LOVE, JANIS
Insights from Michael Joplin Arizona Theatre Company
is fortunate to have Michael Joplin, Janis’ younger
brother, as a friend and neighbor. He graciously agreed to
share some of his thoughts about his famous sister and the
show that gives us a look at her private, family side.
Was your family musically inclined?
We all played instruments and my parents were avid classical
and operatic listeners. We would all get together and play
our concertos together.
What is your favorite song of your sister’s?
My personal favorite is “Bye, Bye Baby.”
What was Janis’ most memorable performance
for you?
My favorite occasion was at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco.
They did a special gig there because her family was there.
Laura and I joked, we were the only people that took their
parents to the Avalon … A truly memorable experience
for a young hippie like myself.
What is one thing that you would want people to
know about Janis that most people wouldn’t know?
Janis had an incredible sense of humor, and she always wanted
people to feel good about themselves.
Describe your involvement with the development
of this production. Was Randal Myler in constant contact with
you and your sister, Laura?
Laura and I had been looking for writers for a long time.
We read tons of different plays. We finally found one we liked
(Hank Williams: Lost Highway) by Randal Myler. We
approached him, and he was very reticent in the beginning
– didn’t want the family involved, afraid we were
trying to steer it, influence him. Finally, he said he’d
be happy to do it if we didn’t pay him and stayed out
of his hair. We went to the first opening in Denver way back
when, and we were impressed. At that point we had a chance
to tell him what we thought, and he was able to use some of
what we wanted. Essentially, he learned we were not trying
to stall his creative process or burden him. Randall grew
up in the Bay Area and had is own personal recollections of
Janis and the times, so he already had the feeling we were
looking for. We liked his voice.
What does the production of Love,
Janis mean to you and your family?
It’s a time to remember and enjoy being around Janis.
What was it like to be the younger brother of
such a revolutionary rock-n-roll songstress? How did it affect
your growing up?
In countless ways. Still today. I mean, I’m answering
these questions. I could expand on that, but … won’t.
Describe Janis’ relationship with you, you sister and
your parents. In her letters to your parents, she seems so
open and honest. Was she this way in person, as well? Were
your parents as open to her about their views on her lifestyle?
Janis was my big sister. So, when I was little, she could
walk and talk and do things. Consequently, I was impressed.
Do you have any older sibs? As we both got older, her artistic
background was something that I really followed, wanting to
go in that vein for myself. Janis thrived at the time when
people actually wrote letters. Sometimes long letters. Some
are 12 pages. No email, and telephone was expensive—you
didn’t just call someone long distance unless it was
important or an emergency. So, we all communicated much more
verbosely with the written word. Obviously, Janis didn’t
share EVERYTHING that was going on for her. She was writing
to her parents and such, but the timing for the history of
rock and the events of the world at that time makes her letters
even more poignant to me and to the public at large. Janis
told us of events that were happening in San Francisco, weird
band names (The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, etc.) all
of which are historic now. She also shared how she viewed
herself and the business of music and how she fit into that.
She was at the forefront and also right smack dab in the middle
of an incredible time in the United States. She was incredibly
lucky to be herself at that time and we (her family) were
incredibly lucky to have someone relaying all that info back
to us in Texas.
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