October 4th, 1970 was the day Janis Joplin, age 27, left this World.How could it be Janis' 40th Yartzeit? And yet it is. We're playing Janis music this morning on Radio Free Nachlaot, but truthfully, it's more than a little bittersweet.
Jerry Garcia wrote "Birdsong" with Janis in mind. "All I know that something like a bird within her sang / All I know she sang a little while and then moved on / Tell me all that you know, I'll show you snow and rain..."
We shudder to think of what another 40 years of booze, cigarettes and bad rock-star behavior would have done to her. Janis died when she was only 27 years old and gevaldt, she was already becoming ravaged from the effects of that lifestyle. Like PigPen. Like Morrison (who didn't show the ravages of self-abuse on the outside, but certainly it came out through his insides). Like so many we've loved and lost, they're a long time gone already.
Dear, dear, dear beloved friends and fans, how do we deal with these hard-to-deal-with realities? So much light, so much darkness, so much talent, so much waste ... and so much music left behind. WE'RE the survivors, let's learn the lessons for ourselves and keep what's good and leave the rest to time, memory and the kindness of HaShem, Whose mercies are new every morning ... Great is His Faithfulness!
