photo by Peter Cunningham
Janis Ian
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Janis Ian will be playing at Music On Main at the United Methodist Church, 69 Main Street, in Woodbridge, New Jersey on April 21 at 7:30 p.m. For tickets, go to www.WoodbridgeArts.com. Advance tickets are priced at $22. Tickets at the door are $25. Recently QonStage got an opportunity to take five with this internationally renowned folk artist.

Janis Ian's "Society's Child" made headlines and protests, when it was new in 1965, and some were so moved by it, that they burned down a radio station in Atlanta that dared to play the song about an interracial couple. Ian knew what she was talking about, having grown up in various parts of Essex County, NJ and then moving into New York City, with her family, while still a young person. Gaining experience in the NYC folk clubs, recognized for her talent and her ways with her songs and those of others, Ian made her way through slings and arrows that we might think are the stuff of melodrama. Be sure to read her autobiography "Society's Child" for the full story of struggle and ultimate triumph.

QoS: Janis, looking back at the past 5 years, what are some of the moments that took your breath away?

Janis: Election night, my partner and I paying off our mortgage. Singing with Dolly Parton.

QoS: Election night was certainly a breath of fresh air and there are periods where change seems to be more evident than others. That was certainly the blowing of the winds of positive change! Dolly is truly an amazing performer, and she's had trials and tribulations as well! She's an amazing singer/songwriter, as you are, and one can only imagine that exchange of energy, that meeting of the minds. Nothing says love like "mortgage," that's really a commitment! And it's a great concerted effort to be able to pay it off! You've written in so many styles and of so many experiences, what piques your curiosity presently?

Janis: Oh, everything! I think the hallmark of any artist is an omnivorous curiosity - an insatiable thirst for knowledge and sensation...

QoS: You are a science fiction buff, so who are your favorite characters and authors?

Janis: ARGH. This would get me in trouble with a lot of my friends. Difficult to answer, anyway, because there are so very many. I'd have to start with Madeleine L'Engles "A Wrinkle in Time" and just go from there.

QoS: Well said! Speculative fiction is what it's called now, and that's a great place to start. Considering how early most of us are turned on to-and by?-that book in school, it sets the path for a lot of creative thought! Taking a bit of a turn, what is something you've always wanted to try, but have yet to take the opportunity?

Janis: (laughing) I always wanted to live a very quiet, ordered life...doesn't seem to be in the cards, though!

QoS: Finally, the old saw-which people, living or dead, would you invite to a small dinner party with you and Pat [your partner]?

Janis: I don't know really, because Pat would have to be consulted...if it were only up to me, I'd invite my grandparents and my parents. There are a lot of things I never asked about that I'd really like to know-and lots of recipes I'd write down now, too.

Make sure to visit www.JanisIan.com for information on her tour, and buy the book-I laughed and I cried and got a tremendous insight to an artist who informed my growing up, as she did yours. See you at the shows!