Fury in the world of Folk

Lisnaholic · 03-13-2011, 10:31 PM

More than most musicians, folk artists are usually very polite about each other, presumably because human warmth is an important part of the folk style.

A year ago next month, Joni Mitchell broke that tacit rule with her comments about Bob Dylan. Here is one website`s report about what she said :

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times that ran April 22, Mitchell called Dylan a fake. Mitchell blasted Dylan with both barrels: “Bob is not authentic at all. He’s a plagiarist and his name and voice are fake,” she said, “Bob is a deception. We are like night and day, he and I.”

Mitchell doesn't clarify the plagiarism accusation, but a number of outlets have connected the dots to a New York Times 2006 article that notes the similarities between Dylan's lyrics on "Modern Times" to those of confederate poet Henry Timrod.

In the L.A. Times piece, the only person getting away unscathed is Jimi Hendrix, whom Mitchell calls “the sweetest guy.” As far as the rest of us, Mitchell, doesn’t seem to have much use for us for the last 30 years. She says her later work “is set against the stupid, destructive way we live on this planet. Americans have decided to be stupid and shallow since 1980. Madonna is like Nero; she marks the turning point.” Ouch.

I`ve always admired Joni Mitchell, and it certainly took some courage to speak out against two such icons as Bob and Madonna. The trouble with courage is that it can lead equally to acts of heroism or folly.

So, a year down the road, what`s your verdict on Joni`s outburst - heroic or foolish ?

03-13-2011, 10:31 PM	#1 (permalink)
Lisnaholic ...here to hear... Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: He lives on Love Street Posts: 4,444	Fury in the world of Folk More than most musicians, folk artists are usually very polite about each other, presumably because human warmth is an important part of the folk style. A year ago next month, Joni Mitchell broke that tacit rule with her comments about Bob Dylan. Here is one website`s report about what she said : In an interview with the Los Angeles Times that ran April 22, Mitchell called Dylan a fake. Mitchell blasted Dylan with both barrels: “Bob is not authentic at all. He’s a plagiarist and his name and voice are fake,” she said, “Bob is a deception. We are like night and day, he and I.” Mitchell doesn't clarify the plagiarism accusation, but a number of outlets have connected the dots to a New York Times 2006 article that notes the similarities between Dylan's lyrics on "Modern Times" to those of confederate poet Henry Timrod. In the L.A. Times piece, the only person getting away unscathed is Jimi Hendrix, whom Mitchell calls “the sweetest guy.” As far as the rest of us, Mitchell, doesn’t seem to have much use for us for the last 30 years. She says her later work “is set against the stupid, destructive way we live on this planet. Americans have decided to be stupid and shallow since 1980. Madonna is like Nero; she marks the turning point.” Ouch. I`ve always admired Joni Mitchell, and it certainly took some courage to speak out against two such icons as Bob and Madonna. The trouble with courage is that it can lead equally to acts of heroism or folly. So, a year down the road, what`s your verdict on Joni`s outburst - heroic or foolish ?