CBC Radio One's Jian Ghomeshi Sits Down With Singing Legend for a Rare, Exclusive Canadian Broadcast Interview   

Interview to air across CBC on The National, CBC Radio One's Q, CBC Radio 2's Drive and CBCMusic.ca

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Jian Ghomeshi, host of Q, CBC Radio One's daily arts, culture and entertainment magazine, recently sat down with legendary songstress Joni Mitchell in her Los Angeles home for an exclusive Canadian broadcast interview that will air on multiple programs across CBC.

During the lively interview, Mitchell talked about why she stopped singing, her transition to becoming a full-time painter, what she's most proud of about Woodstock and originality versus plagiarism in the music industry. Highlights from Ghomeshi's interview will be broadcast on The National on CBC Television and CBC News Network on Monday, June 10 (*see below for broadcast details). A full one hour special allowing listeners an intimate look at the life of the musical icon will air on CBC Radio One's Q on June 11 at 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. (10:30 NT) and then again on CBC Radio 2's Drive at 6 p.m. (6:30 NT). The complete video of the interview will be available on CBCMusic.ca on June 11 at 10 a.m. ET, and will also air as a feature interview on CBC-TV on Q with Jian Ghomeshi on Sunday, June 16 at 1 p.m. (1:30 NT).

"Joni Mitchell rarely if ever does interviews," says Ghomeshi. "It was a special occasion to be invited into her home to have a conversation that lasted almost three hours and touched on her creativity, her art as a language, being misunderstood, her opinions and her legacy."

Mitchell will be honoured by the Luminato Festival with a tribute show, Joni: A Portrait in Song — A Birthday Happening Live at Massey Hall (Tuesday, June 18 and Wednesday, June 19 in Toronto). Luminato Festival Artistic Director Jorn Weisbrodt recently announced that the songstress will be in attendance at the tribute shows, which will feature an all-star lineup of musicians and vocalists interpreting her songs. For details about the shows, visit luminatofestival.com.

During the interview Ghomeshi asked Mitchell, "One of the precipitants for this interview is that you're going to be in Canada soon for a tribute concert called, "Joni: A Portrait in Song" at the Luminato Festival. You get a lot of these tributes and this kind of acclaim at this point. How comfortable are you with being venerated?"

Mitchell responded with, "Depends on the venerator. You know, I mean, in a certain way, honour died in World War Two. You know, it just kinda died. Not very many people know how to do it anymore. If they honour you wrong, it makes you arrogant, because it stung. If they honour you right, it's humbling because it's inspiring."

This interview was made possible by Luminato Artistic Director Jorn Weisbrodt.

*The National airs on CBC-TV at 10 p.m. (10:30 NT or following the Hockey Night in Canada playoff game if necessary) and on CBC News Network at 9, 10 and 11 p.m. ET/PT on Monday, June 10.