I feel that we have an obsession with celebrity hometown connections in our society.
I say that because the city of Saskatoon, after years of uphill battles and all sorts of twists and turns worthy of its own TV timeslot as a daytime soap opera, is *FINALLY* moving forward in honoring iconic Canadian folk singer Joni Mitchell, who counts Saskatoon as her hometown after her family settled in the city when she was around ten years old. (She was born in Fort Macleod, Alberta, but let’s just leave that little factoid alone)
The ceremony is set for June 10, when the city will name the riverfront pathway along the south side of Spadina Crescent East between 2nd Avenue and 3rd Avenue the “Joni Mitchell Promenade.”
It’s something that a lot of people are looking forward to, especially fans of Mitchell. Personally, when it comes to Canadian folk music, I’ve always been more of a Gordon Lightfoot guy, but to each their own. I still give Joni all the credit in the world and respect her lifetime’s worth of musical accomplishments. To say that one of the most recognizable voices and sounds of the 1960’s comes from an hour from my house is still pretty cool.
But in the end, I just feel that this tribute to her, at least in my mind, comes across as hollow praise. Remember that drama I mentioned? Well, come along on a journey with me…
The drama surrounding this started back in the summer of 2013 when Mitchell said in an interview with a Saskatoon StarPhoenix reporter that she wanted nothing to do with any sort of tribute to her from the city. At the time, she said she was fed up with all the efforts to honour her that had fallen through, apparently due to financial constraints. At one point, a museum was proposed to recognize her work and Mitchell suggested that it have a First Nations component.
That idea eventually fell through, at which point Joni apparently had had enough.
"I feel that it's very isolated, very unworldly, and doesn't grasp the idea of honour …There are so many things I want to do, that I should be doing, without getting sidetracked into these dubious and eventually nonexistent honours," she said in the interview.
She also used the interview platform to rake her hometown over the coals.
"Saskatoon has always been an extremely bigoted community. It's like the deep south, and the museum was one thing I thought would be beneficial for people."
Despite Joni’s comments, the group looking to honour her still wanted to move forward. One of the people in that group at the time was former premier Lorne Calvert, who said they intended on forging ahead with plans for something to commemorate Mitchell’s time in Saskatoon, even if it meant without her involvement.
"There's no use getting agitated about this particular opinion that she has," Calvert told CBC. "Again, I think it's wrong – I'm sure it's wrong – but that's it. It doesn't change the fact that, from this community, from this Prairie soil, arose this great creative mind and spirit who continues to create."
Man, I really have to commend the group for continuing to seek some form of tribute or honour to Mitchell with those comments from her. Granted, that interview is now five years old and I’m aware that feelings can change over time, but being labeled ‘extremely bigoted’ and thought of as a racist redneck town from the deep south would sure cause me to rethink about who should be on the list of potential honorees in my hometown.
Personally, I think if honouring a hometown celeb is the requirement, then a guy like Kim Coates fits the role perfectly. Coates is an actor with a laundry list of TV and film credits; he’s one of those stars where you might go, “Aw, you know, he’s that guy…in that thing? I think he was the bad guy?” Then the second you see his face, you go, “That’s him!” Coates is a proud Saskatoonian and routinely makes trips back to his homeland, whether it’s to visit family or lend his time and effort to a handful of charitable causes and non-profits. If the city is so obsessed with ‘going Hollywood’ as a claim to fame from a tourist standpoint, then Kim’s the guy I’d put my vote behind.
I don’t know what Joni Mitchell’s thoughts on Saskatoon or Saskatchewan are today, and apparently, we’re not going to hear what they are because as of right now, she won’t be appearing at this ceremony on June 10 to unveil this promenade. I would hope that she’s changed her tune since that 2013 interview.
At the end of the day, pride should come with praise.
For this week, that’s been the Ruttle Report.
