If you have any knowledge of the music of the last half of the 20th century you certainly know who Judy Collins is. She is best known for her rendition of Stephen Sondheim’s “Send in the Clowns,” and the fact that, when Bill Clinton heard her version of Joni Mitchell’s “Chelsea Morning,” he remarked to Hillary that, “if we ever have a daughter her name should be Chelsea.’
With multiple Grammy award nominations, and an Academy Award nomination for her 1975 documentary feature “Antonia: A Portrait of the Woman” among her many achievements, she also hosts the popular podcast “Since You’ve Asked.” Ms. Collins is currently on tour, with a scheduled appearance this weekend (March 14th) in Kansas City.
Ms. Collins took some time out from her busy schedule to speak with Media Mikes:
MIKE SMITH: You’ve been performing for six decades. How has the music business changed, good or bad, in that time?
Judy Collins: I don’t pay a lot of attention to the music business. I pay attention to what I have to do, and how many concerts I have to do each year. About a hundred. And all of the things that I have to do to prepare. I have to keep my eye on learning and performing the things that I love. They say we get paid for the travel, which is what we do and so with a hundred shows a year I spend a lot of time on the planes, a lot of times with the press doing interviews and a lot of time sleeping. (laughs) To me, THAT’S the music business. Personally, I do what I want. I sing what I want. I engage in my own creativity. That’s a big job. The album I last produced, called “Spellbound,” has all of my own songs on it, which is a big deal for me. And I’m also coming out with a book of poetry on the 25th of this month (March). It’s all poetry that I’ve written and it’s called “Sometimes It’s Heaven.”
MS: You’ve amassed an amazing number of fans of all ages. What is the feeling when you look out into the audience and you see the younger generation? I’m 64. My granddaughter is 10 and loves your music…
JC: Oh good. Give her a hug for me.
It’s an amazing revelation to have people of all ages come see me perform. I was at a big festival in Australia recently and a young girl walked up to me – she could have been 11 or 12 or 13 – and she said, “oh hi, you’re Judy Collins.” I said “how do you know that,” and she said, “I saw you on The Muppets.” So there’s always television in your favor. And that’s part of the music business too. PBS has kept me on my feet and on the stage for decades because they’ve done a wonderful job by me.
MS: Do you have a favorite song of yours that you like to perform? I mean, everyone certainly wants to hear “Send in the Clowns,” but do you have a personal favorite?
JC: Right now there are two. One is a song that I wrote called “Girl from Colorado.” I’d encourage you to play it for your granddaughter. The other is a song called “John Riley.” “John Riley” is a very old song. And the more I sing it, the more it means something to me and my audiences. I’m always surprised because it gets a wonderful response.
MS: Has Stephen Stills ever said “thank you” for inspiring “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes?”
JC: (laughs) He always says it. I saw him the other day when he came to New York, where he appeared on a big show of mine at Town Hall and he and I sang “Helplessly Hoping” together and then we sang the chorus of “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,” with the rest of the gathered ensemble, which was fabulous. We’ve been friends for all these years which means there was something going on.
MS: Bob Dylan finally got a movie last year. When there is a Judy Collins film who would you like to play you?
JC: I’ll play me! (laughs) It would be a documentary first, which means I’ll have the last word. (laughs)
MS: Thank you sol much for your time.
JC: Thank you. And don’t forget to give your granddaughter a hug from me, o.k.?
For everything Judy Collins, including information on upoming shows, click HERE.
