The music of Joni Mitchell has provided more than simply a much-loved soundtrack to eras of author Paul Lisicky's life. It's been his companion through heartache and despair; it has taught and inspired him, certainly, but it's also been an object of study, even during periods of time when his allegiance strayed to other singers and sounds.
Having discovered Mitchell's music when he was a budding songwriter, Lisicky (The Narrow Door; Later: My Life at the Edge of the World) examines the artist's work with a depth of musical understanding, emotional connection, and personal insight. Song So Wild and Blue is an intimate encounter that grippingly depicts the influence an artist can have on another person's life, the power that art can have in helping people make sense of their own lives.
Lisicky's work braids memoir, criticism, and cultural study as he tracks himself, Mitchell, and American society through the end of the 20th century and into the 21st with growing awareness and tenderness. Lisicky shares how Mitchell often showed him the bravery required to stay creatively fresh and relevant, not to settle for whatever level of acclaim comes (or doesn't come) one's way. "When I listened to Court and Spark, I realized that you could still be yourself--you could keep all your chords and musical figures intact but with more vitamins: enhanced, emboldened, ripped."
Ultimately, Song So Wild and Blue is a fascinating personal tribute to one of the most original and influential voices of the 20th century, crafted so that readers can see Joni Mitchell from new angles, through the prism of Lisicky's artistry. --Elizabeth DeNoma, executive editor, DeNoma Literary Services, Seattle, Wash.