Honey D'Ya Think?
So you want to be an artist
and the only way to do it is to suffer
And you want to be cool
so you fake it 'til you can grow upper
Ah, yes, you've got money in your pants
Why don't you come in from the street and dance?
or are the pleasures of the peasants
too lowly for your glance?
Honey, d'you think you've got a right to sing the blues
because you live in the street and have no shoes?
You choose, you lose, and it don't give you
the right to sing the blues
You want to be cool
You wear your shades across your face, you never smile
Anybody seeing you
would think that you have paid your dues, and now you're retired
You're all against the Viet Nam war, you make it plain
You go to all the marches in an ecstasy of pain
but you couldn't spare a quarter for a blind man on the corner
standing there in the rain
Honey, d'you think you've got a right to sing the blues
because you live in the street and have no shoes?
You choose, you lose, and it don't give you
the right to sing the blues
Yes, you want to be a Negro,
Try to prove that you have soul, but it's all gone
And you want to be a martyr
so you moan about your problems just like old Uncle Tom
Ah, honey, don't you see
Blues is more than just a fabricated mystery
You've got to get out of it to get into it
and then you can sing
Honey, d'you think you've got a right to sing the blues
because you live in the street and have no shoes?
You choose, you lose, and it don't give you
the right to sing the blues
© Taosongs Two. All rights reserved; international copyright secured
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All tour dates updated on January 24, 2020
Wednesday February 26th
Memorial Hall, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Memorial Hall
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Phone: (513) 977-8838
Visit the venue's website
An evening with Janis, some new songs, some old songs, some funny stories and some heart-wrenching moments! Expect a shout out to the science fiction community of Cincinnati, and of course, Janis plans to stay after the show to greet people and sign whatever they may buy or bring!!
Friday February 28
E. J. Thomas Hall, Akron, Ohio
Sunday, March 1
Buskirk-Chumley Theater, Bloomington, IN
Buskirk-Chumley Theater
Bloomington, IN
Phone: 812.323.3020
Visit the venue's website
With Livingston Taylor.
Tickets available via OvationTix.Monday, March 2nd
Monroe County Public Library, Bloomington, IN
Monroe County Public Library
Bloomington, IN
Phone: 812-323-3020
Visit the venue's website
Note!!! This class is free but because of limited space you must get tickets. 7:00PM start.
Janis Ian has given master classes in conventional and unconventional settings; she's studied with such luminaries as Stella Adler, Chao Shao Lin of the Peking Opera Company, Dora Krannig of the Royal Ballet, and Bart the Garage Mechanic from down the street. Illustrated with live song performances, you'll hear her take on the history of music ("from the cavemen to syphilis and its effect on the arts"), personal anecdotes based on her five decades of experience as a writer, performer, and business person. There'll also be a free-wheeling Q&A, no holds barred. This class is for anyone interested in the arts, musical or otherwise. In fact, it's for anyone interested in humans. As Janis says, "What have I got to lose at this point in life?"
Our gratitude to the sponsors of this event, The Stone Age Institute, through a grant from the Kaman Foundation!!!Monday June 29 to Friday July 3
Swannanoa Gathering, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, North Carolina, USA
Swannanoa Gathering, Warren Wilson College
Swannanoa, North Carolina, USA
Phone: N/A
Visit the venue's website
For the first time, Janis will be giving her 5-day series "A Master Class In Artistry" during each of the Swannanoa Gathering weeks. Time of her classes is TBA; please check the website for more information. The 5 day class covers everything from the origins of artists to physicalization, songwriting for profit and not so much, performance, the need to be brave, how to survive as an artist in the modern world, and why bother. Points are illustrated with songs and playing as she takes us on a journey that begins with the first caveman to tell a story and continues through the myth of the artist as "crazy", the need for silence, and why she believes "art saves". Drawing on her 55 years of experience in the entertainment industry and her ten years with Stella Adler, presented with humor and grace, brutally honest, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her students.
Monday July 6 to Friday July 10
Swannanoa Gathering, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, North Carolina,
Swannanoa Gathering, Warren Wilson College
Swannanoa, North Carolina,
Phone:
Visit the venue's website
For the first time, Janis will be giving her 5-day series "A Master Class In Artistry" during each of the Swannanoa Gathering weeks. Time of her classes is TBA; please check the website for more information. The 5 day class covers everything from the origins of artists to physicalization, songwriting for profit and not so much, performance, the need to be brave, how to survive as an artist in the modern world, and why bother. Points are illustrated with songs and playing as she takes us on a journey that begins with the first caveman to tell a story and continues through the myth of the artist as "crazy", the need for silence, and why she believes "art saves". Drawing on her 55 years of experience in the entertainment industry and her ten years with Stella Adler, presented with humor and grace, brutally honest, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her students.
Monday July 13 to Friday July 17
Swannanoa Gathering, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, North Carolina, USA
Swannanoa Gathering, Warren Wilson College
Swannanoa, North Carolina, USA
Phone:
Visit the venue's website
For the first time, Janis will be giving her 5-day series "A Master Class In Artistry" during each of the Swannanoa Gathering weeks. Time of her classes is TBA; please check the website for more information. The 5 day class covers everything from the origins of artists to physicalization, songwriting for profit and not so much, performance, the need to be brave, how to survive as an artist in the modern world, and why bother. Points are illustrated with songs and playing as she takes us on a journey that begins with the first caveman to tell a story and continues through the myth of the artist as "crazy", the need for silence, and why she believes "art saves". Drawing on her 55 years of experience in the entertainment industry and her ten years with Stella Adler, presented with humor and grace, brutally honest, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her students.
Monday July 20 to Friday July 24
Swannanoa Gathering, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, North Carolina, USA
Swannanoa Gathering, Warren Wilson College
Swannanoa, North Carolina, USA
Phone:
Visit the venue's website
For the first time, Janis will be giving her 5-day series "A Master Class In Artistry" during each of the Swannanoa Gathering weeks. Time of her classes is TBA; please check the website for more information. The 5 day class covers everything from the origins of artists to physicalization, songwriting for profit and not so much, performance, the need to be brave, how to survive as an artist in the modern world, and why bother. Points are illustrated with songs and playing as she takes us on a journey that begins with the first caveman to tell a story and continues through the myth of the artist as "crazy", the need for silence, and why she believes "art saves". Drawing on her 55 years of experience in the entertainment industry and her ten years with Stella Adler, presented with humor and grace, brutally honest, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her students.
Monday July 27 to Friday July 31
Swannanoa Gathering, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, North Carolina, USA
Swannanoa Gathering, Warren Wilson College
Swannanoa, North Carolina, USA
Phone:
Visit the venue's website
For the first time, Janis will be giving her 5-day series "A Master Class In Artistry" during each of the Swannanoa Gathering weeks. The final week will also feature a second, more interactive class tentatively titled "War Stories". Time of classes is TBA; please check the website for more information. The 5 day class covers everything from the origins of artists to physicalization, songwriting for profit and not so much, performance, the need to be brave, how to survive as an artist in the modern world, and why bother. Points are illustrated with songs and playing as she takes us on a journey that begins with the first caveman to tell a story and continues through the myth of the artist as "crazy", the need for silence, and why she believes "art saves". Drawing on her 55 years of experience in the entertainment industry and her ten years with Stella Adler, presented with humor and grace, brutally honest, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her students.
Wednesday August 5
The Kate, Old Saybrook, CT
The Kate
Old Saybrook, CT
Phone: (860) 510-0473
Visit the venue's website
Janis returns to The Kate a scant year later, at their insistence. She's sure it's too soon, they're sure it's not. She's writing furiously so she can present some new material, and looking forward to visiting one of her all-time favorite venues again! Expect some good, relaxed fun, some tears, an after-show appearance for signing things you've brought and things you may purchase at the "merch table"!!
