“I CAN remember exactly where I was when I first heard Joni Mitchell,” says Vashti Bunyan. “I was living in a very damp cottage in the Lake District in 1968. There was a black and-white television in one of the rooms and I would put on a big coat and watch it. I saw her sitting at a piano and playing –it was probably “Both Sides Now”–and for me it was hugely affecting. I thought, ‘I can never do that.’ It had a huge effect on me, because from that moment on I never ever believed in myself. For about 30 years, I gave up on music altogether. No record player or radio, I didn’t even sing to my children. I felt like such a failure, it’s awful. I don’t like to admit it, but that’s what happened.”
We’re used to hearing stories of how people were inspired to pick up guitars and write songs by Joni Mitchell, but this may be the first example of someone being literally stunned into silence by the scale of her talent. There’s something weirdly noble about it. “Of course, I think Iwas an idiot now!” she laughs uproariously.
Bunyan is one of the artists, alongside Emeli Sandé, Sam Amidon, Eska and This Is The Kit, assembled to pay tribute to Mitchell in her 80th year in an event at London’s Roundhouse in April, curated by singer-songwriter Lail Arad. “Everyone Iapproached said yes,” says Arad delightedly, although she’s under no illusions about the difficulties presented by attempting to cover Joni Mitchell. “Everything is achallenge! Ihave no idea how any of us will do it. She’s just exquisite in every aspect of her art. Her voice, her musicianship, her songwriting, her performance. It’s more about making it your own, that’s the only way to approach it.”