Customer Reviews

92Y - Joan Baez in Conversation with Anthony DeCurtis (September 4, 2008)

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Shortly before the release of her Steve Earle, Grammy Nominated CD/LP release, "Day After Tomorrow," Joan Baez sat down at NYC's 92nd Street Y to discuss her life and times with Anthony DeCurtis, who also wrote the new introductory chapter to her recently re-published autobiogrpahy, AND A VOICE TO SING WITH. This conversation is featured on this DVD, and the cameras just roll...no editing! A very comfortable Joan Baez is covers subjects like Dylan, her new album, Dr. King, her early days with Vanguard Records, etc. Along the way she sings a few songs and fields questions from her audience. The overall quality of this item is certainly acceptable, but don't expect high definition or widescreen...the sound volumn varies, and the audio even cuts out for a brief few seconds on one of her signature songs. Nonetheless, the purpose of this DVD isn't to show off engineering feats, but for MS Baez to tell her story in her own words. Doubled wrapped in not one, but two, scarves, MS Baez is looking pretty fine after 50 years as a major social/entertainment force in this world! This DVD represents an important statement of musical and social history, and serves as a great companion piece to her autobiography, as well as the upcoming (October 2009) PBS "American Masters" series video biography of MS Baez. A big slip on this one is not using microphones on the audience members making comments and/or asking questions...leaving the viewer of the DVD to wonder what on earth is so funny, or meaningful. At times the moderator does repeat the audience's questions...but not all the time.

This guy is an idiot. You get Joan Baez in a seat for an hour, and THESE are the questions you ask her?? Good Lord. What could have been proven as a rare opportunity for meaningful insight was instead an attempt as a tired rehash of old gossip (attempted by the interviewer but always skillfully dodged by Joan).

He didn't even probe further into her experiences with the civil rights movement or her childhood in Baghdad or her ideas about non-violence or any of the other millions of things that don't involve just variations of the former. She tried so hard to steer it in that direction, but the guy just wasn't biting.

I hate how he tries to imply that they have some kind of personal relationship, yet I imagine that anyone who even knows her slightly or has any of the true spirit of the folk movement inside of themselves would ever embarrass themselves by asking her this crap. She's obviously used to dealing with ignorant journalists, and does so with grace and humor.

Joan Baez is both a woman with a beautiful voice and lovely songs, and also a woman who has enjoyed an interesting life. This helps one to understand what motivates her li