]
In July 2015, Mitchell was back at home, undergoing physical therapy and “making progress”, according to her lawyer Rebecca J. Thyne.[75] In October 2015, Mitchell’s friend, singer Judy Collins, reported that she was taking part in rehabilitation every day and was walking, talking and painting” — — La Wik
It didn’t make it into the movie (lotsa good performances there didn’t, and some pretty mediocre fluff which didn’t actually happen at Winterland that night did), but one of the memorable moments of the Band’s Thanksgiving 1976 returning-from-live-gigs spectacular was her fellow Canuckistani Neil Young —wearing a T-shirt showing a couple in full-monty soixante-neuf, no less— repeatedly groping Joni Mitchell on stage. Neen there, done that (not the groping Joni part, though).
Sorry… No correct/edit function here (and the undisableable Nazi autocorrect changed “retiring” to “returning” and “been” to “neen”), but I was referring course, to Martin Scorese’s great film, The Last Waltz, a documentary —more or less— on the San Francisco Winterland concert of the same name. Joni was visibly mortified by Mister Helpless’s helplessness in the thrall of his obsessions.
Joni was my idea of the most stellar woman that could ever be. She’s 12 years older than me but from the age of 13 when I first heard of her I fantasized of meeting her… actually thought maybe she’d like me. One beautiful sunny day in Santa Fe back in 1992… I was 33… Joni was walking down Marcy Street straight in my direction. It was like that moment you’ve heard about when you die… supposedly every memory you’ve ever had comes rushing before your eyes. Certainly every Joni memory I ever had exploded in my mind. As we passed I said, “Hi.” Joni said, “Hello.” I let her be. I didn’t want to invade. If I had begun to tell her of how much she meant, how I have her every album, how I know the words to every song… she would have been spraying me with mace as I was dragged down the sidewalk by her ankle. I let her be. For a couple of hours I was shaking my head and telling myself that wasn’t Joni. Could have been her twin sister but that wasn’t Joni. Nope… resume a normal breathing pattern and carry onward. Then the phone rang and it was my close pal Sara K who was a signer/songwriter herself. She screamed, “Tom.. I just drank a glass of wine with Joni Mitchell down at Club West.” Then I screamed.
HApril 9, 2018, 3:48 AM
She was never pretty.
But My God that woman was beautiful and could sing!
One of the big problems with the Boomer generation was the notion that friends would stick by you when you didn’t have a family. The truth is, they don’t. Joni Mitchell might have made it to the hospital sooner, if she’d been married to someone that cared about her. Or if she’d chosen to raise her daughter back in the day. Young people don’t like to consider what it’s like to be old and alone, then go about making choices that put them in that situation when they do get old.
Rob De WittApril 10, 2018, 8:53 PM
Teri,
Exactly.
Well I know it’s not so long ago
You were only twenty-one.
But time moves only one way,
And you won’t always be young.
And if you don’t think, when you get old,
You can be alone and blue,
Let me tell you my friend:
You’ve got some thinking to do.
And if you don’t think an old man
Could be alone and blue,
Let me tell you my friend,
He’s just like you
Peter Wernick of Hot Rize
Ken MitchellApril 11, 2018, 7:12 PM
Patvann April 8, 2018, 11:42 AM wrote: “I ignorantly placed her with all the other 60’s twits, and useful idiots. I was wrong.”
The thing that really impressed me was that while she criticized the “hawks” in the Viet Nam war days, she also condemned the communists who murdered so many people after the war. None of the other “anti-war” people ever did.
Steve MassaApril 12, 2018, 7:43 PM
Loved Joni’s music even before ever hearing her (i.e. Tom Rush’s cover of Joni’s song “The Circle Game”). Listen to her music often . . . hope she is doing well . . . glad to hear she may be well enough to paint. Truly one of the most talented singer/songwriters of my generation. God Bless You Joni!
Real World Address for Donations, Mash Notes and Hate Mail
Gerard Van der Leun
1692 MANGROVE AVE
APT 379
Chico, Ca 95926
Green Pants Interior by Klahn
Who Am I? by Carl Sandburg
My head knocks against the stars.
My feet are on the hilltops.
My finger-tips are in the valleys and shores of universal life.
Down in the sounding foam of primal things I reach my hands and play with pebbles of destiny.
I have been to hell and back many times.
I know all about heaven, for I have talked with God.
I dabble in the blood and guts of the terrible.
I know the passionate seizure of beauty
And the marvelous rebellion of man at all signs reading “Keep Off.”
My name is Truth and I am the most elusive captive in the universe.
Duty, Beauty, Liberty, Country, Honor, Family, Faith — Plus a few simple easy to follow rules for guys
Men saw the stars at the edge of the sea
They thought great thoughts about liberty
Poets wrote down words that did fit
Writers wrote books
Thinkers thought about it
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
Many’s the road I have walked upon
Many’s the hour between dusk and dawn
Many’s the time
Many’s the mile
I see it all now
Through the eyes of a child
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
And close your eyes
Leave it all for a while
Leave the world
And your worries behind
You will build on whatever is real
And wake up each day
To a new waking dream
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Change, change come over
Change come over
Talkin’ about a change
Change, change
Change come over, now
Change, change, change come over
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
Gerard Van der Leun
Comments on this entry are closed.
I’m waiting for the guys at http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/ to respond . . .
I ignorantly placed her with all the other 60’s twits, and useful idiots.
I was wrong.
So how many of the 60’s generation were in the Movement, free love, communes, protests? I bet is was less than 1%. But they got all the press.
So how many college kids and faculty are progressive idiots? 1%?
Popular people don’t have friends, they have “close” friends.
For Sunday:
https://youtu.be/ROjgn0t5fOo
“Although I speak in tongues
Of men and angels
I’m just sounding brass
And tinkling cymbals without love”
It didn’t make it into the movie (lotsa good performances there didn’t, and some pretty mediocre fluff which didn’t actually happen at Winterland that night did), but one of the memorable moments of the Band’s Thanksgiving 1976 returning-from-live-gigs spectacular was her fellow Canuckistani Neil Young —wearing a T-shirt showing a couple in full-monty soixante-neuf, no less— repeatedly groping Joni Mitchell on stage. Neen there, done that (not the groping Joni part, though).
Sorry… No correct/edit function here (and the undisableable Nazi autocorrect changed “retiring” to “returning” and “been” to “neen”), but I was referring course, to Martin Scorese’s great film, The Last Waltz, a documentary —more or less— on the San Francisco Winterland concert of the same name. Joni was visibly mortified by Mister Helpless’s helplessness in the thrall of his obsessions.
Lovely, Bunny.
Oh yes, bunny, yes indeed.
vanderleun, You may want to look up Pozo Seco Singers doing “Time” on youtube. Just a haunting tune to goes right to the soul of us oldies. Joe Krill
on the one side truth towers like a cliff,on the other side love dangles by a thread/bittersweet /david crosby
Anyone from Fort Macleod, Alberta can’t be all that bad.
Joni was my idea of the most stellar woman that could ever be. She’s 12 years older than me but from the age of 13 when I first heard of her I fantasized of meeting her… actually thought maybe she’d like me. One beautiful sunny day in Santa Fe back in 1992… I was 33… Joni was walking down Marcy Street straight in my direction. It was like that moment you’ve heard about when you die… supposedly every memory you’ve ever had comes rushing before your eyes. Certainly every Joni memory I ever had exploded in my mind. As we passed I said, “Hi.” Joni said, “Hello.” I let her be. I didn’t want to invade. If I had begun to tell her of how much she meant, how I have her every album, how I know the words to every song… she would have been spraying me with mace as I was dragged down the sidewalk by her ankle. I let her be. For a couple of hours I was shaking my head and telling myself that wasn’t Joni. Could have been her twin sister but that wasn’t Joni. Nope… resume a normal breathing pattern and carry onward. Then the phone rang and it was my close pal Sara K who was a signer/songwriter herself. She screamed, “Tom.. I just drank a glass of wine with Joni Mitchell down at Club West.” Then I screamed.
She was never pretty.
But My God that woman was beautiful and could sing!
Tom Hyland for the win!
I’m waiting for the guys at http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/ to respond . . .
Heh. The life-is-so-hard Dylanist lifestylers?
Great tale, Tom.
Grandma! I thought you died 10 years ago.
One of the big problems with the Boomer generation was the notion that friends would stick by you when you didn’t have a family. The truth is, they don’t. Joni Mitchell might have made it to the hospital sooner, if she’d been married to someone that cared about her. Or if she’d chosen to raise her daughter back in the day. Young people don’t like to consider what it’s like to be old and alone, then go about making choices that put them in that situation when they do get old.
Teri,
Exactly.
Well I know it’s not so long ago
You were only twenty-one.
But time moves only one way,
And you won’t always be young.
And if you don’t think, when you get old,
You can be alone and blue,
Let me tell you my friend:
You’ve got some thinking to do.
And if you don’t think an old man
Could be alone and blue,
Let me tell you my friend,
He’s just like you
Peter Wernick of Hot Rize
Patvann April 8, 2018, 11:42 AM wrote: “I ignorantly placed her with all the other 60’s twits, and useful idiots. I was wrong.”
The thing that really impressed me was that while she criticized the “hawks” in the Viet Nam war days, she also condemned the communists who murdered so many people after the war. None of the other “anti-war” people ever did.
Loved Joni’s music even before ever hearing her (i.e. Tom Rush’s cover of Joni’s song “The Circle Game”). Listen to her music often . . . hope she is doing well . . . glad to hear she may be well enough to paint. Truly one of the most talented singer/songwriters of my generation. God Bless You Joni!