> My personal experience is that most people know little or nothing about her work or stopped listening after Court and Spark.>
That's interesting because I've noticed a similar kind of theme. I think that anyone who takes music seriously (pop/rock/folk/jazz) will know who Joni Mitchell is. Whether they can name her albums or recite the lyrics to one of her songs is another matter, but they'll know who she is and at least have a vague idea about her significant contribution to music. For people who don't take music seriously, for those who get their daily dose of tunes from the FM radio on the drive to work or who only like "songs with beats" will probably not know who Joni is. If they do it's thanks to Janet Jackson or one of her modern tributaries, and even then their understanding of "Joni Mitchell" will be vague at best: "Isn't she, like, that blond folk singer from, like, a THOUSAND years ago?" Surprisingly, my parents did not really know who Joni Mitchell was until I started listening to her records at full volume before bedtime - "Turn that woman off!" they'd shout. Gradually they came to respect my respect for Joni Mitchell and learned a lot about her in the process. The simple fact that she is Canadian endears her to my mother (our clan is Canadian, you see) and her artwork has inspired my mom to buy her book from the Mendel. But until I imported Joni into our home, my mom thought she was an American folk who raised hippies under her skirt. So, you can't even say it's a generational thing. Many baby boomers don't know who she is, or simply don't care, or they know but only vaguely. Conversely, many people my age and younger do know who she is and enjoy her work tremendously. So, my conclusion is that it's based on an appreciation and understanding of the music scene. If you follow music, if you enjoy its history and its "culture" you will know who Joni Mitchell is. If you only like "songs with beats" may God have mercy on your sorry ass. -Andrew Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com
