The Beauty Is Not About The Fame

Here is a 1970 BBC video of Joni Mitchell performing her wonderful song, "For Free", accompanying herself on the piano. Enjoy.

David Geffen, Free Man In Paris Again?

In 1974 Joni Mitchell released her great album, Court and Spark. Included on the record was a song that resonated with every person bearing up under the stress of managing people in any kind of organization. The song is "Free Man in Paris" and here are some of the lyrics:

The way I see it, he said
You just can't win it...
Everybody's in it for their own gain
You can't please em all
There's always somebody calling you down
I do my best
And I do good business
There's a lot of people asking for my time
They're trying to get ahead
They're trying to be a good friend of mine

I was a free man in paris
I felt unfettered and alive
There was nobody calling me up for favors
And no one's future to decide
You know I'd go back there tomorrow
But for the work I've taken on
Stoking the star maker machinery
Behind the popular song

As is well known, that song was written about Mitchell's former manager and then-current boss at Arista Records, one David Geffen.

Now that his low key conversation with Maureen Dowd, the doyenne of political name calling, has turned into the big story of the week, he may well be wishing for a quiet stroll on the Champs Elysees.

To be sure, the current dust up between Hillary and Obama and their camps is only the first of many in this long night of our presidential saga. Just wait until Rudi, with his wives and drag costumes fully engages in the race. You ain't seen nothin' until we get to a Hillary vs. Rudi election campaign. Those people take no prisoners and they've been developing their portfolios on one another since the almost-was Senate race in 2000.