Hey all you People!
I am SO GLAD I finally came to a JoniFest. Ashara, you are a GODDESS. Lord
knows how you put up with all us freaks... Thank you PATRICK for finally
convincing me with cigarette burns and other assorted emotional blackmail
that I should really go... you were right, I had a great time!! BTW,
Patrick, on the ride home Alison and Jeff and Rose and I were marveling at
how you keep your pulse on as many aspects of popular culture as possible (I
had made a comment on how it was so great that there was no TV, and I was
corrected -- you had to keep up with the tennis!), and then I mused that
there really should be a Patrick Leader Action Figure collection... Hang Out
Patrick. Dancer Patrick. Critic Patrick. Pool Shark Patrick. TV Patrick.
Bar Stool Patrick. I'm open to further suggestions...
I too will have a go at summarizing some high points... "We smoked real
good... FOR FREE" is definitely a highlight, along with "THE GANJA LINE/THE
GANJA LINE/THE GANJA LINE" (Bob, insert elephant call here). I laughed
harder than I have laughed in ages... "Guesses based on what each stash of
time and ganja's touching..." Steve Polifka, you are INSANE! I love it!!!!
(and I haven't forgotten about the oils, either, baby...) Hey, next year
let's sing Carey: "Carey get out your stash/and I'll get out some
papers/come on down to the Mermaid Cafe/and we'll get high tonight... MON."
OK, OK, OK, I'll stop...
Weather: FANTASTIC. COuldn't have asked for better... Anne Sandstrom and
Bob Mueller, thank you so much for the music organization and the emceeing,
respectively; Bob, if you're too sick of it next year, I hereby nominate
Jimmy to be Emcee -- but liquor him up first! Was so psyched to meet the
legendary Paz (and that's PAHZ, not PAZZ), loved your music, loved trying
out the VG8, loved your entrepreneurial spirit, what with arranging for so
much great music; loved the shrimp! One day I'll show up on your doorstep
and you'll wonder what the cat dragged in... Claudia, it was such a joy to
sing with you, your renditions of Joni and Sandy and others -- all great --
but your original songs are GREAT and you must come to NYC... John, thanks
for the tips, the support, and of course, THE CHOCOLATE... Alison, DON'T
GO!! You too will wonder someday soon what the hell the cat dragged in...
Utah yeehaw... you sang Townes so beautifully, DON'T STOP... Yael and
Lamadoo, great to meet you, thanks so much for sharing your room with me...
Yael, you sounded great, keep it up!! Rose it was so nice to spend more
time with you and thanks a million for the driving... it's a good thing this
weekend is over, actually, because a few more days, and I would most
definitely have crossed the divide from "social smoker" to SMOKER. Now,
Rose, why would you remind me of cigarettes?... ;-) ... Gregg Cagno, what
a true pleasure to hear you play -- you're goin' places, baby! Oh, and you
know that every woman there -- yes, ALL of them -- wants to marry you,
right? Just keep 'em guessing and you'll expand your fan base
exponentially... I want to pick your brain about the electronics in your
guitar, but I'll email you separately about that (and about other sweet
nothings... heh heh heh... and you thought Alison was the only hussy in the
bunch...{oh, and Stephen Epstein, if Alison won't put out, I will!} ) ...
Kate and Jeff, wonderful to hear you, I love the combo of the California
sound and the country-rock sound you have going... Jeff Clark, great
playing, I admire your Joni tuning scholarship, let's get together soon...
VICTOR!! All right, next year, there WILL be a fully orchestrated, operatic
rendition of "War Pigs." I swear to you that I will learn the lyrics
between now and then. It was great to hang out with you. I am awed by your
energy, your musical adventurousness and your sense of the absurd... Chris
Marshall, turn that damned video cam off!! Your bass playing was great, I
loved the addition of the Jaco thread to the music that everyone wove...
we'll have to attempt Coyote next year... this is getting REALLY LONG and I
haven't even made it through half the things I wanted to say... so I'll say
that this is Part One. Part Two to follow...
So glad I joined you all this year.... :-)
Kay Ashley
