Joni Mitchell

If you are thinking, great, finally a Joni Mitchell biography, then think again. Joni Mitchell: In Her Own Words is not a typical chronological biography, it is the transcripts of 3 interviews carried out by Malka Marom over the period of 35 years give or take a year. Marom is herself a singer and performer who has crossed over into the world of broadcaster and documentary maker. She first encounter Joni in a coffee house in 1966 and was entranced by the genius that is Joni Mitchell. In 1973 Malka had the opportunity to interview Joni and this and 2 subsequent interviews are the basis of this book.

What you get is a fascinating insight into the mind and the creative genius of Joni, you can see where her inspiration lies and how she has always pushed the boundaries of music, crossing from genre to genre, building upon her own personal musicianship and blending it with other great musicians from around the world. Joni Mitchell in my opinion is one of the greatest talents to emerge in the second half of the 20th century, this gifted musician, poet and artist/producer, all of which she excels at, has never had the praise that many of her male counterparts have been given and yet her music and art are as unique, fresh, forward thinking as the day they were put down on tape or paper.

This is a great book for anyone fascinated by Joni Mitchell, not only do you see something of the real woman, but to show the creative process her lyrics/poetry and art are used throughout to give us an inkling into how this great artist works.

And so on a final note, In Her Own Words is a must for fans and for anyone who loves music, poetry and art. But don't expect a page by page biography of her life and loves. This is quite special.

Joni Mitchell is a hero of mine. This is the first biography I've read about her for some reason, and I found it to be well written and full of stories I had never heard. Sometimes after reading a biography about a hero, that person seems a little less brighter to me than they had previously. Not so with Marom's book. Joni Mitchell remains a bright shining star in my mind.