i picked up a love for Joni from an old friend's sibling who was a major fan, and she being an artist herself molded herself after Joni, as a singer songwriter with depth of creativity and passion that few could match, so i too fell for Joni along the way, her music is timeless, and her way of expressing her music is indeed unique especially on the single album that i still own, having bought it on vinyl, Ladies of the Canyon, and if you are not familiar with Joni's music it is a good place to start with her words being poignant, and the piano and other additional melodies being reminiscent of classical tunes from an era gone, or at least temporarily forgotten, i would listen to it right now, but the feline is sleeping on my hand as i type and she would get up to knock the needle off of the turntable and record to play her game, and anyway i listened to it recently, as recently as last week, as i needed to remind myself of what i am living for,
i once said in one of my endless stream of writings this past February, while i was in the hospital, that i would like to hear Norah play the Joni song 'For Free' that comes in early off the album i have, it is a powerful melody of heartbreaking tunes, with prescient words for any listener, as it describes the very fine line between fame and obscurity in the music world that holds lessons for everyone in every walk of life, and the song following that is my tune right now, it is powerful and makes me think about the future, and what it holds if i can grasp on to the reigns of my own existence, and live freely as i can today, it is a song of love and of heartbreak and it makes me think that all that i want is not too far off, so i love Joni, and her album that i have wraps up with two thoroughly optimistic songs, about Woodstock and Circles, and before your brain writes off what she is attempting to say in these songs, listen to the melody or even the harmony for it will speak to you, if you let it in,
i remember the singer songwriter that i once knew as the sibling of a friend, who was my closest ally for three years, and she was a rock solid performer, as precocious as anyone i have ever met, and it has always struck me as representative of her knowledge of music and life that she loved Joni Mitchell, as i would have never got involved in her music without the prodding of this younger sister, who gave the friend albums to listen to, which were then in my possession, as i lived with this friend, who gave me so much, she gave me the power of self-awareness even in the depths of distress, which i carry with me today, i can only wish that i gave her something in return, more than the ability to finish a degree that gave her a career, i helped with her mind and expand her hope to a limit that had no bounds, even through the pain and the memories, i hope i gave myself enough to allow her to heal, and move on,
wherever those two sisters are i truly want them to know that they mean a lot to me today, and i am deeply in debt to them, not that it ever needs to be fulfilled, but that they know that i appreciate everything that happened to me during those three years that were filled with the highest highs and sometimes even the lowest lows, but i am filled with satisfaction that i had those moments to spend with another human being who was my partner and friend, my best friend through it all, and i miss some of those highs that are fleeting, and am happy that i have other highs and more plateaus now that i have moved on, it was a tumultuous time to be alive in the Bay Area, but through it all, i learned about myself more than at any point up until recently, so i cherish the moments spent there, they were great, as i cherished the music i was learning from: Sinead, Talib Kweli, Blackalicious, and Lauryn all taught me deep lessons about life and my love of it rings true, so much so that i still listen to all this great music and relish the opportunity to have lived through it, and come out on the other side,
which gets me back to Joni, there are others like her, there are some with more fame, but her style is effervescent in a way that is difficult to project on a modern stage, perhaps the closest thing to her is someone like Nathalie Merchant, and her own timeless hymns of strength and understanding, and it makes me think about music in all its forms, from the classical music station that i listen all the way to Willie Nelson and even some though not much pop music, and my continuing love for hiphop, which is the strand of so much what i write about because it is so full of content, and words and poetry that is not too reflected in many other forms of music if any, so i will continue to write in order to gain peace and fortitude to face the challenges of my life, and come through alright, that is all i am trying to do, is come through life o.k., i dont have the lofty dreams of grandeur crowding out the inner peace anymore, i have self-awareness and contentedness, that brings me through the tough times, and makes me long for a new day......
