Podcast
We Can Do Hard Things
Allison Russell's mother played Joni Mitchell's 'Ladies of the Canyon' while Allison was still in utero, and she recalled hearing a clarinet solo in the song. She later had the opportunity to play clarinet with Joni Mitchell.
She was playing along to ladies of the Canyon and a deeper cut, a song called for free, um, which is Joni singing about a busker and, and how nobody's paying attention because they're not famous and s...
— Episode: 251. How to Break Cycles with Allison Ru...
Episode: 251. How to Break Cycles with Allison Russell
Allison Russell's mother played Joni Mitchell's 'Ladies of the Canyon' while Allison was still in utero, and she recalled hearing a clarinet solo in the song. She later had the opportunity to play clarinet with Joni Mitchell.
She was playing along to ladies of the Canyon and a deeper cut, a song called for free, um, which is Joni singing about a busker and, and how nobody's paying attention because they're not famous and she's off stroking the star maker machinery, but really she just wants to go jam with this, this beautiful musician who's playing clarinet on the street for free.
I slept last night in a good hotel when shopping today for juice, the wind rushed around in the town, children let out from the school's gorgeous melody. And at the end there's this beautiful clarinet solo as she's, you know, I heard his refrain as the signal changed. He was playing really good for free and she crosses the street and goes on with her life. And then this beautiful clarinet solo comes out of it.
And I remember my mom singing along and hearing the sound of the clarinet for the first time and being like, like electrified by that sound. Like what is that sound? You know, and my mom, I remember asking later, what was that? And she said, it's a clarinet, you know, that that was the clarinet and that imprinted on me.
And I was always, I feel like in some ways, I think we all have a birthright, every human on the planet living now, we are the improbability of us being who we are in this time. The fact that we come from no matter what our heritage, what our lineage, what our set of challenges or privileges, we all come from long lines of survivors. And that is our human birthright, is this resilience. I was very moved in by a theme in The Returner, which feels very much like part of my recovery, which is, it feels like this big love story to embodiment. Nailed it.
And I remember asking later, what was that? And she said, it's a clarinet, you know, that that was the clarinet and that imprinted on me.
So just in case you didn't hear it, pod squad, what happened is under the piano, she's holding Joni. Okay. Then she hears the clarinet fast forward to she's on stage at the gorge was it? It was the gorge. Joni Mitchell and playing the clarinet. And Joni Mitchell says, Alison Russell, the most beautiful clarinet player I've ever heard.
Something that most beautiful clarinet player ever, you know, she did. It was just like a sweet, she demanded that I take a solo during young at heart and you just, Joni asked you to do something, do it and try not to mess it up.