BOOK REPORT #3

Michelle Mercer is a writer and NPR contributer, but beyond that, she is, like myself, a fan of Joni Mitchell. She writes from a (highly informed) fan's perspective. I like that. I relate to that. If it's dark sides you're looking for, this may not be the right book. If you are a fan - especially of her "Blue Period" - you must read this.

Mercer met Joni while working on her first book Footprints: The Life an Work of Wayne Shorter. After interviewing Joni for that book, she continued to conduct first hand interviews with her, many of which are chronicled and quoted in the book. She also looks into her motivations as a songwriter and storyteller. Some of Joni's more obvious influences are relationships and her geographical surroundings but Mercer takes it to a higher level: What makes anyone want to write a song about themselves at all? Why do we engage in so-called "confessional songwriting"? As much as she is associated with it, Mitchell doesn't like that term. Nevertheless, the history of confession-as-art is documented by Mercer with references to Augustine among others. It's very meta. Why was Joni doing these things she didn't even like or know she was doing? Because it's human nature or some kind of collective sub/conscious...yadayadayada. I dig it.

The "Blue Period" is, arguably, the span in Joni's career when she did her best work. It covers 1971 - 1976 (Blue, For the Roses, Court and Spark, Hissing of Summer Lawns, and Hejira). WOWOWOW. What a collection of albums. All amazing. Just to go on record - Hejira is my favorite. It's a masterpiece. Before I read this book, I didn't know that it was primarily written while Joni was driving across country to Damariscotta, Maine on a pseudo kidnapping mission. I like knowing these things. This book is informative and anecdotal without being gossipy. There are no piano songs on Hejira. It's much easier to write guitar songs on the road. Very eeenteresting.

Some may take issue with Mercer injecting the book with stories from her own life but I found her stories entertaining and her writing good -if a bit aggressively anti-Dan Fogelberg/Carly Simon. Sometimes I felt like telling her "If you don't have anything nice to say..." but perhaps she had spent a little too much time Joni. Anyone who's read interviews with Joni knows that it's better not to get her started either. Don't bring up that "minor talent" Jackson Browne if you know what's good for you!

I recommend this book to all fans of Joni Mitchell, all song-writers, all hippies and Graham Nash who is all of the above.