JANIS JOPLIN - PIECE OF MY HEART

What is it about the measured notes of

Wynton Marsalis' trumpet,

the vibrancy of Elton John's piano keys,

and the

hip-swaying rhythm of an Hawaiian mele,

that can melt your troubles away?

Music relaxes the mind and calms the nerves.

More eloquently stated during an interview on his Christmas CD, Italy's Andrea Bocelli believes music is "a balm for the soul that should be used sparingly lest its benefits wear out."

As I listen to him sing The Lord's Prayer with The Morman Tabernacle Choir, I feel the soothing, restorative power of music - that "balm for the soul."

In an early scene of my novel, FOR EVERY ACTION, protagonist Pepper Bibeau attends a musical concert. The many hours I spent in audio/visual research of Janis Joplin's life were pleasurable, though most of the research did not survive the final draft. The telling of the concert's events covers only several lines within the novel:

The theater darkened shortly after eight o’clock. Curious whispers rippled through the audience until a single spotlight provided illumination and a male voice came over the loudspeaker system. To the heavy background sounds of tuning instruments, he announced the band, “Four gentlemen and one great girl: Big Brother and The Holding Company.” The audience exploded with applause, cheering through a prolonged set of rock music while the one great girl, Janis Joplin, dominated the vocals.

I've taken authorial license by setting this Chicago concert in August of 1968, when in fact it probably took place earlier that year. The hit song Piece Of My Heart was recorded May 20, 1968 and the record album (see footnote) that features the song was released in August of the same year.

Janis Joplin became known as the first female rock star, or as stated on the Cheap Thrills album, "the first, true female rock superstar", after Cheap Thrills by Big Brother and The Holding Company became a #1 selling album.

For some fans, myself included, the song Piece Of My Heart is synonymous with the name Janis Joplin. Though she didn't compose the lyrics and wasn't even the first artist to take it to the charts, she made it her own and proved that a twenty-four year old Caucasian female from Texas could, indeed, sing the blues.

In 1967, Erma Franklin, the sister of Aretha Franklin, was the first to record Piece Of My Heart, written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns. Piece Of My Heart has since been remade by several singers, including hit versions by Faith Hill in 1994 and Jaguar Love in 2010.

Record player with revolving table
and metal arm containing a needle

FOOTNOTE: Record album-a circular, black-in-color, vinyl disk with sound-embedded grooves; the disk is placed on a revolving table and a metal arm containing a needle is set into the grooves to transfer the sound through attached speakers. No resemblance to an iPod.

Links to learn more about these performers:

Janis Joplin lived the life of a rockstar to the fullest:
http://www.hotshotdigital.com/WellAlwaysRemember.2/JanisJoplin.html
 
Faith Hill (think "Breathe" and Tim McGraw):
http://www.faithhill.com/timeline.php

Erma Franklin (not just Aretha's sister!):
http://alfarchivesmi.tripod.com/

Johnny Whitney and Cody Votolato of Portland, Oregon (who, together, are Jaguar Love):
http://wearejaguarlove.com/

Andrea Bocelli singing The Lord's Prayer with the Morman Tabernacle Choir
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEplqV0scyo

DWI And Its Consequences

You are probably familiar with the acronyms DWI and DUI, as well as with their meanings, but how about OWI?

Acronyms that describe drivers operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs vary by case and state.

Originally, DWI referred to the term "driving while intoxicated." Later, when drug usage became an acknowledged factor, the term "driving under the influence" or DUI was coined. In Wisconsin, drunk driving charges are known as OWI, for "operating while under the influence," comparable to the DUI acronym used in other states. The modified definition for DWI now includes Driving While Under the Influence and  Driving While Intoxicated.

In my novel, For Every Action, a third-year law student (who is researching a case set for trial) raises the topic of DWI, driving while intoxicated. His DWI case involves an accident caused by a drunk driver whose passenger was injured during the crash.

 

THE STUDENT'S HYPOTHETICAL TRIAL CASE  


Scales of Justice

The attorneys representing the driver and his passenger become embroiled in an argument over who is to blame for the passenger's injuries. Common sense would seem to dictate that the driver is responsible for any injuries incurred due to his impaired driving. However, the driver's lawyer states that the passenger is partly to blame because he knew when he entered the vehicle that the driver was intoxicated and therefore made the personal choice to place himself in harms way.

This scenario creates an interesting debate: Comparative Negligence versus Assumption of Risk. But regardless who is to blame, everyone suffers the consequences.

DEALING IN FACTS

December has been designated National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month, a time to raise awareness about the consequences of driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs. For further information, click on the following link:

http://www.madd.org/feature-stories/december/december-is-national-drunk.html

Bougneit pics and Matriarch obituary

St. James Cemetery in Kenosha, Wisconsin





Bougneit home in Kenosha, Wisconsin

Obituary of Matriarch Zoe (Zelia) Cayo Bougniet





Gravestones of Bougneit Patriarch Florent and Matriarch Zoe Cayo (Zelia) along with son Herbert

FACT or FICTION?

Think back to the last movie you saw in a theater rather than on television or DVD. Was it a Bruce Willis action film, the latest Harry Potter movie, or do you go way back to Gone With The Wind?

The matinee price of a theater ticket in Honolulu is $8.50, a bit less for Seniors and Military. Snacks can cost even more. A kids special of buttered popcorn, small soda, and Junior Mints (with a foot-long hot dog covered in mustard, ketchup, relish, and jalapeno peppers on the side) will run you $9.00. (Choke money, yeah?) Cheaper to watch movies at home.

Last night, December 7, a date that FDR once declared would "live in infamy", I watched the 2001 remake of Pearl Harbor starring Ben Affleck, Josh Harnett, and Cuba Gooding Jr.


The previous evening I viewed the original movie, Tora! Tora! Tora!  Filmed in 1970, this version includes professional Japanese actors along with Martin Balsam, Joseph Cotten, E.G. Marshall, and Jason Robards. Though billed as a dramatization of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the format has the feel of a documentary.

Both movies portray the raw drama and tragedy of that fateful day. But the two films, separated by 30 years, explore distinctly different viewpoints of events surrounding December 7, 1941. What is fact, and what is fiction?

Our ingrained beliefs determine how we interpret information. It was once believed that the world was flat. Much was documented to validate this truth, until 17th century Galileo disproved the notion and was threatened with imprisonment for his heretical ideas. Or is it a fact that Yajnavalkya in the 9th-8th century BCE first suggested the earth was round?

Who first discovered America, Christopher Columbus in 1492 or the Chinese in 1421? In the practice of medicine, that which is accepted truth today may become less reputable tomorrow. You seldom hear of a doctor performing bloodletting these days, do you?

It's often difficult to separate fact from fiction in newspapers, magazines, or even novels. I researched multiple facets of the year 1968 before writing the novel, FOR EVERY ACTION. While I am confident the information I've included in the manuscript is accurate, an alternate interpretation of the facts could generate debate.

This became apparent when I "googled" the movie, Tora! Tora! Tora! and came across a site that listed 22 apparent flaws in the 1970 movie:  http://www.moviemistakes.com/film1314

As a reader and moviegoer, I try to keep in mind that novels and movies are meant to amuse, beguile, captivate, delight, enthrall, gratify, humor, inspire, please, regale, or stimulate. 

Hawaii Theater

Unless the facts are distorted to the detriment of the reader or viewer, I believe it is better to remember the melodic message of the 1953 song and the 1974 movie of the same name that starred the likes of Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Gene Kelly, Bing Crosby, and Liza Minnelli:  THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT!

Non-Discretionary Hours

Why is life similar to writing a novel, or launching a blog?

Because something else always seems to come up that is too enticing to resist.

Writers' guides suggest creating a website or blog long before the 3-book contract is signed, before a publisher consents to publishing your novel, and even before an agent agrees to represent you. That's why I have been working on my blog's creation for months. The initial plan, before the revised Thanksgiving date, was to launch the blog . . . well, before now. Then those enticements started showing up, just as they do to disrupt my writing.

Weddings, reunions, and funerals all consume the discretionary hours of a person's normal life. Plans change as emergencies and other unexpected situations arise. Then the hours scheduled for writing the next chapter of that current novel disappear, turning scheduled writing hours into discretionary hours. The trick is to keep the writing hours in the non-discretionary column.

Which projects or daily chores do you have difficulty completing, what hours do you find almost impossible to keep in the non-discretionary column?

The obvious solution, easier said than accomplished, is multi-tasking.

The next time an unexpected event presents itself, I'll continue to write between doing laundry and packing; while waiting for the last boarding call to wherever; and during the flights as I eat my salted pretzels, rather than viewing The Karate Kid for the third time.