It’s lucky for Janis’s fans as 13 albums hit the shops
Jewish Telegraph, October 2003
JANIS Ian fans had better start saving up. Later this month, Cooking Vinyl will release 12 of Janis’ albums.
Working Without A Net is a double live CD recorded between 1990 and 2003 in London, Glasgow, Holland, Japan and America.
The album features Ian’s hits Society’s Child, At Seventeen, and Fly Too High.
On the same day, October 13, 11 albums will be reissued — each featuring a bonus live track.
The Jewish singer said. ‘‘I find it amazing that anyone would want to hear them.
‘‘It was quite weird to listen to what I did in my 20s. We’ve updated the artwork and remastered each CD.
‘‘It was my idea to reissue them because some fans were paying way too much to get hold of unavailable CDs. Now they can get hold of the CDs with great sound at a good price. It’s taken 18 months to compile’’
One of the reissued albums is 1993’s Breaking Silence which featured Holocaust song Tattoo.
‘‘I wanted to write about the Holocaust but couldn’t figure out how to do it,’’ Janis, 52, said. ‘‘It took me three months to write. I was curious as to how my audience would react.
‘‘Interestingly when I sing it in the south of America it gets a bigger response than in the north, especially amongst black people.’’
Bronx-born Janis exploded onto the music scene in controversy. When she was 15 she wrote the song Society’s Child about inter-racial relationships.
The song was released when the US Supreme Court had yet to repeal the laws against inter-racial marriage and civil rights unrest was peaking.
It was banned by radio stations across America as ‘subversive’, a position that was later reversed when composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein became Janis’ most vocal supporter.
The song went to number one in the charts.
Janis, born Janis Fink, was raised in Reform Judaism. She describes her mother as being an atheist who believed that ‘‘God didn’t care if she was an atheist’’. She said: ‘‘My grandparents were raised Orthodox, but like a lot of immigrants, as soon as they stepped foot in America they became less religious.’’
Janis, who has lived in Nashville for 16 years, was batmitzvah and attended cheder, but ‘‘being Orthodox was never in the running. Orthodoxy seemed to be a good deal for the guys but not so good for woman’’.
She adds: ‘‘I’m glad that I’m Jewish. I’ve grown up in the culture with the music and stories.
‘‘What I like about Judaism is that there is no intermediary between you and God. It’s a direct relationship and has little to do with going to a particular place or saying a particular prayer.’’
Around the release of Breaking Silence, Janis announced that she was a lesbian. But she says: ‘‘It wasn’t really a secret. I was looking at the teenage suicide statistics in relation to being gay. There were so few role models for these kids, so I decided that by coming out publicly it could help save lives.
‘‘But I don’t want people thinking that if they come to one of my shows they will be bombarded with lesbian propaganda.’’
In August, Janis married her long-time lover Patricia Snyder. The couple held the ceremony in Toronto because America won’t allow same-sex marriages.
‘‘We held a big party this Saturday,’’ she revealed. ‘‘Most of the guests were unaware that we could not get married in America.
‘‘People need to understand the issues. It’s a very fine line between propaganda and opening areas for discussion.’’
She adds: ‘‘In America, we don’t exist. We have no rights for joint medical insurance and other benefits.
‘‘It will be at least 20 years before America allows same-sex marriages.’’
As a musician Janis was a child prodigy, becoming interested in the piano aged two. She progressed from piano lessons to organ, flute and French horn.
She was 10 when she first picked up her father’s guitar, and 13 when she published her first song in Broadside Magazine.
Janis endured some painful years, including a failed marriage and a bill for back taxes after her accountant duped her.
She had to sell everything she had including her prized piano, house, guitars and publishing catalogue to pay the tax man.
When she moved to Nashville in 1988, she had little more than her guitar and the clothes on her back.
She began writing songs for other artists such as Bette Midler, whose cover of Some People’s Lives was the title track of the album, selling more than two million copies worldwide.
Her comeback album, Breaking Silence, earned her a Grammy nomination.
Janis is currently working on a new album, to follow up her 17th release, God & The FBI. The album will be released in February followed by a major tour.
She is a big supporter of downloading music on the internet and is critical of the Recording Industry Association of America which has started to sue people — including 12-year-old New Yorker Brianna LaHara — who use file-sharing programmes .
‘‘I have free MP3s available on my website. If people listen to one of my tracks online and decide to buy the album that’s great, but if they decide not to buy that’s fine by me too,’’ Janis said.
