Comments on: Girls Like Them

By: Will64

Will64 — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:41:04 +0000

I think I remember something from an old National Lampoon album (the one with Mr. Rogers interviewing the bass player).

“I’m a woman,
I’m a human,
I’m a sister.
I’m a singer,
I’m a person,
I am me.
I have to take some time,
to get myself together,
I have to take some time so I can be,
free..”

By: Narya

Narya — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:11:54 +0000

Anyone else remember the SNL bit that Gilda Radner did, where she’s singing some Powerful Woman song and the men in the room–producer, manager, etc.–continually stop her, belittle her, etc.? Always thought that was a brilliant piece.

By: joeyess

joeyess — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:57:33 +0000

I demand to see Shakira’s ass!

By: Linkmeister

Linkmeister — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:41:59 +0000

Let’s go to the collection: 2 Carly albums; 2 Carole albums; 6 Joni albums. Nearly 20 Linda albums.

Hmm.

By: MrsTarquinBiscuitbarrel

MrsTarquinBiscuitbarrel — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:20:50 +0000

Having read Girls Like Us when it first came out, and re-read it a couple weeks ago, I especially appreciated Sheila Weller’s presentation from a woman’s POV of three women from very different backgrounds who made their ways largely on their own terms in a guy-run business. I read a ton of books about the musicians whose works form the soundtrack of my life, and almost all of them are about men, and by men. Some of these books are simply magnificent. But the “chick singer” label can be horrendously diminishing. I especially appreciated Weller’s wry comparison of Joni Mitchell’s genuinely penniless boho youth–secretly bearing and giving up a daughter for adoption in 1965, with whom she reunited more than thirty years later–to Bob Dylan’s self-scrubbing of his suburban, nice-Jewish-frat-boy background, and his stint reading old newspapers in the New York Public Library as subjects for his songs. Granted, both Dylan and Mitchell are treasures, but Weller’s astringent point is that Mitchell downplayed the risky aspects of her background, for fear of social ostracism, while Dylan made up his ramblin’-man persona out of whole cloth… or newsprint. Definitely a book worth reading!

By: LittlePig

LittlePig — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:28:54 +0000

Because we respected… talent. And other stuff.

Remarkable talent displayed by Carly in Playing Possum as well. Much one-handed applause was awarded.

By: HalloweenJack

HalloweenJack — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:23:43 +0000

Yeah, big crush on Ronstadt here in the late seventies.

By: SteveM

SteveM — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:52:25 +0000

Because we respected… talent. And other stuff.

Linda Ronstadt’s Hasten Down the Wind, too?

(The Living in the USA picture disc had a certain appeal as well.)

By: KiwiJackson

KiwiJackson — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:06:07 +0000

Hello, I’m 38 and a great fan of Joni Mitchell due to my big sis being a fan. Have seen her many times live. She has the most beautiful voice and phrasing.

Don’t change your handle.

By: MaryCh

MaryCh — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 06:54:10 +0000

Funny how folks of a certain same-ish age have found their way to TBogg’s. I’m not keeping track enough to know, though, is there any overlap between the commenters on this post (I recognize all the music, and still have my copy of Tapestry, thanks) and the ones with all those funnysounding post-70s (-80s?) band and song names in the weekly random ten post?

[signing off before I concede needing to change my handle to MsFogey]