Joni on Joni

October 1, 2018

This latest in the "Musicians in Their Own Words" series collects 27 newspaper, magazine, television, and radio interviews with singer-songwriter Mitchell (b. 1943). Editor Whitall (Women of Motown) prefaces each entry with context. The interviews span Mitchell's career from 1966, following the commercial success of her early folk albums and the polarizing jazz albums that ensued, to 2014. The first piece, a 1966 article from the Detroit News, is a vignette of her marriage to Chuck Mitchell and their shared career in Detroit's folk music scene. Cameron Crowe's 1979 Rolling Stone interview with Mitchell provides insight into an artist who takes direction from her muse, not her fans. Sylvie Simmons, biographer of Leonard Cohen (I'm Your Man), interviews Mitchell about her creative process in 1988. Later conversations offer a retrospective on the artist's career and biographical details. VERDICT This fascinating portrait of an artist is highly recommended for Mitchell's fans and readers interested in the creative process.--Emily Hamstra, Seattle

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