Will You Take Me As I Am: Joni Mitchell's Blue Period [Hardcover]

Michelle Mercer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 7, 2009

Incorporating dozens of hours of interviews into an illuminating narrative heightened by rigorous reporting and compelling analysis of Mitchell's craft, respected music journalist Michelle Mercer insightfully details the richness of the artist's accomplishment: Mitchell's innovative way of marrying lyrics to melody; how she plays with inventive, highly expressive chords to achieve her unusual blend of wonder and melancholy; and how she pioneered autobiographical songwriting and along with Bob Dylan brought a new literacy to the popular song. Will You Take Me As I Am offers a fascinating look into the personal life of a great artist and the culture she helped to shape.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Mercer (Footprints: The Life and Work of Wayne Shorter) covers the iconic folk maiden Joni Mitchell during her Blue period (roughly 1971 to '76) in what is part music criticism. The book covers the origin and meaning of Blue's songs in Mitchell's own words, her childhood and how her relationships with Graham Nash, Leonard Cohen and James Taylor shaped her music. As her first husband, Chuck Mitchell, said, There are a couple Joans... the literal girl, the prairie tomboy... the historical person, the narrative writer, and the queen—and this book reveals a bit of each of them. Written from a fan's perspective, this book is partly Mercer's own diary, the way Blue was partly Mitchell's diary. This is Mercer's love song to Mitchell, which aims it sometimes to an audience already well-versed in Mitchell history and lore. Whether new or old fans of Joni Mitchell, readers can appreciate the extensive research, and much of the book is in Mitchell's own words, including an entire chapter on her favorite things. (Apr.)
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From The New Yorker

The emotional depth of Joni Mitchell’s 1971 album “Blue” established a new standard for personal songwriting, attaining an artistry that Mitchell refined in a handful of influential records, culminating with “Hejira,” in 1976. Mercer attempts to explore Mitchell’s formative experiences and her creative process during this period, abetted by the coöperation of the usually unforthcoming singer. There are juicy tidbits in tales of Mitchell’s youth in western Canada; travels in Greece and across America; romances with Leonard Cohen, Graham Nash, James Taylor, and Sam Shepard; and a bracing encounter with the Tibetan monk Chögyam Trungpa. But Mitchell’s ability to articulate the sublime frequently reduces Mercer to a kind of fan-girl gush, and Mitchell herself, open and vulnerable in her art, comes across as prickly and contentious, convinced that she’s underappreciated, no matter how much praise she gets.
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Free Press; 1 edition (April 7, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416559299
• ISBN-13: 978-1416559290
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 1.2 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #650,625 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #61 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Composers & Musicians > Country & Folk

More About the Author

In addition to producing regular essays and reports for National Public Radio, Michelle is the author of Footprints: The Life and Work of Wayne Shorter and Will You Take Me As I Am. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Village Voice and numerous magazines. She has been awarded artist residencies at the Sacatar Foundation in Brazil, Vermont Studio Center, and Anderson Center for the Arts. Michelle holds an MFA in Literature and Writing from the Bennington Writing Seminars. She lives with her husband in Colorado.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 43 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Read this if you want to know more about Michelle Mercer January 16, 2010

By Diana K. Jackson

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Michelle Mercer likes to write about herself nearly as much as the subject of her book. Though she claims to be uninterested in gossip..."Celebrity gossip is not very compelling to me...Basically, I'm more interested in how songwriters make thier work personal than in what they get personal about", she indeed dishes throughout the book and speculates on Mitchell's personal matters. Mercer tries very hard to describe the special relationship she claims to have with Mitchell, and brags about an incident during a dinner with Mitchell and others where Mitchell called one of Mercer's comments "ignorant." "Everyone at the table froze over their salads. The Great Goddess's ire had been raised. But I wasn't going to be cowed -..."

The final offense in this book supposedly about Mitchell is when Mercer lashes out in an unnaturally vicious way about Dan Fogleberg. After reading that part of the book two times, I am still unable to determine why she included her rant in the book. Shameless, really, and completely irrelevant.

Do yourself a favor and re-listen to Mitchell's music. No reason to learn more about a pompous, self-serving Mercer through this painful book.

25 of 33 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Readable but exasperating July 25, 2009

By Lilting Banshee

Format:Hardcover

This turns out to be the author's ruminations on 60's and 70's songwriting and its place in the history of confessional and autobiographical expression, using Joni Mitchell's work to support her thesis. Yes, there are some insightful comments on Mitchell's "Blue period" and the quotes from Joni are worthwhile. But the focus on Joni comes and goes, too often going into the kind of analysis you might expect from a decent college paper for an introductory literature class or sometimes losing coherence altogether, e.g. "So landscape in the music of Young and Mitchell is at once more subtle and manifest, because their feelings for the land have a sound less distinguishable from their feeling of the land itself." (p. 56) Huh? At times the book reads like it was written as a series of independent essays, grappling with the same essential topic, making various unsuccessful attempts to define Mitchell's art. A line by line analysis of "Court and Spark" here, a comparison to Allen Ginsberg there. Throw enough comparisons and something will stick. Or not: even Joni Mitchell comes across as confused: "I looked to her [Laura Nyro] and took direction from her. On account of her, I started playing piano again. Laura Nyro you can lump me in with because Laura exerted an influence on me." (p. 84) Well, great! I love Laura Nyro, too! But on page 97, the author says this, "Cohen is also the only songwriter other than Dylan whom Mitchell admits as an influence." I managed to complete the book because the author did have access to Graham Nash, ex-husband Larry Klein, Joni Mitchell, herself, as well as other insiders and their commentary adds some flesh to the artist. But ultimately there are way too many digressions from an obviously intelligent writer just flashing from one idea or artistic comparison (". . ....but to borrow from Blake. . ." or St. Augustine or Richard Wagner or Pablo Neruda. . .) to another. This didn't work for me, maybe it will for you. Read more ›

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars "Just a little mean..." February 1, 2010

By Kevin Killian HALL OF FAME

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Not a page goes by without something arch or pretentious marring the prose of Michelle Mercer's otherwise intriguing life of Joni Mitchell. As previous reviewers have noticed, whether or not Ms. Mercer interviewed Mitchell or not, she certainly sits at her feet metaphorically speaking, and allows Mitchell to speak her mind on all sorts of matters. If you love her, you will want to know her opinions on everything, and that's what Mercer supplies.

Mitchell doesn't seem to like very much, that's part of the problem. Since the early days of living in Laurel Canyon, her emotional range has become somewhat stunted, and today seems fixed on a narrow compass that is bounded by contempt on the one side, and self-regard on the other. A little of this bile goes a long way, even if you love every note on For the Roses or Blue. And the focus often goes fuzzy, as the author spends pages and pages on whatever topic amuses her or catches her attention. Why so much about Loudon Wainwright? Mercer doesn't even pretend to link him to her subject. Well, maybe the whole book is about the cult of the "singer-songwriter," a sensitive bunch dominated by "Bob and Joni, the royalty of songwriting. And yet she yearns to claim even loftier status for Mitchell. Mercer, author of a well received book on Wayne Shorter wants to place Mitchell among the giants of jazz, which is great, but in that case why place so much emphasis on the "Blue" period?

Others have noticed that Mercer can get mean as her mentor when she feels like it. Her nasty attack on Carly Simon is one for the books, if only because it seems so--wait for it!--out of the "blue"! I was about to say, "What did Carly ever do to Joni?" but of course we all know the answer to that one...... The bottom line is that our fascination with Joni is really all about difference--the vast chasm between the genius and warmth of her songwriting, and the utter coldness of her mind; oh, and there's another chasm too, for when she's good she's great, but when she's not so good, she's beyond belief, hilarious banal. That's part of the reason we love her. OK, maybe she's not cold. She explains to Michele Mercer that she can't remember proper names, so even when you've met her ten times she won't be able to recall your name, and that upsets you, so to avoid upsetting you she prefers avoiding you. Makes sense I guess. Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitive. March 8, 2013

By Adamnelli

Format:Hardcover

Factual, analytical and interpretive. Joni Mitachell's "Blue period" of the '70's is covered in depth, from Blue to Hejira. Revealing and enlightening. Achieves a very real sense of what went into her poetry and music juxtaposed with her life as she lives it. She has reached millions, I amongst them, who believe she expressed our lives as well as her own. As a member of her peer group during the period she writes about, I am privileged to identify with her.