I hate to be critical of one of my all-time idols, Joni Mitchell, but there’s a quote in this NY Times profile by my friend David Yaffe that stuck in my craw. The news hook is Joni’s collaborative piece with the Alberta Ballet called “The Fiddle and the Drum.” She’s talking about the visual backdrop to the song “If I Had a Heart, I’d Cry”:
“During that song,” she explained, “there are seven night photographs of the earth from every angle, and when you see it, it’s frightening to witness what an electronic blight we are at night.”
Joni also expresses anger and dismay, and rightly so, about the Iraq war. And yet how shall we say it… an overabundance of nighttime electricity is not one of the things blighting the people of Iraq at present. Just think what the internally displaced poor of Congo would do for a few hours’ worth. Not everyone on the planet lives well in Southern California and drives a Lexus. Again, I hate to direct that at someone whose music changed my life. But come on — it’s a facile pronouncement.
Posting is slow because I’m writing a difficult piece for the May issue of Jazz Times on the wonderful Anthony Braxton. And gearing up for a big transition in the coming months. I’ll keep posting as much as I’m able, but not as much as I’d like.
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