Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell (born: Roberta Joan Anderson November 7, 1943) is a Canadian folk singer, guitarist, songwriter and painter. She is highly respected both by music critics and fellow musicians and has been an influence on rock, pop and folk musicians.
"I spent a lot of time on a street called Bleecker Street, and on Bleecker Street is a theatre called the Garrick Theatre, and in the Garrick theatre are the Mothers of Invention. And, uh, they're coming over pretty soon. So this is Chelsea Morning, rainbow sunshine song influenced slightly by the Mothers of Invention." [1]
Mitchell dated Jim "Motorhead" Sherwood while they were in New York in 1967. When Zappa's entourage returned to California in May 1968 Mitchell was living in a house on Lookout Mountain Avenue adjacent to The Log Cabin on Laurel Canyon Boulevard:
“My dining room looked out over Frank Zappa’s duck pond, and once when my mother was visiting, three naked girls were floating around on a raft in the pond. My mother was horrified by my neighborhood.”
She performed with The Mothers at the Fillmore East, New York November 13th 1970:
"Joni Mitchell sat in with us last night during the second show and we improvised a thing that was really good and we ended it with her singing ‘Duke of Earl’. Really far out. She came on stage: 'Now ok and we’re going to improvise this thing…’ and we did a few chords for her and she started reciting this poem which began: 'Penelope wants to fuck the sea!“…and the audience did a double take 'yuunk!’… a little hush falls over the Fillmore….Joni Mitchell?"[2]
Later Mark Volman recalled:
'Penelope wants to Fuck the Sea' was introduced by Joni Mitchell as a poem she had written that she could never perform, live or otherwise. Joni was basically a real funny person. I had lived up the hill from her on Lookout Mountain and knew her from our singer-songwriter nights in Laurel Canyon. Her image was huge and her fans relied on her to maintain her status as the "earth mother to the stars". Frank always got a kick out of stars joining us and sinking down to our level. Grace Slick came up on stage one night and humped everyone on stage, albeit with her clothes on, as a gesture of her freedom to be weird. When Joni recited the poem, Frank directed the band through a series of noises and musical sounds that followed the poem to its climax. Joni had this huge smile on her face when she finished as though she had really broke some rules and Frank really laughed. I mean with a huge big ol' grin he laughed out loud. Frank was someone you loved to perform for."[3]
Mitchell is mentioned in "Billy The Mountain" on "Just Another Band From L.A." (1972): "Underneath Joni Mitchell's autographed picture, ...".
Zappa named Mitchell's 1971 album Blue an impressive record and played the song "All I Want" on WSTM, Chicago, 21 November 1974.
Her "Refuge Of The Roads" concert DVD includes Vinnie Colaiuta.
Notes
- ↑ Mitchell introducing Chelsea Morning, September 16, 1967, Leicester, England
- ↑ Quote attributed to Zappa (Miles, 1970)
- ↑ Commenting on Mitchell's site
