Mitchell keeps door open to possibility of tour

by Terry Craig
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
March 30, 1988

Mounting a full-fledged tour in support of her latest album Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm, is not something Joni Mitchell sees in the immediate future.

But at a recent Saskatoon news conference she did not close the door altogether on the possibility of hitting the road.

"We've received more requests this past 18 months," she said of touring as a duo with her husband, bassist Larry Klein, who shared producers' credit on her recent album. As for a full-fledged tour to faithfully recreate the sounds on the album, Mitchell said the costs involved in mounting such a show would be prohibitive.

Her return to Saskatoon generated plenty of interest not only from all the city media outlets but also from Calgary and Edmonton newspaper reporters who made the trek to hear her hold forth on a variety of subjects.

Mitchell's main reason for the Saskatoon stop on a three-city tour of Canada was to promote the new album. Performers are increasingly embarking on publicity junkets instead of taking the concert stage, and she is no exception. The publicity tour will keep her on the road until June.

Besides music, Mitchell's other passion is painting and she ahs painted the cover art for several of her albums. It has been a private passion and "I've been reluctant to exploit it," she explained.

But several of her paintings, given to record company executives, made their way into galleries and were offered for sale, she added. She has decided to stage a show of her work in Japan in May and, for the first time, the paintings will be offered for sale.

On the subject of recording the current album with superstars, Mitchell denied it was a crass attempt at earning more airplay. She said she has performed duets with stars, notably Lionel Ritchie, on past works but that didn't generate any excitement surrounding current recording.

"I've not waded into funk," she said when asked of future projects. "I'd like to play with a good funk band, Prince maybe."

That comment drew laughs and gasps from reporters but she said there's nothing special about the Minneapolis funkster - "We're all people from the same community, it's like a board of trade" - eliciting more laughs.

When asked which of her 15 albums was her favourite, Mitchell said it was impossible to say.

"Blue is introspective, Court and Spark is longing for love, Dog eat Dog is mad at the world. They are like kids, all have their own characters."

Noted in the past for disdaining press conferences and weathering dumb questions about her life and music, Mitchell fielded even the silliest questions with grace and good humour. She admits coming to terms with that aspect of the business.

"It's a funny position to sit here with assumption that I've got something to say," she said.

"Most musicians are not that articulate, music is their expression, but I'm more comfortable and secure myself. I couldn't have done this ten years ago, I would have been a basket case."

Mitchell described her success as "almost a fluke," noting that her early albums were recorded in a manner that enabled her record company to realise profits.

"I had the good fortune to develop in an eccentric way, but it would be harder now."

Radio and record companies shape and direct the performer, she said, and many newcomers just don't know how to be original. The labyrinth to success today is much more complex, she added.