Joni Mitchell's influences

[davidfcooper]

http://newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/arts/music/pop/11888/

I'm struck by how middle of the road her tastes seem to be. And she's at least 99% more intellegent and cultured than most pop artists. Dislikes Abstract Expressionism? Dislikes poets, except for Pratt & Sandburg? Dislikes avant-garde jazz? To each her own. At least she likes Bird.

Comments

[thoughtsbykat.livejournal.com]

I think she 'diliked' abstract expressionism & poets in the 60's-70's when she went to NY. That's too much to say she is still like that. She's always ben a favorite of mine in her music and her art. I miss hearing new music by her.

[davidfcooper.livejournal.com]

She's a terrific song writer, and I give her credit for singing jazz in the late 70s/early 80s, something you would not expect from one who started out as a folk singer. Her voice is gone, but that happens with age.

I have a pet theory/correlation that the switch from horns to guitars in popular music occurred at roughly the same time as the demographic shift from cities to suburbs, and that both resulted in a cultural loss of sophistication. J.M. had the range and appetite to musically explore both sides.