Two Radio 4 programmes of Interest – last week’s Desert Island Discs featured the great Tracey Thorn and was a really good listen. Today in the Archive Hour between 8-9pm is a documentary on Joni. There are archive BBC interviews with her from the 60’s and 70’s, and also in the same period her talking to her friend Malka. They reveal her impact on her fans and on songwriting. Also includes heartfelt contributions from those who knew her best.
Joni Mitchell Radio 4 tonight and Tracey Thorn Desert Island
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I really enjoyed the Tracey Thorn DID. She’s been one of my favourite singers for a long time. Don’t know if I’ve ever heard her talk before though.
It’s fascinating how with some singers you can recognise their talking voice in their singing voice. Not so with Tracey.
Yes that’s true. Uncannily she also sounded extremely like one of my friends, even down to the same expressive speech intonations.
Had a teacher at Uni who sounded exactly like Neil Young.
Yes enjoyed her DID. Noticed that she ticked boxes for her selections, parents, sibling, partner, children etc.
Yes just listened to it. Very good. I can’t get on with her new album though, which is odd as I love pretty much everything else she has done.
Her last one wasn’t for me either, but I do remain confident she will put something out in future I will love, like much of her previous work.
Funny. I adore Record. A Distant Shore has emotional connotations for me, otherwise I would say it was my favourite of her solo records.
I’ve never even got all the way through it. My dislike of synth pop is probably the problem. I like her in torch or kitchen sink mode. Never better than here:
“You’re stamping up the stairs
I’m crying at the kitchen sink…
Worry about growing up….
…I know what’s coming up – don’t let me be the last one to know”.
She’s fantastic.
Me too. I have this in my DJ box – a sure-fire way to get the middle-aged mums on the dancefloor, although I do get some funny looks.
Yes, I liked that she did that and had really thought it through, though the Led Zeppelin for her brother was a surprise! It was also interesting about how she had related to the Diana Ross song “I’m Still Waiting” because of the ” I remember when I was five and you were ten” – the fact it had referenced being a child. I would have never noticed that at such a young age.
The DID was an excellent listen.
Somewhat alarmed by the perfect tense of “knew her best” without the qualifying phrase “at the time”.
I think I thought the “at the time” in my head whilst failing to write it down which was a bit of an error. (I was also copying it from a Times review which used that wording.) She is very much with us, despite the terrible brain aneurysm she is still recovering from.
Thanks for the tip about the Tracey Thorn Desert Island Discs. Pretty good interview.
I was rather hoping she’d mention the gig in April 1980(?) that her first band the Stern Bops played at St. Albans College of Further Education, where the band I wrote lyrics for were also on the bill.
But she didn’t.