Joan Baez spent 60 years traveling the globe, using her beautiful soprano voice to sing and make political statements. However, in 2018, she went on her final tour and returned to her peaceful home near San Francisco. Besides her signing, Joan Baez has been passionate about drawing upside-down and writing in reverse since childhood.
Now, she has compiled her drawings into a book titled “Am I Pretty When I Fly?” She has also been creating portraits through painting. Joan Baez is reflecting on her life in a new documentary called “Joan Baez I Am a Noise,” which will be shown in theatres all across the country next week. Initially, the idea was to make a film about her final tour.
However, Joan Baez decided she wanted to create a truthful legacy, sharing everything about her life. She explained that this is why she gave the directors access to her storage unit, allowing them to explore her personal history.
Joan Baez’s mother had preserved a treasure trove of items, including home movies, letters, and drawings throughout the years. Surprisingly, Joan Baez had never taken a peek at these belongings. In the documentary, there is a significant moment when she enters the storage unit, and she reveals that it is her first time doing so.
Joan Baez’s life is well documented.
Joan Baez’s life in the public eye is extensively recorded. She has released around forty studio and live albums, and received nearly every music accolade possible, including being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017, and spent decades performing in concerns, participating in marches, and championing human rights causes.
She sang the 1963 March on Washington, and when asked if she was hopeful back then, Joan Baez responded that she was wise. She understood that when they sang “We shall overcome,” it did not mean it would happen in our lifetimes. She said she was prepared for a long struggle.
In the 1960s, she went on tour with Bob Dylan, a fellow activist. They fell in love, but their relationship did not last. She shared that he broke her heart, saying that it was probably the deepest she had ever felt for somebody.
A little hint of that is when someone walks away from you; it hurts more than if you walk away from them. She experienced a significant rejection, and it was tough to recover from.
Baez had a bizarre start to her married life.
In 1976, Joan Baez was taken into custody for protesting and obstructing entrances to military indication centers in Oakland, California.
David Harris, a journalist and anti-Vietnam war activist, came to see her while she was in jail. Eventually, they married, and she became pregnant, but he ended up in prison.
When asked about this challenging beginning to their marriage, Baez acknowledged that it was not an ideal start. She mentioned her desire to be a perfect wife and mother, but with their circumstances, none of that was possible.
During the interview, some chicken came to her doo. It is quite appropriate that Joan Baez has her flock of chickens. She explained that she prefers dealing with larger crowds than one-on-one interactions. She found the latter quite challenging.
Joan Baez and David Harris divorced in a friendly manner in 1973, and she is content being single. She expressed that she does not want to add more things to her plate, like trying to find the right partner. She finds searching for a suitable partner exhausting and decides to give it up.
