New Q&A

[MokyWI]

www.altaonline.com/culture/music-podcasts/a44941073/linda-ronstadt-jeff-kaliss-q-and-a/

Great new photo of Linda. I posted it here ASAP before reading it myself.


…just read the first couple and Linda agrees with many critics, that she had no business covering “Sail Away” by Randy Newman. I myself never agreed with the critics when it came to her version of “Sail Away”, I know all about the critics opinions, it’s sung too pretty for capturing slaves to bring to America. Ihave always thought that was the point with her version. I looked at her beautiful reading of it as the big lie to get them on board the ship. It worked for me.

[PoP80]

Enjoyed reading this Q&A--thanks for posting! I would agree that Linda's acting when delivering diaglogue in Pirates was self-conscious, but of course the singing part was superb. It seems as if Linda is getting a little more objective about her talents and assessing her career as a whole at this point in her life. It also struck me that Linda looks a little like Emmy Lou in the photo with her white hair. 

[erik]

Apart from the usual self-deprecation that she often invokes (much of what she has always said about her singing prior to Pirates one must take with a shaker of salt [IMHO]), I think the most heartbreaking thing is that Linda thought something was going seriously wrong with her voice around the year 2000, and then it just, in her words, collapsed. Those of us who saw her in concert during that period between 2000 and her final show in San Antonio in 2009 may not necessarily have noticed anything; I know I didn't when I saw her twice here in Los Angeles, in July 2004 and again in July 2006. The thing is, however, that she did; and given how acutely aware she must have been of this most important part of her being, it certainly threw her for a loop when she was first (mis)-diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2013, and then properly diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy in 2019.

I know there's the argument that she should have gone ahead and gotten it diagnosed much sooner than she did; but given that neither Parkinson's not Progressive Supranuclear Palsy is curable, I don't think getting it diagnosed would have done anything more than forced Linda to accept the inevitable, which is what she had to do anyway. That she is still able to physically do anything shows that she is determined to live the rest of her life to its fullest. And even if it seems corny or sentimental to say, there is a lesson to be learned from her example (IMHO).

[eddiejinnj]

Thanks so much for posting. I enjoyed the article immensely. She mentioned a few things in a little more detail and stuff I never heard before.

eddiejinnj

[MokyWI]

First time I noticed a change and struggles with her voice was in 2004 when she played The Chicago Theatre. I could clearly hear it in her vocals and a couple times it was very noticeable to a long time fan. As far as recorded work, I noticed it on Western Wall. I am sure it was worse for her ears than those listening.

[MokyWI]

She was asked in the interview if she still had property in the area (Tucson) and she replies yes down close to the border that she visits a couple times a year. I am guessing some miscommunication because a couple years ago she mentioned she gave up the thought of building something in Tucson because the rising prices in construction caused by COVID. Who knows, maybe she bought something or maybe she meant she has relatives that have property that she stays at. I will go back and reread, maybe I read it wrong.

Do you still have property there?
Yeah, down close to the border. I go back about twice a year.

No, I got it right, I just copied and pasted the question and her reply above.

[eddiejinnj]

I think she has more insight into how genetics may have played into this. I was shocked when she has stated numerous times she was shocked when she got the Parkinson's diagnosis when her paternal grandmother had it and her grandfather spent so much of the couple's assets trying to cure her. eddie

[fabtastique]

Lovely photo, I saw it on instagram.

She is so insightful.

Interesting her comments about pesticides …

[PoP80]

Sept 26, 2023 9:54:15 GMT -5 eddiejinnj said:

I think she has more insight into how genetics may have played into this. I was shocked when she has stated numerous times she was shocked when she got the Parkinson's diagnosis when her paternal grandmother had it and her grandfather spent so much of the couple's assets trying to cure her. Eddie

It's a consideration regarding a possible predisposition, but it doesn't necessarily mean it was inherited. It's more likely if it's early onset, and I'm not sure how old her grandmother was at diagnosis. Also, Linda has a different form, so it's not that likely this played a role in her disease. In most cases it doesn't seem to run in families.

[Biff McFly]

"...I grew up around a lot of pesticides: trucks with DDT came down and fogged the roads, and we used to get on the backs of the trucks and ride in the fog. ..."

I almost fell out of my chair when I read Linda's comment because I (actually we-my sisters and kids in the neighborhood) did this too. We could hear the truck coming because of the spraying noise coming from the next street over, so we would gather on our bicycles at one end of our street and wait for the truck to pass by. Then we would ride our bicycles down the street behind the truck which was spraying DDT (it was more like a large jeep). The spray from the truck was thick and white. It was better than fog it was like being in a cloud. The closer to the truck the thicker the fog. The fog would dissipate after a few minutes. We never could figure out how our Mom found out (probably because we smelled like DDT), but she would get on our case about it . "We weren't doing that Mom" or "ok, we won't do it again, Mom". Then "the Sirens would call again", and we would gather again at the end of the street waiting for the truck to pass and ride our bicycles in The Cloud. "Mom, we don't know what your talking about...Don't you trust us?" When I read Linda's comment I was surprised because I thought Arizona would be that last place they would have trucks spraying DDT. As a child, I lived in Lake Jackson, Texas which was surrounded by swamps.

[eddiejinnj]

I was not making any kind of "medical" comment as I do not know whether it is truly hereditary etc. I don't know the latest research. It is just I thought it was a little surprising that Linda was shocked at the diagnosis considering it was in her family, though her diagnosis did change later on. I appreciate the feedback and info.
Biff, thanks for sharing story. We used to play in a shutdown Superfund landfill as kids. Our condo development, on the north side, was next to this landfill.
It looked like a mountain in our back yard (our condo was in back corner of development on landfill side). Over the years, we hung out and played up there. Ice skated on the big puddle ponds that were frozen in winter. God only knows how much risk we put ourselves into.

eddiejinnj

Looked up the site and it was in business until 1979. We moved into the condo with our Mom when it was new in 1974. So we played up there when it was actively open.

[liza]

I admit to confusion. The final photo of Linda here certainly looks recent - hair etc - but I thought it was reported some time ago that she sold her piano. I thought she said that the piano was too large for her present house and that it was put up for sale. The one in the picture appears to be rather large, but maybe it is a trick of perspective. Or my memory is playing tricks!

[fabtastique]

This is a great photo of Linda - also the line "My voice didn't change. It collapsed" is such a Linda thing to say.

As fans I think we'd beg to disagree but we don't know much more difficult it was for her to record while she was experiencing problems.

[MokyWI]

Sept 27, 2023 23:10:00 GMT -5 liza said:

I admit to confusion. The final photo of Linda here certainly looks recent - hair etc - but I thought it was reported some time ago that she sold her piano. I thought she said that the piano was too large for her present house and that it was put up for sale. The one in the picture appears to be rather large, but maybe it is a trick of perspective. Or my memory is playing tricks!

I think she auctioned her famous piano and replaced with a new one. Why she did this I am not sure. This piano looks to be the same size, the one she sold was a baby grand as well. Maybe there are more than one size baby grand.

[LindaFan5]

That’s a new piano. Linda is extremely practical. She auctioned off almost everything from her career. Awards, performing costumes, etc. The previous piano had extra value because it came from Peter Asher I think, and many famous people had played it. Famous people also played it when they came to visit her at her house. I forget what it sold for. She strikes me as extremely smart financially, and she also seems to be very smart when it comes to people she has around her as friends. I think her relationships with John Boylan, John Kosh, Jerry. Town and, of course, Emmylou Harris are especially heartwarming.

[PoP80]

Sept 28, 2023 6:01:58 GMT -5 LindaFan5 said:

That’s a new piano. Linda is extremely practical. She auctioned off almost everything from her career. Awards, performing costumes, etc. The previous piano had extra value because it came from Peter Asher I think, and many famous people had played it. Famous people also played it when they came to visit her at her house. I forget what it sold for. She strikes me as extremely smart financially, and she also seems to be very smart when it comes to people she has around her as friends. I think her relationships with John Boylan, John Kosh, Jerry. Town and, of course, Emmylou Harris are especially heartwarming.

Also, her close friendship with Paula Tracy from SFB. I also love ballet, so I'm happy to know that Linda shares that passion.