Janis Made Me Do It

Recently I was watching Janis Joplin's interviews with Dick Cavett on Youtube. The one where she plans to go back to Port Arthur really hit me (as it always has). The conversation more or less went like this:

Janis: "You want to go? Come on with me!"

Dick: "I didn't... have many friends at your high school." (he hadn't gone there, of course.)

Janis: "I didn't either, man... that's why I'm goin back."

Dick: What will you say to them?"

Janis: "I'm gonna laugh."

Dick: "..."

Janis: "They laughed me out of school, they laughed me out of town, they laughed me out of the state."

You can hear that pain in her singing. You can find it in her lifestyle, her struggles, her return more than once to hard drugs after cleaning up for a while.

Janis is one of the reasons I went into youth work. More than once hearing her music or reading something about her motivated me through a slump. I really hope Janis found love and peace on the other side. I want to help all the Janises and Jimis-- and you-- find it on this side.