Hello all! I have been lurking here for months now, and I would now like to introduce myself. My name is Ruth. I live in Richmond, VA (any fellow jimdlers in Richmond?) and I have been a Joni fan since about 1970. Like many other fans, my older sisters introduced me to her work. Like a multitude of other admirers, I viewed Joni as my own personal muse at a very important time in my life. She even appeared to me in a dream, explaining duality, although in the dream she referred to it as "twoness".
I got distracted and lost touch with Joni somewhere around Mingus. I later reconnected with CMIARS and NRH. I have a couple of comments on recent discussions. First, I have always believed the inspiration behind That Song About the Midway, The Priest, and Rainy Night House was Leonard Cohen. Some of Cohen's poetry (not songs) seems to refer to Joni. He called her Saint Joan, and said she sang her songs to show us we were not yet found, or something to that effect. Also, his father was a wealthy clothing manufacturer, which could be why he was "wearing his father's tie". Regarding the "is Joni's older work more melodic" discussion, imho, the breakup with LK and the joys/sorrows of reuniting with Kilauren have knocked the wind out of her sails. I do not think she has yet recovered. Add to that her disgust with the current music scene and music industry, and I can understand why she is not doing any really groudbreaking work these days. She is, after all, human. She has given a lot more than most in this world. "Auntie Ruthie"
