As she chats about UFOs, kisses, grandfathers, and more!
Janis Ian was always going to be a star. At the age of two, she began piano lessons.
By the age of 13, she was playing the organ, harmonica, French horn, and guitar. Songwriting for Janis started at the age of 12 with “Hair of Spun Gold” which later appeared on her debut album. Not long after that, she composed the iconic groundbreaker, “Society’s Child”.
Her biggest hit was released in 1975. “At Seventeen” is a bittersweet commentary on adolescent cruelty, the illusion of popularity, and teenage angst as told from the composer’s perspective. It reached number 3 in the charts and won the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal. According to the lyrics of “At Seventeen,” the teenaged Janis Ian had never received a Valentine. In 1977 she received 471 Valentine’s cards! Divine justice…
Let’s all sit down and for a lovely cuppa tea with Janis.
- Do you prefer performing, songwriting, acting, storytelling, or ??
Well, writing always comes first for me – it all springs from that. I did love performing and recording, but now that I can’t sing anymore, those are pretty much out of the ballpark. Acting is wonderful because I get to use tools I rarely access, things I learned from Stella Adler and my other brilliant teachers in that field.
At the end of the day, though, I’m happiest walking along a great forest path when the weather’s just cool enough to wear a light hoodie – with a book in hand, and a comfortable rock or bench somewhere to while away a few hours.
- Who would you like to duet with?
Everyone I never got to work with in life, pretty much. Chet Baker, Billie Holiday, David Bowie. I wish I’d paid more attention to people like Prince, instead of finding out too late that he admired my work and cited me as an influence – I’d have loved to hear his guitar on my voice. Tommy Emmanuel, who I’ve already worked with live. But again, no more singing, so it’s a moot point.
- What is the World Cafe?
It’s a very highly respected National Public Radio show. I’ve worked with them since they started, and really love the presentation and artists they select.
- What is the best song ever? Best comic ever?
Ah, I would not begin to judge that way! Art is so subjective… I wouldn’t even want to judge what my “best song” is. Plus, whatever I choose, I’d make a lot of my colleagues and friends mad at me!
- Have you ever seen a UFO?
No, but my mom and several of my friends have. I used to sit by the window and wait for my people to come and take me home because I was so sure I didn’t belong here. That may still be true…
- Do you remember your first kiss?
Yes. And my second. And my third. To be honest, none of them were great, but I improved with time.
- If you could have invited anyone – living or dead/famous or not – to our wee tea party, who would it have been?
Only if I had a translation machine or we could all speak the same language!
I’d hold two dinners. For the first, I’d invite Moses, his brother Aaron, Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and my wife. And Robin Williams, for sure Robin Williams. And Rab Nesbit. That would be quite a pack.
- Who was your childhood celebrity crush?
Janis Ian in1974
I’m not quite sure what that means… if it’s a performer I wanted to run away with, that would be Joan Baez – I wrote an entire article about it for my second or third issue of The Advocate, in fact. After that, George Harrison.
- Do you sing in the shower?
No, I’m usually occupied with other things when I shower.
- What was your grandfather like?
He was wonderful when we were growing up. On Friday nights after dinner, the men (four of my relatives) would sit down at the kitchen table to play pinochle, while the women gathered in the living room to play gin rummy. My Zaddy (grandfather) would always give us a silver dollar each if we stopped annoying them at the table. We discovered pretty quickly that it was a great way to increase our allowances.
- Did your dreams come true?
For the most part. Having to cancel my last European/UK/Scandinavian tour was a bitter blow if we’re being honest here. I’d always dreamed of playing sold-out shows at places like Carre in Amsterdam, and a several-day stand at The National Theatre in Dublin. But I got to play Carnegie Hall, Royal Festival Hall, the Sydney Opera House, and a slew of other iconic halls, along with iconic clubs like Caffe Lena. I found true love and have been with Pat for 33 years. I have enough to live on, I’ve been able to teach a lot and pass on a great deal of what I’ve been taught… it’s a good life. Although, I always dreamed of waking up one morning and being able to fly. Really. That’s been a sadness to me.
- What’s new? Hah! What’s not?!
I must add a footnote about the final query because Janis has just released a new cd which will be her last-ever recording. It is called “The Light At the End of the Line” and has brought her a Grammy award nomination (her tenth!). A smashing album.
I wish we had more tea and more time so we could talk about so many things. For example, did you know that Janis writes science fiction or that Bill Cosby once tried to get her banned from TV or that she had a life-threatening burst bowel or that Jimi Hendrix warned her off drugs or that she and her wife live in Florida?
You can learn more about Janis Ian in her autobiography, “Society’s Child: My Autobiography”. This book as well as the new cd are available at janisianstore.com and amazon etc.
©Jane Quinn
www.mightyquinnmanagement.com