News and Updates
June 1 , 2007

I’m at 50,000 words and counting. I’m at 50,000 words and counting. I’m at 50,000 words… I can’t believe it! I’m actually writing! And even better, most of it makes sense!

Unless you’ve been through the process of writing your life story, it’s hard to explain how strange this is. I’m watching myself grow up, through a distant lens. I spent January through March doing research – on myself. How weird is that? But now that I’m writing, I’m immensely grateful that I had the sense to do that. It would be awful if I were only now trying to figure out Did I really spend that summer in LA? or Did I just meet the Plaster Casters with Jimi, or did I watch them cast him? The research is so helpful…

It’s odd enough just watching my body evolve over the years. Here’s me in 1966, on tour somewhere. I’m playing my father’s 1937 Martin D-18, because I didn’t have my own stage guitar yet.

Wearing a green and white cotton dress my mom picked out because she thought the A-line was flattering, with stockings and high heels. You can’t really see it here, but there’s plenty of baby fat on that face.

Janis in 1966, location unknown

Janis, 1967

Just a year later, July 1967, I’m at the height of “Society’s Child.” Life Magazine is following me and Merka around the US as I tape The Smothers Brothers and The Tonight Show.

The baby fat is slowly ebbing away, and my eyes show just how tired I’m getting of the merry-go-round.

Shadow Morton and Janis

A month later, Shadow and I are in the studio recording my second album. You can see by the way I look at him that his opinion means the world to me.

I’m finally in one place for more than a few days, getting enough sleep, and it shows in my face and bearing. (Note the water buffalo sandals!)

One year later, 1968. In the preceding 12 months, I’ve had a number one single, number one album, second top 20 album, my parents have gotten divorced, I’ve left school, moved into an apartment on my own, then moved into an apartment with my boyfriend, Peter Cunningham. Peter, in the meanwhile, has taken up photography, fortunately for me.

The webmaster does not understand the significance of the soap this picture

A year after that, I’m in the studio with producer Charlie Calello, recording Who Really Cares. I’d hired Charlie after hearing his work on the Laura Nyro album Eli and the Thirteen Confessions.

We had a great time, and made what I considered my best album to date – but my record company, MGM, were already looking to cut their losses and get rid of me.

Janis at Grand Manan Island. Not Isle of Lucie.

The baby fat is definitely gone by 1970. In fact, most of the fat is gone. For various reasons (illness, craziness, whatever-ness), my weight had dropped down to around 90 pounds when this was taken.

Peter and I were visiting Grand Manan Island, on the Bay of Fundy. His Dad was a weather researcher, and had a house there that was our retreat. I have no record company, no publisher, and no career at this point. I’m pretty happy about it, actually.

1971. A seminal year. I’ve decided I can, indeed, become a good songwriter. (Up until then I, along with everyone else, had wondered if my first big success had been due as much to my young age as any talent – just a fluke.) I’ve been working on “Jesse,” and I know how good it can be.

 I’ve finished with the baby fat forever, and at the urging of my friend Donna Capers, cut my hair and my ties to the old life. This photo was shot at a peace march, by the way.

Janis sports a new haircut...and a popsicle.

Janis views the world through rose colored glasses.

Wow, what a difference a year makes! I’m playing a Gallagher guitar, with a beautiful bracelet I bought on credit. (Which was, alas, later stolen from me on tour.)

The glasses are rose-colored, I’ve finished both “Stars” and “Jesse,” and I’m beginning to get some serious self-confidence back.

Janis and Steve Goodman

August 1973, Stevie Goodman and I are playing the same festival. I’m recording through the summer, making the Stars album. In fact, the previous two days we’d recorded “Applause, Applause” and done the overdubbing for all the string and horn parts on “Jesse” and “You’ve Got Me On A String.”

Philly, my home town for several years previous, had welcomed me back with open arms. I was terrified before the show; I hadn’t been on stage in front of more than 100 people in years. In decided to go for broke and opened my set with “Jesse,” which no one but a handful of Main Point regulars had heard. The set went down so well that I got a standing ovation, and ended up encoring with “Stars.”

That’s when everything began again!!