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From the moment Joni Mitchell's career began -- with coffee-house bookings, serendipitous encounters with established stars, and a recording contract that gave her full creative control over her music -- the woman from the Canadian wheat fields has eluded industry cliches. When her peers were focused on feminism, Mitchell was plumbing the depths of her own human condition. When arena rock was king, she turned to jazz. When all others hailed Bob Dylan as a musical messiah, Mitchell saw a fraud burdened with halitosis. Unafraid to "write in her own blood," regardless of the cost, Mitchell has been vilified as a diva and embraced as a genius, but rarely has she been recognized as an artist and a thinker.
This new portrait of the reclusive icon examines how significant life events -- failed relationships, the surrender of her infant daughter, debilitating sickness -- have influenced her creative expression. Author Katherine Monk captures the rich legacy of her multifaceted subject in this offbeat account, weaving in personal reflections and astute cultural observations, and revealing the Mitchell who remains misunderstood.
List of contents
Introduction viii
one | Lady Looked Like a Dude: Impersonation and Identity 1
two | Facing Down the Grim Reaper: Illness and Survival 27
three | Baby Bumps: Expecting and Expectation 48
four | Woodstock: Myth and Mythmaking 88
five | Business and Bullshit 104
six | Gods and Monsters 136
seven | Love: The Big Production 193
eight | I’m Okay, You’re O’Keeff e 218
nine | Sing Shine Dance 232
Afterword 257
Acknowledgements 259
Notes 262
Bibliography 275
Index 279
About the author
Katherine Monk is a national movie journalist for Postmedia News Service. Her journalism career includes stints as a movie critic, pop music critic, and news reporter. Her bestselling book on Canadian film, Weird Sex and Snowshoes, was adapted to the screen by Omni Film in 2004. Joni Mitchell has been part of her life's soundtrack for as long as she can remember. She lives in Vancouver.
