Good for her that she can still perform, but when we reach a certain age, we should know enough to step away from the spotlight. I prefer to remember Joni when she was at her prime.
Good for her that she can still perform, but when we reach a certain age, we should know enough to step away from the spotlight. I prefer to remember Joni when she was at her prime.
I get what you're saying, John, but also keep in mind what she has gone through to get back to this point. She suffered a brain aneurysm in 2015 that left her unable to walk or talk, let alone play guitar. From an NPR report:
So much of this must be from sheer force of will. Credit should also go to Brandi Carlile, who has worked closely with her to get her back to a genuine performance level.
You're right, John, it's not peak Joni, but what a miracle she is.
Good for her that she can still perform, but when we reach a certain age, we should know enough to step away from the spotlight. I prefer to remember Joni when she was at her prime.
I get what you're saying, John, but also keep in mind what she has gone through to get back to this point. She suffered a brain aneurysm in 2015 that left her unable to walk or talk, let alone play guitar. From an NPR report:
So much of this must be from sheer force of will. Credit should also go to Brandi Carlile, who has worked closely with her to get her back to a genuine performance level.
You're right, John, it's not peak Joni, but what a miracle she is.
Of course, I give her credit for her strong will and her remarkable recovery, but I prefer to remember Joni as a talented young woman and not as a struggling senior trying to relive her past.
@sizedoesmatter John, full disclosure, I had not watched the Grammy performance yet when I posted yesterday. I have seen a few seconds of it now. It was...not good. I'm hopeful that this endeavor is a prelude to some new music. After all, Marianne Faithfull reinvented herself in her later years in a very interesting way.
I don't think anyone expects the level of performance any of these older entertainers offered in their earlier years. Still, I'm giving credit to those who are brave enough to go out there on stage in the seventies and eighties to show us that life is not over just because you are aged. Joni is not going out on tour. She's not cutting a new album. But hearing her sing, "I've looked at life from both sides now..." at eighty carries a far more profound meaning than it did when she was twenty-five. I can say the same for Johnny Cash who recorded "Hurt" at an advanced age. Roy Clark sing "When I Was Young" in his later years had an emotional impact it never carried earlier. I would not have wanted to miss any of them.
I'm not the world's most emotional guy but both my wife's and my eyes were filled with tears as we watched Joni singing Both Sides Now. Remembering her version when she was young and pretty with a sweet voice made us think about when WE were young. A very powerful and moving performance.
Remember, by the way, that although Joni wrote it, it was Judy Collins who sang the song first, and had the big hit with it.
