Janis Joplin and the Endeavors of Societal Pressures

Some believe that Janis Joplin was a hero for women and the feminist movement, I feel that she was an insignificant character in the long run but provided a new light within the changing gender dynamics of the 60’s. Although she may have brought people together with music during her lifetime, she did not have an overall greater positive effect on societal views and beliefs in my opinion. Don’t get me wrong, I actually enjoy most of her music. There’s something so raw and emotional about Janis that makes me feel what she’s feeling. I just think that Janis as a person is a reflection of a side of society that we try and ignore. She was insecure and tended to have addictive behaviors.

I was talking with a friend today who often goes to slams and is very active within the slam/poetry community. My friend asked me if I thought it was possible to create artwork (poems, drawings, etc) without utilizing extreme emotions. I think that this question is entirely based on personal experience and the individual you are discussing. In Janis Joplin’s case her emotions entirely ran her performance and her creativity. Although another factor reflected in Janis’ work is the drug and alcohol abuse she still had intense emotional outbreaks and tended to let her emotions run her actions. Interestingly enough she used the drugs to suppress her most intense emotions of loneliness and insecurity (which might just be a state of mind and not necessarily an emotion). This is all reflected in Janis’ work and even though I don’t consider her that influential in women’s rights I do think she was important to the musical movement of the 60’s and conscious awareness (as far as gender relations go).

I feel that Janis Joplin’s role as a leader and pop star was painful to learn about. It seems that Janis was thrown into a position that many artists and pop stars have to deal with, especially today. A position where they have become larger than life and therefore they are treated as idols within the eyes of the public. I feel that Janis’ role during the 60’s quickly became what some refer to as a “circus act”. This circus act I talk about is the craze that the media accumulates by focusing intensely on artists and their personal lives. At first the media said Janis needed to leave Big Brother and the Holding Company because she wasn’t the focus. Then the public criticized her for following their advice and said she was egotistical and ‘too big for her britches’. Not only was she receiving criticism from the media and public but she was also meant to lead this new band (Kozmic Blues Band) made up of professional musicians, at the age of 26. I think that Jerry Rodnitzky simply wraps up Janis’ contributions well, “In October 1970, at age 27, she died of a heroin overdose while the Vietnam War raged.”(Rodnitzky, pg 2) I use this example because it is incredibly depressing to think that an influential character (in many people’s opnions) such as Janis could only worry about her immediate problems, and in doing so managed to kill herself during one of the biggest shifts in social conscious of human history.

An artist who reminds me of Janis Joplin is Grace Potter from Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. Grace seems to have followed a similar path compared to Joplin as far as exploding in popularity at a young age. The two women performers also share a passion and expression of creativity that is impossible to neglect when listening to their music. I bring up Grace because I feel that she is an evolution of Janis Joplin into what Janis could have been. It will be interesting to see her development as time goes on and to see where society stands as far as gender relations go. I’m hoping we can learn from artists like Joplin and Potter to appreciate the artists for who they are and not let this cultural obsession blur our vision.