This work-in-progress lists all currently known appearances, drawn from a variety of sources.
Researched, Compiled, and Maintained by Simon Montgomery, © 2001-2024.
Special thanks to Joel Bernstein for his contributions and assistance.
Latest Update: March 21, 2024
Please send comments, corrections or additions to: simon@icu.com
1970.11.13
Fillmore East
New York,
NY
Joni Mitchell sat in with the Mothers of Invention, sang
on several songs, and recited her poem Penelope.
From a Frank Zappa-ish website:
yes, joni mitchell sat in with the mothers, on november 13th, 1970, at the fillmore east in nyc.
"joni mitchell sat in with us last night during the second show and we improvised a thing that was really good. and we ended it with her singing 'duke of earl'. really far out, she came on stage: 'now ok and we're going to improvise this thing...' and we did a few chords for her and she started reciting this poem which began: 'penelope wants to fuck the sea..." and the audience did a double take 'yuuunk!'... a little hush falls over the fillmore... joni mitchell?"
-zappa, 1970 (source: miles)
from: dennismahony (dmahony@prodigy.net)
yeh, i was at that show when mitchell improvised a tune about a girl who wanted to fuck the sea. while she tried to be ethereal and haunting, zappa made the band alternate 2 monster chords a tritone apart at an ominous largo tempo. mitchell looked a little thrown by this and glanced over at zappa, as if she wasn't expecting him to lob her a curve ball.
from: harald wiester (harald.wiester@uni-konstanz.de)
i´ve read somewhere that she showed up at least once at zappa´s place in the late 60´s. seems a very strange connection to me (was she wearing feathers and bells?)
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ljirvin on :
From Mark Volman:
'Penelope wants to Fuck the Sea' was introduced by Joni Mitchell as a poem she had written that she could never perform, live or otherwise. Joni was basically a real funny person. I had lived up the hill from her on Lookout Mountain and knew her from our singer-songwriter nights in Laurel Canyon. Her image was huge and her fans relied on her to maintain her status as the "earth mother to the stars". Frank always got a kick out of stars joining us and sinking down to our level. Grace Slick came up on stage one night and humped everyone on stage, albeit with her clothes on, as a gesture of her freedom to be weird. When Joni recited the poem, Frank directed the band through a series of noises and musical sounds that followed the poem to its climax. Joni had this huge smile on her face when she finished as though she had really broke some rules and Frank really laughed. I mean with a huge big ol' grin he laughed out loud. Frank was someone you loved to perform for."