“Simplistic”: Joni Mitchell on the dumbest period of rock music
Beneath the mellifluous harmonies, calming, emotive folk, and musical innovation, Joni Mitchell is not an artist who minces her words. Despite being inextricably tied to the counterculture, unlike most hippies—a demographic she has made no bones about loathing—she prides herself on having a rigid backbone and being autonomous. This adds a peculiar dimension to her character, which starkly juxtaposes her position as the revered lady of the canyon and has produced many astounding vignettes over the years.
While Mitchell’s music and words present her as a serene, almost metaphysical character adept at delivering musical and personal transcendence, the person behind the art has shown is tough as old boots. Her extra-musical career is littered with junctures where she’s confirmed her vitriolic side to be so extreme that she’s given her generation’s premium cynic, Keith Richards, a run for his money.
From Bob Dylan to Madonna, the Canadian songwriter has demonstrated that she’s afraid of no one, and nothing will stop her from voicing her opinion. While this is undoubtedly a countercultural characteristic, with her exercising her right to free speech and general independence, it doesn’t stop some of Mitchell’s comments from making you wince due to how hateful they are, particularly the ones that are aimed at other female artists.
Whether it be accusing fellow leading ladies of the counterculture Janis Joplin and Grace Slick of “sleeping with their whole bands and falling down drunk” or dismissing Madonna as a “whore”, clearly, Mitchell is not the ethereal supreme being many deem her to be. It’s only really her artistic brilliance that separates her from other bitter boomers.
In her time, Mitchell has taken exception to many things, and when speaking to Rolling Stone in 1979, she explained what she thought was the dumbest period of rock. Casting her mind back to the 1950s, she said, “Pop music was something else in that time”. She was 15, and at the time, The Hit Parade was on for only one hour a day, and the rest of what was played on the radio was still stuck in her parents’ world, Mantovani, country and western, and radio journalism. It was mostly country and western, which she wasn’t a fan of. She explained: “To me it was simplistic. Even as a child I liked morecomplex melody.”
However, as we know, the musical landscape for the youth began to shift dramatically in the latter half of the decade, with the emergence of rock ‘n’ roll pioneers like Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Elvis Presley, and others. By this time, Mitchell was well into her teenage years and revelled in the excitement of the era, regularly dancing to the energetic sounds of these trailblazing artists. Yet, as with many movements that start off pure, Mitchell felt that rock ‘n’ roll was eventually hijacked and entered what she described as “a really dumb vanilla period”. While she didn’t specify exactly when or what that was, she noted that folk music filled the void for her, suggesting it was likely the early 1960s—a time that coincided with the formative years of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Dave Clark Five.
Mitchell recalled: “In my teens I loved to dance. That was my thing. I instigated a Wednesday night dance ’cause I could hardly make it to the weekends. For dancing, I loved Chuck Berry. Ray Charles. ‘What I’d Say.’ I liked Elvis Presley. I liked the Everly Brothers. But then this thing happened. Rock & roll went through a really dumb vanilla period. And during that period, folk music came in to fill the hole.”
Frustrated by the prevailing rock music of the time, Mitchell returned to singing and immersed herself in the folk revival. Initially, she picked up a guitar merely to join friends in singing Kingston Trio songs at parties, all while intending to pursue art school. However, she quickly discovered a natural talent for music. Coupled with her firmly established worldview, even at that young age, her path to success became clear and straightforward.
