Defiantly Joni: Pop-Up Exhibit
MUSE/IQUE Presents
A Pop-Up Exhibit
"Carved from the Heart"
MUSE/IQUE Pop-Up Exhibits are designed to take you deeper into the story behind the music, expanding your connection to the sounds you're about to experience on stage. Start your journey with Joni's songs by experiencing the range and depth of her art —from her painting to her voice.
When the Ink Sets In
At 16, Joni Mitchell set her first poetry ink on paper with the poem “The Fishbowl.” Part of a school assignment, the poem was an empathic commentary on fame and, in her words, the price one pays for it.
The poem clearly showcased Joni’s ability to share intimate thoughts, which, once read, engrave the reader with deep, personal disclosure of a wide palette of human experiences, feelings, and societal themes that remain ever relevant.
When the Ink Sets In
At 16, Joni Mitchell set her first poetry ink on paper with the poem “The Fishbowl.” Part of a school assignment, the poem was an empathic commentary on fame and, in her words, the price one pays for it.
The poem clearly showcased Joni’s ability to share intimate thoughts, which, once read, engrave the reader with deep, personal disclosure of a wide palette of human experiences, feelings, and societal themes that remain ever relevant.
Words Mold into Melodies
Joni’s compositions take us on a tidal journey, a constant momentum of ups, downs, turns, and pathways, molded into a road of self-discovery. Distinct in range and timbre, each song is unmistakably a map of her intent and a guide for the listener to find their own compass toward a deeply personal uncovering.
A Harmonic Embrace
In 1968, while performing at the Big Sur Folk Festival, Joni met the artist and dulcimer maker Joellen Lapidus, and she purchased one of Joellen’s handmade dulcimers. With this unique, resonant, four-string instrument, Joni traveled to Europe and wrote four songs that went on her 1971 album, Blue: “A Case of You,” “All I Want,” “Carey,” and “California.”
Always in Tune
“Joni only plays an instrument that looks like a guitar,” says Fred Walecki, Joni Mitchell’s longtime friend and instrument maker, known for contributing to the sounds of many well-known artists of this era through his landmark music store Westwood Music, which ran in his family since 1947. He adds: “After her performance, picking up her guitar - tuned in her own distinctive way - is like trying to lift King Arthur’s sword.”
Always in Tune (cont.)
Throughout her career, Joni discovered that using alternative tuning techniques on her guitar gave her more freedom, but at the same time it also introduced a technical complexity to her live performances, as her guitar techs had to keep track of 50+ tunings between her songs. In 1995, Joni turned to Fred once again, and he created a magnificent, custom Roland-equipped rig that we know today as the Roland VG-8 V-Guitar System which, with a click of a pedal, switched the tuning on her guitar, a guitar he handmade, which Joni named the Greenpeace.
Sung Out Loud
In 1969, Judy Collins won a Grammy Award for Best Folk Performance for her recording of Joni Mitchell’s song, “Both Sides Now.” But the story behind how Joni’s rendition of the song traveled to Judy is one that cements the power of her voice… and the way her words eliminated all boundaries.
Sung Out Loud (cont.)
As Judy writes: “One night, in the spring of 1967, I was fast asleep when the phone rang at three in the morning. Al Kooper, the founder of the group Blood, Sweat & Tears, said a few words about being sorry to be calling so late and then told me he had met a great songwriter and wanted me to hear her sing an amazing song. He put Joni Mitchell on the phone. After Joni sang me ‘Both Sides Now,’ I put the phone down and wept. I had never heard a song that I felt was so beautiful, and it would change both our lives.” – Sweet Judy Blue Eyes: My Life in Music, by Judy Collins (2011)
On a Defiant New Path
"I have no fear of the blank canvas” are the words of Joni Mitchell when asked how she begins her creative process, pointing out that each new work is an opportunity to create a new outpouring of expression - a meditative experience of looking inward to output a new map as a guiding star to find our true selves.