On Joni's "authority"

[brewster@crys.wisc.edu (Greg Brewster)]

> Date: Wed, 20 Nov 85 22:07:24 est
> X-From: jerpc.PE.UUCP
> 
> One of the things that I must confess has always bothered me
> about these singers like Joni Mitchell et. al. is their strange
> desire to get outside their domain and still speak with
> authority.  They should have something like the ACM's code of
> ethics (which says not to speak with authority on things you're
> not an authority on) for musicians.  Look at this:
> 
> > [Joni]:  I have felt more angry in the last year.  Some of it's personal and
> > 	some of it's what my antenna is picking up.  There's an increase in
> > 	my outrage at the general direction of things, at the way the govern-
> > 	ment dispenses authority and money, and the Star Wars insanity and 
> > 	all that business.  It's [Dog Eat Dog] an angry album.
> 
> Here we have someone with an antenna (tuned in to Radio Station
> "Peace and Progress", no doubt) who is really outraged at the
> general direction of things, "and all that business."

  No, I can't really agree with you.  First, Joni isn't claiming to speak
with authority.  She is just saying she is angry about some of our
current government policies, no more and no less.  Second, I think it is
GREAT that she is outraged and angry about current U.S. spending practices
and the Star Wars program.  Our government is spending tax money that we
give them in ways many of us think are insane.  The Reagan administration
encourages people to keep quiet about the way they spend money. They say
'we have the "experts" who know how things really work, while most of you
are just uninformed'.  It has been proven time and time again that these 
"experts" are just yes-men for the military and Livermore Labs.
  Anyway, in short, I think there is a large percentage of the American
population who are very pissed off with the current military policy and
Star Wars and so it is quite appropriate for Joni to just say "and all
that business".  There's no reason to go over all the old familiar 
arguments again in an interview situation.  I certainly know what 
she's talking about.