I am really, really jealous. And intrigued.
Music mogul Clive Davis tells me he’s scored the first interview with superstar legend Joni Mitchell since her 2015 brain aneurysm.
The interview will be part of Clive’s May 15th Grammy Zoom Gala that features a panoply of A list stars. Davis interviews Paul Simon, Elton John, and a host of big names. HER, the hot hot hot female pop R&B star, is among the performers.
But the Joni interview is a BIG deal. Clive says, “We chose a great performance of Joni singing Both Sides Now for the piece.” What did they talk about? “Oh, you’ll have to wait and see. I don’t even know how we’re going to edit it down. There’s so much great stuff. We talked for a long time.”
I know the feeling. I once had a six hour phone interview with Joni back in the day. It was a transformative experience.
Clive’s last Zoom Gala had over 2,000 guests on, more than a third of them were celebrities, stars, VIPs. The event went on for five hours.
What’s so great about Joni being involved: she started coming to Clive’s pre-Grammy dinner a few years ago, with producer Richard Perry. Joni, who is very critical when she’s watching performances, fell in love with the event. She’s returned year and year. Now we’ll hear her talk a little about her career and recovering from her illness, which she’s done beautifully.
If you want to catch up on Joni pre-event, go to rhinorecords.com and discover her new box sets. Joni’s transformation from folk and pop to jazz and beyond is breathtaking. My favorite album is “The Hissing of Summer Lawns.” And then, listen to Tina Turner sing “Edith and the Kingpin” on Spotify. It will blow your mind.
Speaking of Tina, Clive also interviewed Oprah Winfrey about Tina for the Zoom Gala. Oprah never lets other people interview her. That should be something!
Clive is already the greatest music man, record exec etc in history. Now he’s turned into a historian and journalist for the ages. He’d better turn all of these pieces into a documentary. A second “Soundtrack of our Lives.”
