No one sounds like Joni Mitchell. She developed a gossamer signature style that has remained a touchstone for other artists for decades. Albums like Court and Spark, The Hissing of Summer Lawns, and Hejira made her reputation. That is why Brandi Carlile, 44, not only looks up to Joni Mitchell, 82. She also considers Mitchell a lofty "standard" by which she measures her own work.
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Carlile Puts Mitchell on a Pedestal
Per People, Brandi Carlile shared, "She's inspired me in so many ways, but I think one of the most profound ways is in what I won't write because of Joni." She added, "There are songs that just don't get through the filter anymore of, 'Can I drive up to that gate and play this song for Joni over a glass of wine?' If I can't, it doesn't get written." That is truly respect!
It seems like something organic and intuitive that Carlile can't quite clarify. "I don't really understand the metric of how I judge those things. It just have to do with how I feel when I'm playing them."
"The Muse" Versus "the Ick"
Per the outlet, this is how Carlile fancifully explained it. "I could play a song with two chords and 10 words for Joni, but if it comes from the place that she calls 'the muse' instead of 'the ick,' then I can hold my head up."
She then qualified that statement a little. "But if I try and satiate someone or something by writing a song, if I'm trying to guess how it's going to be perceived by other people in the process of making it, it will come out in a way that I can't stand behind."
Carlile Got Mitchell Back in the Performing Mainstream in 2022
The two women seem like dear friends, not just colleagues in music. In fact, music is apparently what bonded them and they remain close. Per the outlet, Brandi Carlile encouraged the "Both Sides Now" singer to take the stage three years ago at the Newport Folk Festival. She had not done that for two decades. Joni Mitchell wowed the audience with her treasured hits like "Big Yellow Taxi" and "A Case of You." Those in attendance must have been enthralled.
