Last week I thought of lots of things that would make great fodder for this blog post, but I neglected to note any of them down. Luckily, though, I knew my inspirations were either my music libraries on the computer here or at work, my iPod, or Kat’s blog.

And Kat’s blog jogged my memory a bit. Hearing her play “The Circle Game” reminded me of my favorite song of Joni Mitchell’s. I bought used copies of Ladies of the Canyon and Clouds the same day at Middletown’s cd store on Main Street back in the late ’90s. Rudi and I had a major Joni thing for a few years and maybe these were a birthday present. Rudi, any recollection?

Sam generously gave me the opportunity to see Joni once before she retired. He and I caught her and Bob Dylan perform at Madison Square Garden one night in 1998. Her voice was going, but you couldn’t help but be impressed.

Anyway, this is Joni much earlier — on the Dick Cavett Show in August 1969 — performing “Chelsea Morning.” Ignore the costumes and the sets and just listen to her sing. Amazing.