Ramzoo said:

How could Joni remember that Prince attended her concert when he was only 15?

He was seated in the front row.

He was in an aisle seat.

She describes why he was distinctive and therefore etched in her memory.

"I remember seeing him sitting in the front row when he was very young. He must have been about 15.”

Mitchell explained, “He was in an aisle seat and he had unusually big eyes. He watched the whole show with his collar up, looking side to side. You couldn’t miss him—he was a little Prince-ling.”


The show was quite likely her debut Twin Cities concert at the St Paul Civic Center Arena on 28 July, 1974.

Prince would have turned 16 the previous month.

Details of the show and two reviews linked here: https://jonimitchell.com/...fm?id=1387

Nothing beats the 84 version. Almost new wave.

Hamad said:

Ramzoo said:

Hamad said:

Joni has plenty of random stories like that about different events, people. Her memory impeccable and she doesn’t seem like the publicity stunt at all. I’m starting to ease into her 80s output, I just recently learned that she wanted David Byrne to produce “Wild Things Run Fast”, that would’ve been a match made in heaven.

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Her eighties output is fantastic.

I love even most of it.

Specially the ''Chalk Mark In A Rain Storm'' album from 1988.

Try it.

Nice duets with Peter Gabriel, Willie Nelson and Don Henley, Billy Idol, Tom Petty, and with Wendy & Lisa on backing vocals on some track.

Larry Klein plays wonderful fretless bass and a seriuos list of more well known musicians.

I love the pace of that album.

She fitted in well with the eighties sound and all.

It is warm, melodic, poppy and whimsical.

I have big love for her lyrics... always have.

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Hamad said:

RODSERLING said:

Vannormal said:

Hamad said:

I read what you said, and with all due respect all of it sound presumptuous & riddled with lazy generalizations. One or two or 10 examples won’t cut it, all human beings don’t operate within the same realm mentally, especially if you are known as somebody with a sharp mind and strong memory like Joni does. Also you assumed earlier that her remark is motivated from a publicity stunt, out of all the people who could be accused of such, you thought Joni who had a long reputation of rebelling against fame, publicity stunt for what and whom? She’s Joni for fuck sake also let’s look at it from a historical perspective, during that time of her career most of her audience were white, as an attentive personality as she was, I don’t think it would be hard to miss a young black kid from Minnesota no less, at the front soaking up everything. There’s always an exception to every rule, I understand you won’t remember anyone you see while you’re on stage, but there will always gonna be that audience member who’ll leave a strong impression on you. Prince could very well be that audience member, he left an indelible mark on people he encountered even before he became famous consistently, I don’t see it as far fetched that he would do the same to Joni. Just saying.

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And not alone that.

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To RODSERLING :

How many rock musicians picked their girl for the night out of the crowd while playing and showing off to that one particular chick in one of the front rows ?

How many stories aren't out there from seventies rock bands and the groupies picked from the crowd during concerts ?

And, every artist has for sure one or more stories to tell from people in the crowd.

Her's an example from Kris Martin (Coldplay), from strange frans in the crowd.

Knowing that their concerts mostly are stadium size.

Someone in the crowd yelled ''FUCK ME'', and after that they were together for four months.

Listen here. (funny story btw)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04g0h2j

Just saying.

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Her story about the fan letters doesn't make much sense. If her office tossed them as from the lunatic fringe, how did she know about them?

A gorgeous song, can see why Prince loved it. Joni had that combo of artist + ability to create songs which would appeal to the mainstream. Much like Prince, imo... makes for a rich catalogue.

RODSERLING said:

Oh yeah, for sure... I m sure the nurse who gave birth to Prince still remembers it. She gave birth to thousand babies, but this one were so special, and she has such a good memory she couldn't forget. She had one top ten in her life, she doesn't need publicity at all. Didn't she tell some years ago she remembered Prince letters he sent to her in his teenage years? No joke. Again, she must have received thousand letters in those years, not even at her home, and of course she opened them and read them, and remembers it, to the point she knows it was Prince, once he got famous. This is such daring BS that even at 10 years old I would have thought it ludicrous. If she has such brain, she clearly wasted her time as an artist, she should have worked for the NASA and sent people to Mars, or create interdimensional vortex trips, and send us to a dimension where Prince is still alive.

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HITS and charts are no meassurements for quality !

(As are having brains or not!)

It strikes me that some always manage to put their thinking in boxes;

the world, life, opinions about artists and music etc.

Which is everyone's own opinion of course. But that's just not enough.

Some often tend to divide things into strong black and white thinking, willing to divide for the simplicity of it.

It is widely know and clear that her influence cannot even be measured, or overestimated.

Just like many other more important unknown artists who were barely in a popular hit parade, or could be heard on mainstream radio channels.

Peace though.

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Ramzoo said:

I know he was seated in front row but he was just a common teenager.

A 3 foot tall BLACK teenager with giant eyes at a Joni Mitchell show? That would be hard to miss. There are typically more black guys in her band than in her audiences.

RODSERLING said:

Loooool that s the most incredible BS publicity stunt I ever read. Did JB remembered as well an 8 year old Prince dancing in the stage with him? That would beat Joni's claim by far though.

You're silly. Joni Mitchell needs no publicity and Prince himself would tell you that. She's a legend like him, but in some different ways even he wasn't able to match.

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Again.

Every artist has a story to tell from fans in the crowd.

Ask anyone when you get the chance.

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RODSERLING said:

Oh yeah, for sure... I m sure the nurse who gave birth to Prince still remembers it. She gave birth to thousand babies, but this one were so special, and she has such a good memory she couldn't forget. She had one top ten in her life, she doesn't need publicity at all. Didn't she tell some years ago she remembered Prince letters he sent to her in his teenage years? No joke. Again, she must have received thousand letters in those years, not even at her home, and of course she opened them and read them, and remembers it, to the point she knows it was Prince, once he got famous. This is such daring BS that even at 10 years old I would have thought it ludicrous. If she has such brain, she clearly wasted her time as an artist, she should have worked for the NASA and sent people to Mars, or create interdimensional vortex trips, and send us to a dimension where Prince is still alive.

On the Billboard hot 100, Bob Dylan had 23 songs (4 top 10 hits); Jimi Hendrix had 7 songs (0 top 10 hits); Joni hads 22 songs (3 top 10 hits), she also has 10 Grammys. Joni is an icon - one of the most influential artists of her time.

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Like many things about Prince, his handwriting was unique and stood out -- some even asked him if he was responsible for texting. Tupac loved him, and funny how he adopted a Princely style -- here shown in this letter (lots of eyes):

.

2Pac – Letter to Beethoven | Genius

"We have so much in common, we both love Prince..."

C U 2morrow

4 Eternity

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Tupac's cousin talking about his love for Prince:

That One Time Tupac Morph... - YouTube

RODSERLING said:

Hamad said:

Joni has plenty of random stories like that about different events, people. Her memory impeccable and she doesn’t seem like the publicity stunt at all. .

I don't think, when you're singing or/and playing instruments in front of thousand people, you are able to spend time staring one person in particular, especially with the lights off, that's complete BS. Even for someone like Prince, when you perform in front of thousands people, you are focusing on what you are doing : remembering or reading the lyrics, playing your instrument, thinking of what the next song would be, thinking of what you are going to say between each songs, watching your musicians... Clearly, people you are watching in concerts, they don't see you, even if they are looking at you, they are in fact looking in the void and are thinking of something else. You just don't have enough brain left to focus on someone in particular, and remember it ten years after, after hundreds of concerts. I met David Duchovny at an autograph signing in a record store a morning, the evening I saw it again at an other autograph signing before a concert, he didn't remember me. It was obvious he focused on what was going on next for him on stage, he talked and laughed and tried to be nice, but his mind had to be somewhere else. He could have seen me again after the concert, he wouldn't have recognized me. I have friends who makes concerts, guitarists, sax or singers, they just can't observe what is going on in the crowd. That would be just inhumane. [Edited 5/28/21 12:21pm]

Of course musicians notice people in the crowd. I recall Prince mentioning at a show that he was seeing some of the same people at the front from previous shows that week.

RODSERLING said:

Hamad said:

Joni has plenty of random stories like that about different events, people. Her memory impeccable and she doesn’t seem like the publicity stunt at all. .

I don't think, when you're singing or/and playing instruments in front of thousand people, you are able to spend time staring one person in particular, especially with the lights off, that's complete BS. Even for someone like Prince, when you perform in front of thousands people, you are focusing on what you are doing : remembering or reading the lyrics, playing your instrument, thinking of what the next song would be, thinking of what you are going to say between each songs, watching your musicians... Clearly, people you are watching in concerts, they don't see you, even if they are looking at you, they are in fact looking in the void and are thinking of something else. You just don't have enough brain left to focus on someone in particular, and remember it ten years after, after hundreds of concerts. I met David Duchovny at an autograph signing in a record store a morning, the evening I saw it again at an other autograph signing before a concert, he didn't remember me. It was obvious he focused on what was going on next for him on stage, he talked and laughed and tried to be nice, but his mind had to be somewhere else. He could have seen me again after the concert, he wouldn't have recognized me. I have friends who makes concerts, guitarists, sax or singers, they just can't observe what is going on in the crowd. That would be just inhumane. [Edited 5/28/21 12:21pm]

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Prince :

"TURN THE HOUSE LIGHTS ON"

How many times did he said that in just one concert ?

Let alone in his many concerts, AND tours.

Sure he did see many faces.

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