Joni Mitchell Interview 1988 "People are afraid of things they don't understand"

Broadcast on the 20th of July, 1988.
Video clips of songs have been cut to avoid copyright claims blocking this video.
Original source: tv.nrk.no/serie/toppop/1988/F...

[@garygreenfield5969]

What an intelligent and aware observer of life and culture. It's no wonder her music manages to convey so much meaning and feeling. She's a treasure still.

[@samlsmithmusic]

Her bit on intellect is dead on. We are so much stupider than our gift of emotional intuition and we betray it at cost.

[@lauriegoldsmith3511]

Honest and devoid of posturing. Thank you Joni for setting a different standard again.

[@tomasschiappacassi2401]

Hate to bust the count of comments at 69 but I wanted to point out how good the interviewer was!!! Joni is just the best ever idk what to even say about all those ideas

[@cbotten106]

She did a good job but that question about, "how do you feel about the folk music of the '60s" was a bit open ended.

[@lisarochester3751]

Intuition, insight and intelligence..an amazing woman.

[@Michael69]

I thought your profile photo was an image of Joni! Glad you enjoyed the video

[@lisarochester3751]

@@Michael69 :-)

[@burmashave]

She’s brilliant. Love her.

[@lifeintheshack2193]

Deep ,not many artists this open ,She is fascinating

[@rixvspinner]

Joni is one the best musicians ever. She has all the artistic talents utilizing her musical intelligence to produce whatever interests her and she always does it very well.

[@BIGTONEonline]

It was great watching this interview and hearing how "My Secret Place" came to be. It was the first Joni Mitchell song I remember hearing.

[@alexlanning712]

A lovely woman, an individual, who didnt fit into any category

[@Nikkithedog-t6b]

Got to be a massive IQ, the sure sign of it is extreme honesty.

[@jonezen1]

It is, along with autism, which in Joni's case is an eternal gift for our ears

[@dmljones2550]

Her imagination lyrically is off the planet. But she is message vocalist, an activist. I have always liked her most musically. Her expressive voice, her vocal phrasing, her weird and wonderful guitar chords.She, out all pop artists, has been full of diversity- a lot of people love her folk, but then her jazz rock, r&b , then her pure jazz. She then recorded folk rock pop in the 80’s such as the brilliant compilation album Chalk in The Rain Storm , then back to wonderfully done Night Ride Home and the Grammy Award winner Turbulent Indigo which had the beautiful torching ballad Sire of Sorrow and a host of other appealing tunes. But you really have to like Both Sides Now with her renditions of past Ballad tunes dating back prior to WW2. Backed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra many of its instrumentalists were openly in tears so touched with Joni singing these jazz ballads of yesteryear. She is a serious musician and song writer with a magnificent legacy.

[@FernandaGomezVasquez]

So much admiration for this woman, a true artist in every sense of the words

[@Michael69]

Una artista de verdad. Una buena persona y una mejor mujer

[@FernandaGomezVasquez]

@@Michael69 Absolutamente brillante. A medida que pasan los años, Joni y su obra se consolidan, en mi opinión, como lo más interesante de su generación. Como poeta a la altura de Dylan y cómo música, cantante y compositora a años luz de este último.

[@Winnipegger]

Her 80's work was so underappreciated! I didn't get into Joni till she released Dog Eat Dog which is her most harshly criticised work. I was too young to take notice of her in the 70's. So many of the artists I loved in the 80's stated how much they loved Joni (Annie Lennox, Stevie Nicks, Kate Bush and Cyndi Lauper) so I had to check her out. Good Friends I fell in love with right away. Wild Things Run Fast, Dog Eat Dog & Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm require reassessment.

[@GregoryBoydmusic]

Exellent interview. Particularily about her thoughts on Rock and Roll.

[@Michael69]

Such an articulate and thoughtful lady.

[@KevinMooretoons]

I love her vocal impressions of different musical beats. Her "rock" beat sounded like she would launch into Billy Squier's "Everybody Wants You". The "neurotic" post-punk beat cracked me up.

[@ambermackay921]

Great to hear to speak !

[@garypeatling7927]

Best interview I ever seen with my hero

[@debbieschmidling8158]

❤❤❤

[@toneman335]

Joni gets into some trippy thoughts in this interview!

[@marisasharratt8795]

Pure genius ❤

[@dougpitcairn1353]

Joni’s first few albums, largely written while she was a teenager, are jaw dropping … I believe it was Stevie Wonder that commented “ how does someone that young ever get to be that deep? “ Crosby’s comments after hearing her singing for the first time described a stage presence that almost felt supernatural, he claimed it pushed him back against the wall…

[@nancychace8619]

I get it. I traveled with some friends up from New Mexico to see her at Red Rocks, and somehow their tickets got screwed up. They wouldn't let us in until the last 3 minutes of the show. It was devastating. But those last 3 minutes were surreal, magical -

[@user-vw6xp5nl6t]

Smart lady. Thanks for uploading this.

[@faramund9865]

Very prophetic.

[@freddiewadling2090]

God, I would've fallen in love with her right at the first sentence...

[@jondstewart]

I love her accent! That is like 100% Canadian prairie and North Dakota!

[@Hugoknots]

Awesome interview

[@justinherbert9146]

Joni looks like a beautiful extra terrestrial here - maybe that's why she is so brilliant - she has advanced life form genetics

[@Nikkithedog-t6b]

That thought crosses my mind often, but in the end she is an example of what humans could be if they could access more than the tiny parts of the brain we do as people.

[@edgreen8140]

Chalkmark in a rainstorm was and is and is an excellent album peter and Willie were great choices.

[@mjonwilbrink2363]

Jonnie Mitchell, kom maar op, ik ben er heeelemaal klaar… voor

[@seancahalane1839]

Brilliant 🎼

[@lucy-zh8uc]

La amo tanto.

[@jesusislukeskywalker4294]

🙏❤️☝️ legend

[@laurabrownstone176]

Love Joni's mind.

[@azad0n409]

reflecting on what rock music has devolved into now in 2022...pretty uh interesting to say the least

[@o.b.4593]

Thank you for this!

[@Michael69]

You're welcome!

[@terrancelash]

She is what every human should aspire to be.

[@nancychace8619]

Very interesting. I could have seen her do something with Miles. We are lucky to have been able to enjoy her talent ~ Thanks, Joni 🙂

[@birdgirl2182]

Brilliant.

[@jerrychetty2524]

Joni mitchell is the best ever! I love her but she loves cigarettes more than anything else!

[@TylerMusicBoi]

It’s only just recently when she had her aneurysm, she had no choice but to quit! But god knows, most if not any photo of Joni from before 2015 or so, she had cigarette in hand! I honestly can’t picture her without a cigarette tucked between her index and middle finger.

[@cbotten106]

And she collected soda pop bottles off the ground when she was nine years old to buy them too. Just imagine little Joni buying her first pack of unfiltered Chesterfield's in 1952. It's part of what made Joni Mitchell who she is and I, personally, wouldn't change a single solitary thing.

[@micahjared8082]

She came off a stage with Jaco Pastorious. Joni is a GOAT. Dont let her fool you.

[@hdebard]

she is not only very honest, she is also deep and wise very wise

[@maxwellfan55]

Dedicated musicians, writers especially resent typecasting, Dylan being a classic example, Joni likewise. Anything to constrain their creativity is hell. They need room, patience, understanding, same as most but much more, a different breed.

[@luluwerner1909]

La amo muchísimo. Gracias por compartir!

[@imabchbm1966]

She is so awesome

[@sagemeyer1010]

🌈😊💜NICE MY DIFFERENT DRUMMER!!!😊👌👌

[@laurabrownstone176]

I was a young adult in the 80s. It was all for show, no heart.

[@snafujag100]

Canadian girls kick ass!

[@sadiemaguire]

You never listened to a word of this interview

[@snafujag100]

@@sadiemaguire why do you assume that? I am a big fan of Joni.

[@socrates1818]

Yes to all the above but Judee Sill is/was in a category apart from everyone

[@daffyduk77]

With all the huge success, deserved popular acclaim etc, , very sensitive to "what the critics think", which is a shame. Is it more likely that women are sensitive to critics than men ? IDK

[@windy-cities-finnest]

😂

[@cl4ire_]

17:55

[@2porangi]

I enjoy all types of music, Jim Reeves was one of my favourites, then I found out he was a racist, never been the same since. Bob Dylan is another of my favourites, is he a plagiarist? dont know, I will be disappointed, but i'll still enjoy his music with maybe a bit less enthusiasm.

[@Michael69]

I understand. The video I'm currently working on has led me to find out many things about the song's writer, and it's beyond disappointing and has at times caused me to consider abandoning the entire project, but I think sometimes it's important to separate the art from the artist. As for Dylan, I don't think he's a plagiarist, he's just otherworldly. In his 60 minutes interview, he spoke about how songs like "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" come to you through the ephemeral muse and that it's not something you can just sit down and write. As Leonard Cohen said shortly before his death, "I think that Bob Dylan knows this more than all of us: you don't write the songs anyhow."

[@cbotten106]

As the famous composer Igor Stravinsky once said, "Lesser artists borrow, great artists steal." The best stuff gets recycled regularly and a lot of the time we just don't know it. Steal and synthesize could be the key to "genius".

[@rustygoldfanatic8830]

Mother of the year,lol. She chose her music career over being a mother to her child.

[@Michael69]

That's not exactly true. She was young when she birthed her daughter and felt as though, due to her circumstances (having no money, the father up and left them), she could not provide well enough for her and give her what she needed/deserved, so she gave her up for adoption in the hopes she could have a better life. Her music career came after; it was a means to express herself and grieve for her daughter, hence many songs have references to her. In the late 90s when Joni and her daughter reuinited, Joni said that she didn't have a reason to make music anymore because she was mainly doing it for her daughter. She returned to put all her energy into what work was always her first and foremost - painting.

[@dtaylor939]

Fraud!

[@mysecretplace352]

explain?

[@brunomoreno8359]

Deaf

[@garypeatling7927]

Fool

[@FernandaGomezVasquez]

You should take the time to explain this statement

[@garyhanick6429]

Why?

[@skaboosh]

like the WEF for example... another hero disappoints and thrown to the wayside, bye bye joni, it was great but you're not one of us

[@Michael69]

What are you talking about?

[@skaboosh]

@@Michael69 so you can bash me or so you can look into it? It's a huge subject, if you haven't got into it yet, you won't believe it.... start with her support of Neil young attacking and trying to censor the dj guy who asks questions that are important for our health..... then go to laurel canyon in the 60s.....it'll take you a long time until you realise

[@yodservant]

I think they refer to the World Economic Forum, Klaus Schwab and the Great Reset currently being pushed on Humanity. Joni doesn't seem to acknowledge this is indeed happening, or has been mind controlled or ordered to stay silent by the Powers that Be, same with Neil Young ...hence falling into the manipulation of the Global cabal...she's a musical genius absolutely, but has human frailties like us all...

[@yodservant]

@@skaboosh precisely, these hugely talented Laurel Canyon artists were cultivated and used by CIA, Rand Corp, MKultra, Tavistock and a myriad of other nefarious agencies in order to create a "cultural revolution" which ultimately has resulted in the world Controllier situation of the present day ....Kerry Cassidy is one investigative journalist who has spent her life uncovering these uncomfortable truths ....Esalen Institute was part of this, California in the 60s was the targeted hotbed of manipulation precisely because of the abundance of talent and creative genius centered there in the beautiful sunshine and glorious landscape....

[@american_cosmic]

@@skaboosh Oh please. You don't even know what the word censor means.

[@MPHORROCKS]

She's one smart, talented, beautiful lady!

[@cbotten106]

Talking about ticking ALL the boxes!