Janis Ian
Janis Ian
Janis Ianis an American singer-songwriter who was mostly active in the 1960s and 1970s; her most successful song, At Seventeen, was released as a single from her 1975 album Between the Lines which reached number 1 on the Billboard chart...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionFolk Singer
Date of Birth7 April 1951
CityBronx, NY
CountryUnited States of America
country son gay
I think these last 10 years have seen just a huge shift in the psyche of this country as regards gay people. I think AIDS had a lot to do with it. So many families who really believed they'd 'never met one' were suddenly confronted with their sons becoming ill, and friends of sons. I think that brought a lot of it into the open.
song humble hard-times
Artists are taught to be humble about their impact, especially in folk music. It's so ingrained that I have a hard time even thinking I had any impact other than what a normal hit song would have.
song children hate
I had a vague idea of the song's impact in the '60s, but that was tempered by the hate mail and threats I was receiving. It was only about ten years ago, when I finally put it back in my show because so many people were asking for it, that I understood 'Society's Child' real impact.
song writing artist
At the end of the day, if you don't have a record contract, a studio or a guitar, you can still write songs. You're still an artist. That's something no one can take away.
recently
A radio show recently did a beautiful eulogy of me.
american-musician choosing names sides whose
To those of us who know the pain, Of valentines that never came, And those whose names were never called, When choosing sides for basketball.
american-musician dreams far gave girls ugly younger
It was long ago and far away, The world was younger than today, And dreams were all they gave for free, To ugly duckling girls like me.
gay rights people
Of course, I have a different vested interest in the gay community, because I am gay, and I would certainly enjoy the tax advantages that straight people have, and the inheritance advantages, and things like Social Security, but I've always been a civil rights advocate across the board. That's how I was raised.
rights parent movement
My parents both were doing the Civil Rights Movement, were very involved with the civil rights to Congress. And my friends' parents were as well.
writing people peers
It's what I do well - I write about things that make people uncomfortable. That's probably the only thing I do better than my peers.
mom guitar lessons
I gave guitar lessons. I tried to join bands. My mom always said it was obvious that nothing was going to stop me.
mean europe careers
I mean, I would love to have the career Joan Baez is having in Europe right now, but God knows I don't begrudge her that career.
years get-better may
The best thing you can learn from the worst times of your life is that it always gets better. It may take a month, a year, a decade, but it will get better if you leave yourself open to it.
accepting neat i-can
It's neat to have finally reached a point where I can accept what I was and what I am.