The Bottom Line
Pros
- Explores in depth Mitchell's autobiographical style of songwriting, though Joni winces at that term.
- Rarely-seen early photos of Joni, as a child and on her travels.
- Largely sympathetic look by a biographer who is also undeniably a fan.
- Much of the book is based on the author's direct interviews with the oft-reclusive Mitchell.
Cons
- While it covers the origins of the album well, it does not go into depth on her Greek experiences.
Description
- "In the Manner of the Ancients", the first chapter, deals with Mitchell in Matala.
- Intriguing description of the real-life, ominous encounter behind the apparently innocent song "Court and Spark".
- The author avoids any sleazy details - this isn't a tell-all type of biography.
- It's an intimate book - you may feel as if Mercer is leading you by the hand over to meet Mitchell at a party.
Guide Review - Joni Mitchell's Blue Period - in Greece
Joni Mitchell's Blue Period
Michelle Mercer
Free Press, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4165-5929-0 or 1-4165-5929-9
CONTENTS:
Introduction
In the Manner of the Ancients
Eyes on the Land and the Sky
Art Songs
Singing the Blues Makes You Bluer
Beyond Personal Songwriting
The Breadth of Extremities
Coda: Stuff Joni Likes or Even Loves
Author Michelle Mercer administered a litmus test to her potential boyfriends for years - she'd play Joni Mitchell's music and quiz them on their reactions and understanding. Later, while writing a biography on Mitchell friend Wayne Shorter, she had the opportunity to quiz the lady herself, beginning a series of interviews which ultimately resulted in the writing of this book. While it focuses on Mitchell, it also reveals a great deal about its author, a radio producer for NPR, about St. Augustine's influence, and on the pros and cons of autobiographical songwriting - or at least its use as a label.
At times, the length of the book feels a little stretched - did St. Augustine really need the equivalent of a chapter to himself? But wherever possible Mercer sticks to her own interview material with Mitchell, embedding it throughout the book. What couldn't logically fit elsewhere in the narrative ends up in a final chapter called "Coda: Stuff Joni Likes or Even Loves", which consists of some odds and ends, such as this one-sentence section entitled Pinball - "Isn't it great how sometimes you can feel like you're part of the machine?"
For Mitchell fans who are also fans of Greece, the chapter on Matala is all too brief. But the book includes several evocative photos of Mitchell in Matala, sitting in front of the "Mermaid Cafe" with the real-life "Carey", Cary Raditz.
