Hi gang,
I was trying to think of a list of must-have Joni literature, from books to magazine articles to newspaper items. These are things I would highly recommend to either a long-time Joni fan or someone who wanted to get to know her work. Heres what Ive come up with. Please suggest any others. BOOKS: 1. Shadows and Light the biography by Karen OBrien Its flawed but no less informative and insightful. There are great photos and good commentary with plenty of very interesting information about Jonis life and career. 2. The Joni Mitchell Companion: Four Decades of Commentary by Stacy Luftig This is a must-have. Its a collection of Joni-related essays, articles and interviews. There are philosophical essays about the recurring themes in Jonis work, analysis of her lyrics and guitar chords, interviews from obscure publications from decades ago and great photos. 3. Voices: The work of Joni Mitchell Gilles Hebert, editor; The Mendel Art Gallery This is the only book about Jonis artwork youll probably ever see. It includes wonderful reproductions of Jonis paintings, drawings and photographs, as well reflections on her work by Gilles Hebert, Joni herself, and her friend Amy Adler. MAGAZINE ARTICLES: 1. The Rollingstone Interview by Cameron Crowe, Rollingstone magazine, July 1979. A fascinating and lengthy interview with Joni, primarily focused on the album Mingus but with a lot of reflection about past works and hopes for future projects. Really insightful! 2. Joni Mitchell Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman Anne Bayin, Elm Street magazine, November 2000. Jonis childhood friend, Anne Bayin, writes a reflection on her days growing up with Joni. Lots of very unique insight about Joni the child with some references to her exhibit at the Mendel in 2000. Rare photos of Joni as a teenager with other personal photos of Anne and Joni as adults, hanging out in the bar at Jonis hotel in Saskatoon. 3. The Unfiltered Joni Mitchell by Dave DiMartino, MOJO magazine, August 1998. Another great interview that probes into her frustration with the music business, the album Taming the Tiger and her reflections on past works. Rare photos of Joni with Don Freed, Bjork, Graham Nash, Peter Gabriel, Van Halen and plenty of solo photos of Joni through the ages, including some rare ones of her lounging around at home. 4. Jonis Secret: Mother and Child Reunion by Brian Johnson, Danylo Hawaleshka and Dale Eisler, Macleans magazine, April 1997. The Canadian exclusive about the reunion in Vancouver of Joni with Kilauren. Lots of great information about how it all came to be with the first photos of Joni and daughter, hugging for the first time. NEWSPAPER ARTICLES: 1. From All Sides Now by Alan Jackson, the Los Angeles Times/the Globe and Mail, March 14, 2000. This is the most comprehensive newspaper feature Ive read about Joni. It consists of an interview with Joni about the album Both Sides Now with reflections on the final stages of her career and some great commentary about her albums. There are also rare photos of Joni at the Bel Air Hotel in Los Angeles, all decked out in Miyake creations. Yahoo! Platinum - Watch CBS' NCAA March Madness, live on your desktop!
