Joni Mitchell had yet to eat breakfast and shake out the morning cobwebs, but her humour and humility were thoroughly intact when asked about the idea of a statue honouring her in downtown Saskatoon.

"I guess it would be a good place for birds to perch," she remarked.

Mitchell was in Saskatoon for the weekend, spending time with her mother, Myrtle Anderson, before jetting back Monday to Los Angeles.

Mitchell teetered between being grateful and bewildered when told of the concept for a statue, which was presented in a letter to council last week.

"It's just such a strange question to be woken up to," she said. "It would be a true honour, it really would. But is this not something usually done post-mortem?

"If I am alive to see it happen, I would hope it could be a decent likeness. I get all sorts of artwork done by fans and it can get pretty distorted in the proportions. It could be a giggle if it's not done right.

"My face caricaturizes easily. I can tell from my fan drawings."

The idea of a statue of the multi-talented artist -- painter, poet, singer, songwriter and producer -- was raised by a British Columbia man. Mark Salzl wrote to Saskatoon's city council about the possibility of commissioning the statue.

A fan of Mitchell's for many years. Salzl thought it only fitting the city recognize and celebrate her achievements as others already have.

She has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, is listed No. 5 on VH1's list of The 100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll and was given the Order of Canada earlier this year, the nation's highest honour for lifetime achievement.

"She is surely one of the most famous daughters of the city. The city is even the subject of some of her songs," Salzl wrote.

It is also the subject of her artwork. The Delta Bessborough appears in the background of her 1969 album cover for Clouds. Mitchell is in the foreground holding a prairie lily (the province's official flower) as the South Saskatchewan River reflects a stunning crimson sunset.

"She's got stacks of trophies and awards," said Anderson. "But it's always nice to be recognized by your home town."

Mitchell admits her love affair with Saskatoon continues -- from visiting frequently to choosing the Mendel Art Gallery in 2000 for her art show.

But she admitted to feeling a little uncomfortable with the idea of her image being set upon a pedestal here. A statue gives a sense of being monumental, something contrary to her nature.

"I really liked playing in small clubs where the platform wasn't very high so you could step down and fraternize," Mitchell said. "And I feel that way when I come home to Saskatoon since the art show. There's a greater comfortability because I think people think of me more as a local and less exotic. Before, it was kind of covert and whispered and a little creepy, frankly."

Mitchell suggested for a monument "something more functional" like a bench. One end could be her seated figure, "with room to sit beside it."

"If the statue is about me, it's about the essence of music and poetry coming from this town -- and painting. But rather than strap a guitar on there or have a handful of paintbrushes, maybe there's another way to make it more contemplative," she said.

"Somewhere people could sit and muse.

"And then I could come and sit there and when someone asks how I feel about it I can honestly say, 'I'm beside myself.' "

Salzl believes the city should show its appreciation toward Mitchell.

"It's worldly for a small prairie city to have a statue of Gandhi but it has overlooked its own. I think it is incumbent upon city hall to include the honouring of these famous and influential people in their yearly business," he said.

The city does not have a program for commissioning artwork. Sculptures are donated through a sponsorship group. The Gandhi bust in downtown Saskatoon was donated by the government of India by way of the India Consulate in Vancouver and a local India cultural group. A Denny Carr statue on the riverbank was made possible through fund-raising efforts by his friends and family.

"What we suggested to him (Salzl) is to find private sponsorship," said John Penner, the city's urban design co-ordinator.

MITCHELL BIO:

- Born in Fort Macleod, Alta., as Roberta Joan Anderson, she was raised in Saskatoon, where her mother, Myrtle Anderson, still lives. Mitchell moved away in her late teens and was married briefly (one year) to folksinger Chuck Mitchell.

- Her 1956 Aden Bowman Collegiate English teacher taught her to write poetry. That same year she learned guitar from a Pete Seeger book (inventing different tunings to compensate for a polio-weakened left hand).

- Mitchell's first album was released in 1968 under the guidance of David Crosby. Three years later, she released Ladies of the Canyon, which went platinum with the hit Big Yellow Taxi. That song was written while sitting in a Saskatoon cafe.

- Known for embracing a variety of musical styles, including folk, pop, rock, jazz and world beat, Mitchell has also been honoured by numerous Juno and Grammy awards and was named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.