songwriter musicmaker storyteller freak

Fun with the internet: In 1997, Ms. Magazine named folk-punk maven Ani DiFranco one of "21 feminists for the 21st century." She had some thoughts about that, and you can still read them thanks to this fan site (which is number one in Google, so you know it's been around a while.)

But the reason why An Open Letter from Ani DiFranco is so captivating is how frank she is about her place in the world, how clearheaded she is about her role as an artist, and how inspiring she is to anyone with a similar ambition to be true to their art.

"If it all comes down to dollars and cents, I've led a wholly unremarkable life. Yet I choose relative statistical mediocrity over fame and fortune because I have a bigger purpose in mind."

I saw Ani DiFranco play in a church in Santa Cruz in 1991. We sat on pillows on the hardwood floor and Ani played all by herself up on the stage. She had Lee Press-On Nails attached to her fingers with black electrical tape. At one point she quipped, "This is the most fun I've ever had in a church." Me, too.

After the show she came and sat at the front of the stage and talked with people. She was selling CDs and tapes she'd produced herself (reminds me of what some friends of mine are doing now). I was too shy to go say hello, and when she invited everyone to go out to the beach with her, I didn't go.

I still regret that.

{ 8:53pm }